Spring Green, Wisconsin
Thursday, March 21, 2024 | Vol. 5, No. 6 FREE, Single-Copy
Inside this edition
Sh*tty Barn announces 2024 sessions season
Sunshine Week round-up: columns, cartoons & updates
Arena holds special meeting on future of police
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Pages 1, 5, 10, 11
Public safety debate continues as Arena holds special meeting to ‘discuss continued employment of current police officers’ Alex Prochaska, Editorial Intern The Village of Arena Board of Trustees held a special meeting March 13, that went into closed session to “discuss the continued employment of the current police officers.” Over a dozen Arena residents attended the meeting and many spoke during public comment and voiced their concerns. Confusion abounded as some attendees questioned whether the closed session was legal—and whether the board controls police employment— by citing a past court order. Ultimately, the board passed a motion stating their intention to hold another closed session meeting within the next two weeks, and to invite the police department to it. Residents who attended the meeting were confused by what they perceived as its secrecy and questioned why the board held a closed session meeting in the first place and what was discussed. “What was said in closed session stays in closed session,” said Kate Reimann, village president of Arena, in response. “The residents will be in uproar if our police department is defunded or gone,” offered resident Susan Pustina. The most vocal attendee during public comment was former village president and board member Paul Pustina. He echoed the concerns of other Arena residents with his comments. He
Photo by Alex Prochaska, Editorial Intern Members of the Village of Arena Board of Trustees listen on as residents speak during public comment. conceded the board has control of the Arena police department’s budget, but he challenged other parts of the board’s authority. “I've been advised the board really does not have the right to determine their employment,” Paul Pustina said, referring to the employment of Arena police officers. “Another thing really disgusts me. After the police announced they're going to go part-time, Mr. Doerflinger—from what I understand—was the only [board member] that reached out to [Arena Chief of Police Nicholas Stroik],” Paul Pustina
said. In November, Stroik announced he and Sergeant Wyatt Miller decided to be part-time employees, rather than fulltime, and intended to take additional positions with the Iowa County Sheriff’s Department. Stroik said at the time he made the decision for many reasons, including the inability of the village to secure healthcare insurance and that the board had acted disrespectfully toward the police department, which had affected morale. “There's been not a board member that has reached out to the police department
or sat down, to try to work out their differences,” Paul Pustina claimed in his public comment remarks. During public comment, while Paul Pustina was first speaking, he was repeatedly interrupted by Kristen Shea, a trustee on the board. Shea was calling into the meeting by phone. “Kristen, Kristen—let's allow the public to speak, please. It is public comment,” Reimann said. Later, Paul Pustina said the board has not spent money responsibly in the last three or four years, during Reimann’s tenure as village president. Paul Pustina criticized Reimann specifically for her handling of projects last February, which culminated in a heated back and forth. “You did not know what you're talking about. I'm sorry. You want to get mad at me? I mean—village president—you even asked [the village’s engineer] how much they would be supervising the projects. That tells me that you did not read the contract through. You cut $20,000 from the police budget last year, and you cut another $10,690 this year,” Paul Pustina said. While Paul Pustina criticized Reimann, they began interrupting each other. “No, that is telling me I am providing that information to the public, like asking
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Itty Bitty Art Committee launches in Spring Green to support local arts Taylor Scott, Managing Editor In a creative and community-driven effort to support local artists and nonprofit organizations, an Itty Bitty Art Committee is set to fully launch its innovative project, bringing art to unexpected places while giving back to the community. Spearheaded by Kyle Adams, owner of Wander Provisions, the initiative aims to provide a
platform for local artists while supporting the arts in the River Valley area. The Itty Bitty Art Committee is a community-driven art project that will help raise funds for local non-profit organizations. The project centers around a novel concept: a vending machine filled with miniature artworks created by community members. Participants
can purchase a mystery piece from the vending machine for just $1 at Wander Provisions (136 S Albany Street, Spring Green), with all proceeds going to River Valley ARTS to support its mission of nourishing the creative spirit in the community. “I love a good novelty vending machine," said Adams. “The Itty Bitty Art Committee was created with a
desire to create a safe and engaging community gathering that could allow us to be creative and help benefit the collective of our community.” To populate the vending machine with artwork, the committee is hosting open art gatherings at the Slowpoke Lounge & Cabaret and the Spring Green
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