Surprising Stuff
The traffic light at the intersection of Bloomfield Road and State Highway 120 is finally approved for installation.
This intersection has been a safety concern for so many, including the school board and staff, as well as the parents. The intersection is right near the high school and middle school and has very heavy traffic at times, and a lot of the drivers are newly licensed drivers. The request for a traffic light was first discussed almost three years ago, and some of the studies and paperwork clearly show what a battle it has been for this safety issue to finally come to a solution. Monday night the city council met and discussed the memorandum of understanding among the Department of Transportation, Town of Bloomfield, and the City of Lake Geneva for installation of traffic signals. The city also has an agreement with the Lake Geneva School Districts for cost-sharing of the project. There are a lot of players in the game but all are on the same page to get this done and increase the safety of the roadways involved. Kapur and Associates are contracted to install the traffic lights for a cost totaling $500,000.
The Tourism Committee met in a special session Tuesday, March 23rd, to discuss a grant for the Riviera that includes an open house, history wall, event office, New Year’s Eve party, and big band events.
The events office is a 500 square foot space that will be on the first floor and will provide the events planner with a professional setting. Vendors will be able to display materials and pictures of the newly renovated ballroom will be on display. The estimated cost is $15,000. The wall of history will display historical pictures and information of the Riviera and will be located in the new west corridor. The wall will include many of the famous performers that have performed at the Riviera along with photos of the construction in 1932. The estimated cost for the wall is $15,000. The Rivera Ad Hoc committee has approved the planning of two ticketed events to celebrate the history of the Riviera. The first event will be at the end of August and feature the Glenn Miller Orchestra and the other event will be a New Year’s Gala featuring a swing band. The cost for those two events is estimated at $35,000. The mayor is hoping to recoup the cost of ticket sales and sponsorships. The open house would cost around $3,000 and it was debated whether is should focus on the locals or also include visitors and tourists. There was a difference of opinion but the majority decided to focus on the tourists because that would mean more beds in heads which is what the tourism committee is all about. The two city council members on the committee were concerned that the mayor didn’t bring these changes to the city council to get their opinions and thoughts on the changes. After the final vote, a $68,000 grant was given to the Riviera.