New owner for Timmer’s Resort on Big Cedar Lake

There’s a new owner for Timmer’s Resort on Big Cedar Lake.

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.

The new owner is F Street Hospitality in Milwaukee. “We are looking forward to celebrating the history and tradition that makes Timmer’s Resort so special,” said owner Scott Lurie. “And to ensure guests receive the same experience they’ve grown accustomed to after all of these years.”

Lurie said the name of the resort will remain the same. “It will be business as usual; we are changing very little,” he said. “We’re buying a great brand and that’s why we’re excited for this opportunity.”

Timmer’s Resort has a number of outstanding gift cards and Lurie said all of those will be honored and accepted. “At some point we will eventually start issuing new gift cards that can be redeemed at our other Hospitality Restaurants but anything existing will be honored.”

Lurie has been visiting Timmer’s Resort for the past two years and was familiar with the area. “That’s what attracted me to this purchase,” he said. “I had an opportunity to go out on the lake and I fell in love with it.”

The current general manager, Fran LeGrand Wagner, is retiring today, Dec. 14, and her position will be filled by Ashley Feucht Gregoriou of West Bend. She most recently worked at Shully’s in Thiensville and at the Centennial Bar & Grille in Mequon.

George Prescott has been working on the sale of Timmer’s for several months. “The business is in good hands,” said Prescott. ”

The closing on the sale happened Friday morning, Dec. 14 and Prescott said he was feeling a little “spent.”

“This was a difficult decision but very bittersweet,” he said.

“I liked Scott because he was the most proactive on where he thought he could take Timmer’s Resort and restaurant. I think they’re going to do some good things for Timmer’s, the community and Big Cedar Lake.”

Asked what he’s going to do now with all his free time Prescott said one thing. “Grandkids. Grandkids,” he said. “I haven’t succeeded much in the past with retiring but I think this time it’s going to stick.”

The Prescotts, who live 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.

Today’s sale price has not been released.

Kewaskum Frozen Foods has been sold

Kewaskum Frozen Foods, 118 Forest Ave, in Kewaskum has been sold.

Brian Schumacher is the new owner. “I’m really excited about the opportunity in Kewaskum with this business.  We’re at a very busy time of year and our focus right now is on taking care of our customers and provide the best product and service for everyone.”

Schumacher, 42, lives in Wauwatosa. He said he goes skiing and hunting in this area.

New to the world of meat markets and retail, Schumacher has switched gears after spending 20 years in corporate America. “I have a passion for food, an appreciation for meat and an appreciation for the small town,” he said. Schumacher purchased the store from the Ries brothers, Steve, Allen and Paul. Prior to that the business was owned by Bob Biesbier.

Silver Lining Amphitheater featured in new Montgomery Gentry video

Washington County Fair Park and the Silver Lining Amphitheater are celebrating the exposure received in the new Montgomery Gentry video.

Montgomery Gentry headlined at the 2017 Washington County Fair.

The band released a video October 2018 for its Drink Along Song. During many segments in the video the crowd and the Silver Lining Amphitheater are highly visible.

Fair Park executive director Kellie Boone said she saw the video Friday morning. “This was all a surprise,” she said.

Boone said the stage looked “awesome” and the people from the community were very recognizable. “I saw our electrician Lance and one of our bouncers and our EMT people,” she said. “Can’t beat free exposure and we’re in a majority of the video. Our venue really is helping attract national attention.”

Memorial Service set for Rev. Howard “Howie” Knox

A Memorial Service will be held Monday, Dec. 31 for Howard “Howie” Knox who died Dec. 5, 2018. Knox was a World War II veteran and highly visible in the community. The service will start at 11 a.m. at St. Luke Lutheran Church, 4860 Arthur Road, in Slinger.

The River City Blaskapelle will be playing during the luncheon. Knox was an active part of that band and could be seen around town and at events with his trusty bugle.  “I loved sitting next to Howie and driving him to gigs, we all miss him a lot,” said fellow River City band member Karen Wachholz.

Blaskapelle members Pat Otten and Mark Kandel wrote, “Howard Knox has been a performing member of the River City Blaskapelle since our formation in 1986.  He played the Trumpet and the Peck horn.  Howie contributed countless hours of his talents over the years, but even more important than his dedication was his friendship.  He touched the lives of everyone in our group and we know that we speak for every member when we say that his friendship enriched our lives and our organization.  The Blaskapelle will go on without Howie but it will never be quite the same.”

Private burial services were held. Knox is buried in a cemetery in Whitewater next to his wife Pearl.

Silver Lining Amphitheater featured in new Montgomery Gentry video

Washington County Fair Park and the Silver Lining Amphitheater are celebrating the exposure received in the new Montgomery Gentry video. Montgomery Gentry headlined at the 2017 Washington County Fair.

The band released a video October 2018 for its Drink Along Song. During many segments in the video the crowd and the Silver Lining Amphitheater are highly visible. Click HERE to watch the video and see who you might recognize.

Fair Park executive director Kellie Boone said she saw the video Friday morning. “This was all a surprise,” she said. “I think the video was taken just before Troy Gentry died.”

Boone said the stage looked “awesome” and the people from the community were very recognizable. “I saw our electrician Lance and one of our bouncers and our EMT people,” she said. “Can’t beat free exposure and we’re in a majority of the video. Our venue is really helping to attract national attention.” The video can also be seen on County Music Television (CMT).

$47 million referendum could equal $80 million total for West Bend School District

The West Bend School Board discussed moving forward with an April 2019 referendum involving Jackson Elementary School and updates to the West Bend High Schools. Although the board did not put a final figure on the bonding amount the discussion centered on $47 million.

During the meeting board member Ken Schmidt thought the amount the district should ask for in the referendum should be “the lowest possible.”

“I still contend we are over building,” said Schmidt. “There are things that are wants and things that are needs and that’s my concern. We may be over building and the enrollment projections are not there and as I indicated with the high school, I was in favor of safety and the tech ed improvements but some of the other I’m not sure.”

The school board has discussed the districts declining enrollment a number of times.

As far as referendum debt, the WBSD currently has between $38 million and $40 million in referendum debt.

Taking a look at the current referendums the West Bend School District is currently paying off.

-In April 2009, voters in West Bend approved a $29.3 million plan to renovate, as well as build an addition to Badger Middle School.

-In November 2012 the West Bend School District passed a $22.8 million referendum to close Barton Elementary School, expand Silverbrook School and add classrooms and a gym at Green Tree Elementary School. The actual total cost of the referendum with taxes and interest was $31.975 million with a 15-year payback on borrowing.

-After the Nov. 2012 referendum passed the $31.9 million total was added on top of the $29.3 million payment for the 2009 Badger referendum. The target date to completely pay off the debt on both referendums is 2028.

During previous meetings discussion of a $50 million referendum would have actually totaled $85 million with interest, according to Baird. No interest was provided on the $47 million proposal but one could assume it will come in near the $80 million range.

That means taxpayers in the West Bend School District would have current referendum debt totaling between $118 million – $120 million if the April 2019 referendum is approved.

So far no interest figure for bonding has been determined. Board member Chris Zwygart, speaking as a person, said, “It has not been determined at this time whether the district is going to referendum at all.”

One item he did make clear was with regard to a house, occupied by a family that is adjacent to the newly purchased property on Jackson Drive.

“That parcel is not essential to the school property,” he said. The house is at 16640 Jackson Drive. The board needs to determine a ballot question by early January 2019 in order for it to be place on the April ballot.

Bus accident involving West Bend West bowling team

The Washington County Sheriff’s Department has issued a statement regarding Monday night’s school bus accident in Kewaskum.

According to a report on Fox6now.com “Washington County officials said an investigation determined the bus driver disregarded the stop sign at Highway 45, and in turn, caused the crash. Speed also appears to have been a factor, officials said.”

The statement below was issued by Sgt. Vanderheiden on Monday, Dec. 10.

On Dec. 10, 2018 at 6:07 p.m. the Washington County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a 2 vehicle crash involving a school bus that occurred on Highway 45 at County Highway V, in the Township of Kewaskum. Sheriff’s Deputies, Kewaskum Police and Kewaskum Fire/Rescue were also summoned to the scene.

Upon the arrival of the first squad, it was determined that there were 10 occupants on the bus; a 63 year old operator from West Bend, 8 juvenile passengers and 1 adult chaperone. The operator of the second vehicle had 2 occupants; a 36 year old Campbellsport man and a juvenile passenger. In total, 4 patients, all with minor injuries, were transported to St Joseph’s Hospital via Kewaskum Rescue.

The crash investigation showed the school bus was operating eastbound on County Highway V and disregarded the stop sign at Highway 45. A second vehicle was operating northbound on Highway 45, slowing to turn westbound on County Highway V when it was struck by the school bus entering the intersection. Speed appears to be a contributing factor to the crash and there were no signs of impairment for either driver.

Sweet Creations Village Bakery in West Bend is closing

Sweet Creations Village Bakery in West Bend, 825 S. Main Street, is closing.  A note was posted on the window of the business today, Saturday, Dec. 8, thanking customers for “years of loyalty and patronage.” Owner Derek Van Alstyne says the store in Slinger, 310 E. Washington Street, will remain open and gift cards may be redeemed at that location. The last day for Sweet Creations in West Bend is December 23, 2018. Sweet Creations Bakery in West Bend opened in June 2013.

The future of Shopko pharmacy in West Bend

It looks like the Pick ‘n Save stores in West Bend will soon be acquiring the prescriptions from Shopko pharmacy. A portion of an article from Progressive Grocer is below.

The deal brings pharmacy files at 42 Shopko stores – including 25 Wisconsin locations – to the Cincinnati-based grocery giant, which will transfer the subscriptions to Kroger-owned grocery stores near the affected Shopko pharmacy customers, the news outlet (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) noted. Stores that will receive the prescriptions include Pick ‘n Save, Metro Market and Copps locations, all of which are part of Kroger’s Roundy’s subsidiary.

Wisconsin Kroger locations to receive the new customers include ones in Appleton, Fond du Lac, Grafton, Green Bay, Kenosha, Kimberly, Manitowoc, Marshfield, Menasha, Neenah, Oshkosh, Plover, Racine, Rothschild, Sheboygan, Stevens Point, Sussex, Watertown, Wausau, West Bend and Wisconsin Rapids.

Kroger acquired Roundy’s supermarkets in December 2015; that deal included the two Pick ‘n Save stores in West Bend.

Shopko is located in the Paradise Pavilion in West Bend, 1710 S. Main Street. Terms of the agreement have not been disclosed and a prescription-transfer date has not yet been released.

Parents and students fight for Pathways Charter School in West Bend

A full house at the Monday night West Bend School Board meeting as parents and students expressed support for Pathways Charter School. The School Board will be discussing whether to renew or dissolve Pathways Charter School at its meeting January 14, 2019. A decision is expected Jan. 28, 2019.

One of the items the board agreed on was not to renew its contract with the city of West Bend for the current location of Pathways Charter School in the Mutual Mall, 1043 S. Main Street. Three options for a new location were discussed including going back to middle school, moving to the high school or finding another location in town. The current location was not an option. No new location decision was made Monday evening. Fifteen people including parents and students spoke before the board about the positive aspects of the school.

There is a letter below read by parent Chelsea Doman Davis of Jackson.

Good evening, Board members, educators, and fellow parents.

My name is Chelsea Doman Davis. I live at … in Jackson. I have four school-aged children. My oldest son is Henry, an eighth grader at Pathways for the second year. I stand before you this evening with a strong hope of persuading you to grant a long-term contract for Pathways Charter School.

Seven years ago, Henry was struggling in school, though not with learning. He typically works above grade-level standards; however the very structure of school was difficult for him; the usual methods of teaching in the usual classroom did not facilitate learning for him in an easy way. We struggled at two different schools in two different states before we decided home school was the best solution. And for four years, it was amazing.

Then last year we moved to Wisconsin so my husband could join a dental practice in Slinger and we decided to give traditional school another try due to the high standards of education in this state. We considered living everywhere within a 45-minute radius of Slinger. We heard and continue to hear how amazing the Slinger School District is.

But after Henry’s previous struggles in the classroom and our years of homeschooling, we needed options outside of current tradition. We needed to find a different classroom experience that would help Henry learn in his way and with an environment conducive to developing skills requite for successful adults. When I found Pathways in my research, I knew we had to live in the WBSD, despite all evidence pointing to Slinger.

I am happy to report that at Pathways, Henry is not just surviving but is thriving. He has grown immensely. For example, when my son started attending Pathways, he sat in the corner of the lunchroom every day with his coat on and his hood up. But now, and for the first time ever, he has friends at school. Friends who accept him as he is. They encourage each other to do their best and they help each other. Those are true friends. Can you put a price tag on that?

I know test scores were recently published and they weren’t as high as they could be. But do test scores really reflect the potential of an individual? Education is not only about numbers. It’s about the entirety of a person. Let’s remember that like Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates, these are the kids who think outside the box, who need to know the whys and wherefores and will dig deep to find them. They need more convincing than the average teenager that filling out bubbles is worth their effort. I am certain had they realized the charter was up for renewal and the future of their school was literally in their hands, they would have given their best efforts.

When considering all of the numbers please don’t lose sight of the population a school closure would hurt and the ripple effect it would cause. In the words of one of my son’s classmates, “Too many kids need this school.” Thank you.

Holy Angels Students of the Month for November                 By Mike Sternig

Holy Angels Students of the Month for November 2018 include Kylee Altendorf, Maria Olson, and Jack Sadownikow.

6th Grade:  Kylee Altendorf entered junior high with all the personality traits needed for success. She has confidence, patience and wonderful study habits. She likes to challenge herself, and always tries her best.  In school, she particularly likes reading and writing. In addition to academic success, Kylee is an excellent volleyball player. She contributes to our school by being helpful and kind to others, and by serving at Mass.

7th Grade:  Maria Olson – It’s hard to imagine a more well-rounded student than Maria. She excels in all classes, participating in class activities, turning in high quality work, and pushing herself to learn everything the school offers. She is highly self-motivated in school activities and in extra-curricular. She reads, plays the violin, and crochets, as well as participates in volleyball and basketball. She also finds time to hang out with friends. She contributes at school as a patrol with the kindergartners and serves at Mass.

8th Grade:  Jack Sadownikow – Jack has always been a friendly individual, liked by both adults and students. His laid-back attitude makes him an easy person to be around. He particularly likes being active, in sports, on the farm and just being outside. It’s no surprise that he hopes to be a park ranger when he gets older. This year, his teachers have noticed, and appreciate, that he is putting forth strong effort in his academic classes, showing independent motivation to turn in quality work and experiencing success. He is a responsible student who helps out at school as a patrol.

Elaine Shanebrook wins award

The Board of Directors of The Catholic Community Foundation was proud to recently present their Community Partner Award to Attorney Elaine Shanebrook in appreciation of her dedicated service of bringing awareness of The Catholic Community Foundation to clients seeking to include philanthropy in their estate plans to provide charitable giving in perpetuity to causes dear to their hearts that fulfill the mission of the Catholic Church.

Elaine was the founding partner of Shanebrook & Falkowski Law Office, LLP, West Bend and before retiring this last June, she practiced law in the areas of estate planning, real estate, trusts, probate and elder law for over 41 years. She has achieved many accomplishments during her career – Elaine was the first woman from Wisconsin to be elected to the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel.

She has been active with the State Bar of Wisconsin, having served as past chair and director of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section and director of the Taxation Section.  She has been listed in “Best Lawyers in America” and “Wisconsin Super Lawyers.” Over the years, Elaine has volunteered her time by serving on many not-for-profit corporations’ board of directors.

Crafting retreat house taking shape in Hartford                        By Samantha Sali

A crafting retreat house may soon be coming to 209 West Lincoln Avenue in Hartford.

According to the Planning Commission Agenda, the crafting retreat house “…would be a place that groups of up to 12 could rent for the weekend or overnight in order to work on craft projects in a group setting. In addition, the retreat house would host classes and open sewing nights during the week.”

Similar crafting retreat houses are located in Beaver Dam, Waukesha, Waldo, Janesville, Lake Geneva, Cambridge, and Black River Falls. These examples provided by the applicant, Jean Harley, are also located in residential zones.

This week the Planning Commission approved the request for rezoning the property. The item was reviewed by the City Council during Tuesday’s meeting. The property is owned by Redeemer Lutheran Church.

Café Floriana taking shape at Cast Iron in West Bend

Just three short weeks after the making the initial announcement about a new cafe/bakery opening in West Bend the new Cafe Floriana is starting to take shape. Katherine Schenk and her sister Sara Young will be opening the new shop in the lower level of the Cast Iron building, 611 Veterans Avenue.

“Our parents live in the building and we would come visit them and there was no place to get a cup of coffee and a sandwich or muffin,” said Schenk. “We recognized there was a need here in the building and there was space available.”

During a recent tour Schenk outlined what’s ahead. “You’ll have to excuse the mess,” she said. “We have walls up, the concrete floor is in, plumbing is in and HVAC is underway.”

Using a little imagination Schenk detailed some of the interior layout including the service bar, bakery counter, espresso bar, food prep for muffins and breads.

“We’ll be able to seat 35 to 40 and our menu will have a lot of items to-go,” she said. “We’re also bringing in special wood beams across the ceiling and that will help dampen some of the echoing.”

Schenk said “construction is on schedule and hopefully we’ll open in early to mid-February.”

Updates & Tidbits

– Don Muth and the University Ambassadors will host a breakfast for students on campus on Thursday, Dec. 13 at 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. as part of week-long events before final exams start.

-Rick Takacs at Meadowbrook Farm in West Bend has fresh balsam and Fraser fir Christmas trees for the upcoming holiday. Takacs gets his trees from the same vendor in Oconto County who once supplied the tree to the White House in Washington D.C. Tackas said he really liked the trees from the Vander Velden’s farm because they’re “tall and have super color.” Meadowbrook Farm is located at 1270 Meadowbrook Road.

-This winter season marks the 45th anniversary of the Nabob Prairie Riders Snowmobile Club. Original founding members include families like the Dornackers, Kedingers, Rileys, Retzlaffs, Stoeffels, Holtz’s, and Ritgers who formed the club to more closely focus on the trail system within the Nabob area. Please join the Nabob Prairie riders on Jan. 5, 2019 at the House of Heileman’s on Big Cedar Lake for the annual Winterfest/Fisheree. Fishing is from 6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., entertainment in the tent includes music, food and drink all available from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

– Legendary Whitetails in Slinger collected winter coats for the Fox 6 Coats for Kids coat drive and exceeded its goal with 80+ coats, snow pants, hats and mittens. Hat tip Renee J. Jenkyns.

-Horicon Bank, 1535 Paradise Drive, in West Bend has a new electronic street sign. The sign is twice as big as the previous model and has an array of colors for larger graphics and messaging.

 

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