SURPRISING STUFF

Some real estate developers and why they don’t really give one whit of a damn about the community.
Some of the developers come from other places but many are from the Lake Geneva area.  Why would Mr. Pollard lobby and then successfully get rid of impact fees?  The city has lost many thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars by not being able to collect such fees.  Why would Mr. Pollard short the city in this way, since the fees are passed on to the home buyers, he sells his small homes to?  His family has a long history here. Why would he endanger his family’s reputation, which has been pretty good over the years?

Why was the Stone Ridge development left without an access road to the city even though the development is on city land?

Why did the City of Lake Geneva basically have to threaten and then beg the Town of Geneva to get rid of the awful speed bumps the Town of Geneva department of public works installed on Center Streets northern hill?

Why should the city not examine in extreme detail every word of every proposal and building plan long before it ever gives permission for these developers to build a thing?  When the developer is done with a development that developer is gone, leaving the city to try to take care of homeowners who’ve been treated badly and to pay for infrastructure it doesn’t have the money for.

Outgoing public works committee chairperson, Cindy Flower, has brought a welcome idea to the City of Lake Geneva.
At last week’s public works meeting Flower suggested a change to the way the city issues the Walworth County parking passes. Currently, any resident of the county can bring in their current vehicle registration and utility bill to purchase a two-year parking pass for $160. Whitewater and Kenosha are both about thirty miles from Lake Geneva with only Whitewater being in Walworth County.  Kenosha brings more visitors and revenue into the city yet can’t purchase a parking pass to encourage them to use more of the downtown area and to shop local.

Flower suggested that the passes be disbursed by mileage radius rather than the county to help encourage more communities to take advantage of Lake Geneva. Many will come and use the YMCA or other businesses with free parking but avoid the downtown and shopping local because parking fees can add up quickly when you’re making regular visits. The parking manager, Seth Elder, is going to investigate how many county passes are purchased and where the residents reside so the committee can have a discussion about any future changes, as well as what might be best for the visitors. This was a great suggestion, and we look forward to what next month’s meeting will bring on the subject.

The Holiday Window Display Competition Downtown Lake Geneva is a great favorite of businesses and patrons alike.
The friendly competition gets the business community involved in a holiday tradition together and gives their customers a chance to show support and be filled with the Christmas spirit. The theme of this year’s window displays was “It’s a Wonderful Lake Life.” The votes have been counted and the winners have been decided. Twenty-six businesses participated, and four of those were created by the Badger High School Advanced Marketing Team.

The window displays were judged in four different categories and People’s Choice were chosen based on votes from the people, and first second and third place were awarded.

• Best interpretation of the theme goes to ‘Hannah’s by the Lake.’
• Best use of merchandise and or product went to ‘Eddie’.
• Most creative and original winner was ‘Lola’s.’
• The winner of the best overall display was ‘Twelfth & Brown.’
• People’s Choice third place winner was Geneva Lakes Jewelry
• Second place was The Bottle Shop, and last, and not least,
• First place (People’s Choice) went to Cornerstone.

This wonderful holiday tradition would not be possible without the participation of the downtown businesses and, of course, the patrons who visit them. Congratulations to all the window display competition winners.

First Place Overall Winner

The winner of the Best Overall display goes to “Twelfth & Brown” on Main Street.