Little Gems
The Yerkes Observatory.
Can they screw up any worse? The clever non-profit organization that was given the observatory complex and telescopes didn’t bother to inform the University of Chicago that they would never be granted permission to build housing divisions on the land around the complex. The GSR does not have a high opinion of the people who are in charge of the Yerkes right now, but maybe that will change over time. They sure pulled the wool over the eyes of the big city guys who came to pull the eyes out of Williams Bay. The University of Chicago, known for many years as an educational institution of the highest repute ended up being a pretty poor steward of the Yerkes, as the time went by.
The do-nothing non-profit owns the building now, along with the telescopes. The rest of the property, along with the rights to build residential homes, will be ruled by the Williams Bay Town Board.
Good luck with that! A petition is being circulated to halt any and all construction of residential properties on the remainder of the Yerkes sites that were kept by the university and sold off to secret purchasers. Too bad for the University of Chicago, which has remained a nasty force in Williams Bay affairs for years. You go, Williams Bay residents. This is your land. This is your country. The GSR is in support of your efforts. Signatures are being gathered in Williams Bay. The fight to keep what is left of undeveloped lakefront property is in motion. The petition is part of the effort to preserve the land and put a one-year moratorium on any residential development on the lakefront property owned by the University of Chicago. When the University of Chicago donated the observatory to the Yerkes Future Foundation the entirety of the land was not part of the deal leaving the university the potential to make a profit on the development on rare lake front property. Geneva Lake lakefront is almost nonexistent as the well-off have raced to buy it and build it up property is sought by the rich and well off as a home away from home and of the bragging rights owning a home on the lake comes with.
The countdown is on for the 2021 Lake Geneva Annual Cocoa Crawl on February 5th from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
To date, over 25 businesses will be participating and the expected attendance is 1000 people. They are encouraged to visit as many shops as possible. Check-in is online and attendees can download the map to see who and where they can find a vast variety of chocolate treats and hot cocoa. Businesses will display a sign in stores front windows by 3 p.m. on the 5th, in case you are looking to plan out your route ahead of time. Volunteers will be at the visitor center collecting votes and handing out the free gift at the end. To be eligible for the free gift attendees must vote by checking for their favorite treat in the corresponding box. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for some mild weather during this event.
