LIVING HERE
The snows have finally come to Lake Geneva, with four to six inches of it dropping during the night of the 22nd of January.
During the daytime of that day, and on into the snowy subzero evening, the Green Bay Packers suffered one of its most embarrassing defeats of all time, when it basically collapsed up at Lambeau field after getting only halfway through the first quarter of the game. In the cold and snow, a team raised in winter weather and known for playing well in it could do nothing to fend off a lackluster but enthused team from San Francisco. The loss cemented a now recurring tradition wherein the Packers can rise to stellar heights in win-loss records during regulation play, but then remain unable to win big games at the end of the season. Aaron Rodgers, the Packers quarterback, who was almost a shoo-in for the MVP award, will now likely be lucky to finish second in the voting, and maybe that result is most appropriate, as he basically ended his meteoric career (even if he remains playing for a few more years). One day he may well be nicknamed ‘Icarus,’ as he appears to exhibit almost every indication that he did, indeed, fly too close to the sun. More snow is predicted for Lake Geneva but there will be ‘no joy in Mudville’ during the remaining days and nights of a near electric shock and abrupt ending to this football season. Lambeau Field stadium will sit empty, cold, and only echoes still circling, whispered by fans departing after the stunning loss. The ‘sounds of silence’ will resound inside this cavernous and lonely edifice until well into 2022.
Paid parking begins again on February 1st.
Free parking began on November 15, 2021, and will end on Monday, January 31, 2022. Tuesday, February 1, 2022, paid parking resumes which for the second year is a month sooner than it used to be. Parking in Lake Geneva is a struggle and locals look forward to the brief period every year when paying for the hard to come by parking is not a part of the frustration. Parking is a big revenue maker for the city, and it seems the idea of making a little more intrigues city officials.
The public works committee met on Monday and a year-round parking program was once again discussed. Seth, Lake Geneva’s most excellent parking czar, spoke about how he agrees conditionally with having paid parking all year long but wanted to study whether it would pay for itself. There are many more people coming to Lake Geneva all the time, much of that traffic generated by the pandemic, but Seth wants to study the situation further in order to be sure that the city will make a profit if full time all year parking is initiated.
Echo Lake in Burlington.
When anyone drives all the way through Burlington, east to west or the other way, they cross over a bridge that’s located just to the south of Echo Dam, the rather low dam that blocks the flow of the White River that cuts the town nearly in half. No maintenance has been done to the dam in years, and the riverbed behind it needs to be dredged, as the water backed up there now only averages about two feet. The dredging would cost 2.7 million dollars and repairing the old dam about two million more. Burlington is trying to decide whether the ambiance the dam and backed up ‘lake’ waters have provided, and may continue to provide, is worth the cost. Developments are forthcoming. The city’s current mayor wants to save the dam and the lake. There’s no question that the dam and lake have added to the ambiance of Burlington, but is the expense too great to continue?
The coming of electric charging stations to Lake Geneva.
The matter of acquiring such stations was discussed at the public works meeting on Monday night. The complexity of trying to re-sell Alliant Energy electricity in order to charge electric cars is considered a sticking point. Lake Geneva would have to be licensed by the state to do that (although Elkhorn already is). Then the acquisition of the machines to deliver the electricity would have to be acquired and costs and charges considered. Alderperson Mary Jo Fessenmaier brought up a most excellent point during the discussion. Apparently, there are apps now, for people traveling and vacationing, that place little dots next to any facility that has single or multiple chargers. Having a city like Lake Geneva appear in such apps would attract all kinds of electric car owners. The acquisition, servicing, and accounting required to have electric automobile chargers is a very complex one and filled with potential problems. The matter was kicked back to Seth to investigate further, as Door County, up in northern Wisconsin, has many chargers and has apparently figured out how to winnow its way through the maze of rules, regulations and pitfalls. Seth is calling Door County for help.
Winter racing driver’s tips for performance and survival.
First, if you have braked and are skidding toward an obstacle in front of you pull your foot off the brake pad and steer gently around or away from the obstacle. Your vehicle has three times the ability to avoid obstacles on slippery surfaces than it does to stop before hitting them. Second, inflate your tires about two to three pounds over the manufacturer’s recommended cold air inflation amount. This will give the center treads of your tires more gripping power. Third, use momentum to get up hills that are iced over if you have only two- or one-wheel drive. Speed up on approach and your vehicle’s mass will assist in getting you to the top. Fourth, do not pull over closer to the side of the road if other injudicious drivers are passing you. Stay in your lane, as many times only the slightest imperfection under the snow near the side of your lane will send your vehicle into an uncontrollable situation. Fifth, drive slower than you might otherwise feel comfortable with, as drivers wanting to drive faster behind you are less dangerous to you than what might be up ahead that you may not be able to stop in time for or turn to miss. Steer with both hands on the wheel and do not over-correct. Be very very gentle in your touch on that wheel. Finally, use the heaviest duty windshield washer fluid and use plenty of it. You must be able to see as well as possible out of all windows to be able to have the time to deal with issues you’re approaching or are coming at you from almost any direction.
