WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2017
Serving Polk County’s St. Croix Valley since 1897
VOL. 119 NO. 34 www.osceolasun.com $1.00
SPORTS: All Conference selections. PAGE 12
Approval isn’t a blank check And other answers to referendum questions
Discussions ongoing, shelter stays put for now
BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
On April 4, Osceola taxpayers will decide whether to approve a long-term levy increase that would allow the district’s schools to continue operating without cuts. The referendum question comes after years of stagnant school revenues, the effect of levy caps approved by Governor Scott Walker and the Wisconsin legislature in 2011. The district is asking for increases up to $950,000 each year for four years, for a cumulative total not to exceed $3.8 million. After the 2020-’21 school year, the levy will SEE SCHOOL, PAGE 10
BY JESSICA DE LA CRUZ EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
WISCONSIN DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION
Population growth projections by the state’s Department of Administration, show a relatively high rate of growth in Polk and St. Croix counties, where Osceola draws its students from.
Young ATV racer shows professional promise BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Still too young for a driver’s license, a local teen excelled on the ATV track last year in his first national competitions. Marshall Bridges, part of the Osceola-based race team Quad Shop Racing, competed in his first full national schedule last year, finishing in the top three in both his classes. He got his start riding on ice with Jesse Kloetzke of Quad Shop Racing. But Marshall’s interest goes even farther back, said his father. “Ever since birth he’s had a monster truck or someSEE RACER, PAGE 17
County homeless shelter pushes for new lease amidst cloud of criticism
JB PHOTOGRAPHY
After missing the February 1 deadline to renew their five year lease with Polk County, the status of the county’s largest homeless shelter remains in limbo for now, resting in the hands of the county’s General Government Committee. Serenity House has occupied the site of the former Polk County Jail since 2008. The 18 bed facility operates under a conditional-use permit for “transitional housing,” and is frequently at capacity. It’s also the main office for the Polk County Salvation Army and countywide Backpack Program. Director Duana Bremer says she sent the county a letter of intent prior to the deadline, but that was not sufficient. Upon missing the deadline, County Administrator Dana Frey says he had no option but to require the organization to request a new lease, which they did. But the lapse opened a window for some local residents to voice concern. Local District Supervisor Chris Nelson said that many of his constituents are frustrated by what they perceive as Serenity House residents causing problems in the community. He says that theft, loitering and criminal mischief are common concerns. “There’s a certain percentage of the population that is causing havoc in Balsam Lake,” he said. “We’re a destination. We’re a small community with limited resources and part-time police coverage.” Nelson says that a big part of the problem is that inmates being released from the jail have nowhere to go. “It’s overwhelming us now with the level of criminals that are walking around our streets. Every one of the businesses has complained,” he added. But if they have complained, it wasn’t to the director of Serenity Home and Salvation Army, Duana Bremer. “If people felt there was a problem at the shelter, I wish they would have come to us and said something,” she said. “In eight years, not one person came forward and said they were having a problem with our residents. When Supervisor Nelson ran for office and voiced his concerns about Serenity Home, that was
Marshall Bridges, part of the Osceola-based race team Quad Shop Racing, competed in his first full national schedule last year, finishing in the top three in both his classes.
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