Thursday, April 18, 2019 • Vol. 54, No. 48 • Verona, WI • Hometown USA • ConnectVerona.com • $1.25
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Verona Press The
Verona Area School District
Two steps remain for boundaries Committee plans to send recommendations to board April 24 SCOTT GIRARD Unified Newspaper Group
Photo by Kimberly Wethal
Andrew Regener, Jr. smooths out concrete at Fireman’s Park on Tuesday, April 16.
Construction season begins Public, private projects include M, high school, Fireman’s Park, Festival Foods KIMBERLY WETHAL Unified Newspaper Group
It’ll be a little bit easier to get around Verona than it was last year. But as the road projects affecting Verona wind down, there will still be several public and private construction projects around the city.
While there aren’t going to be the major road closures within Verona like last year’s disruptions on South Main Street and County Hwy. PB, getting to Madison on major highways will become difficult and remain so for several months. The County Hwy. M upgrade, the largest project within city limits, is scheduled for completion by November and is likely to get occasional closures. The Verona Road construction northeast of the city, meanwhile, entered the second leg of Phase 2
earlier this spring, which will bring the completion of a bridge over McKee Road and a tunnel under Williamsburg Way in the fall and some lane closures along the way. One of the city’s largest parks is also getting a facelift, just in time for the summer season. After shutting down in early September last year after Labor Day, Fireman’s Park is expected to be ready to open in mid-June with splash pads, a new park shelter, and new playground equipment. While work continues on the $160
Turn to Construction/Page 14
City of Verona
The final recommendations from the committee researching attendance area boundary options are coming next week. After hearing from the public, the 29-person committee plans to hold its final meeting Wednesday, April 24, to consider “pros and cons” of each of the three remaining options identified by the public at a pair of outreach meetings this month. District officials and consultants presented the options known as A1, D1 and E at two outreach meetings over the past two days – for Spanish-speaking families April 9 and for English-speaking families April 16. Once the committee makes its final recommendations – up to three – the school board will consider
Timeline March 19: Attendance Area Advisory Committee chooses three options to present to the public April 9: Public input meeting April 16: Public input meeting April 24: Attendance Area Advisory Committee makes final recommendations Early May: Verona Area School Board first look at options May-June: School board outreach on options Mid-summer: School board decision expected them and make a decision, likely by sometime in June. Before that happens, board president Noah Roberts said Monday night, the board will offer some of its own outreach and opportunities for feedback from the community. While no
Turn to Boundaries/Page 13
A word with interim city administrator Adam Sayre Verona Press editor
For the third time in the past decade, Verona’s city operations are being run without a permanent administrator at the helm. Sayre But this time, many things have changed. For one thing, there’s more support staff. A human resources
coordinator, an economic development manager and a planning assistant are all new in the past year. They have all have been able to help with the transition since Jeff Mikorski was asked to step down in February. Instead of having the m a y o r ove r s e e o p e r a tions, sign checks and help departments work together, the Common Council appointed an interim administrator: planning and economic development director Adam Sayre. Sayre was here the last time there was a gap The
Verona Press
Inside Q and A with Adam Sayre, update on hiring Page 13 – between March and August 2016, when the first crop of candidates to succeed Bill Burns didn’t meet expectations. Then, he and finance director Cindy Engelke worked together to coordinate day-to-day
operations when Mayor Jon Hochkammer was busy with his day job. Now, with more responsibilities but more help, he’s holding down the fort for what’s likely to be another couple of months until the council picks a new leader to be out in front and set the tone for the city. Sayre took a half-hour out of his hectic schedule in early April to speak with the Verona Press about his temporary role. Email Verona Press editor Jim Ferolie at veronapress@wcinet.com.
Photo by Scott Girard
Glacier Edge Elementary School teacher Kate Schmitt, left, talks with parent Ana Cristina Victor about one of the attendance are boundary options during an outreach meeting Tuesday, April 9.
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