Accepted offer for Timmer’s Resort

It spent less than a month on the market and now it appears there’s an accepted offer on the table for Timmer’s Resort. It was August 23, 2018 when the story ran on WashingtonCountyInsider.com that George Prescott and his wife Judi confirmed Timmer’s Resort was up for sale.

“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,” George Prescott said.

This week a spokeswoman for Prescott said, “Yes we have an accepted offer but we’re not at liberty to disclose the buyer. We hope to close on the sale yet this year.” The Prescotts, who lives on Big Cedar Lake, paid $1.75 million for Timmer’s Resort and restaurant in October 2007. That was a little more than half the original $3.49 million asking price.

Questioned what sort of buyer he was looking for, Prescott said he preferred “someone local who could maintain the integrity.”

“I’m biased but I think the public will be better served with local ownership rather than remote ownership,” he said. Prescott qualified Timmer’s as “a special place.”

“There are conversations going on with serious contenders who have some thoughts on what to do with it and we want to cooperate with them. So we will see.” More details are expected to be released in the coming weeks.

Christmas trees planted at Riverfront Parkway Overlook Park in Barton

The Historic Barton Business Association (HBBA) in partnership with the West Bend Parks Department, West Bend Elevator, and Bink Steinbach planted evergreen trees in the Riverfront Parkway Overlook in Barton this week. Three trees were set in place on the grassy lot just off N. Main Street to the south of Rally Time Sports Bar. Another tree was added by the Eisenbahn State Trail on Barton Avenue and Commerce Street.

The trees were donated by West Bend Elevator and Bink Steinbach and Bink’s “Get Real” Christmas Tree Farm. The HBBA will be adding holiday lights at Christmas time, along with additional street light decorations from Park Avenue up to Barton Avenue. Hat tip as well to Doug Buechel from West Bend Elevator, Dist. 7 alderman Justice Madl, Mason Shier with Naylor’s Custom Metal Cutting and Jeff Slais from Wisconsin House Woodworks.

New basketball and pickleball court coming to Regner Park

The West Bend Common Council got its first look at the new Milwaukee Bucks Court Project this week.

The basketball court, volleyball and pickleball court will be built in the current area of Softball Field A which is located to the north of left field at Carl Kuss Memorial Field and just to the east of the parking lot and to the south of the Urban Fishing Pond.

The Milwaukee Bucks and West Bend Mutual Insurance joined together to donate $150,000 for the sports complex.

It will include a 50′ x 84′ concrete basketball court (snap court/sport court), a 74′ x 40′ concrete volleyball/pickleball court, basketball backboards, poles and padding and fencing at each end of the volleyball/pickleball court.

There will be six basketball hoops and the height of the hoops can be adjusted as the park is designated specifically for kids.

Any cost overruns beyond the gift will be covered by the Milwaukee Bucks. Construction is set to begin in October and be completed within the month. The courts will be in place year round.

Charming Paws to open second location in Grafton

Ashley Skinkis, owner of Charming Paws Dog Day Care, is prepping to open a second location.

Skinkis runs Charming Paws, 1410 Lang Street, in West Bend. In June the West Bend Plan Commission approved an expansion of her current facility.

Skinkis became more aggressive and is leasing space at Twin City Plaza in the Village of Grafton. She’s looking to open her second dog day care at 1754 Wisconsin Avenue.

“We did our research and this is the perfect spot,” said Skinkis. “We have over 5,000 square feet, there’s a lot of parking and space out for two dog play areas.”

Skinkis received approval from the Grafton Plan Commission this week for a conditional use permit. A build out will soon be underway and Skinkis is hoping to open in mid-November.

Charming Paws is also looking to hire. Call Skinkis at 262-334-8793 or stop in at the shop in West Bend for more details.

Firehouse Subs Foundation makes donation to area fire department

There was a ceremony this week as Firehouse Subs in West Bend hosted three area fire departments to celebrate over $81,000 of donations for lifesaving equipment. The donation was made by Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.

Award recipients included the Glenbeulah Fire/Rescue and Fire Responders, Town of Sheboygan Falls Fire Department and the West Bend Fire Department.

Glenbeluah firefighter and EMT Michael Meyer praised the support from the foundation. The department received $14,673 which was used to acquire an all-terrain vehicle which will be helpful during search and rescue missions.

Meyer said the ATV was outfitted with a QTAC 85 EMS skid unit which holds 85 gallons of water and a Stokes Rescue Basket. “In rural communities the need for outside corporate assistance is desperately needed and with the grant vehicle we have been able to provide better service,” said Meyer.

The Town of Sheboygan Falls Fire Department received rescue equipment and a thermal imaging camera valued at $16,919. The awarded equipment will assist the Rapid Intervention Team by allowing firefighters to quickly detect body heat and hot spots in burning buildings, locate victims and provide lifesaving assistance.

The West Bend Fire Department received $20,555 which was used to buy four video laryngoscopes, a ventilator and four cardiac monitor brackets.

West Bend Police arrest teen for pornography at Badger Middle School

West Bend Police Chief Ken Meuler is confirming one child was arrested in the West Bend School District in connection with an issue involving pornography. During a telephone interview last week Meuler commented on record.

“We have one complaint that was brought forward to us and we took a kid into custody. If there are others and somebody has evidence then they need to report that to us,” he said. “That was Feb. 7, 2018 and it was at Badger Middle School involving a 15-year-old boy and he had possession of obscene material and he was exposing other children to it.”

Meuler said the child was referred to juvenile authorities.

The issue of pornography at the Middle School has been brought before the West Bend School Board three times over the past month including at the annual meeting.

Meuler said he called the superintendent of the West Bend School District after he found out about the three statements before the board to see if the board took any action or if they reported it to police.

“I called up the superintendent and said ‘how can you sit at a meeting and listen to this and not say this might be a crime,’” he said. “Either question her on it or at least call us and say this was reported to us.”

Meuler said it was also irresponsible for the media to not check with police about the statements. “I’m not just jumping on you,” said Meuler. “Somebody has to report it. It’s not being protective of the kids to not report it to police.”

Emails have been sent to members of the West Bend School Board to see if any of the elected officials contacted police regarding the statements made to the board. As of 9:15 a.m. Monday none of the board members has commented.

West Bend School District Superintendent Don Kirkegaard confirmed the chief did call him about the complaints made during the meetings.

“We’re going to talk about it at the next school board meeting,” said Kirkegaard. “We have policies in place, we don’t think our policies are not working.”

Kirkegaard is new to the school district and said the incident Meuler referred to with the boy was handled appropriately.

“We follow the same guidelines and same regulations as every district in Wisconsin and literally every district in the United States because we all have the same federal guidelines, just like our libraries do, to require the filters and servers and software to exclude inappropriate material,” said Kirkegaard. “That doesn’t mean to say that there isn’t from time to time someone gets through or brings their own device in and when that happens 100 percent of the time we address it.”

Kirkegaard said, “At this point in time we are not suggesting we will eliminate phones from school; that is not being considered at this time.”

Holy Angels hosts drug-awareness program

Holy Angels is hosting a Prayer Service and Information Gathering Event for parents to increase their awareness about the heroin epidemic and other substance abuses. The event will take place on Sunday, Sept. 30 at 6:30 p.m. in Holy Angels Church. The guest speaker will be Ronna Corliss.

Corliss currently serves as Director of Community Engagement and Partnerships for Elevate. She also serves as chairperson for the Washington County Prevention Network Coalition as well as the Washington County Heroin Task Force. She has worked in alcohol and other drug prevention for 25 years, 16 of those in Washington County.

Corliss will update participants on the status of the heroin epidemic across the country and in Washington County. She will also share strategies for talking with your children about drugs and alcohol as well as how to identify warning signs and symptoms to look for if you suspect your child might be using. The evening will conclude with viewing the “Hidden In Plain Sight.” It’s a room that replicates a teen’s bedroom with more than 30 things that could signal drug or alcohol use.

Halloween Trick or Treat in Washington County                By Samantha Sali

Halloween is almost here. Here are some of the trick-or-treat times for Washington, Ozaukee, and Dodge Counties.

Thursday, October 25, 2018  – Mayville (Downtown), 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, October 27, 2018  – Cedarburg, 5 – 8 p.m., Grafton, 5 – 8 p.m., Farmington, 4 – 7 p.m., Hartford (Downtown), 1:00 – 2:30 p.m., Kewaskum, 5 – 7 p.m., Port Washington, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Downtown Trick or Treat (Participating businesses will have a pumpkin in the window.) 4 – 7 p.m. city-wide trick or treat, Richfield, 3 – 6 p.m., Slinger, 5 – 7 p.m. (Afterward families are welcome to a free event as Spooky Slinger will be held from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. at Slinger Community Park with music, pumpkin carving contest, costume contest, food and beverages.), Trenton, 4 – 6 p.m., West Bend, 4 – 6 p.m.

Sunday, October 28, 2018 – Addison, 3:00 – 6 p.m., Belgium, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., Jackson, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m., Mayville (City), 1:00 – 3:00 p.m., Mequon, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., Saukville, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m., Thiensville, 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, October 31, 2018  Halloween – Germantown, 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. Hartford (City), 6 – 8 p.m.

Don’t forget the Downtown West Bend Association will host its annual Fall Fest on Friday, Oct. 12 from 5 p.m. – 7 p.m.  Dress up in your Halloween costume and trick or treat in downtown West Bend. Look for the pumpkin in the window of participating businesses.

There will be lots of spooktacular activities for the whole family to enjoy including face painting by Maverick Tattoos LLC and balloon art by First Baptist Church of West Bend, Wisconsin.   Compete in pumpkin bowling sponsored by Slesar Glass Shop and Sals Pizzeria! Roll a hand-size pumpkin knock down pins and win prizes.

Low flying airplane in Hartford

A number of reports came in just after 7 p.m. Friday night regarding a low flying commercial jet circling Hartford. The Washington County Sheriff contacted the Federal Aviation Administration which said the pilot is burning off fuel before landing in Chicago. According to airliners.net the AF 137 apparently has “issues with its landing gear and headed back to O’Hare after burning off fuel.”

Updates & tidbits

–In-person absentee voting begins Oct. 1 in Washington County for the Nov. 6 General Election.

– Construction is set to get underway next week for the new Fleet Farm store in West Bend. Below are some of the specifics for the new Fleet Farm at 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 were 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.

– Visit Heritage House, Cedar Community’s restored turn-of-the-century farmhouse, located at their main campus, 5595 County Road Z, West Bend, on Saturday, Oct. 6 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. for a family fun day. Tour Heritage House and Ye Olde School, enjoy complimentary desserts and refreshments, musical entertainment, fall color rides throughout the beautiful trails, old-fashioned school games and pumpkin decorating. This event is open to the public and free to attend.

– The Allenton Volunteer Fire Department and St. Lawrence Fire Company have announced plans for their annual Pancake Breakfast and Open House in conjunction with Fire Prevention Week. This year’s event will be Sunday, Oct. 14 from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at the Allenton Fire Department.

– The annual Interfaith Tea is just around the corner and you’re invited. This year’s theme is Tailgating. Celebrity waiters will serve you and your guests and there will be an amazing silent auction, a fun purse auction, 50-50 raffle and a beer and wine pull. Lots of fun on tap and all for a good cause. Interfaith Caregivers of Washington County is a local organization that matches volunteers with senior citizens to help with doctor appointments, shopping, cleaning and just paying it forward. Reserve your seat today and contact Interfaith Caregivers of Washington County.  See you Oct. 14 at the West Bend Mutual Prairie Center.

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

– 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.

Jackson Police hand out Green Bay Packer trading cards

Jackson Police handed out Green Bay Packer trading cards this week during Custard with a Cop today in Jackson. The 2018 team includes a set of 20 cards courtesy Jackson Travel Center and Kruepke Printing.

The trading cards feature a color photo of a member of the Packers on front and on the back the NFL player’s bio along with an important safety tip written by a student. On the back of Aaron Rodgers card the tip is from 5th grader Maddy B. says: “Create a username that doesn’t have any personal information.”

Reading the safety tip on the back of the Clay Matthews card to Jackson Police Chief Ryan Vossekuil: “Play the game hard but not so hard that you lift or drive the quarterback into the ground.”

“That’s not what it says,” said Vossekuil quickly checking the backs of his cards. Correction – that’s not what it says… but Packers fans are more than familiar with the situation.

The important safety tip on back of the Clay Matthews card is from 5th grader Jonathan B. who says: “Do not give out your birth date online.”

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