Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  windpointwi.usMarc h 2015
President's Message
At our February Village Board meeting, Village Administrator Michael Hawes gave a report on the status of school districts in the Racine area. As you know, resident groups in Caledonia and Sturtevant are interested in leaving the Racine Unified School District (RUSD) and starting their own districts. Without a change in state law it appears it will be difficult for these communities to accomplish this. Wind Point is served by RUSD and likely will be for the foreseeable future. We will continue to watch this topic closely as it may affect Wind Point.

- Pete Christensen, Village President
ACH Payment Option Starts for 1st Quarter Water Bills

The new ACH payment option for water bills will be in effect for the first quarter bills, which will be mailed out the week of March 16. Residents who have signed up for ACH will still receive a copy of the bill but it will state "Direct Payment" on it and no further action is needed. The payment will go through on April 15. To date, about 25 residents have signed up for the ACH payment option. 

 

Residents who sign up by March 6 can still be added in time for the first quarter billing. To sign up, complete the ACH Authorization Form and submit it to the Village Office along with a voided check. Click here to download the form.

Reminder to Display Address Numbers

It is critical that in the event of an emergency, crews are able to easily identify the address of a home. Village ordinances require display of street addresses "either upon the street front of such premises or in a place near the entrance to the driveway on the mailbox, a tree or a separate post at least forty-six (46) inches off the ground or both, such designated number in such position to be plainly visible." The numbers "shall be of a contrasting color to their background and shall be not less than three (3) inches in height."

2015 Dog Licenses
The Village issued reminder letters to residents with dog licenses that have not yet been renewed for 2015. A dog license application, along with license fee and copy of rabies certificate, should be submitted for each dog to the Village Office by mail, dropbox or in-person. If submitting by mail, please include a self-addressed stamped envelope for the tag and receipt to be returned to you. There is a $5.00 late fee for applications received after April 1.
Door-to-Door Sales

Door to door peddlers, solicitors, salesmen/women, and evangelists come into Wind Point. The Village does background checks and issue permits for sellers. People selling goods and services must have a Wind Point permit to approach your door. Please call the police at 639-3022 immediately to report peddlers selling without permits. If the Wind Point Police do not answer, please call 886-2300.
 

Church evangelists and political candidates/activists do not need permits. However, solicitors from charitable organizations selling goods must tell you what portion of the sales price will go to the organization for charitable purposes and should show you proof that they have
registered in the Village office.
 

You should ask to see the Village's permit or registration form, and you may call the Village (639-3524 or 639-3022) to confirm they have one. No direct seller or solicitor can approach your home from a half hour past sunset until 9:00 am without an
appointment; on Sundays or legal holidays; by using the rear door. All sellers must give his/her name, company or organization represented, and the goods/service
offered.

 

Don't be distracted at your front door if

there are other unlocked doors or ways into your home. Sellers and solicitors must leave if you ask them to. Call 911 immediately any time you feel you are not safe!

Pruning in Winter

According to the supervisor of plant health care at the Chicago Botanic Garden, 90 percent of deciduous pruning can be done in the winter. "As soon as trees and shrubs go into dormancy, pruning can begin," he said. "And you can prune up to the time when buds begin to plump up." From mid-November to mid-March, you can shape and thin your deciduous plants in preparation for the spring season ahead.

 

Evergreens, in most situations, should be pruned in the growing season, since they never become fully dormant and may suffer tip burn if pruned in the winter.

 

There are important reasons to prune at this time. It is much easier to prune a plant without its leaves since you can easily see its branching structure. Also, in winter there is less chance of transmitting diseases from one plant to another or attracting insects to fresh pruning wounds. And, since most gardening chores in the Midwest get compressed into the short, intense growing season, it is useful to relegate some of them to winter.

 

More detailed information is available on the Chicago Botanical Garden website.  
Disposing Electronics

Many household electronic items are banned from Wisconsin landfills and are not collected by Johns Disposal. These include computers, printers, monitors, TVs, DVD players, VCRs, fax machines, cell phones, mice and keyboards and other computer accessories. The DNR provides a list of electronics collection sites on its website. The following sites are listed for Racine County:

  • Best Buy, 2710 Green Bay Rd.
    (262) 551-0074
  • Office Depot, 2630 Green Bay Rd.
    (262) 554-5182
  • Goodwill, 3131 S Oakes Rd.
    (262) 554-8522
  • Value Village, 4103 Durand Ave. 
    (262) 554-5080
  • Milwaukee PC, 7115 Durand Ave. #F
    (262) 208-9437
  • Waste Mgmt., 21211 Durand Ave.
    (262) 878-0287
These sites may vary in what items they collect, quantity limits and fees. Contact the site in advance or see the DNR listing for more information.
Permitting or Abandoning Your Private Well
In order to assure that private wells are safe and not a source of contamination to municipal water systems or Wisconsin groundwater, the Wisconsin DNR regulates private wells on property served by municipal water systems. All private wells located in the Village are required to either be permitted or properly abandoned. If you have a well on your property and are unsure of its status, please contact our office.

Well permits are issued by the Village Office and are valid for a five-year period. Each application (including renewals) must be submitted with water test results from a certified laboratory. If you need to renew your well permit but are unable to get a water sample during the winter months, please contact our office and arrange to submit your application when the weather warms up.

Alternatively, residents can have their well abandoned by having it capped by a licensed pump service provider. When the work is completed, the technician should file the DNR abandonment form with the DNR and submit a copy of that form to the Village within 45 days.
Village Board Highlights

At the regular meeting on February 12, the Village Board recognized Barb Miceli for her 18 years of service to the Village. Pictured above (left to right): Past Village President Bill Bensman, Past President and Current Judge John Knuteson, Barb Miceli and President Pete Christensen.

 

Other Village Board highlights from the meeting:

  • Approved a proposal from Fahrner Asphalt for slag sealing Lake Meadow Dr. (with Applewood Ct.) in the amount of $52,120.
  • Authorized staff to sell the 2011 squad car and 2001 Ford F-150.
  • Heard an update on lighthouse grounds agreement discussions with the Friends of the Lighthouse.
  • Approved a Resolution in support of League of WI Municipalities' Partnership for Prosperity Agenda (Resolution 15-R03).
  • Approved a proposal from HydropCorp to provide commercial cross-control inspections in the amount of $2,565.
  • Approved a hold harmless agreement with Ragnar Relay Series to use a portion of Three Mile Rd. for its relay race on June 13, 2015.
  • Heard an update from the administrator regarding efforts in Caledonia and Sturtevant to secede from Racine Unified Schools.
  • Instructed the administrator to proceed with the fire services agreement as discussed in closed session.

The Village Board will meet for a regular meeting on Thursday, March 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Village Hall (Lighthouse).

Follow Wind Point on Social Media Sites

For the latest information on Village matters, you can follow Wind Point on its Facebook page or on Twitter. We use these accounts to post timely updates on things like road work, water main breaks or garbage collection delays. It is also a good source for nuggets of information about Village news and events! Follow us at facebook.com/windpointwi or twitter.com/windpointwi.