George Prescott quiets rumor about Aaron Rodgers buying Timmer’s Resort

It was going to be the scoop of the century as a tipster called in that Green Bay Packer’s quarterback Aaron Rodgers was buying property on Big Cedar Lake.

Why an NFL pro worth a gazillion dollars ( or $30 million according to The Street) would want to have neighbors and not just simply buy a private lake… was a little questionable until the rumor mill stirred the pot and the next thing you know Rodgers was buying Timmer’s Resort.

In August, a story was posted on WashingtonCountyInsider.com that George and Judi Prescott were putting Timmer’s Resort up for sale.

Prescott and his wife bought the property on the south end of Big Cedar Lake in October 2007 and now… “Yup I decided after 10 -12 years I have a nice sense of accomplishment that I brought the resort back to life and I’ll turn it over to somebody else now to let them take it on,” Prescott said.

After a month on the market the chatter started about a possible sale and we caught up with Mr. Prescott at a fundraiser for Roots & Branches and he cleared everything up. “Rodgers will have to stand behind Oprah,” said a wily Prescott.

On a side note: Grocer George (as he calls himself) is so humble, but he likes a good story and after a lifetime in Washington County he’s used to the rumor mill. Even though he knew it was not true he was agreeable to do the video. “We need more humor these days,” he said.

Prescott promised to keep us up to speed on the pending sale of Timmer’s Resort.

Living Word Lutheran grad named Miss Wisconsin USA

Danika Tramburg of Richfield has just been selected Miss Wisconsin USA 2019. A graduate of Living Word Lutheran High School in Jackson and Concordia University in Mequon.

The Miss Wisconsin USA pageant selects the representative for the state of Wisconsin to compete in the Miss USA pageant. Sunday night’s competition was held at the Fond du Lac High School Performing Arts Center.

According to the Miss Wisconsin website: The contestants will compete in three, equally scored areas of competition – Interview, Evening Gown, and Swimwear/Active Wear. The winners will spend their year forging alliances with charitable organizations around the state and will advance to compete in the nationally televised 2019 Miss USA pageant on FOX.

Moving forward with Fleet Farm in West Bend

The new Fleet Farm store in West Bend just hit the “Bids Wanted” section of The Daily Reporter.

The publication is where contractors go to find jobs that are bidding in the area.

Here are a couple of posted updates about the new Fleet Farm proposed W. Washington Street and CTH Z in West Bend.

Howard Immel Inc from Green Bay is the Construction Manager.

Bids for the site work, concrete and asphalt are due Sept. 20.

Start date is listed as Oct 1, 2018.

Completion is listed as September 9, 2019. 192,000-square-foot retail store, 7,100-square-foot convenience store, 652 parking stalls.

The information posted aligns with the concept plan reviewed by the West Bend Plan Commission on August 7.

Fleet Farm spokesman Tom Carrico said they “haven’t really finalized the scheduling details.”

He said the information in the Daily Reporter is probably coming from construction manager Howard Immel Inc.

On Aug. 13, 2018  during the Town of West Bend Board meeting there was some discussion regarding Fleet Farm and how the DOT wanted an access road off CTH Z.

Fleet Farm laid out designs with the West Bend Plan Commission last week regarding its new 190,000-square-foot store on Highway 33 and County Hwy Z. During the pitch to the city Fleet officials said they would only have access roads off Highway 33. During Monday night’s Town Board meeting Town Chairman Jim Heipp said the city, state, and county are satisfied with that plan however the DOT wants an access road off County Hwy Z. That plan is still in discussion.

When Carrico was asked about an access road off County Hwy Z he said, “The plan we submitted to the city is the plan we’re going forward with; we are waiting for DOT comment.”

On Tuesday, Sept. 11 the West Bend Plan Commission reviewed several development proposals with ties to the Fleet Farm property on W. Washington Street and CTH Z.

Details on zoning changes were released on a proposed 7,162-square-foot gas station and convenience store. The proposed gas station would include 18 fuel pumps and 9 islands.

Wis. Guard from West Bend assists with hurricane response       By Capt. Joe Trovato

The Wisconsin National Guard stands ready to assist civil authorities, if needed, with the response to Hurricane Florence.

As Florence battered the East Coast, four UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters departed Wisconsin Sept. 14 en route to Maryland, where they will stage in a standby status in the event those resources are requested by civil authorities.

The West Bend, Wisconsin-based Blackhawks and approximately two dozen crew members are medevac helicopters with hoist and medical treatment capabilities.

The movement to Maryland represents a training opportunity while simultaneously pre-positioning forces in the region should authorities in affected states need additional assistance. The Wisconsin National Guard is part of a nationwide response, in which states communicate their requests for assistance and resources via Emergency Management Assistance Compact (EMAC) requests. The crews would mobilize to a state active duty status in the event of an approved EMAC request for assistance from another state.

More than 7,000 troops from the National Guard and the active component nationwide are standing by ready to assist, according to the Department of Defense. DoD is working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to pre-position helicopters, vehicles, and supplies in the region so the department is prepared to assist FEMA and other federal and state partners, as needed.

Sgt. Emily Cash, a flight operations specialist from Cross Plains, Wisconsin, said it’s a rewarding experience to have the opportunity to serve in times of emergency, especially given the context of the past few weeks of flooding in Wisconsin, where her own town felt the impact.

“When things hit the fan and they need help, it’s nice to know that we can go out there and help them and they can gain a greater appreciation for what our training is, what we do and that we’re not just hanging out on drill weekends and going home,” she said. “We’re training for a mission every single time we come in here to be able to go and do this stuff if we get called up.”

Warrant Officer 1 Steven Baumel, a Blackhawk pilot, from Horicon, Wisconsin, agreed.

“This is what we train for, so it’s very exciting to actually go out and do our jobs, and I’m confident that we’re going to do it well,” he said. “We train regularly in different scenarios, different weather, different everything, so this is what we’re here for in the National Guard. We’re supposed to be ready for stuff like this. It’s very exciting. Everyone is excited to get there and motivated.”

The medevac crews bring a variety of resources and capabilities that civil authorities could employ in the response ranging from search and extraction capabilities using a hoist, to medical treatment.

“I think it’s a great thing,” Sgt. Jonathan Walsh, a flight medic said. “We’re going out to help people who can’t help themselves. They’re in a pretty bad situation, so I think it’s kind of an honor to be in the position that we’re in. A lot of people would love to be in a position to do this. So it’s an honor to do it.”

Monday Night Bass Fishing League wraps up its season            By Bryan Miller

The Kettle Moraine Monday Bass League wrapped up its 2018 season with the Championship on Pike Lake. Conditions were less than favorable, strong NE winds and a significant temperature drop led to a tough bite. As always in this league, a few teams figure out a pattern and make it happen.

Taking home the championship were Bryan Miller and Tyler Lauters. This duo got hot after the fifth or sixth week and never looked back. They brought in a limit of 5 bass weighing 12.06 pounds to capture the 16th KMMBT Title since the league’s inception in 2003.

Second place went to Joe Koch and Michael Cloninger. This pair also had a limit of 5 weighing 11.22 pounds.

Third place was cleaned up by Angler of the Year Logan Kertscher and his grandfather Don Kertscher. They caught 4 bass weighing 8.88 pounds.

Fourth place went to Marv Thiesen and Roger Kutz. These guys were a top 6 qualifying team and they finished well. Taking home the BOAT DOC/ MEC Big Bass Title on this day, Caleb Niedfeldt, with a Largemouth registering 3.44 pounds.

The league will kick off its 17th season at Pike Lake in May 2019.

Kettle Moraine Symphony

Kettle Moraine Symphony 2018-19 season opens Sunday, Sept. 30 at 3 p.m. with an exciting concert for the whole family. For the kids the Star Wars Suite and then a kids-only activity while parents enjoy the wiles of Scheherazade and her tales from 1001 nights.

There will be a pre-concert talk at 2 p.m. with Dr. Peter Gibeau, UWM at Washington County music professor and KMS principal bass. Concerts will be held at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School Auditorium, 3399 Division Road, Jackson.

Recount on Tuesday, Sept. 18 for Big Cedar Lake PRD

There’s going to be recount, Sept. 18, for commissioners elected to the Big Cedar Lake PRD.

Petitions from candidates Troy Zagel and Nicole Gonring have been filed. The pair lost in an election at the annual meeting August 29. Four candidates were vying for two seats on the Big Cedar Lake PRD. Each seat carried a 3-year term. The terms of board members Roger Walsh and Jim McGath had expired. McGath chose not to run again.

Walsh was on the ballot with David Claussen, Nicole Gonring and Troy Zagel.

Nearly an hour after ballots had been cast and votes tabulated the results were read by Walsh which showed he finished first followed by a very close second through fourth place finish.

Only five votes separated three candidates.

Dan Carroll, Operations Manager/Chief of Patrol at Big Cedar Lake PRD, said they counted the votes five times. There were about 300 people who voted Wednesday night. Gonring questioned if they counted five times, how come these were the final totals they settled on.

Changes in food service explored at UWM at Washington County    By Sue Bausch

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is working to provide food service on campus at UWM-Washington County after the previous vendor’s contract with UW Colleges ended.

A’viands contract with UW Colleges was completed at the end of the spring semester. UW Colleges transferred the Washington County campus to UWM on July 1, 2018, under a proposal put forward by UW System President Ray Cross and approved by the UW System Board of Regents.

UWM began seeking a new food service provider in June in anticipation of the upcoming transfer. No vendors responded to its request for proposals.

UWM then began exploring other options for providing food service and identified Canteen’s Smart Market as an affordable and convenient alternative to traditional food service. Canteen is the nation’s largest vending machine services company.

Its Smart Market machines are stocked with healthy sandwiches, snacks, drinks and premium coffee from vendors like Starbucks and Peet’s. Canteen said the machines will be installed in November.

Meanwhile, Gateway Catering in Kewaskum has agreed to provide catering for student events and special events held at the Washington County campus.

It is important to note most students drive to the Washington County campus and no students live on-campus. As a result, demand for on-campus food service is relatively low. Many students choose to bring food from home, and others opt to eat at the many nearby restaurants.

Over the past three years, on-campus food service has resulted in losses that average $33,000 per year. This is why the university believes an automated fresh food service like Smart Market is the best, most affordable solution for students at this time at UWM at Washington County.

The university will continue to explore additional food service options for the Washington County campus, and as always, are happy to hear from companies interested in working with all three campuses.

When working with vendors, the university strives to provide the best possible experience for our students, while being mindful of the need to keep education affordable and be wise stewards of public money. Students, staff and faculty were notified of the change.

Changes at Pilot building in downtown West Bend

On Monday contractors tore the façade off the building on S. Main Street just south of Mountain Outfitters. In West Bend the building is known as the “Pilot” building; it’s stamped PILOT above the second-story window and in the 1900s the building was home to the community newspaper “West Bend Pilot.”

Plans are to bring a new look to the building with large storefront windows and gooseneck lighting. According to “The Spirit of West Bend” by Dorothy E. Williams the building “at the foot of Hickory Street still bears the name “The Pilot” on the front.” It was once home to the community newspaper the “West Bend Pilot.” Prior to 1907 the paper was called the “Democrat.”

Laurie Wagner wrote, “The Pilot newspaper was owned by my great grandfather, Henry B. Kaempfer and later by my grandfather Henry C. Kaempfer. Jacob Kaempfer was my great uncle but didn’t own the paper. My mom has a lot more info on all of this.”

Kevin Schultz, owner of Mountain Outfitters, owns the Pilot building and the two brick buildings to the north.

Veterans from Washington Co. on the Sept. 15 Honor Flight

Eight veterans from Washington County will be on the Sept. 15 Stars & Stripes Honor Flight. Veterans include Jerry Bentfield of Hartford who served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, Oscar Rathke of Jackson, and six veterans from West Bend including Ed Farrell, Vietnam War Army, Lester Hahn, WWII Army, Michael Henner, Vietnam War Army, Bob Martin, Vietnam War Army, Bob Schulz, Vietnam War Army, and Ivan Vorderbruggen, Korean War Army. This is the 47^th mission of the Stars & Stripes Honor Flight since 2008.

Construction moves forward on Barton Apartments

The long-awaited project to turn the old Barton School on School Place and Fairview Drive into multi-family residential received approval from the West Bend Plan Commission on Monday.

Plans include a 22 unit multi-family adaptive reuse of the former school building and three six unit townhome residential development located at 614 School Place, by Barton School Apartments, LLC. Plans date to Oct. 6, 2015. The property is 6.8 acres and includes the former Barton Elementary School, 630 School Place, which will be remodeled into apartments.

Plan Commission member Sara Fleischman asked to see actual masonry on the lower band of the townhomes and by the doors. “We promised the neighbors we would keep an eye on the quality and aesthetics of these buildings and I feel pretty strong about that,” she said. The developer agreed to the change.

Updates & tidbits

– The Kettle Moraine Ice Center will host a try hockey free weekend Sept. 14-16. Any interested family can register at www.wcyha.org

– Ethan Hollenberger has been hired as Washington County’s first Public Affairs Coordinator. Hollenberger most recently served as Communications Director for State Senator Duey Stroebel and the committee clerk for the Senate Committee on Government Operations, Consumer Protection and Technology. His salary is just under $65,000 with benefits.

– The 4^th annual Faith & Family Fest is Sunday, Sept. 16 at Regner Park in West Bend. Faith and Family Fest is hosted by Holy Angels, Holy Trinity (Newburg), Saint Frances Cabrini and Saint Mary’s Immaculate Conception Catholic Parishes of West Bend.

– The Kewaskum FFA Alumni presented a check for $100,000 for a new greenhouse in memory of Brent Schultz, a student killed in an auto accident 4 years ago.

-Cars in Kewaskum, formerly the Grand Larsony Custom Classic Car Show, is Saturday, Sept. 15. Mike Beal from Top Fuel is organizing the event. This year money raise will be donated to Art Klemme and Janine Prunty. Modern Woodmen will provide matching funds.

– Kris O’Meara was the winner Friday at West Bend Lakes Golf Course of the Classics for a Cause drawing. O’Meara won a 1968 Ford Mustang. Proceeds benefitted Elevate and the Washington County Senior Center. O’Meara was not present for the drawing as she was up north celebrating her wedding anniversary.

– Hartford’s H.e.l.p. Corner at Redeemer Church is slated to open mid-September.

-St. Frances Cabrini annual Rummage Sale is Thursday, Sept. 20 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Friday, Sept. 21 from 8 a.m. to noon in Mother Cabrini Hall in the lower level of the church. Baked goods will also be available. Rummage items can be dropped off Sept. 15 through Sept. 19.

– John A. Jagodzinski, an outstanding photographer and long- time resident of West Bend, died unexpectedly on August 30, 2018. John was a brilliant photographer. He moved to West Bend and opened his business “Photography by John” on Fifth Avenue. He spent the past 40 plus years perfecting his craft and restoring old photographs for numerous clients.  He loved photography and enjoyed meeting and visiting with his customers.

– There’s a golf outing Sept. 23 at West Bend Lakes Golf Club and proceeds go to the Luke Gromowski Ironman Scholarship Fund. Gromowski was a senior at West Bend East when he died in a car accident in November 2014. Registration is 8 a.m. with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. The cost is $100 per adult and $50 for a student. Contact Ed Ihlenfeld at 262-707-5449 for more detail.

– Rally Time Sports Bar and Grill in West Bend is looking for a part-time line cook position. Rally Time has a family-friendly team atmosphere. The position is primarily day shift and coverage as needed. Call Dan at 262-389-1142 or Cindy at 262-389-0839 or stop at the bar for an application.