LITTLE GEMS
School Board decision for the City of Lake Geneva is a wonderful thing, even if it was delivered with conflicting messages. The Lake Geneva School Board, in a hastily unannounced emergency meeting, declared in writing that it was withdrawing its request to build a parking lot on the site of a historic home located right adjacent to one of its schools located in downtown Lake Geneva. The stated reason was financial. The money spent was determined by the board and its advisor’s to be too much for what the return in parking slots would have delivered. Or maybe not. Verbally, the director of the school district (referred to as “God” for short) told the small collected group of concerned citizens present that the school district felt that it could not go against an obvious ground swell of public displeasure over the parking lot.
Maybe “God” was speaking for the district and not the board, which is not uncommon for this man. No matter, the parking lot is history and the historic home is going to proceed on existing into history. Will the school district get its story straight? As anyone in Britain might say: “Not bloody likely.”
Town of Linn
Town of Linn wants to set some new rules for hearings regarding the comprehensive plan and for planning committee decisions regarding zoning and such other business as might effect the local citizenry. The board met in special session to consider not sending certified letters to nearby residents when such matters of interest were on the docket. Instead the board and planning commission might merely post the information on the Town of Linn website. The point was mentioned that not everyone living in Town of Linn or owning property there might not have a computer to receive such notification (nor be able to figure out the rather complex website the town has). In fact, the Town of Linn attorney, David Schiltz admitted that he himself does not have a computer at home! The matter of rule changes remains undecided as this paper goes to print.
More Little Gems
Don’t try to pick up this quarter which is on the sidewalk out in front of the ice cream shop located on Broad Street right up from the pier in Lake Geneva. It’s glued down using epoxy. People attempting to pick up this quarter are the subject of great humor to the owners of the establishment and his friends. Strange humor. Yes. But pretty funny to watch.
Very Interesting subhead to the School Parking Lot story in the 9/17/15 Regional News on page 8A, “Hollman says school had lawsuit threats.”
Gottinger didn’t mention lawsuits in his presentation Thursday morning as one of his reasons for dropping the parking lot request, nor was the threat of lawsuits brought up in the School Board’s letter to the city. But obviously it did come up following the Thursday meeting in Chris Schultz’s interview with Marcie Hollman to the level of importance that Chris made it his subhead to the story.
So now we have three reasons for dropping the Maple Park Parking Lot: Public Backlash, Economics, and threat, or maybe the promise, of a lawsuit.
I’m going with the promise of a lawsuit.