It’s your paper! Friday, December 8, 2017 • Vol. 4, No. 10 • Fitchburg, WI • ConnectFitchburg.com • $1
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Veterans Day Page 2 Budget approved, mayor apologizes after chaotic meeting Page 3
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Photo by Scott Girard
Retiring Fitchburg Police Department chief Thomas Blatter can recall the days when his police car was a station wagon that doubled as the ambulance.
40 years served Blatter retires from FPD after 40 years, 17 as chief
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While the Fitchburg Police Department has its share of sleek tech tools and a nice fleet of cars today, it wasn’t quite that way when Thomas Blatter began his service. “The squad car was a station wagon,” he said with a big laugh in his office, “and we were the ambulance. “We were very thankful when the day came that the ambulance service was created.” That was 40 years ago, when Blatter began as the 10th patrol officer in 1977 – six years before Fitchburg would become a city. Last month, he walked out of the department for the final time after 17 years as chief. While his retirement isn’t official until the end of the year, Blatter’s remaining time off allowed him to end his service Nov. 12, with longtime deputy chief Don Bates taking over as interim until a new chief is hired. Bates, who has worked here for 32 years and four months himself, said it was “kind of strange coming in” the next day. “I wasn’t looking forward to his retirement,” Bates said. “Selfishly, I wish he was still here.” PRSRT STANDARD ECRWSS US POSTAGE
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Update on hiring new police chief Page 9 Fitch-Rona chief Myrland retires Page 21
Mayor Shawn Pfaff, who was mayor for four years while Blatter was in charge of the department. “One day as mayor you hear from your friends and residents that there’s cows out (on the loose) in rural Fitchburg,” Pfaff said. “Two hours later you could hear three people have been shot in the north end of Fitchburg, or there’s an armed robbery. “To be able to understand that diversity and complexity and then have that solid voice, a voice that never compromised ethics and standards, was something I relied on.” That diversity kept the job fresh for Blatter and his officers, who he said got a range of experiences from the different calls they went on. It wasn’t exactly what he expected when he was offered the job in 1977 in the small township outside of Madison. “I look on the map, there’s no Fitchburg,” he recalled. “Taking that risk and taking that gamble, it all paid off.”
But Blatter said he knew it was time for him to move on to his retirement, after years of developing officers, creating relationships with neighboring departments and focusing on community policing. “There’s a whole group of people that are ready, the next generation to start things out and lead this city in the direction of the future,” Blatter said. Balancing all of those initiatives, Early days he said, was especially challenging As a 21-year-old arriving on the in a “unique community” like Fitch- job after a short stint in Mineral burg, with plenty of diversity – socio- Point, Blatter was not entirely preeconomically and racially – and a pared to “realize I’m running the mix of urban and rural land. That recognition was appreciated by former Turn to Blatter/Page 20
Dorothy Konopacki no longer has to leave immediately after her fitness classes at the Fitchburg Senior Center for a half-hour bus ride home. Now, she can stay for lunch, hang out with friends and then call a car to pick her up whenever she’s ready to head home. Last week, the 80-yearold Fitchburg resident took her first ride to Chapel Valley Road home using the city’s new Ride Share pilot program. The car arrived 20 minutes later as promised and dropped her off at a bus stop, three blocks from her home. The program, which launched Dec. 1, targets a growing segment of Fitchburg residents who can’t drive or have no access to a car. Rather than invest $168,000 per year for three years to test out an eastwest bus line through Madison’s Metro Transit, the city decided last year to instead
Turn to Ride/Page 21
About Ride Share What: Subsidized ride-sharing program Who: Anyone traveling within the City of Fitchburg or to the Metro South Transfer Point Where: To and from any bus stops, including major parks and commercial centers Cost: $2 ($1 for 18-under, 65-older, disabled), with extra charges for destinations not at bus stops Payment accepted: Cash, credit, debit Info: Visit richwood transport.com/ fitchburg-rideshare or call 504-2453
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