LIVING HERE
“It’s fun to stay at the YMCA,” are lyrics from a great song by The Village People.
However, the “Y” is dealing in a little more than fun these days. They are dealing in real estate, politics, facility, and money. The people who run the ‘Y’ want to acquire free land to be ceded by the city that owns Hillmoor. They want to trade the nearly worthless land behind Badger High School for a prime chunk of Hillmoor.
Richard Hedlund, the ‘leader of the pack’ when it comes to the Lake Geneva city council is leaning toward accepting such a proposal. Hedlund is a powerful man in Lake Geneva, and if you don’t think so then reflect on the fact that he choked Lake Geneva nearly to death, not like in liver pate, by overfeeding a goose, but by throttling it with a parking and fine rate hike that will slowly allow the city to waste away over time. This is the man who wants the city to have the ‘Y’ as it’s anchor structure and force in the community. And that’s a shame.
One city council member has checked in by sending an email indicating that that council person (identity protected) believes that Hedlund has some sort of financial interest in the Hillmoor relocation effort. The YMCA benefit was held Saturday night and raised a little more than a hundred thousand dollars, much of that thanks to Sean Payne, a wonderful master of ceremony.
Walworth County aims to reduce blowing snow along roadways.
Walworth County is seeking property owners to take part in the ‘living snow fence’ program. The project is an effort to reduce blowing snow on the roads during winter months. David Woodhouse is the Walworth County Highway superintendent, and he said that a ‘living snow fence’ can be made not only from corn stalks but also shrubbery, trees, and pines. “The snow fence works as a windbreak. The blowing snow comes through it. It gives it a place to settle and collect and, as it collects, it just keeps building up upon itself, so it works very well,” said Woodhouse.
One local man is already participating and leading the way. That man is Bob Pearce of the Pearce Family Farm Stand. For the past two years, Walworth County has approached him about not cutting down all his cornstalks. Bob Pearce said that, by not harvesting the corn, it creates a living snow fence along parts of his property. “It’s the blowing snow that the fence catches and it’s not necessarily during the snowfall itself. It’s also there for the next day and two days after. There are many, many times where you will see the plows actually lift up and not even plow the road going across,” said Pearce. This area is very prone to blowing and drifting snow and the living snow fence could make the area safer for everyone and help with the plowing efforts.
Other interested property owners, or those wanting to learn more about the living snow fence program, are encouraged to contact the Walworth County Department of Public Works at: 262-741-3114 then select “option 1.”
