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Thursday, November 14, 2019 • Vol. 138, No. 17 • Stoughton, WI • ConnectStoughton.com • $1.25
We are the hand on your shoulder to help you graciously through these tough times.
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City of Stoughton
Veterans Day
Dreaming of a vibrant downtown Feedback includes more than 1,000 survey responses JUSTIN LOEWEN Hub correspondent
Photo by Mackenzie Krumme
Veteran Allen Vick salutes during the “Star-Spangled Banner” at a Veterans Day recognition at Fox Prairie Elementary School on Monday, Nov. 11.
Day to remember Elementary School invited all branches of the military for a recognition ceremony with complimentary coffee and treats afterwards. On Friday, six veterans dressed in uniform greeted students as they entered. Contact Mackenzie at mackenzie. krumme@wcinet.com.
Inside More Veteran’s Day photos Page 7
Library looking into going fine free RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group
The Stoughton Public Library’s board of directors will view a presentation on the possibility of eliminating library fines next week. The library charges 20 cents per day in late fees for most adult books and audio/visual materials and 10 cents per day for children’s material. Some items that are in high demand have late fees of $1 per day. Library director Jim Ramsey said that there
If You Go What: Stoughton Public Library Board meeting When: 6:30 p.m. Nov. 20 Where: Stoughton Public Library Carnegie Meeting Room Info: stoughtonpubliclibrary.org, 873-6281 are no plans to eliminate fines in Stoughton any time soon. The presentation is an opportunity to gather and
present information only. In recent years, many libraries in the region and the country have begun to eliminate their fines, including the Verona and Fitchburg public libraries, which both changed their policies over the past year. The Madison public library system is also considering eliminating overdue fines, according to a story last month in the Wisconsin State Journal. Organizations such as the American Library Association say fines are a barrier to access for many
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potential library users, who might avoid checking out books for themselves or their children because they fear being unable to pay steep fines. Some library systems have seen an increase in returns since they eliminated overdue fees. Chicago’s public libraries reported a 240 percent increase in returned materials after they went fine free in October. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, and is open to the public.
Bring in new businesses, increase dining options Transform the look and feel of downtown Add gathering places, change to free parking responses from its downtown preference survey – 83.6% of which were from the Stoughton area – and welcomed over a hundred participants to an open house on Oct. 1. To review all of the feedback, the committee met with consulting engineering firm Ayres Associates on Nov. 5.
Turn to Downtown/Page 10
Stoughton fire chief retiring in January Former chief Lamers will serve as interim if needed RENEE HICKMAN Unified Newspaper Group
Stoughton fire chief Scott Wegner is retiring after 38 years with the department. The city relayed his announcem e n t Tu e s day, Nov. 5. It is effective Wegner Jan. 2. Wegner has been with the Stoughton Fire Department for 38
years, according to a statement from Amy Jo Gillingham, city human resources director. Wegner joined the department as a volunteer in 1981 and was later hired as fire motor pump operator/inspector. He became fire chief in 2015. Martin Lamers, who served as fire chief before Wegner, will serve as interim chief until a replacement is hired. Wegner told the Hub he was looking forward to traveling to places like the Caribbean after his retirement. “I’m not enjoying winters anymore,” he said. Renee Hickman can be contacted at renee.hickman@ wcinet.com.
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Stoughton community members took pause on Monday, Nov. 11 to recognize the veterans of our city. “Freedom is not free,” veteran Bud Erickson said over the intercom at Fox Prairie Elementary School. Students lined the halls to shake hands with veterans at Fox Prairie after two minutes of silence. Sandhill
Stoughtonites want a vibrant, accessible downtown filled with prospering businesses, according to input provided to the city’s Downtown Revitalization Subcommittee. The committee, which spun off from the city’s Redevelopment Authority in February, is continuing to develop a downtown investment plan, based partly on a report it expects to get in late winter. After holding interviews and focus groups with downtown business owners over the summer, the committee moved into a more public phase in August. The group received 1,110
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