SURPRISING STUFF
Lake Geneva has a new school superintendent, Dr. Pete Wilson.
Dr. Wilson began his role as superintendent in July of 2022 when Dr. Gottinger retired after 23 years of service. Dr. Wilson is excited to integrate into the community and plans to be here for years to come. Superintendent Wilson realizes he has big shoes to fill as Dr. Gottinger was, historically, a great advocate for the students and the school community. Gottinger was also a huge part of the fight to get a traffic signal installed at the Bloomfield Road and Edwards Boulevard intersection. Safety has been a huge concern for new drivers, parents, school staff, and the general public coming and going into the area. Traffic has increased significantly over recent years, as development in the area has continued. The overall cost of the traffic signal, after finally approved by all those involved, was a substantial amount. The school requested help for the payment of the project from all municipalities involved.
The City of Lake Geneva originally pledged to pay $150,000 and then another $50,000 if the project amount increased for whatever reason. That potentially bounds the city to pay $200,000. The Lake Geneva School District was taking on at least three times that amount to rebuild the intersection. Gottinger knew the traffic signal was an immediate need and had to get it done but he also knew the school needed to find other funding sources, as the bill would be paid out of the school’s general fund. The general fund is how the school runs its day-to-day operations and the money in that fund is already spread too thin.
Gottinger approached the DOT for help and was awarded just over $83,000. The DOT sent the check but made the mistake of writing it to the City of Lake Geneva and not the school district itself. Superintendent Wilson inherited situation, the solution to which should have been a ‘no brainer.’ The city should just have signed the check over, but that’s not how it worked out. The city could not sign a check over because it has to be approved by the city council which means it also had to go through the finance, license, and regulation committee.
The FLR discussed the check at its last meeting on January 3rd, 2023, and it was recommended for approval, for the check to go back to the school, but just barely. The two alderpersons (Hedlund and Yunker) who resisted and felt the city should take $50,000 and recoup part of what it pledged. This could be considered unethical by some citizens, who might believe that the city should keep its word rather than pocket cash that should never have been sent to it in the first place. Superintendent Wilson came into this at the tail end of things but also with a fresh non-biased take on the situation. The money was truly intended for the schools and not the city. Almost everyone agrees with that conclusion.
The city council met on January 9th for its Monday night meeting and the DOT check was on the agenda. Hedlund, Yunker and Dunn selfishly voted to keep the money and not pay it to the schools. The rest of the council wisely, and ethically, disagreed and the matter failed by vote. The schools will rightfully get the money that was intended to be paid to them. Congratulations to Superintendent Wilson, and alderperson’s Howell, Halverson, Yeager, Fesenmaier and Straube. Straube spoke passionately, ethically, and successfully to fight for the schools, and she is to be thanked by all the citizenry for doing that, or at least the staff of the Geneva Shore Report who devoted some time to following this issue.
