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THE ATTEMPTED MURDER OF LAKE GENEVA

What killed the Wisconsin Dells? No matter what your feelings about the advancement of business, capitalism and living the American Dream in that place, what used to be the Wisconsin Dells is an entire geographic location that no longer resembles what it once was in almost any area.

Why does the Geneva Shore Report and Care for Lake Geneva fight so hard to prevent ‘profit at any cost’ development? Why do these two organizations, completely separate from one another, struggle against seemingly overwhelming odds to oppose builders who would give every indication that they are merely working hard to bring more quality people to the area, and also to rebuild tracts of land that are blighted or have fallen into fallow condition? The Dells serve as a glaring example of what can happen when the forces of commercialism are left totally unchecked. The once pristine, near park-like wilderness that attracted so many residents and visitors alike has been turned into the naturalist version of cable television. Almost all of the land around the Dells has been paved over, or developed into raucous, noisy and polluting water parks. The Dells water basin was once so clear that visibility when looking down over the side of a boat or off the end of a long pier was beyond twenty feet (like it currently is in Geneva Lake’s waters), but now is less than three feet. What happened to the Dells, could happen to Geneva Lake, if the same kind of leadership neglect that allowed the Dells to become a destination people only want to visit, and not live in, is endorsed here.

A year ago Lake Geneva city leadership went about attempting to build a multi-story, multi-million-dollar parking lot in the very center of town. That effort was defeated. A few months later an effort was made to rebuild the beautiful road and park adjacent to the lake at BigFoot Beach. That effort failed. Recently the Geneva Inn attempted to develop land next to it, located right on the lake. That effort was defeated. Now Mr. Pollard comes to the Town of Linn, and Lake Geneva, to attempt to build a marina at BigFoot Beach that would cater to the senior’s residences he’s been allowed to begin building on annexed land along Highway 120.  His plan is 450 residences (no kids, please) with lake access and boating privileges at BigFoot Beach. Mr. Pollard is ‘negotiating’ with Lake Geneva officials (according to his advertisement currently running in a Chicago publication) to annex land adjacent to the Geneva Inn for these purposes. It seems evident that Mr. Pollard ran right into the Great Wall of Linn, otherwise known as Jim Weiss, chairman of the Town of Linn Board. In spite of living and working out in the agricultural area surrounding Town of Linn, Mr. Weiss hasn’t fallen off a turnip truck. He’s not a hayseed

Dan Draper City Attorney

hick or Gumby kind of guy. He sent Mr. Ford running all the way back to Lake Geneva.

What is Lake Geneva’s leadership going to do? Probably meet in secret to discuss this new situation. Mr. Dan Draper, the Lake Geneva city attorney, has twice warned the city council (from inside two of those secret meetings) that the subject matter being considered in such sessions is beginning to stretch credibility when it comes to Wisconsin state law governing why such secret meetings are allowed. Mr. Pollard and his plans need to be reviewed, and considered in public, by the Lake Geneva City Council and not in some Chicago publication, or at a ‘Cone of Silence’ secret meeting. There’s already been one secret meeting about Hillmoor, another curve ball called straight by city leadership.
Why not more?
What does Dan Draper know?
He’s, after all, only an attorney.