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F AMILY O WNED & O PERATED S INCE 1869 Stoughton • Madison • McFarland Deerfield • Sun Prairie • Waunakee
Thursday, October 18, 2018 • Vol. 137, No. 13 • Stoughton, WI • ConnectStoughton.com • $1.25 adno=31700
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City of Stoughton
City accepts bank building Four alders disagree, based on questions of pollution, cost, space needs ALEXANDER CRAMER Unified Newspaper Group
Skaalen celebrates fall
Photo by Amber Levenhagen
Ana Thill, with health information services at Skaalen Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, picks out bread during Skaalen’s Fall Festival on Tuesday morning. Skaalen residents crafted handmade and homebaked goods, such as pies, cinnamon rolls, home decor and blankets, which were sold during the festival as a fundraisr for the resident council. The resident council helps sponsor the summer concert series and other programs featured at the center. The funds also help buy school supplies for staff members and candy for trick-or-treating. For more information about Skaalen events and programs, visit skaalen.com.
City of Stoughton
No grant for whitewater park proposal ALEXANDER CRAMER Unified Newspaper Group
The City of Stoughton won’t be getting $1 million from the state to build its proposed whitewater park – at least not next year. The Department of Natural Resources grant, which combined with matching city funds would have equalled $2,206,407, would have been used to construct nearly 2,000 feet of trails connecting the riverfront Glynn redevelopment area with the city’s existing trail system and a whitewater park for
paddlers and floaters on the Yahara River that organizers hope would draw visitors to the city. The Redevelopment Authority has been planning on the whitewater park as a potential attraction that would increase property values on its riverfront redevelopment site between the river and South Fourth Street. Jennifer Gihring, a financial assistance specialist with the DNR, told the Hub the DNR grants are competitive in the state on a statewide and regional basis and the agency favors projects that are “shovel-ready.” “It’s kind of ‘chicken and egg’,” Gihring said. “It takes a certain amount of local investment to get a project to a point where it’s shovel-ready and a lot of times they need the funding to make that happen.” While the grant would cover engineering costs, that cannot be a
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standalone project, Gihring said. The city could undertake those projects and then apply to be reimbursed. The city has paid Colorado-based Recreation Engineering and Planning Inc. more than $20,000 to prepare a concept plan, but it doesn’t include in-depth engineering work, which is costly. The city and RDA worked together to create a Tax Increment Financing district that would include the proposed park site to help with financing, and the city has formed a whitewater park steering committee. At its meeting on Monday morning, the steering committee requested about $90,000 from the Park Board for phase 2 engineering work by a consultant, which would include hydraulic studies that Mayor Tim Swadley said the DNR was looking for.
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Marathon plan runs out of gas ALEXANDER CRAMER Unified Newspaper Group
Developer Todd Nelson has ended a yearslong pursuit of developing the former Marathon Gas station site on West Main Street. Redevelopment Authority chair Roger Springman told the RDA on Oct. 10 that the plans had fallen through and the group was “back to ground zero” on the site, though there are two interested parties “waiting in the wings.” “It was a great use for the site,” Springman said. “Having more people living close to downtown
would be great, but it wasn’t meant to be.” Springman said Nelson was “having some trouble with the bank... about developing the property without liabilities being taken care of.” Nelson did not return a phone call seeking comment. Springman and Mayor Tim Swadley planned to meet with the Realtor representing the city and the city’s attorney to discuss the concern that environmental issues are affecting the marketability of the site.
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DNR’s $1M denial puts hold on plans for at least a year
The City of Stoughton will add an eighth public building to its collection, accepting the donation agreement from McFarl a n d S t a t e Swadley Bank for its downtown building on a 7-4 vote after a charged debate between alders. With an Oct. 15 deadline looming, the council weighed the cost paying upkeep on the building and losing its tax revenue, as well as the potential liability of cleaning pollution against the benefit of having more space available in City Hall. The mayor and some alders hope the building could bring additional revenue
from the Opera House and improve working conditions. The council had been waiting for the second phase of environmental testing of the site, which formerly held a gas station. City attorney Matt Dregne reported the “most likely” result of the report would be a “no further action necessary” letter from the state Department of Natural Resources, which would absolve the city from cleanup costs. But the city has received no such guarantee, and though Dregne said the report “documented limited contamination on the site,” he detailed other possible outcomes, such as the DNR requesting additional testing he estimated would cost $12,000. The agency could might require further cleanup, which would be costly. “There is very low risk the DNR would require remediation, seeing as it’s a parking lot and it’s essentially a cap on the area,” Dregne concluded. The DNR would be required to respond to