I want to share a recent Village experience that you may find surprising but should know about.  Last month, back from three weeks in Florida, I was catching up with Michael Hawes at the village office when I learned there was a Architectural Review Board meeting that evening and one of the agenda items was approval of a change to the painted color of a resident's home.  This was pretty unusual business for an Architectural Review Board meeting - and it was significant to me because Rose and I had recently hired a painter to repaint the barn-red siding on our White Sand Lane home (maybe you know it).  Our plan is to replace the red with a grey color similar to the Lannon Stone on the house.  Michael brought the matter up with the board and they were willing to schedule a meeting another day where they ok'd the color change, suggested it would be better to also have a contrasting window trim.   If the weather warms up enough for painting, we'll see how it looks.

Architectural review is required by our zoning ordinance chapter.  Our board members are well-qualified and approach their work in a spirit of helpfulness.   The board usually meets on Tuesday evening early each month, so disputes may be appealed to the Board of Trustees the following Thursday.  Please be sure to check with Village Administrator Michael Hawes if you are planning exterior remodeling or changes in house color. 

- Pete Christensen, Village President

• Thursday, June 5, 2014
  6-8 p.m.
  Gateway Technical College, 1001 Main St., Racine, WI 53403
  Racine Building, Michigan Room #113
  Register here 

• Monday, June 9, 2014
  6-7 p.m.
  Down to Earth Community Garden
  3003 30th Ave., Kenosha, WI
  Register here 

• Saturday, June 28, 2014
  10 a.m.-12 p.m.
  Grant Park Clubhouse
  100 E. Hawthorne Ave., South Milwaukee, WI
  *For this workshop, one hour will be informational and one hour will be planting an actual rain garden at the park! Limited to 25 participants
  Register here 

The Friends of the Wind Point Lighthouse 501c3 non-profit organization will once again be hosting tower climbs on the 1st Sunday of each month, June - October, 2014.

Your Tower Climb begins with a 12-15 minute presentation by our "Keeper, Pete Peterson," followed by the 15-20 minute climb to the top of the tower, an opportunity to view our Memorial Brick Garden on the shore of Lake Michigan and a visit to the Fog Horn Building Museum.

Our latest addition to the grounds is the restored Fuel Building that shows the historic role it played in supporting the Lighthouse.  This restoration was made possible by a donation from the estate of Mary Wackerhagen, charter member and former President of Friends of the Wind Point Lighthouse.

Please call 262.880.8266 to make your reservation by the Saturday immediately preceding the Sunday of the climb.  Plan to arrive 15 minutes prior to the time scheduled for your climb. 

Tower Climb Tours are conducted the first Sunday of the months listed below from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  Included with your ticket is a visit to the Fog Horn Building Museum on the grounds.

Tower Climb Days for 2014:

• June 1st
• July 6th
• August 3rd
• September 7th
• October 5th

Tower Climb Safety Rules:

1. Due to safety and liability concerns, no children under age 6 are admitted to the tower.
2. Sturdy walking or tennis shoes must be worn; no flip-flops or high heels.
3. You must be physically fit to climb 11 stories (144 steps).
4. Each group is limited to 15 people.

Prices:

• Children ages 6 - 12  |   $5.00
• Everyone over age 12  |   $10.00

This program is critical to extending the life of Village's streets and limiting costly reconstruction of roadways. The slag sealing process consists of spraying liquid asphalt on the street and covering it with a product called slag, an aggregate similar to sand. The excess slag material may stick to your tires and track into your driveway and garage. It can easily be swept off and will not harm your driveway. The slag may also stick to your shoes. You may want take your shoes off before you go in the house, and if you have pets, brush off their feet. If there are any spots on your vehicle, any bug and tar cleaner can remove them.

After the slag sealing is completed, public works personnel will come back and the loose black slag will be vacuum swept. Water is applied during this sweeping process, but it can still be a bit dusty as the brush moves down the street.

This asphalt maintenance process should be completed within a day; streets will only be temporarily closed as the equipment moves through the neighborhood and might cause minor delays as they move in/around Wind Point.

Road resurfacing work will be completed at a later date this summer on Raven Turn East, Beacon Lane and northwest portions of Wind Point Rd.

• Saturday, June 7 - Ragnar Relay Race, a two-day relay race from Madison to Chicago. Runners are expected to pass through the Village between midnight and 9 a.m. on Saturday, June 7. They will head east on Four Mile Rd., turn south on N. Main St., east onto Campus Dr., turn around at Prairie School, west on Campus Dr. and south on N. Main St. toward Racine. Minimal noise or impacts expected.

• Saturday, June 21 - YMCA Lighthouse Run. Runners will use Three Mile Rd., Lighthouse Dr., Four Mile Rd. and N. Main St. between about 8-9:30 a.m. About 800 runners expected to pass through the Village. Traffic will go down to one lane. Racine Sheriff's Department deputies will coordinate traffic control.

• Saturday, July 20 - Ironman Racine 70.3 Triathlon. The run portion of the event heads east on Three Mile Rd., north on Lighthouse Dr., turns around at Shoop Park and heads back the same way toward Racine. The northbound lane will be closed for the runners and the southbound lane will remain open to traffic. The bike portion of the event will pass the Village on N. Main St. and will intermittently disrupt vehicles from entering and leaving the Village on Three and Four Mile Roads.

President Christensen presented a proclamation of recognition to Jay Hammes for his years of service (six terms) as Village Trustee. Other highlights from the May 8 meeting:

• Judge Knuteson swore in the newly elected and re-elected Village trustees - Karen Van Lone, David Heller and Robert Quam, Jr.

• The Board approved an amendment to the conditional use permit for The Prairie School's soccer field. The Prairie School requested raising the field lights from 35 ft. to 45 ft. to achieve more direct lighting on the field and less light spillage to neighboring properties.

• Trustee Durment reported the Village would have crack-filling maintenance done on "the loop" (Four Mile Rd., Lighthouse Dr. and Three Mile Rd.) for an amount not to exceed $10,000.

• Trustee Durment reported staff will draft a branch collection ordinance, addressing special collections and considering an additional collection date in the Spring.

• Trustee Van Lone reported the Architectural Review Board is preparing a guidelines document to inform residents about Architectural Review Board procedures.

• Trustee Meissner gave updates on projects at the lighthouse and the Board approved the bid in the amount of $3,855 from Mohr Construction to replace the roof, soffit/fascia and door on the southwest shed at the lighthouse property.

• The Board granted the use of a tennis court for lessons at Village Green Park with the fee of $50.00 and submittal of liability insurance.

• The Board accepted the lighthouse beach conceptual plan proposal submitted by the Racine Health Department.

• The Board approved President Christensen's appointments to Boards, Committees and Commissions and trustee standing committee assignments.

• The Board instructed the administrator to proceed with an electronic resident survey to solicit feedback on Village services and amenities.

• The Board denied a request to assume responsibility of the decorative lights located on Valley Trail at Four Mile Road.

• The Board referred a request to hold a community movie night to the Parks & Facilities Committee for further review.

The Board will meet for regular meeting on Thursday, June 12 at 5:30 p.m. at the Village Hall.  

Section 16.10 of the Village Code provides that lawn grass on any residential or commercial property shall not exceed 12 inches in length. 

"Grass that exceeds 12 inches adversely affects the public health and safety in that it tends to emit pollen and other discomforting bits of plants, constitutes a fire and safety hazard in that debris can be hidden in the grass, interferes with the public convenience, and adversely affects property values of other land within the Village. For these reasons, any lawn grass on a residentially or commercially zoned property that exceeds twelve (12) inches in length is hereby declared to be a public nuisance, except for property located in a designated floodplain area, wetland area, or area for which a land management plan has been  approved, or where the lawn grass is part of an approved prairie or natural lawn."