Inside this edition
Review: Lone Rock Bistro Brunch kicks off Page 6
Movie Review: Netflix’s ‘The Dig’ is a hit Page 7
Season end: RV sports head to regionals, sectionals
Spring Green, Wisconsin
Page 8-9
Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021 Vol. 2, No. 7 Free, Single-Copy
Spring Green moves to create village administrator, questions remain Emilie Conlon, Editor-in-Chief The village of Spring Green is set for a few structural changes to its staff following its Feb. 10 meeting, where the board approved the creation of two new positions to alleviate workload stress on the village clerk and employees. At the meeting, the board voted to create a Village Administrator
position, designed for Village Clerk Wendy Crary to fill the spot. With the creation of this position, Crary will carry the title of Clerk, Treasurer and Village Administrator and perform duties for all three jobs. According to the position description from the personnel committee, Crary would be responsible for implementing and carrying out policies and intent of the village board, pro-
vide supervisory, clerical, financial and administrative direction for the village, maintain complete and accurate public records and perform the duties of the clerk and treasurer. The position will allow Crary to be involved in the hiring process for other village staff, with the exception of the police department, alleviating stress on the personnel committee. When the board first discussed
River Valley Boys Basketball take on Regionals
Photo by Mike McDermott, Contributor Following four games on the road, the RV Boys Basketball team took on Regionals Tuesday against Westby, and went home with a 56-52 win. Next, the Blackhawks go back on the road to take on the Richland Center Hornets Feb. 19 at 7 p.m. in another WIAA Regional match-up. Pictured: Blackhawk Will Bailey takes a shot at the game against Dodgeville on Feb. 11. See page 8 for more photos.
the topic of this position in January, Trustee and Personnel Committee member Robin Reid stated that Crary already performs many of the duties of an administrator. When asked what in the description she was currently not performing, Crary responded “not much.” “This will allow for the hiring pro-
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New Sauk County Health Officer takes department reins Last month, the Sauk County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to appoint Treemanisha Stewart to serve as the county’s Public Health Officer. Stewart started work in the county Feb. 1. Valley Sentinel spoke with Stewart regarding her first weeks on the job, her experience and her goals for the county health department. Below are her answers. Valley Sentinel: Tell us a bit about yourself and your background. How will this help you in your position in Sauk County? Treemanisha Stewart: My name is Treemanisha Stewart and I was born and raised in rural southern New Jersey. I went to the big city of Washington DC for college; so I have experienced both urban and rural life. I have worked in the non-profit, education and government (local and state) sectors and have volunteered in a multitude of capacities including being a firefighter. I think my varied experiences complements the Sauk County community. I have worked boots on the ground at the community level and with law makers to make systemic changes. I am very personable and love working in the community. I believe team work and collaboration are the most valuable tools we have to affect positive change.
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Plain, Lone Rock remove fluoride from water supply Emilie Conlon, Editor-in-Chief
Recently, the village of Lone Rock and the village of Plain have decided to remove fluoride from their municipal water supplies, citing resident concerns, staff safety concerns and modern dental products containing fluoride as reasons for the removal. In late 2020, the village of Lone Rock voted to remove fluoride from the water, effective Jan. 1, 2021. Lone Rock public works director Adam Reno stated the
board voted for the change after a small group of local residents lobbied for the chemicals removal in recent years. “There was a group of people in town for a couple of years who wanted it out of the system,” said Reno. “We treat with chlorine also, so I called our DNR rep and she said since we treat with both, we don’t need the fluoride too.” Reno said increasing fluoride costs were not included in the decision to remove the chemical from the village’s water supply.
Last year, Lone Rock failed a test of water in the village, with the test finding traceable amounts of lead in the village’s water system. Reno stated the use of fluoride was not the culprit for lead in the water, instead piping in older homes throughout the village. “The way that you sample for that is kind of goofy, because we have to go to a resident that was built in 1982 or older. On one block I tested three houses, one house came back positive, the other two
came back negative,” said Reno. “The DNR looks at it as you had a positive, even if the rest of the system was negative.” In Plain, the Utilities committee made the decision to remove the chemical from the water at its Feb. 8 meeting, after discussion with Lone Rock on their decision and the recent removal decisions of other nearby municipalities, said Plain Village Clerk Sheila Carver.
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