Vol XV, Issue 33 Spring/Summer 2016
CITY HALL • 135 4TH STREET • BARABOO, WI 53913 Main Phone: 608-355-2700 • www.cityofbaraboo.com
Spring Election Uniformed Services ID, Certificate of Naturalization, or College ID with enrollment verification. All wards vote in the Civic Center gymnasium from 7AM to 8PM. Several years ago, the City combined all 14 wards into one polling place to avoid confusion for voters and improve efficiency in administering local elections.
P
hoto ID is required on Election Day. The best choices are valid Wisconsin Driver’s License or ID, passport, WI driver or State ID receipt, Tribal ID, US
The gymnasium is on the lower floor in the Civic Center, 124 2nd Street and voters are encouraged to use the 1st Street entrance since it is the most direct approach to
where voting will occur and is ADA accessible. Parking in portions of the Civic Center lot and adjacent streets will be restricted to 30 minutes to accommodate voters. Upon entering the polling place, workers will assist voters in identifying their ward and directing them to their ward table where they will be issued a voter number and receive their ballot. Voters will either darken an oval or write in a name to mark the candidates of
TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016 their choice and then deposit their ballot into a ballot box which reads and stores their ballot. After the polls close, results are tallied and electronically transferred to the County Clerk’s office. Voter registration is required in Wisconsin and can be done prior to the election in the Clerk-Finance Office at 135 4th Street, or on Election Day at the polling place. Bring proof of identity and address. A valid, current Wisconsin Driver’s license is the best form of ID.
Public safety building update T
he City of Baraboo has been studying ways to address the building security and overcrowding issues at the existing Police Dept/City Hall/Fire Dept complex for more than 10 years. The City Council has decided that it is time to move forward and recently approved a contract for architectural design services with the team of Zimmerman Architectural Studios of Milwaukee and MSA Professional Services of Baraboo for the design of a new Public Safety/Administration Building.
Presorted Standard U.S. Postage Paid Capital Newspapers
As Baraboo’s population has
grown, so has the number of police officers and support staff that handle citizens’ daily business in the building. Currently, City Hall houses the Police and Fire Departments, Engineering, Building Inspection, City Clerk’s Office and Finance Department, Mayor’s Office and Council Chambers, and general administration offices. The current building is actually two separate two-story buildings that were interconnected with a twostory addition between them that includes an elevator. The original City Hall was built in 1966, the old
CITY OFFICIALS Mayor Mike Palm ...608-355-2715 mpalm@cityofbaraboo.com Ald. Dist. 1 Ward 2 & 12 Phil Wedekind ......... 608-356-8147 Ald. Dist. 2 Ward 3 Thomas Kolb ............ 608-356-6080 Ald. Dist. 3 Ward 4 & 5 Michael Plautz ......... 608-355-7578 Ald. Dist. 4 Ward 6 Scott Sloan............... 608-434-0196 Ald. Dist. 5 Ward 7 Joel Petty ................. 608-356-7214 Ald. Dist. 6 Ward 8 & 9 John Ellington ......... 608-356-5495 Ald. Dist. 7 Ward 10 John Alt ................... 608-356-7632 Ald. Dist. 8 Ward 11 & 14 Eugene Robkin ........ 608-356-3539 Ald. Dist. 9 Ward 1 & 13 Dennis Thurow ........ 608-356-7916
phone company building to the west was built around 1900 and the connection with the elevator was added in 1979. The existing building has approximately 10,000 square feet of space for the Police Dept. and other offices utilize the remaining area of approximately 16,000 square feet. Safety concerns for both the general public and City staff and the lack of appropriate building security have become more evident in recent years. For example, the lobby area for Police Department doubles as main building
WHAT’S IN THIS ISSUE?
Public Safety Building Update . . . . . . . . .Pg. 1 Spring Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 1 Baraboo Big Top Parade & Circus Celebration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 4-5 Fire Safety Reminders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 6 Baraboo Civic Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 13 Baraboo Fire Department . . . . . . . . . Pg. 22-23 Baraboo Public Library . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 16-17 Baraboo Outdoor Pool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 10 Baraboo SkatePark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 10 Beautify Baraboo Movement . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 8 Civic Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 13 Cops and Community Heroes . . . . . . . . .Pg. 12 Downtown Baraboo Calendar of Events .Pg. 18 Dog Park Pass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 5 Fire Hydrants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 12 FOG in our Sewers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 7 Employee Celebrations . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 21 Employment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 19 Garbage/Recycle Schedule . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 14 Important Local Phone Numbers . . . . .Pg. 2 Letter from Mayor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 2 Open Burning Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 7 Zoo News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pg. 10-11 Park & Recreation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 9 Rain Barrel & Composter Sale . . . . . . . . .Pg. 3 Sauk County Clean Sweep . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 15 Tree Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 17 Trivia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 20 Word Search . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Pg. 19 Our newsletter contains advertising which offsets the cost of our printing.
corridor. “Customers” of the Police Department share the same space while waiting for an officer regardless of whether they are there on a voluntary basis or not. Citizens who conduct business with the Police Department that may be personal and/or confidential do so with very little privacy. People attending meetings, needing a building permit, paying water bills, discussing prospective development projects, or conducting other business with the Engineering and Administration Offices must walk through the lobby area of the Police Department in order to reach these other offices. When the building was constructed in the 1960’s, it did not feature a design that separated people needing police services from other citizens conducting general business at City Hall. In addition to staff being intimately involved in the layout and design of a new facility, a Stakeholders Group has been created and its seven members were appointed by Mayor Mike Palm. This group, which includes local citizens and business owners alike, will provide input during the design phase of this project. The Design Team, City Staff and members of the stakeholders group recently toured municipal buildings in St. Francis, Verona and Sun Prairie to see how these other communities have addressed their similar needs. These locations were chosen because their populations are comparable to that of Baraboo and each of them has recently
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