August 2018
TODAY, August 1 is the last day to register for the Wind Point Village Picnic on Sunday, August 12! Register online now at: https://windpoint.ticketbud.com/picnic or stop by the Village Office before 5 p.m.!
Partisan Primary Election on August 14
A Partisan Primary election will be held on Tuesday, August 14. Voting takes place at The Prairie School (Johnson Athletic Center) from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Races on the ballot will include primaries for Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, Rep. in Congress District 1, State Senator District 21, Rep. to the Assembly District 62, County Sheriff and Clerk of Circuit Court.  Click here to view a sample ballot .

Please note that in a partisan primary you may vote in only one party section. If you designate a party preference, votes cast in that party section will be counted; votes cast in any other party section will not be counted. If you do not designate a party preference, and you vote in more than one party, no votes will be counted.

Absentee Voting – in-person
In-person absentee voting is available at the Village Office now through Friday, August 10 during normal business hours, Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Absentee Voting – by mail
Absentee ballots were mailed out on June 25 to electors on the permanent absentee ballot list. Other electors wishing to receive an absentee ballot by mail may do so by submitting an  Absentee Ballot Application  to the Village Office along with a copy of a valid photo ID. Absentee ballots need to be returned by election day in order to be counted.

Voter Registration
Residents needing to register or re-register to vote can do so by mail, online or in-person at the Village Office or at the polls on election day. For more information, and to check your current registration status, visit https://myvote.wi.gov.
Open Tower Days This Weekend
Limited reservations are still available for tours at the lighthouse this Saturday, August 4 and Sunday, August 5. Tours run every half hour, between 10 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, and between 9 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.  Admission for tours is $10.00 per adult (ages 12 and up) and $5.00 for children (ages 6-11). Walk-ups are welcome; advance reservations are recommended. The tours are a great opportunity to learn about the history of the lighthouse while taking in breathtaking views from the top! For more information or to make a reservation online,  click here .

Lighthouse Tower is Getting a Paint Job
The Village has contracted with CertaPro to give the Wind Point Lighthouse tower a fresh coat of paint! The work is expected to be completed by the end of September and it will involve scraping loose paint, filling mortar joints, washing and painting the tower from top to bottom. The cost of the work will be $18,530. Lighthouse maintenance projects are funded primarily by Village property tax dollars and are partially offset by revenues collected from tower tours , memorial brick garden orders , facility rentals and donations . If you are interested in getting involved by volunteering at the lighthouse, please contact the Lighthouse Keepers, Mary Ann and Joseph Huser at 639-3777 or lhkeeper@windpoint.org .
Paving Completed on Wind Point Rd. and Campus Dr.
The 2018 Road Program is near completion! Milling and paving on sections of Campus Dr. and Wind Point Rd. was completed last week. Ditch grading on Campus Dr. was also finished by the end of last week. Crews returned this week for restoration and gravel shouldering (on Campus Dr.).

The project originally included re-paving two sections on Four Mile Rd. (near Valley Tr. and James Ave.). That work has been postponed after learning that Caledonia Utility District is planning to replace sewer pipe on Four Mile Rd. next year. In order to avoid new pavement from being torn up, the paving work will now be coordinated with Caledonia's project in 2019.

If you live near Campus Dr. or Wind Point Rd., thank you for your patience with the recent road construction!
A crowd gathered for the showing of "A League of Their Own" at the Wind Point Movie Night held by Wind Point Living at Shoop Park last Saturday, July 28. It was a perfect night!
Wind Point Pet Parade Rescheduled to
Monday, August 27 at the Lighthouse
Due to the inclement weather earlier this summer, the annual Wind Point Pet Parade organized by Wind Point Living has been rescheduled to Monday, August 27, at the north lawn of the Wind Point Lighthouse grounds. Showcase your precious pet with your family and fellow neighbors in a fun, interactive manner! The parade route will stay within the confines of the north lawn, and the route will be outlined in orange cones. In addition to the parade, there will be a few light competitions such as: Best Pet Costume, Best Pet Trick and Best Groomed Pet. Celebrity guest judges will be on location to help select the category winners.

There is a limited number of pets that will be allowed to participate in the pet parade, and no same-day registrations will be available. If you would like your pet to participate in the Wind Point Pet Parade, submit an email to gary.smith@n2pub.com before Sunday, August 19 with your name and type of pet you wish to enter for participation. You can always still come out watch the parade if you do not have a pet or if participation capacity is reached. Pets must be leashed and/or contained at all times; please make sure dogs are licensed with the Village.
Branch Collection Reminders
Wind Point Public Works collects branches from residents for disposal on the second Tuesday of each month, from April to November. Branch piles do not require a yard waste sticker to be collected.
In order to provide this service efficiently, the following rules apply:

  • Branch collection is for tree maintenance (trimming branches) NOT tree removal. Property owners who have landscapers or other individuals cut down trees on their property are responsible for branch disposal.

  • Up to 15 minutes will be spent per property on collecting and chipping. Any piles that exceed this time will be tagged and the owner will have the option to remove the piles or have them collected for a fee. Note that piles that are neatly set out help speed up the collection time.

  • Piles should be set out no earlier than the Saturday before collection day (72 hours). Branch piles should be set out near the edge of the road away from mailboxes or other obstructions. Piles set out too early or late can be tagged with a notice indicating the resident has 48 hours to remove the items. Tags will be noted with the date and time that they were placed. If branches are not removed within 48 hours as stated on the tag, a special collection will be arranged and the property owner will be charged.

  • Stumps, vines, root balls, roots, rocks, brush, rubbish, construction material or metal will not be collected.

  • Branches should not exceed 4 inches in diameter. Branches should be kept at their original length and not cut into shorter pieces.

  • Branches should be placed by the road in small, reasonably uniform piles. Piles should not exceed 4 feet in height and 4 feet in width. Pile branches with the cut end toward the road, all in the same direction.

  • If collection cannot be completed on a given day, the remainder of the route will be completed the next work day(s). To maintain scheduled operations, we cannot “backtrack” to collect branches set out late.

Thank you for your cooperation! If you have any questions on this service please contact the Village Office at 262-639-3524 or info@windpoint.org .

Wood Chip Requests
Residents can request excess wood chips from branch collection to use for landscaping. Submit a request using the  online form  or by completing the form at the Village Office. Chips will be delivered after collection in the order they were requested (based on availability). For safety and security purposes, chips cannot be picked up from the public works yard.
Water System Valve Replacement Project
The first phase of a Water System Valve Replacement Project is scheduled to take place late this summer/early fall. The project involves replacing dead-end blow-off valves located near patio homes in Wind Meadows. The project is necessary to help perform routine flushing of the water system.

A map of the project area is pictured ( click to enlarge ). The first phase (occurring this year) includes valves on Parkwood Ct., Stonewood Ct. and Lakewood Ct. An area of about 4'x6' ft. of pavement will be removed to install each valve. The excavated area will be filled with compacted stone and re-paved on a later date.

For any questions or concerns on this project, please contact DPW Supervisor Jack Feiner at 262-639-3560.
Village Receives GFOA Budget Award
For a third consecutive year, the Village of Wind Point is a recipient of the Governmental Finance Officers Association (GFOA) Distinguished Budget Presentation Award for its  2018 Budget document The award reflects the Village’s commitment to meeting the highest principles of governmental budgeting and organizational transparency.

In order to receive the budget award, the Village had to satisfy nationally recognized guidelines for effective budget presentation. These guidelines are designed to assess how well an entity’s budget serves as: 1) a policy document, 2) a financial plan, 3) an operations guide and 4) a communications device. The GFOA has not published a full list of this year's winners, but in 2017, a total of 22 municipalities in Wisconsin received the award and Wind Point was the lone recipient in Racine County.

2019 Budget Process
The Personnel, Finance and Insurance Committee meets today, August 1, to kickoff the 2019 Budget process. The Committee will review 2018 year-to-date figures and will discuss a timeline for completing the 2019 Budget. The process culminates with a public hearing, typically held at the November Village Board meeting (which will be on November 8 this year). Look for updates on the budget process in future editions of this newsletter. All Committee and Village Board meetings are open to the public.
Village Board Updates
The Village Board of Trustees held a regular meeting on July 12, 2018. The following actions took place at the meeting:

  • Approved Change Order #1 for the 2018 Road Program in the amount of $7,968.50 which includes paving up to the north border of 5305 Wind Point Rd. and re-grading the east ditch along Bayfield Ct.
  • Approved two labels to be installed near the Fresnel lens at the lighthouse and also approved initiating the process to prepare five other labels.
  • Approved a temporary alcohol license application submitted by Wind Point Community Club to sell beer at the village picnic on August 12, 2018 at Village Green.

The next regular meeting is scheduled for Thursday, August 9 at 5:30 p.m. at the Village Hall (lighthouse).
Village of Wind Point, Wisconsin
215 E. Four Mile Rd.
Racine, WI 53402
262.639.3524