Village hires new Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer |
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Hello, Wind Point! We would like to welcome Chris Bennett, our new Village Administrator/Clerk-Treasurer. Chris started at the Village on August 28, 2023. Be sure and stop by the Village office to say hello. Look for an article in next month’s Stroll Magazine introducing Chris.
Chris came to Wind Point after being the Director of Neighborhood Services in Whitewater for more than two and a half years.
Chris also spent more than 13 years as a Trustee in the Village of Rochester, where he lives with his wife, Rachel, and their 11-year-old daughter, Eleanor. The Bennetts also have two adult children.
Chris spent 14 years in the Navy as a commissioned Public Affairs Officer, and also worked at The Journal Times for several years before transitioning to municipal leadership.
Chris is a graduate of Carroll College in Waukesha, and holds advanced degrees from Cardinal Stritch University and Villanova University.
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SLOW DOWN for back to school
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Where has the time gone? Summer is winding down and fall is on the horizon, with cooler weather creeping up and big, yellow school buses on our roads taking the kids back to school.
I would like to share an important reminder from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on school bus safety (with a fact I didn’t know…it’s highlighted in yellow).
Unfortunately, passing school buses happens on the streets in and surrounding our community. Let’s keep our kids who ride the bus safe.
Don't pass a stopped school bus
Drivers must stop on the street or highway 20 feet or more from any school bus that has stopped and is flashing red warning lights.
This applies both to vehicles approaching from the rear and from the opposing lanes.
All lanes of traffic must stop for the school bus, except in opposing lanes if the highway is divided with a center median.
No vehicle may proceed until the bus resumes motion and has turned off its red warning lights.
The stop arm on the bus is an added communication to other drivers, but the lack of an extended stop arm is not reason to pass a bus whose red lights are flashing.
In some urban areas buses will signal with yellow lights or use only red lights in some parts of town. Motorists should observe school buses carefully for either the "pass cautiously" yellow light signal or the required full stop when a bus is flashing red lights.
A vehicle owner can be cited when the driver of a car passes a school bus illegally. A law enforcement officer need not witness this violation if the school bus driver reports it to the law enforcement agency within 24 hours. Fines can be quite high for illegally passing a school bus, but the risk of hitting a child is even higher.
-- Village President Alison McCulloch
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Message from Chief Von Drasek |
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Summer is a busy crime time, even here in quiet Wind Point. If you are going to be gone for any length of time lock up, notify your neighbors and let the Village Police know so we can do a Vacation Check for you.
I can’t repeat this enough - IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. We would rather get a call and investigate something to find out it was nothing than have a resident second guess themselves and not call us just to find out later that it was something. We are here for you.
How to Contact Us
- Use these non-emergency numbers to report safety concerns
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Immediate response: Racine County Dispatch: 262-886-2300. Examples: Non-life-threatening incidents.
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Non immediate response: Wind Point Police Office: 262-639-3022. Examples: Found property, ordinance violations, needing to speak to a specific officer, or vacation checks. If an officer is not in the office, please leave a message.
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Please don’t speed in the Village |
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The safety of our residents is a primary concern of the Village. Our residents enjoy spending time outdoors and you will see many along our roads, whether they are walking, running, or riding their bikes. We would like to remind drivers to keep to the posted speed limit. We do not want to have an unfortunate accident or incident. Officers will be ticketing those in violation. |
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336 Deepwood Drive (Outlot 1) Update
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The Village received two proposals for the purchase and use of the property located at 336 Deepwood Drive. These proposals were presented to the Plan Commission on Monday, August 28, 2023, and after discussions, they were both referred to the Village Board via the PFIC (Personnel, Finance, and Insurance Committee) for financial evaluation. Both proposals are available to view on the Village website. Please feel free to contact the Village with any questions or comments. |
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Turkey trapping is underway by the Wisconsin DNR and will continue until the contracted number of turkeys have been trapped and relocated. We would like to thank the residents who have worked with the Village to address and (hopefully) remedy the issue of aggressive turkeys. We would like to remind you that the best way to alleviate the problem of aggressive turkeys is to not feed them, therefore, we ask that you do not feed the wild turkeys.
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No trash pick-up on the holiday |
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Due to the holiday weekend, there will be no trash collection on Monday, September 4, 2023. Trash, recycle, and yard waste will be picked up on Tuesday, September 5, 2023. The regular pickup schedule will resume the following week.
Village offices will be closed on Monday, September 4, 2023 in observance of Labor Day. The office will resume normal business hours on Tuesday September 5, 2023.
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New front-end loader, police car |
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The Village took possession of its new front-end loader on Aug. 29, 2023. The loader is a Case 621G, and is from Miller, Bradford & Risberg in Sussex, WI. Tom Beard in the Public Works Department said the loader will help Village staff in snow and brush removal. The old loader was traded in making this an affordable replacement for the Village. Earlier this year the Village was able to purchase a 2019 Ford sport utility vehicle with funds Police Chief Rick Von Drasek secured through a grant from SC Johnson. The new police vehicle is outfitted with some new technology, also purchased with the grant from SC Johnson. Thank you SC Johnson for this donation to our Police Department! The next time you see either of these gentlemen ask to see the new vehicles. |
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Public Works - Job Opening |
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The Village is accepting applications for a Public Works Supervisor. Applications can be submitted in-person at the Village Hall or by email at info@windpoint.org. For more information: 262.639.3524 or info@windpoint.org. More information about the position is available here.
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On the morning of August 31, 2023, the Village learned that someone used painter's tape, chalk, and permanent marker to mark a pickleball court over one of the tennis courts at the Village Green. This is not the first occurrence of this happening. The Village does its best to accommodate both tennis and pickleball players. Marking up the courts is vandalizing them, is inappropriate (and could get you cited for vandalism) and damages the surface of the courts. Please do not place tape, chalk, marker, or mark up the tennis courts (or pickleball courts) in any other way. More information on reserving courts for tennis and pickleball is available here. |
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In an effort to protect our equipment from damage, please remember to trim tree branches that are hanging over the roads and shoulders. We are reminding you to maintain tree branches at a minimum of 14 feet from the road surface (per Village ordinance sec. 20-3). Hopefully this is enough notice for home owners to take care of the branches prior to winter plowing.
There are three branch collections prior to winter: September 12-13, October 10-11 and November 14-15. You are responsible for ensuring any branches and brush are removed - either at the curb during village pick-up or through a private party. More information on branch collection is available here.
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Open Tower days at the Wind Point Lighthouse
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The next Open Tower Climb at the Wind Point Lighthouse is Sunday, September 3, 2023. The cost for tower climbs is $12 for adults and $6 for children (ages 6-11).
Walk ups are welcome; however, it is recommended that visitors purchase tickets in advance to secure a reservation.
The final open tower climb of 2023 is October 1, 2023. If these dates will not work for you, please consider scheduling a private tower climb.
Learn more or purchase tickets here.
And for those Scots in the Village or those who just want to be Scottish, this weekend (September 1, 2, 3, 2023) is the Wisconsin Highland Games at the Waukesha Expo Center https://www.wisconsinscottish.org/
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Thank you and have a safe and wonderful Labor Day weekend! |
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Village of Wind Point, Wisconsin
215 E. Four Mile Rd.
Racine, WI 53402
262.639.3524
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