OUR PLACE
This holiday season with the Business Improvement District (BID).
These wonderful board members, sitting on that board, and led by Speedo Condos, have put in a lot of effort to help make downtown Lake Geneva look festive and bright. The BID has purchased new decorations, including the ‘JOY’ sign in Flat Iron Park, which is lit every night. The members of the BID board are trying to better the downtown area while keeping it appealing to visitors and improving the ambiance of the community.
The JOY sign did bring some controversy that occurred between some city officials, the BID, and public works. The sign location in Flat Iron Park was not considered ideal by some who were upset because the BID did not obtain a required permit, nor was a call made to the ‘diggers hotline’ before installing the sign. Since a permit was not obtained, the city informed the BID that the sign would need to be moved because they were concerned it would interfere with the snow sculpting and sculptures during Winterfest. The BID announced that the sign would be removed in early January, after the holidays and well before Winterfest, but that was not the answer the city wanted to hear. Public works said they would have endorsed the approval of the permit if the sign was moved twenty feet east to avoid any conflict with the snow sculptures. The BID, being the gracious group they are, moved the sign to spread the joy and make the holidays merry. They also promised to go forward and sin no more.
The Lake Geneva Police through the holidays.
The Lake Geneva Police Department is staffed by some truly remarkable and talented police officers. Officer Gonzales, a patrolman, Detective Nettesheim, Lieutenant Gritzner, and even the Chief of Police Mike Rasmussen, are the stuff of movies, except they are better because they are so very real. These holidays have been ‘silent’ holidays because the police department has made it that way.
Very quiet enforcement, very pleasant conversations with the public, the politest of encounters with everyone in the public, have been not only appreciated by some of the members of the public, but they’ve also gone unnoticed by most of the rest, and hence the reason for this article. Most communities do not have these kinds of professionals working with and for them. Lake Geneva residents, and all the people who visit Lake Geneva, should realize the exceptional nature of the protective shell this police department throws over the entire community. The Chief of Police has had so much to do with that, as well as the city administrator, the mayor, and the city council for letting him do what is best for the community without interference or resistance.
Person of the Week
Baby William starts his New Year’s celebration a little early…
