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Thursday, December 14, 2017 • Vol. 133, No. 24 • Oregon, WI • ConnectOregonWI.com • $1
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Oregon Observer The
Village of Oregon
Library gets $6M, needs to fundraise Library Board unhappy with $4 million shortfall BILL LIVICK Unified Newspaper Group
The Oregon Village Board Monday voted to plan for $6 million in borrowing to build a new public library. The board’s decision – on a 5-2 vote, with Trustees Jeff Boudreau and Jenna Jacobson dissenting – fell short of what members of the Library Board had hoped for, and it could leave a considerable sum to acquire through
Photo by Alexander Cramer
Lincoln Eithun, 2, his mom Rishelle, and his brother Landen, 4, watch the future ice rink as it fills up on Dec. 10
Fire dept. helps create ice rink Unified Newspaper Group
An ambulance and two fire trucks pulled up to a sleepy park in the Hillcrest neighborhood in the Town of Oregon on Sunday on a unique training exercise. They were there to practice using the tender truck, but the water was serving a dual purpose: filling a new town skating rink. The rink can be found just east of Hillcrest Lane off of Sheil drive at the corner of Della Road and Ralph Road. Oregon Area Fire/EMS Capt. Tom Eithun was in charge of the exercise, and also played a major role in
bringing the rink to life. When Eithun’s four-year-old son Landen was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis, his parents knew they had to keep him moving, which is tricky in the winter months. He was playing hockey, but just one day a week. Initially, they wanted to build a rink in their backyard, but it was too hilly. The Eithuns live next to the town park, which straddles both sides of Della Road. When they ruled out their own backyard, they thought about using the park land across the street, which is a soccer field in the summer, Landen’s mom Rishelle told the Observer. They brought the idea to their
neighbors, who were very enthusiastic. A lot of families in the area have kids, Rishelle explained. They brought the idea to the town board to get approval, and ended up walking away with a budget, Eithun told the Observer. He estimates the total cost at about $400. Tom learned how to build the rink from YouTube, and relied on his dad’s experience laying concrete to help him with the framing, he said. They hope to make the rink an annual tradition, and may expand it next year.
Feedback will guide five-year update of parks plan ALEXANDER CRAMER Unified Newspaper Group
Steve Root had a decision to make in Village Hall last week, staring at a giant easel pad and holding a small yellow sticker. On top of the page was written, “Rec. Program Priorities,” and the yellow sticker represented Root’s vote for what programs he’d like to
see in the parks. Root, along with about 25 others, was taking part in the Village’s Parks and Open Spaces Visioning Workshop on Dec. 6, organized by village staff and consultants from Vandewalle and Associates. The vote was one of about a dozen activities that took place that night, this one designed to learn what kinds of programs the community wants to see in its parks. The overall goal of the workshop was to gather input for the future of Oregon’s parks, open areas and recreational facilities.
Town of Dunn
Local photographer is artist-in-residence
Contact Alexander Cramer at alexander.cramer@wcinet.com.
‘Enthusiastic’ community input at parks workshop Every municipality in Wisconsin is required to have a long-term plan in place for its parks and other “open spaces” to remain eligible for state and federal funding. The visioning workshop was part of the Village of Oregon’s process of updating its plan. “The plan is a giant i nv e n t o r y,” Va n d ew a l le assistant planner Sam Wessel explained. “It’s an inventory of what we have, but also what people want in the future. As a city develops, you can guide where these final parks and
facilities will go.” Wessel tallied the votes from the easel pad and said the No. 1 priority was establishing walking, fitness, and biking groups. The desire for an outdoor pool and for more food carts tied for second, and canoeing and kayaking programs came in third. Root, for his part, ended up voting for ice skating, but he lamented it looked like he was the only one to do so. When they walked into the conference room in
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Turn to Library/Page 12
Mark Jung finds beauty in nature and photographs it BILL LIVICK Unified Newspaper Group
Town of Dunn resident and photographer Mark Jung has the uncommon distinction of being the town’s artist-in-residence, an honor that was bestowed u p o n h i m Jung two years ago during an event at Town Hall. Jung is the first official town artist, but says the title is “just for fun” and
is not as serious, in terms of responsibilities, as the town’s poet laureate, John Herm. “It’s interesting for a town the size of Dunn, which is not very large, to have both a poet laureate and an artist-in-residence,” Jung observed. He said the poet laureate “actually does have duties, which includes writing and reading a poem for some of the events. They don’t have me do things like that, but I still manage to put things together from time to time.” J u n g ’s m o s t r e c e n t “assignment” was putting together a photo collage depicting the interests and accomplishments of town
Turn to Photos/Page 3
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ALEXANDER CRAMER
community fundraising, depending on how large a library the village wants to build. The Library Board in July recommended building a new 35,000-squarefoot library on North Main Street, with construction beginning in 2019, at a cost between $10 million and $12 million. Consultant estimates indicate that $6 million would build a 20,000-square-foot facility, which is about twice the size of the existing library on Brook Street, yet short of what a space needs study had