Verona Press The
Thursday, October 11, 2018 • Vol. 54, No. 21 • Verona, WI • Hometown USA • ConnectVerona.com • $1.25
adno=27881
14 YEARS
Thank you, Verona, for your patronage! 608-848-6628
416 E. Verona Ave
New VAHS
Road deal allows for pool, turf Compromise gets access to Nine Mound for $1.7 million SCOTT GIRARD Unified Newspaper Group
Photo by Samantha Christian
Jackie Garcia, of Verona, looks on in amusement as her 2-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, attempts to bite an apple without using her hands, as she had just done with a donut hanging from string.
Fall full of fun
Verona celebrated fall Friday, Oct. 5, with the second annual chamber of commerce Fall Fest at Hometown USA Festival Park. The event featured a beer tent, live music, an artist’s and farmer’s market, kids games, pumpkin chucking, bobbing for apples and ended with an outdoor showing of “Coco” under the pavilion to keep out of the rain.
Inside More photos from Fall Fest Page 8
Verona Area School District
Boundary criteria play up diversity Equal representation won’t be required but it’s still important, board says SCOTT GIRARD Unified Newspaper Group
A week-and-a-half after deciding demographic balancing shouldn’t be the top consideration when drawing new school attendance boundaries, Verona Area school board members made it clear Monday night diversity is still a priority. An addition to the district’s statement on diversity was the only change the board made before approving the boundary redrawing criteria, which are designed to help direct the committee beginning with its first meeting at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 16. The criteria also has statements about fiscal efficiency, making the
‘It feels like just that one line, one sentence is not enough to portray the gravity that we take that (diversity) point with.’ – Kristina Navarro-Haffner, Verona Area school board member most of buildings, keeping neighborhoods together and elementaries feeding to the same middle schools, reducing disruptions and simplifying transportation. A concern that balancing numbers too finely could cause neighborhoods to be split up led the board to adjust its statement on diversity last month. Much of the district’s underrepresented populations – both socioeconomic and racial – live in “pockets” around the district, and board members had The
Verona Press
expressed concerns about putting the burden of balancing demographics among schools on them with longer bus rides and neighbors attending different schools. Board member Kristina Navarro-Haffner, who has said she supports having demographics generally balanced among schools, felt the single sentence about diversity that was added at the Sept. 26 could use some more “substance.” “When I look at this list, there’s more substance to the other bullet points here,” Navarro-Haffner said. “Just a one-liner about diversity, which may lead people to misunderstand our intention. “That point is of utmost importance to me. It feels like just that one line, one sentence is not enough to portray the gravity that we take that point with.” The bullet point on “student
Turn to Boundary/Page 15
The cost of a road connecting the new Verona Area High School site with South Nine Mound Road will allow for a second swimming pool and artificial turf on the soccer field. Those two items were among several added to the project a year ago after a $182 million referendum passed in the spring. But they had been in danger of being cut, as it became clear soon afterward the road would cost much more than anticipated. Monday night the Verona Area school board approved an agreement to purchase the final piece of land it needs for the road for
almost $1 million less than what it had been expecting to pay about three months ago. The district will pay $1.7 million to the Russell and Vicki Swiggum to acquire the right-of-way through their land to the road. While contingencies remain on executing the contract – including permit approvals and a curb cut to provide access to the business the Swiggums own, S&E Excavating – the contract was signed by both parties on Tuesday. “This is something that the board has been working at for a very long time along with our staff,” board president Noah Roberts said. “This is a product of a lot of work, and I appreciate what everyone’s done to get us to this point.” The land acquisition brought the total road
Turn to Road/Page 14
City of Verona
New ordinance a big ‘coop’ for chicken advocates JIM FEROLIE Verona Press editor
City residents can now keep chickens in their backyards, and the change didn’t appear to ruffle any feathers. In five separate appearances before public governing bodies over the past two months, only two citizens gave comments, both in favor of the new rules, and every vote advancing the ordinance was unanimous. That included a 7-0
decision Monday from the Common Council, in which there were no changes from the draft reviewed by the Plan Commission a week before, though alders added some guidance to staff, mostly suggested by the Public Safety committee earlier that night. Among the ordinance’s provisions are obtaining an annual license, registering the premises with the state, notifying adjacent
Turn to Chickens/Page 17
EXPERIENCE THE UPTOWN LIFESTYLE
608.441.9999 avanteproperties.com
VISTA APARTMENTS
1 & 2 Bedroom Units Available
5120 E Cheryl Parkway, Fitchburg, WI adno=28613