Meeting Tonight on 80th Street Extension

Kenosha News article (click here). Arguments are similar to public road crossing and extension of 122nd street across Kenosha County Bike Trail (always been in plan, benefits all residents....). Donate land to LAWCON (or LCWF--Land & Water Conservation Fund program--here) if you want to stop as that's what killed the public road crossing. At last night's Plan Commission meeting, the Village talked about not telling or forcing people what to do with their land. Should be an interesting meeting (public notice link and here).

Check Out Mr. Pollocoff's Seven Questions in Kenosha News Today

Intriguing. here

Article Link to Carol Beach Water Problems

Here's a link to Kenosha News article (click here; Village link--click here). Glad to hear that 30 residents turned out for the meeting and also to hear that a number of them spoke out on the subject. Good for them. Hope that something can be done to help both Village and affected residents. Perhaps some Katrina like funds from federal government? Maybe create a special district that qualifies for federal funds? The DNR could have helped answer some of those questions. Were they invited? Special assessments are always tough. Maybe create a POA and charge fees to be used to offset work like a Tax Incremental Finance District bond???

(Anonymous--I checked my spelling but obviously, I didn't do all my homework).

Some Nice Pictures from Local Area Photographers

Check out these sites for some very nice nature shots:

Dick Ginkowski (here)

John Krerowicz (here)

Why Doesn't Village Website Link to News Stories?

The Kenosha News wrote articles questioning KUSD finances and Village Trustee #3's concerns (click link and see below or link sidebar). Why doesn't Village website link to these stories when they occur? Not everyone receives the Kenosha News but could link through the Village's website. I believe the Village is missing out on a great opportunity to let residents know they are involved; especially when some of the quotes were not discussed during the Village Board meeting and they wouldn't be available by audio or Meeting Minutes (i.e. quote on succession).

Pleasant Prairie to conduct probe into school district’s losing CDO
BY JOHN KREROWICZ
PLEASANT PRAIRIE — An inquiry into a Unified School District investment that has lost almost half its value is to be conducted by the Pleasant Prairie School Commission. The Village Board, at Trustee Clyde Allen’s behest, voted Monday to have the commission question school officials and report back to the board about what’s called collateralized debt obligation (CDO), which is being used to help fund Unified retirement accounts. The 2006 investment dipped to $18.4 million in early April, down from the original pay-in of $37.5 million. Unified officials have said the investment is safe, is bringing in more money than it costs and will return all of the district’s principal at maturity. Unified borrowed money and added its own funds to invest in the CDO, which made loans to companies — some of which are not doing well financially now — that are to repay the borrowed dollars with interest. Allen said he hoped and assumed that Unified’s financial position was solid in the matter. He said Pleasant Prairie property owners have a major stake in the situation because they fund about a fourth of Unified’s tax levy while village children make up about 12 percent of the student body. Allen asked village Finance Director Kathy Goessl whether she would recommend investing in such an arrangement. “From what I’ve read, I would not recommend the village invest in CDOs,” she said. Allen said he wanted the commission to bring back recommendations to the board. He later said recommendations could be about anything, including that taxpayers’ money was safe in the complex investment plan.
Allen said his intention in wanting the investigation was not to promote the village seceding from the Unified district. “That’s not even in the scope” of the review, he said. “My scope was to know what’s going on.” The first commission session to delve into CDO could be in May. There was discussion by the board about the commission possibly working through the summer to investigate and prepare a summary. The commission’s members include trustees Monica Yuhas and Steve Kumorkiewicz, who is commission chairman, and residents Linda Chiappetta, Patricia Molette, Carolyn Budwick and Debbie Koessl. The group is a liaison between the village and Unified.

Comments have deviated from original story

I changed this as some have decided to take it in a new direction.

I Felt the Earthquake...

Woke up and thought that this sounds just like the Loma Prieta quake when we lived in CA (Sacramento) only a LOT smaller. Had the same 'wave' sounds and movement. I said something to my wife but didn't realize until I heard on radio that there was a quake. Anyone else feel it? Click here and here.

More on Catholic Bookstore

In the end, the Village did the right thing. They will change the I1 allowable businesses to basically only allow only the Catholic Bookstore to comply. This is what I and others (click here) felt was right. Kudos to the Village for doing the right thing and kudos to the Catholic Bookstore owner for standing up for himself.

Plan Commission Meeting

Speaking of old gravel pits, the Paradise Lake development had a lot of water drainage concerns and will require a lot of variances and approvals by outside agencies. All outlots will be under the POA control (wonder if that will require CWU fee or if that will be in their covenants?). The old gravel road will need to be improved for a construction access and emergency road during construction (residents called it 23rd Avenue). Cul-de-sac will be 4,095 feet off of 104th Street and way over the 800 foot ordinance. Homes in general will be 1,500 feet from 104th Street. All homes will require a sprinkler system. Not sure how much the lots will be but the Village SUPPOSEDLY will require improvements to 22nd Avenue. I say supposedly because they said same for Prairie Trails East when they approved Conceptual Plan for 26th and 28th Avenue but Final Plat did not require. I suspect same will happen here. A second entrance won't be available until other surrounding areas are developed. Who knows how long until that occurs. You can listen to audio or read meeting minutes on all the other stuff including the Catholic Bookstore property. As Wayne Koessel likes to say, "this is just the conceptual plat so things can change". They most certainly do.

Any Lakes Left? Village Plan Comm. Mtg this Monday

I sure would liked to have seen this area become a local park with bike trail and walking path access. I realize it isn't much of a lake now but could be developed. I also understand why they are developing but is this another, and perhaps the last, opportunity lost?

PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDERATION OF A CONCEPTUAL PLAN for the request of Mark Eberle, P.E. of Nielsen, Madsen & Barber, S.C. agent for Louis and Krystyna Tricoli, owners of the properties generally located south of 104th Street at 22nd Avenue for the proposed Paradise Lake development including 20 single family lots and four (4) outlots.

Click here for area overview

Good Start to PPUSD

Click here (The "REEL" and visible Truth about PLEASANT PRAIRIE) & here (The (Somewhat) Daily RAG)

Here is State of Wisconsin Site: click here

Interesting idea. Are the schools up to residents standards? Are we getting our monies worth? Is the current KUSD Board putting our Village taxpayers at risk? click here

Does this sound a little familair? click here

What do you think? or add comments to the Blogs linked above

Water, Water Everywhere

Our pond overflowed its banks today. Right over the ground that buries the outflow pipe and into the large pipe under the bike trail. That pipe has water up to the top. I have never seen it like this before. My sump pump rarely goes off but it is going off every five minutes tonight. How's everyone else doing?

Kehl Pleads Guilty

Sure hope this is the end of this. I'd really hate to think still more are involved. The Judge when sentencing Troha said he thought Troha's money could be used better in community. How about paying for special election and all these others fines and court costs? The least he could do. I know the Judge felt they 'skirted' the rules and weren't well defined but they all new what they were doing was wrong. I wonder if any PACs or other special interest groups will get caught up in this mess?

Kehl to plead guilty in agreementApril 9, 20082-year prison term recommendedFormer Kenosha County Executive Allan Kehl has agreed to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to receive improper payments, the U.S. Attorney’s office in Milwaukee announced today.In exchange for the plea, the U.S. attorney has agreed to recommend a two-year prison sentence, the announcement said. The maximum prison term for the charge is five years.In the plea agreement filed today, Kehl admitted to wrongfully receiving $15,000 in cash from Kenosha businessman Dennis Troha -- $10,000 in 2005 while at Troha’s office and $5,000 in 2006 while the two stood in Troha’s garage.Kehl is the fourth person from Kenosha who has plead guilty or agreed to plead guilty in an FBI investigation of corrupt activity linked to an effort to establish an Indian casino Kenosha.

Monday Village Board Meeting--Dispatch Center Funding

Interesting Village Board meeting. Money was saved from what was budgeted for installation of water along Kenosha County Bike Trail (~$14,000 that Trustee #3 suggested to credit back to Capital Fund for Roads/Snowplowing) but then when it came to the dispatch center, the costs had increased significantly from ~$57,000 to over ~$77,000 (click here). The reasons described by Assistant Chief Mogenson were typical of project cost overruns but someone seemed to miss the boat. As another meeting attendee said, "who didn't do their homework?" No Trustee or President asked any tough questions such as why were these cost overruns missed in the original bid and what can we do differently in future to prevent this type of issue? The funding for the Dispatch Center comes from Impact fees and that in itself raises some questions of how that money is being used and what is the intended use of the Impact Fees? I understand the reasons for the remodelling, and need, but I think the explanations given and the discussion that took place were definitely lacking; especially since nobody talked about the final amount until Trustee #4 provided a motion with the amount. No one in attendance without a package would have known the overage was in excess of ~$20,000 until it was voted on.

Risk to Taxpayers--collateralized debt obligations

Kenosha might need almost $8 million in additional collateral or risk default on $28.7 million.

Click here and here

"They require deep and skilled analysis to understand, and unless the municipality employs its own specialist with specific analytical capabilities, it should otherwise only hold such things if purchased for them by a professional asset manager," Eric Jacobson, a bond analyst for Morningstar Inc. in Chicago, said after reviewing the CDO prospectus. "To buy an instrument of this type . . . without any special knowledge or ability, at the recommendation of a broker, is a very poor and arguably reckless decision."

Beaver swimming in pond at PTW

We have a beaver swimming up into the outflow pipe at end of 122nd Street in PTW. Sits on shore line and swims around pond. Slaps his tail when frightened.

Like Village Elections?

Click here

Village Administrator to take 7 Questions in Kenosha News

Mike Pollocoff, Pleasant Prairie Village administrator, has agreed to take questions for our next "7 questions" feature. It's the feature where we invite readers to send questions they want to ask a person of interest in Kenosha County. Then we'll take the questions to Pollocoff and publish his answers.
E-mail any questions you have to http://us.f525.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=connections@kenoshanews.com.

Election Results

V Pleasant Prairie Trustee 2
1364 Total Votes
Steve Kumorkiewicz 1301
Write-in 63

V Pleasant Prairie Trustee 4
1349 Total Votes
Michael J. Serpe 1286
Write-in 63

63 write-ins for an uncontested race is amazing. Who were the write-ins? Why the disparity in number of votes? Were those who didn't vote or write-in a candidate not considered in overall totals? Wonder what that number was? Just curious since last few elections have been very close and over 7000 voters have voted in past elections and nearly 4300 in last election for these two positions. What's curious is the almost the identical number of more votes for SK as for MS as this election (17 vs 15) even though nearly 4300 votes and an opposing candidate. What's up with that? Is that a voting glitch?

I know the spin routine and I'm sure I'll get a comment full from the anonymous' about the 'mandate' and 'landslide'...etc.

Village Votes to Videotape Meetings

Finally! The Village Board at last nights Village Board meeting voted 4-1, with Monica Yuhas casting the only dissenting vote, to spend $25,000 on installing equipment needed to videotape and broadcast Village Board meetings. In a long and time-wasting discussion, President John Steinbrink, Sr. said he was tired of watching cartoons and wanted to be able to see himself on TV whenever he wished. Mike Serpe and Steve Kumorkiewicz concurred with Steve suggesting that make-up sessions be provided beforehand due to the harsh lighting in Village Hall auditorium. Clyde Allen felt that a new bond could be purchased at only 40% interest to help defer costs onto taxpayers. Alex Tiahnybok was approved as video Senior editor and Bob Babcock Sr. and Jr. were asked and approved to provide commentary during broadcasts.



APRIL FOOLS!