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  windpointwi.us |
September 2015 |
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Please note the Village Office will be closed on Labor Day, September 7 and that garbage, yard waste and bulk collection will take place on Tuesday, September 8. Have a safe holiday!
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All Residents Invited to Park Planning Workshop, Sept. 16
All interested residents and community members are welcomed to join a park planning workshop on Wednesday, September 16 at The Prairie School in the John H. Mitchell Theater from 6 to 7:30 p.m. The purpose of the workshop will be to collect input for a new Village park plan. Workshop attendees will be asked to give input about desired uses and amenities at the Village Green Park. Participants can also give input on the Wind Point Lighthouse grounds and walking/biking connectivity in the Village.
The workshop will be facilitated by Blake Theisen, a landscape architect from Ayres Associates who specializes in park planning. Blake will lead group discussions at the workshop and will have a short questionnaire and visual exercises for workshop attendees. We hope to see you there!
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The annual Village Picnic was held on Sunday, August 2. It was a hot and blustery summer day, but many came out and had a good time! Thank you to the Wind Point Community Club for organizing the event!
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Back to School Traffic Safety Tips
With children returning to school this time of year, motorists are asked to consider the back-to-school traffic safety tips below. The beginning of the school year is a time when children are at increased risk of transportation-related injuries from pedestrian, bicycle, school bus, and motor vehicle crashes.
- Do not text or talk on your cell phone while driving.
- Slow down and obey all traffic laws and speed limits.
- Be alert for school zones that have a reduced speed limit - the speed limit on Lake Meadow Dr. and Campus Dr. is 15 mph while children are present.
- Watch for school buses. Red flashing lights and an extended stop arm indicate the school bus is stopping to load or unload children. State law requires you to stop.
- Keep an eye out for children walking in the street, especially in Wind Point where there are no sidewalks.
- Be alert for children playing and gathering near bus stops and for those who may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
- When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch for children walking or biking to school.
- When driving in neighborhoods or school zones, watch for young people who may be in a hurry to get to or away from school and may not be thinking about getting there safely.
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Village Budget Timeline
The Village Board and staff are working together to develop the 2016 budget. The budget timeline is as follows:
- August 21 - Personnel, Finance and Insurance Committee reviewed 2015 year-to-date and discussed the 2016 budget process.
- August 22 -September 23 - Staff prepares 2016 budget requests.
- September 24 - Personnel, Finance and Insurance Committee reviews budget draft #1, including General Fund, Personnel, Capital projects and reserves.
- October 5 - Personnel, Finance and Insurance Committee reviews budget draft #2 and Utilities Budget draft.
- October 22 - Committee of the Whole reviews full draft budget.
- By October 28 - Administrator publishes and posts budget summary and public hearing notice.
- November 12 - Village Board holds budget public hearing and adopts budget.
All committee and Village Board meetings are open to the public. See the
calendar for details about time and location of the meetings.
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Lost and Found: Necklace
A necklace was found near The Shores neighborhood on Lighthouse Dr. last month and turned into the Village Office. If you think it may be yours, please call the office at 262-639-3524.
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Village Staff Updates
Thank you to Brendan McGuire for the hard work this summer assisting the maintenance department as seasonal laborer. Brendan returns to school at UW-Whitewater this month.
Maintenance Assistant Mike Purtee celebrated 2 years with the Village in August.
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Branch Collection Changes
The monthly branch collection service is popular among residents for helping remove branches after tree maintenance. However, it is not a core service offered in most communities, and it can be a drain on our limited staff hours.
The Village Board discussed these points at the meeting on August 13, and rather than cutting back the program, the Board decided on some changes to help make it more manageable. Highlights from the changes:
- Residents are asked to keep branches at their original length and not cut into smaller pieces. Our chipper is able to handle long branches (as long as they are 4 inch diameter or less); cutting them into smaller pieces creates more piles to collect.
- Piles should be in reasonably uniform with the cut end toward the road, all in the same direction. Piles that are not stacked in the same direction can be heavily tangled and difficult to separate.
- Up to 15 minutes will be spent per property on collecting and chipping. Most piles take less than 5 minutes.
Click here to view the full revised branch collection procedures.
Thank you in advance for your cooperation so we can continue to offer this monthly service (May-November)!
Requesting Wood Chips
To request excess wood chips (mulch) from branching, contact the Public Works Garage at 262-639-3560.
Please include your name, address, phone number and the amount of chips requested. A minimum of half a truck load can be requested. Please also indicate where on the property they would like the chips dumped. Chips will be delivered after collection in the order they were requested (based on availability). Chips cannot be picked up from the public works yard.
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Fire/EMS Services Update
Wind Point is currently in the second year of a two-year agreement for Fire/EMS services with the City of Racine. In June, the Village issued a request for proposals to Racine and the Village of Caledonia to provide fire/EMS services to Wind Point and North Bay for the period of 2016 to 2020. Both Racine and Caledonia submitted proposals and on August 21, a joint committee reviewed them and made a recommendation to approve the proposal submitted by Caledonia.
The committee found that both Racine and Caledonia could offer quality services to Wind Point and both have a fire station nearby and are members of the Racine County mutual aid system. Although Caledonia's ambulance fees are higher, the overall proposed cost is significantly less than Racine's proposal. The Village Board will consider approval of an agreement with Caledonia at the September 10 meeting.
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Wind Point Lighthouse Tower Climb - September 6
By Friends of the Wind Point Lighthouse
The Wind Point Lighthouse Tower Climb for September is scheduled for Sunday, September 6 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. There is an on-line reservation system for tours that begin on the hour; walk-ups are welcome on the 1/2-hour, although without a reservation, you may have to wait. The Fog Horn Building Museum and Gift Shop will be open as well. Please visit our web site to make your reservation, review the safety rules or for more information about the lighthouse:
www.windpointlighthouse.com.
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Village Board Highlights
At the regular Village Board meeting on August 13, the Board...
- Heard a report from Trustee Heller on an updated roads plan that will be used for the budget.
- Approved revisions to the branch collection policy.
- Approved a final payment to Payne & Dolan for the 2014 Road Program.
- Heard a report from Trustee Sanabria on lighthouse fundraising efforts and a meeting with the Friends of the Lighthouse.
- Reviewed the 2016 budget timeline.
- Referred a request to the Public Safety Committee to review village access problems during the annual Ironman event.
The Village Board will meet for a regular meeting on Thursday, September 10 at 5:30 p.m. at the Village Hall (Lighthouse).
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