COURIER PRESS PUBLISHED IN HISTORIC PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, WISCONSIN • SINCE 1848
EDUCATION
Student cook makes SkillsUSA nationals Page 10
VOLUME 166 • NO. 45 ❘ PDCCOURIER.COM ❘ MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 ❘ ONE DOLLAR
E F LO O D H T G N I L FEE
Local Industry and Commerce
Industries in PdC fight prolonged flood Editor’s note: This is the third story in a series about Prairie du Chien’s St. Feriole Island experiencing sustained flooding for two and a half months, and how that has affected the community.
By Correne Martin Gavilon Grain has not loaded a single barge yet this shipping season. Nelson Hardwoods could not get into the woods to haul
out trees for harvesting. Valley Fish and Cheese has been spending three hours per commercial fishing catch, rather than the typical hour, because of the added riverway obstacles and debris snagging the nets. As a historic Mississippi River town, Prairie du Chien prospers most when the meandering waters stay within their banks, and local industries and commerce can take the liberty
to do business on the river. But this spring has not been industry friendly. In fact, the rare periods of optimum weather and interconnected river levels have left some companies at a near standstill. The Mississippi has now been 84 consecutive days above flood stage. The National Weather Service of La Crosse predicts the level at McGregor to drop below the 16-foot minor stage by Wednesday.
“We loaded out millions of bushels on barges by this time last year. We haven’t loaded any yet this year,” said Heath Thomas, manager at Gavilon, which accepts and transports commodities via the riverfront property at 800 Villa Louis Rd. “It’s already turned the shipping season from eight months into five months. Last year, we started loading March 10th, but here we are in June still waiting to see our first barge.”
To work through the stagnancy pain, Gavilon has trucked some grain, destined for the Gulf, to another location located along a rail line. Thomas said, the business has laid off a few of its 14 local employees and sent a couple to other locations to work at times over the last couple of months. Not only has Gavilon been See FLOOD, page 4
Plane makes emergency landing on Mississippi A man and his dog escaped injury after an emergency aircraft landing on the river in Prairie du Chien last week. On Thursday, June 6, around 2:40 p.m., the Prairie du Chien Police Department was notified of an amphibious aircraft that made an emergency landing on the Mississippi River due to engine troubles. The police department responded to the area of the Villa Louis Boat Landing and found a plane on the water approximately 400 yards from the shore. The Prairie du Chien Fire Department deployed its search and rescue boat and firemen were able to assist with pulling the plane to the shore line. No injuries were caused as a result of the incident. The plane was operated by Richard Schuch, of Gays Mills, and he was accompanied by his dog.
After being towed in, the plane was placed on the former National Decorative Metals property. (Photo by Ted Pennekamp)
Correctional Institution facing backlash over employee scheduling By Peyton Meisner A recent employee scheduling change at the Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution (PDCI) is causing some controversy among the current employees. According to a press release from the American Federa-
tion of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) of Wisconsin, the scheduling change was made without conferring with employees and trusting their expertise. AFSCME Wisconsin Interim Executive Director Patrick Wycoff explained, “This staffing change is unnecessary and ab-
surd. This overhaul is change for the sake of change, which achieves nothing other than making workers feel more isolated, undervalued and voiceless.” Wycoff also stated that PDCI employees felt blind-sided by the scheduling system. On April 29, PDCI employees presented a petition to the
Department of Corrections leadership demanding management meet with employees and discuss the ramifications of the plan. The petition was signed by 70 percent of PDCI correctional officers within two days, according to the AFSCME Wisconsin press release. Attempts over the course
of the past week were made to contact Deputy Warden Kevin Semanko, Department of Corrections Secretary Kevin Carr, and Wisconsin Department of Corrections Director of Communications Molly Vidal about administration’s perspective. However, no response was received.
LOCAL NEWS
A4 ❘ COURIER PRESS ❘ MONDAY, JUNE 10, 2019 ❘ PDCCOURIER.COM
FLOOD, from page 1 unable to ship grain, the 84 days of persistently high water has also made buying more difficult simply because we can’t take delivery of the grain. “When you can’t get grain from point A to point B and we want to work with our farmers, grain ends up getting kicked to other places.” Thomas stated. Otherwise, he explained, some farmers have their grain sold and owe it to Gavilon but they are storing it until shipment. “The delayed start of the shipping season combined with some 90-degree days have some farmers concerned on the quality once they are able to open up their bins and start hauling.” Farmers have bills to pay too, so they are getting quite eager to be able to start delivering. When you’re used to seeing around 300 trucks a day in this town and then all of a sudden you don’t, there are places like repair shops, diesel shops and eating places that notice it as well.” “Basically, we’re trying to trade out of the inverses in the market which has been made more difficult due to the upper half of the Mississippi River being closed with the ongoing flooding.” Thomas said. To make the best of the situation, Gavilon is currently buying and selling deferred grain for this fall and next summer. Manufacturing at Nelson Hardwood Lumber Company—over at 305 E. Frederick St.—has been well behind average season pace as well, according to Brian Nelson, one of three brothers who own the business. Ordinarily, facility production stays about one month ahead of schedule with its lumber orders. But, as of last week, “everything was pretty much sawed up,” Nelson stated. “We’ve laid three guys off out of about 55.” The sawmill mainly produces random length grade lumber from logs brought in from a 100-mile radius of Prairie du
3M not impacted, but watching closely Though some manufacturing facilities in Prairie du Chien, like 3M, may not have experienced as much of a negative business impact due to the Mississippi flood levels, all have been concerned. According to Steve Kleist, 3M plant manager, the local industry leader was paying close attention to early projections putting the peak flood stage over the historic high level. “We were watching those projections daily,” he said. “If we would have met or exceeded the previous high level mark, some of our off-site leased warehouses in Frenchtown could have experienced water intrusion, causing us to have to relocate inventory to another location. Also of concern would have been flooding of the rail lines following the river. This could have impacted raw material delivery to the plant.” Chien. Cool and wet forest conditions have prevented Nelson Hardwood from accessing the trees they need for harvest. “We usually do quite a bit of logging through about March 15. Then there’s a break and we’re back in the woods by about May 10. As of June 4, the sawmill was essentially empty and the company was just hoping to get into the woods soon. “If it straightens out quickly, we’ll be OK,” Nelson said. Valley Fish and Cheese Owner Mike Valley is also hoping the weather and river settle down in the near future. Having worked the Mississippi as a commercial fisherman his entire life, he said he’s never seen such continually high water in the Prairie du Chien area. “It will go down, I think, but we always get a September raise too. I’m very doubtful it will be down for long at all this year,” Valley surmised. “I think this is a trend that’s the new norm.” Setting nets in his normal locales has brought in no sheepshead, one of his customers’ most sought-after products, according to Valley. “It’s easier to catch a minnow in a coffee cap than a
55-gallon barrel,” he quipped. “There are a few people out on the river, but very few.” While leisure fishermen may be out the recreational opportunity, Valley and his employees can’t give up. Instead, they work harder. “It takes way longer and is a lot more difficult to get fish,” he said. The reality of the river’s wrath is also felt within the fish and cheese store, which thrives on tourists who come to this little river town for travel and entertainment as well. All of Valley’s wood for smoking his fish comes from Nelson Hardwoods, which is running thin on lumber. Furthermore, it’s not good business, he said, when customers come in looking for several products that the river has not sourced the business this year. “We try to fill in with something else. We’re maintaining about 95 percent (of our product) right now,” Valley said. “But, the last two weeks, we’ve started to see the flood taking its toll more. We’ve had fewer boaters and travelers in. “This will have huge impacts on the entire region. I just don’t know what to do.”
7
YR ILNEDAUDSITNRGY LIMITED
WARRANTY
HIGHLIGHTS + SmoothTrakTM steering with automatic park brake system + Proven Hydro-Gear ZT3100 transmissions for smooth operation and extended life + Frame, front fork and deck is one of the toughest in its class + Easy Maintenance + Welded steel deck + 13” caster tires and 22” BigBite drive tires + 3 gallon fuel capacity + Always-on LED lights + Reinforced engine guard + Open deck design
TOP SPEED
7
MPH
IN SEASON SAVINGS AVAILABLE NOW
KN SMALL ENGINES
3959 Hwy 81 Lancaster • Just North of Ellenboro • 608.723.3790
Free mental health seminar available through Farm Bureau SUN PRAIRIE—A free mental health seminar for Farm Bureau and non-Farm Bureau members is scheduled at Compeer Financial, 2600 Jenny Wren Tr., in Sun Prairie Wednesday, June 26, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch is provided. Following registration at 10 a.m., Jeff Ditzenberger will present “It’s OK to Not Be OK.” Then, at 11 a.m., Hayley Jordan will talk about “Finding Resiliency.” Lunch is held at 12 p.m. Afterward, a panel discussion will start at 12:45 p.m., moderated by Jordan. This will be an opportunity to have an honest discussion with a diverse panel of individuals concerning the current agricultural climate. Each panel member will bring their unique life experiences, professional knowledge and connection to agriculture as they plot the course to resiliency. At 1:45 p.m., the speakers will be available for questions oneon-one. RSVPs are strongly suggested for lunch planning purposes. To register, complete the form at: https://forms.gle/KGx9EhowaaYFoUk6A The seminar is open to the public and hosted by the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. For more information, questions or concerns, contact Ditzenberger at jditz4440@gmail.com or (608) 214-9137
Amish School Benefit
HAYSTACK SUPPER Tuesday, June 18
Serving Time: 3:30 - 7:30 p.m.
Waukon Banquet Center, Waukon MENU: MEAT, POTATOES, SALAD, HOME-MADE ICE CREAM & MORE Free Will Donation Proceeds benefit Amish Schools
Also... Baked Goods For Sale
WEST SIDE FARMER’S MARKET Across from the Tourist Information Center Prairie du Chien, WI
Every Saturday & Sunday 6:30 am - 5 pm
OPEN FOR THE SEASON Locally Grown Produce Flowers • Honey For Information, Call 563-539-2027
We accept: WIC • Senior Coupons • SNAP
Hanging Baskets & Bedding Plants
Access from Wisconsin Street, Hwy 18 West
Join Us Thursday Nights for the Queen of Hearts Drawing Jackpot over $800 Only $1.00 per chance 7p.m. sharp
LIVE MUSIC by UNCLE SAM BAND Saturday , June 15 from 7-11 pm Fathers Day Special For the entire Family All you can eat broasted Chicken $10 kids 10 and under $7 Childrens menu available for $5
Open Daily at 11am
608-326-2782
1618 S. Marquette Rd., Prairie du Chien, WI
OUR PATIO IS NOW OPEN!