Can for a Cone!
Stoughton
Thursday, December 5, 2019 • Vol. 138, No. 20 • Stoughton, WI • ConnectStoughton.com • $1.25
Stoughton Area School District
December 16 - December 31
Bring in a canned good (cannot be expired) for the food pantry and receive a free cone or dish of custard Exclusively at… adno=126135
Courier Hub The
of Stoughton 916 Nygaard Street (608) 873-6635
On Wed., December 18 from 4-8 p.m., 10% of total store proceeds will benefit the Stoughton Food Pantry!
Kettle Park West
Phase II advances Developer has asked for $3 million in taxpayer financing RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group
Photo submitted
From left, Fox Prairie third grade teacher Emily Daino and Stoughton Area School District mentor teacher Chris Keenan talk during a recent meeting. The district’s mentoring program, mandated by the state, includes all educators with fewer than three years of classroom experience.
Teaching the teachers Mentoring program aims to assist in critical early years
SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
Fox Prairie third grade teacher Emily Daino is in her first year as a full-time teacher after filling it at the school last spring as a long-term
substitute. Once a month, she meets with Stoughton Area School District mentor teacher Chris Keenan to either observe her classroom, or the two watch another educator in action. “We can talk about what the other teacher did, and if there are ideas I can take back to my classroom, and it makes me feel like I have guidance and have that support,” Daino told the Hub last month. “Chris is really good
about saying, ‘What do you think, and how do you think we should change this?’ and trying to help me get the answer.” Being a first-year teacher can be stressful, she said, and having a mentor on your side can make all the difference. She recalled an inspirational conversation Keenan had with her at the beginning of the year about
The next phase of Kettle Park West took what Mayor Tim Swadley called “a major step forward” on Tuesday, Nov. 26, as council members began to work on a developer’s agreement that would include taxpayer financing. The Finance committee had earlier in the day r e c o m m e n d e d m ov i n g forward with the project, which is connected to the Walmart Supercenter-anchored commercial center and run by the same developer, Forward Development Group. FDG formally requested $3 million in tax-increment financing in July, though it’s been established for several years this phase of the project would involve TIF. Before turning to the recommendation, council members heard feedback from Ald. Jean Ligocki (Dist. 2) who had facilitated a series of three
listening sessions in Stoughton for community members to voice their opinions on the development and the use of TIF. The city provided more than $5 million in TIF for the Phase I commercial center, something that was a major controversy from early 2013 until late 2015. Ligocki said 18 people in total attended the three meetings, and while she had hoped to see a number closer to 25, she thought the small numbers indicated that there was less concern in the community about what would happen in this phase of the development. “It 2015, this was a redhot button issue,” said Ligocki, one of several alders who was elected as part of a political shift over a few years that replaced KPW supporters on the council. But, Ligocki said, “It doesn’t appear that our community is as divided and political on this issue anymore.” She said the main takeaways of the listening session were advocacy for bringing more families
Turn to KPW/Page 3
Turn to Teachers/Page 12
Citizen of the Year deadline is Dec. 29 Unified Newspaper Group
The Stoughton area has plenty of people whose efforts deserve to be highlighted and appreciated. Once again, our readers have a chance to weigh in on who should be honored as the 2019 Stoughton Courier Hub Citizen of the Year. Every year, the Hub recognizes someone whose presence in Stoughton made a noticeable and positive impact on the quality of life in the community. The newspaper will announce
the winner in late January. The deadline for nominations is Friday, Dec. 29. Last year, the Hub’s Citizen of the Year was Stoughton High School educational assistant Barbara Lowe, a longtime volunteer at the Stoughton Opera House, FFA and a variety of local causes. In 2017, it was AnneMarie Oakland, founder of “Lunches For Vikings,” a summer lunch program that connects area churches and volunteers with kids in need throughout the Stoughton Area School District. Other recent winners
On the Web Submit your nomination for Stoughton’s Citizen of the Year at:
ConnectStoughton.com include SHS student Ian Bormett, who used the school’s Fab Lab to design an artificial hand for a local boy, Sonny Swangstu and Kendall McBroom for their work on remodeling the Stoughton Youth Center building, and Lynne Diebel for her conservation work with Badfish Creek and
Courier Hub
contributions to other local conservation efforts. To make a nomination, email communityreporter@ wcinet.com, fill out a form at ConnectStoughton.com or call 845-9559. Nominations should include your name and contact information, the nominee’s name and an explanation of the nominee’s contributions to the community throughout 2019. Email Unified Newspaper Group reporter Scott De Laruelle at scott.delaruelle@wcinet.com.
Inside Vikings surge past Lake Mills, McFarland Page 8
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SCOTT DE LARUELLE