of Juneau County
The Messenger NEW LISBON WINS HOMECOMING GAME VOL 15, NO. 10
LOOK INSIDE FOR YOUR LOCAL NEWS:
Elroy: Page 6 Mauston: Page 4 Necedah: Page 9
County: Page 3 Wonewoc: Page 14 Hillsboro: Page 12
Classifieds: Page 16 Legals: Page 17
THE AWARD WINNING OFFICIAL LEGAL NEWSPAPER OF JUNEAU COUNTY THURSDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2013
Energy Assistance payments may be delayed Nights are getting cooler and soon colder temperatures during daytime hours will be upon us. This time of year for many Juneau County households is the time of year to apply for energy assistance through the Wisconsin Home Energy Assistance Program (WHEAP). For those who qualify WHEAP provides a one time annual heating payment to help to make a cold bitter winter a little more affordable.WHEAP is funded by federal and state funds. Juneau County's Energy Assistance program is facilitated by the Central Wisconsin Community Action Council (CWCAC) with an office located in Mauston. The local office started taking applications in September for this heating season which officially began on October 1st and ends on May 15. While many low income households budget for the one time annual payment and may have already been approved for this heating season, Susan Tucker from CWCAC warns that due to congress not passing a continuing resolution which funds the program payments to utility companies they may be delayed. Consumers already approved for energy assistance are advised to contact their utility companies to ensure their accounts are in good standing and not scheduled for a disconnection prior to November 1. According to the Wisconsin Public Service Commission Wisconsin law states that if the utility service directly or indirectly affects the primary heat source of the home, consumers cannot be disconnected during the heating moratorium period from November 1 to April 15. Customers whose service is disconnected as of November 1st may have to make arrangements with their local utility to pay outstanding bills in order to have their service restored. If a consumer has not made an arrangement to pay an outstanding bill, the utility is not required to provide service until a payment arrangement has been established. To learn more about the WHEAP assistance programs, including income guidelines, you can visit them on the web at http://homeenergyplus.wi.gov/. To contact the energy assistance program in Juneau County call 608 847-5988.
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Cauley resigns from Mauston School Board BY EVA MARIE WOYWOD At a special meeting of the Mauston School Board on Monday evening, members met to accept the resignation of fellow board member, Jim Cauley. Cauley had been on the board for the last seven and a half years with the past couple of years serving as board president. His resignation was effective as of September 30, 2013. Cauley was not present for the meeting, however, other board members mentioned that he was looking forward to spending time with his family and focusing on those needs. Board Vice President Carrie Buss chaired the meeting as members discussed what direction the board would go in filling the now open seat. Two options were discussed, one of which would be to wait for the spring elections and the other option was to post the opening and accept letters of interest and fill the seat up to the time when the elections occur. With Cauley's resignation there will now be four seats for voters to fill in the upcoming elections. Of those four seats, two would be for a one year term - including the now vacant seat. The other seat is currently held by Linda Vinopal who was appointed by the board when Neal McIntire resigned earlier this year as he was moving out of district. The two three year terms are currently held by Carrie Buss and Mike Zilisch. Board members Betty Kryka and RJ Rogers both commented that they felt the board could make due with leaving the position open until the elections. Other board members worried that a quorum may not be present in upcoming meetings should other board members not be present. In a 3 to 2 vote the board approved posting accepting
Jim Cauley resigned Monday as board president. letters of interest in filling the vacant seat. Those interested would need to submit their interest letters by an October 18th deadline. The board will then make a decision at the October 21st regular meeting of the school board. One concern issued, what if there would only be one interested party. "If we don't feel someone is qualified we don't have to take them on," said board member Brian Fox.
Riverside Park construction unearths hidden treasures BY RICHARD D. ROSSIN The shelter and road construction at Mauston's Riverside Park this past summer yielded a unique glimpse into the past for some city residents. Until it was filled in the 1930s by
depression era work crews, the low area between the downtown stores and the Lemonweir River was a cattail marsh that became a handy dumping grounds for trash. All manner of things were tossed in and used for fill. It was any ones guess as to what was actually buried there and the area was the subject of more than one urban legend. So with this summer's development, deep trenches for new sewer lines were dug leaving behind large mounds of dirt that exposed some of the hidden artifacts. And for the curious onlooker or collector, a steady stream of daily discoveries could be made. The road crews made quick progress and some piles of dirt were stationary for only a matter of hours before being scooped up and moved elsewhere. Others remained for days and could be slowly picked through. With the heavy spring rains any sight of your shoes sometimes quickly disappeared and some mounds held foul odors. If you took caution to steer clear of their heavy machinery during the
day, the park worked seemed to tolerate your presence. Of the noteworthy things spotted was a well bent and twisted fender axle from an early model car, such as a Model T. Many other bits and pieces of junk were seen. They were so abundant that workers sometimes made small piles as they were considered a nuisance. Most were the common everyday variety kitchen or bathroom items from the 1920s or 1930s with little to no value. Just fun to discover. There were a few of the fairly common 7 1/2 oz embossed soda bottles from the old Mauston Bottling Works, but most were broke. Other city soda bottles found came from Portage and Watertown. Milk bottles were also found, but oddly, none from this city as most were universally lettered. But there was one quart bottle that hailed from Eau Claire. The most highly prized finds were the embossed beer bottles, and it was interesting to see where they came from. A variety of breweries and cities were
represented. Of course the Milwaukee breweries were heard from with a Blatz. A Schwartz Brewery from Hartford was an unusual find for our area. And then LaCrosse, with a clear G. Heileman - Old Style Lager example. The long distance winner was a sturdy clear quart bottle embossed "Terre Haute Brewing Co.- Terre Haute, Ind." found close to City Hall. Kurth & Company Brewing of Columbus owned pre-prohibition saloons in our area, with their Mauston tavern being at the corner of Elm and State, today a vacant lot. A Kurth saloon building is still standing in downtown Wisconsin Dells. Hussa Brewing Company of Bangor was another large regional brewery before the selling of beer became illegal in 1919. Hussa and Kurth territories overlapped and Juneau County was a battleground. Hussa Brewing owned saloons in New Lisbon, Hustler, Union Center and Lyndon Station. Both Kurth and Hussa bottles were found in the park
On display this month at the Hatch Public Library is a collection of regional history from collector and local brewery historian Richard D. Rossin Jr. Visitors to the library can view bottles which capture a not well known piece of Mauston history. Rossin is a local author who is currently in the process of revising his book detailing the history of the Mauston Brewery - "The History of the Mauston Brewery 1858-1916" - The revision is expected to be published sometime next year. EVA MARIE WOYWOD PHOTO
debris. Additionally, the Wm. Hartig Brewery of Watertown owned a saloon at the corner of State and Union streets in Mauston, today the Kwik Trip corner. After prohibition ended in
1933 the term 'saloon' was banned, 'tavern' had to be substituted and breweries were no longer permitted to own them. See TREASURES, page 3