Kwik Trip property purchase finalized

Ground should be broken shortly as Kwik Trip has closed on the purchase of 3.025 acres on Silverbrook. According to the deed Kwik Trip, Inc. purchased the property from Commerce State Bank for $1.225 million.

There will be 26 pumps and a car wash at the new Kwik Trip. The gas station will be constructed on the west side of Silverbrook Drive just to the south of Commerce State Bank.

Designs show there will be one entrance on Silverbrook and a huge sign in the back of lot easily be seen along Highway 45. Hans Zietlow, director of real estate for Kwik Trip, said West Bend will be one of 35 stores built in 2016. Kwik Trip already has locations in Slinger and Hartford.

City of West Bend to search for Human Resources Director

Last November, city clerk Amy Reuteman was tabbed as the new assistant city administrator in West Bend. Reuteman replaced Steve Volkert who left to fill the post of Hartford City Administrator.

Since January the city of West Bend has looked to fill Reuteman’s post as city clerk and they’ve had little luck. “We only had three applications,” city administrator T.J. Justice said. “Enough time has passed that I’m convinced there isn’t a qualified clerk interested in the position.”

The mayor and the council have asked Reuteman to remain as city clerk and as assistant city administrator but be relieved of duties of the human resource director. The city feels an H.R. director will be critical as it moves forward with a new on-site health care clinic. In the meantime Reuteman will continue to wear three hats. The city hopes to take a bit off her plate before the next election in August. No word if Reuteman’s pay will be affected by the change in titles.

Schaarschmidt Chiropractic building sold

The Schaarschmidt Chiropractic building, 235 N. 18th Avenue in West Bend has been sold to Daniel Hess from Glendale for $625,000. The 2015 assessment on the property was $760,500.

“This used to be an apple orchard owned by the Barth sisters,” said Kurt Schaarschmidt. “We opened Dec. 20, 1991 and Larry Bunkelman from Bunkelman Builders was our builder.” Schaarschmidt said he was going for an English Tudor look. “Originally it was a house plan out of Arizona and we adapted it to a clinic,” said Janine Schaarschmidt. The Schaarschmidts will be leasing the building and continue to operate their clinic.

 

 Washington County veterans headed to Honor Flight

Don Richter, 83, of Cedar Ridge is one of 11 veterans from Washington County who will take part in the April 16 Stars and Stripes Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

It was January 1952 Richter graduated Whitefish Bay High School and was 19 years old when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. “I went to Camp Breckinridge in Kentucky for basic training and then to Fort Benning, Georgia,” Richter. “I enlisted as a paratrooper but did not complete jump school.”

During training Richter completed the jump from the 30-foot tower and he advanced to the 200-foot tower. “We mainly practiced our landing, but when I got to the plane I just thought why would you want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane,” he said.

Shipped to Korea, Richter was a corporal in the infantry. “I stayed on the 38th parallel and they had me on the front lines,” he said.

Involved in 150 patrols, Richter said he saw “plenty of action.” “We exchanged fire, but it was more like a harassment deal. When the truce was signed in 1953 they sent me home and I went to Fort Hood, Texas,” said Richter.

Discharged in January 1955 when he was 22 years old, Richter returned to the Milwaukee area where he went to work at Phoenix Garage Doors and then to the Village of Fox Point where he served for 32 years with the Fox Point Fire Department. Rather soft spoken, Richter said he was eager to see the Korean Memorial. His guardian on the trip will be his son Michael.

Donald Frohmader a meat inspector during the Korean War

The Stars & Stripes Honor Flight is gearing up for its 8^th year of tours and there are some well-deserving veterans from Washington County who will be making the trip April 16 to see their memorials in D.C.

Quite a few neighbors in town know Donald Frohmader, 86, of West Bend; he worked for 33 years as a lineman for Wisconsin Energy.

A veteran of the Korean War, Frohmader grew up in Tomah and graduated New Lisbon High School. “I enlisted in the Air Force on April 30, 1951 when I was 21 years old,” said Frohmader. “I chose the Air Force because I thought it would be easier than the Marines.”

Frohmader and his older brother Jerome enlisted together. “We had basic training at St. Antonio, Texas but then he went to Florida and I went to California,” he said.

Following an opening in the veterinary medical department Frohmader was stationed in Sacramento, California. “Our biggest job working with contractors who would bid on meat so we had to inspect that,” he said.

To this day Frohmader said he “knows the difference between good and low-grade meat.”

“The government never bought anything less than choice,” said Frohmader. “We had to make sure the cut meat did not have too much fat and we took samples of the hamburger and it couldn’t be more than 25 percent fat,” he said.

The normal ordering process included contracts of 40,000 pounds of meat. “Fifty percent roasts and steaks, hamburger was 37 percent and the rest was stew meat,” he said.

Frohmader was discharged in January 1955 ending his service as a 3-stripe sergeant, he returned to the Tomah area to work on his brother’s farm. “I made my way to Milwaukee and worked for a little bit at Continental Can,” he said. “I didn’t like that because of all the noise but you could get jobs anyplace.” Eventually Frohmader landed a job with Wisconsin Energy. “West Bend is part of the territory for Wisconsin Energy and I came out here in October 1967,” he said. “We still live in the same house I bought.”

Frohmader has never been to Washington D.C. but he’s looking forward to the trip. “My wife’s brother in law got killed in Normandy and we want to see if we can find his name on the honor roll,” he said.  Kenneth Frohmader, 51, will serve as his dad’s guardian.

Korean War veteran Wally Daggett

There are 11 veterans from Washington County going on April’s Stars and Stripes Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

Kewaskum’s Wally Daggett, 86, a Korean War veteran will be on that flight. “I enlisted in the Army Air Corp. when I was 19 years old,” said Daggett. “I had a good job working at the West Bend Company in development engineering but I went into the service and was shipped to Biloxi, Mississippi.”

The year was 1949 and Daggett was sent to airplane engine mechanic school for eight months.

A self-described “country kid who had average grades” Daggett ended up advancing through nearly a dozen schools learning everything about planes and engines. “I can’t understand how come they sent me to all these different types of schools but I must have caught on to engines,” he said.

Sitting in a wheelchair in his room on the second floor of the Samaritan Home, Daggett shares stories of his seven years in service. “I first was station in Mississippi where it was really hot,” he said. “I finished school and then they sent me to the Arctic for a year and a half.”

Daggett continued as a mechanic but also went along as an observer with Air and Sea Rescue.

“A couple of times the Air Force threatened to make an instructor out of me but I said I didn’t join the service to be an instructor, I’d rather have active duty,” he said.

The next assignment was a short 5-month stint in Massachusetts. Daggett was then tabbed to be a senior mechanic on engines and he went to Chanute Air Force Base in Rantoul, Illinois where he enrolled in flight engineer school.

“After 10 months I went to a B-29 crew as a flight engineer and they trained me then they needed bomber crews in North Korea and I was shipped overseas,” he said.

The year was 1952; Daggett’s memory is sharp and he tells vivid stories about tours of duty that placed him in Japan working as a flight engineer on a long-range bomber. “I ran that plane,” he said. “I knew every nut and bolt in that plane.”

Daggett was sent back to school where he learned to operate a new type of aerial tanker. “That’s the one where they have the boom in the back and they fuel in the air,” he said. “We could take them all the way from England back to the states and refuel them in the air. I liked that.”

Daggett also recalled making a forced landing at the 38^th parallel in Korea. “We had been hit with flack, one engine was out and the other was faltering,” he said. “Ted Williams escorted us in and he was even running low on fuel.”

Not until after the landing did Daggett find out the man who guided them in was actually a famous baseball player. “He actually was shot up a little bit and forced to make a landing at the same airport we did,” Daggett said.

Stationed in Korea for seven months, Daggett flew planes until the end of his tour.  Returning home to his job at the West Bend Company, Daggett met and married his wife Joan.

The couple moved to a dairy farm near Random Lake, had a dozen kids and were part of a precedent-setting case where they sued the power company and won after stray voltage was found on their farm. Daggett’s grandson Brian will be his guardian on the tour.

Habitat Homes to be dedicated  

Habitat for Humanity will dedicate a couple of houses in Washington County over the next few days. On Saturday a home on Georgetown Drive in Jackson will be dedicated and on Monday a home on Bender Road in West Bend will be started. A groundbreaking is set for 9 a.m. The home on Bender Road is a tri-parish build and includes Saint Frances Cabrini, St. Mary’s and Holy Trinity Newburg. The three parishes have joined together to raise the money for Habitat and help volunteers to build it.

Updates & tidbits                      

-There are two write-in candidates for this year’s Washington County Board race. Denis Kelling is a registered write-in for District 6 and Andy David is a registered write-in for District 3.

–  Election Day is April 5 and polls open at 7 a.m.

– Chix 4 a Cause will hold its 12th Annual Evening of Celebration fundraiser Saturday, April 16 to support people fighting cancer in Wisconsin. The evening starts 5:30 p.m. at the West Bend Mutual Insurance Company Prairie Center and includes auctions, raffles, vendors, a cash bar and hors d’oeuvres. Event tickets are $25 in advance or at the door.

-Community Estate Planning Seminar is Wednesday, April 20 starting at 6 p.m. at the Kettle Moraine YMCA in West Bend. Call 262-334-3405 to reserve your spot.

-Friends of Hartford Library is holding its annual book sale April 13 – 16 in the library atrium.

-Holy Angels School is holding its 6th annual indoor rummage sale April 2 and 3. Rare items from the rectory are for sale including dressers and bed frames.

–Thrivent Financial, 810 E. Paradise Drive, will host a Shred Fest on April 30 from 9 a.m. – noon. Shredding is at no cost but participants are encouraged to bring necessities that will be shipped to Support the Troops Wisconsin.

-Can I get a WOOT WOOT for Eric Zeitler who bowled a 279 triplicate for an 837 series at Pioneer Bowl in Richfield. “It is my highest series of all time,” said Zeitler. “I ended up with 32 out of 36 strikes. I have now had a pair of 800 series and also have three 300 games. It was an incredible night, thanks for asking.”

-Mountain Outfitters, 109 S. Main St., in West Bend is hosting a warehouse sale through April 3 with over 100 used bikes, close out bikes, parts, accessories, clothing and shoes.

– Mason Holbrook’s survivor story will be featured during this year’s Washington/Ozaukee Heart Walk for the American Heart Association. Mason was born in March 2014 with Tetralogy of Fallot and had several open heart surgeries within his first few months of life. Without the technology, knowledge and research Mason would not be with us today. Mason’s story will be featured in the medical journal. Join team Mason at washingtonheartwalk.kintera.org/teammason

– The 2016 Kettle Moraine Lutheran Charity Auction, Friday Night Lights, is April 15. Tickets can be purchased at www.kmlhs.org/auction for $65 per person through April 2. Ticket prices will increase to $75 per person April 3 through April 8 when registration closes.   

History photo Honor Flight

Wally Daggett is going on the April 16 Honor Flight. Today’s history photo is of Daggett from 1949. A self-described “country kid who had average grades” Daggett ended up advancing through nearly a dozen schools learning everything about planes and engines.