June 29, 2007

Summer Swimming Safety—Seriously


Larger, temporary pools are becoming increasingly popular. Commonly known as "blue pools", these pools are deeper than the average kiddie pool Residents may be surprised to learn a permit is required to have one, along with fencing.

Permits are FREE, but a seasonal or temporary pool permit must be filled out and submitted to the town. Failure to do so could result in citations or fines.

The following are Grand Chute's seasonal or temporary pool regulations:

A permit is required for the installation of any type of seasonal or temporary swimming pool defined as any outside structure, basin, chamber or tank containing, designed to contain or capable of containing any artificial body of water for wading, swimming, diving, recreation, therapy or bathing, having a depth of 2’ or more at any point when filled to capacity. Existing pools not in compliance of enclosure requirements shall be made to conform.

1. All swimming pools whether in ground or above ground, shall be enclosed with an adequate and secure fence at least 44” above the adjoining grade to prevent straying into pool area.

2. Required fences shall be constructed to prevent passage of a 4” sphere between or under fence members.

3. Stairways, ladders or other accesses to pools, whether above ground or otherwise, shall be secured, removed or blocked off to prevent access when the pool is not in use.

4. Any gates installed shall be provided with self-closing and self-latching devices, which shall be on the inside of the gate at least 30” above ground level.

5. A pool dome or pool top fencing attached to the pool must extend at least 44” above the ground or a pool cover capable of supporting 100 pounds per square foot of area are acceptable substitutes for fencing. The pool cover shall be securely in place at all times when the pool is not supervised by a responsible adult.

6. Pools with walls at least 44” at all points around pool or have platforms and railings that are 44” or more in height above ground are not required to be enclosed.

7. A pool must be at least 3’ from the side or rear lot line.

June 27, 2007

June 5 Town Board meeting minutes

Minutes from the June 5, 2007 Town Board meeting are available.

June 26, 2007

Response to 6/25 Editorial

The Post-Crescent ran an editorial about the increase in costs to the proposed fire station. Below is my response emailed (with some edits for general public) to the editorial board:

I wanted to clarify a point you made in the editorial for the Grand Chute fire station. (Please note in advance, I am not disagreeing with the editorial as a whole)

The editorial states: "But the funding resolution they approved at an April town meeting was for $3.5 million, a figure given to them by the advisory panel responsible for the fire station design."

The $3.5 million figure was a number given to the advisory panel by Chairman Marsden as a price to keep the proposed fire station at, based upon fire stations in other communities of similiar size as Grand Chute. This number was given to the panel before design even started. At the same time, the fire station advisory panel was instructed to design a fire station to fit our specific community's needs.

It is important to note; the plan was still in the preliminary planning stages at the Annual meeting. The advisory panel did not give numbers out at the town meeting. (Construction Manager) Boldt was not brought in until after the plan was finished (in May) to give estimates.

This detail, on the surface, may seem insignificant, but in the next couple weeks, the board willl have to educate the residents where the $1 million gap came from. It is a complicated process to explain, and it's imperitive the residents get the correct information from all sources, so they can reach an educated decision.

June 21, 2007

Free Exotic Car Show


Here's an interesting event I was just made aware of. It's an Exotic Car Show—Bergstrom Automotive is putting it on. Vintage Porsches, Jaguars, Mercedes-Benzes and other rare vehicles will be on display this Saturday, June 23 along Victory Lane. The show runs 10am-4pm. Admission is free. Food and refreshments will be available with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

June 20, 2007

Proposed Fire Station Price Tag

Taxpayers were recently informed the proposed fire station costs have been increased from $3.5 million to $4.5 million. A million dollars is a substantial amount of money, so taxpayers need to understand why there is a projected cost increase.

The original idea was to build a fire station. Can a simple fire station be built for $3.5 million? The answer is yes. However the advisory panel began to see more than a “simple” fire station was needed, and the submitted plan reflects this.

The Federal government and Homeland Security, are pressing local municipalities to have a national incident management system in place. Local governments need to handle their own emergency situations. The new station would double as our emergency center. This includes having an backup generator that will power the station in emergency situations.

In addition, the base of operations would be moved to the new station. This includes the command center, adminstation, training, and inspection. The decision was made to keep the 5.5 bays for future apparatus or future ambulance service. The training tower is being kept so firefighters do not have to travel out of town for this type of training.

The size and location of the proposed station reflects the continuing growing needs of our community. Do we build a simple fire station that would be obsolete in a few years, or does our town have the vision to build a facility that is more than just a fire station and will serve our community for 50 years? I am voting for the latter.

Do I want to spend this additional million dollars? No. But the reality is, substantial cuts have already been made to get it to the projected number. Any additional cuts would negate the integrity of the fire station, to the point where it would not serve the community’s needs.

The most significant point to come from last night's town board meeting was the board has approved the plan submitted to the fire station committee by Strand and Associates. Now the plan can go out for bids and an actual cost can be determined. Hopefully, the bids can close the gap between $3.5 and $4.5 million figure.

The figures presented at the June 19th meeting by Administrator Rohloff would increase taxes $5 per $200,000 home. Response times will be greatly improved and the average homeowner will save that on homeowner’s insurance rates alone, with lower ISO ratings.

Postponing action is only postponing the inevitable. This has already been going on for several years. Delaying this any further will only increase the cost to you, the taxpayer, and compromise our safety.

June 18, 2007

Introducing Freddie


The Town recently accepted a grant from the Department of Homeland Security for a robotic fire truck. This truck will be used for fire education by the Fire Department. The fully animated fire truck robot moves, speaks, listens, plays audiocassette tapes and sounds his siren, all by remote control. Tools like this help reinforce fire prevention to young children. The robot will be taken to schools, used in open houses, and other special town events represented by the Fire Department. Contact Chief Bantes if you feel this educational robot would be useful at your event.

June 15, 2007

June 19 meeting agenda

Residents are encouraged to attend the June 19th town board meeting at 7pm, town hall. The agenda is posted for your review.

Burning ordinance

It’s summer….the time for bonfires, grilling out and firepits. The town recently revised our burning ordinance. I encourage you to review. There are some instances where a burning permit is required. The regulations may seem excessive, but following this ordinance ensures the safety of our community—especially with the current understaffing of our fire department.

June 12, 2007

Supervisor Thyssen announces office hours

Grand Chute Town Supervisor Travis Thyssen is pleased to announce open office hours. Supervisor Thyssen will be available to meet with residents every Monday, 8-9:30am at the Town Hall, 1900 Grand Chute Blvd. Hours are effective immediately.

The creation of office hours is in response to residents’ request for better interaction with town supervisors. “Supervisors are already available by phone or email. I wanted to add an avenue of communication, to assure residents they can feel comfortable approaching me,” says Sup. Thyssen

Town board meetings are Tuesday’s. Monday hours enable Thyssen to answer questions regarding the next day’s meeting agenda.

Sup. Thyssen realizes these hours may not work for every resident. “If people have questions or problems, I am always willing to meet at a time convenient for them.”

Open office hours are the second phase in Thyssen’s three-part plan to communicate directly with Grand Chute residents. Phase one was the creation of Sup. Thyssen’s website, thyssengrandchute.blogspot.com. Phase three will be announced at a future date.

June 11, 2007

Flag Day Parade recap


It was a gorgeous day for a parade! Over 60,000 people attended the annual Flag Day Parade Saturday, June 9, in Appleton. It's billed as the largest flag day parade in the nation, although Troy, New York claims that honor also. Reminds me of the Nation's first indoor mall battle between Valley Fair Mall, Appleton, and Southdale Center, Edina, MN!

Grand Chute was well represented with town officials walking the parade route, the Grand Chute Lion's Club participating, and the Grand Chute Fire Department/Fire Explorers showing off their brand new fire engine.

June 8, 2007

Communication committee meeting announced

The next communication committee meeting will be held on 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 13, at the Town Hall, 1900 Grand Chute Blvd. The agenda includes discussion of strategy, format and procedures for the committee, and review of current forms of communication with residents. The committee was formed in response to residents' requests for better interaction with town supervisors. Residents are encouraged to attend this open discussion meeting, or email or post their suggestions to me personally.

June 7, 2007

May 15 Town Board meeting minutes

Minutes from the May 15, 2007 Town Board meeting are available.

June 6, 2007

Grand Chute resident to compete in triathlon


Grand Chute resident Mike Schmidt is training to participate in the Accenture Chicago Triathlon on August 2. He will be a member of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. Funds raised by the Team will be used to help stop leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and myeloma. Mike says he's currently very busy with training!

As a team participant, Mike has named two honorary patients as his motivation for crossing the finish line. They are Sue Hoffmann of Oshkosh,(lower pic) just recently diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Luekemia. Sue is 52 and a mother of 3. She works in the Media Dept. at Oshkosh West High School. Jennifer Dins of Appleton, (upper pic) is fighting Ovarian Cancer. She is 45, a mother to 4 wonderful daughters, and the Territory Manager for Weight Watchers Intl. of North Eastern Wisconsin.

Mike’s goal is to raise $5,500 dollars before the triathlon. If you would like to support Mike in his triathlon debut, while donating to a worthy cause, visit his Team in Training website.

June 4, 2007

June 5 meeting agenda

Residents are encouraged to attend tomorrow evening's town board meeting at 7pm, town hall. The agenda is posted for your review.