Courier Hub The
Stoughton
StageWorks Projects presents
The
Nutcracker
December 2nd
1:30pm & 7:30pm
Stoughton High School Auditorium
608-873-0717
Thursday, November 16, 2017 • Vol. 136, No. 17 • Stoughton, WI • ConnectStoughton.com • $1
www.stoughtonperformingarts.com
adno=544730-01
Bullying, no-hit policy aim to end ‘cycle of violence’ Separate efforts followed same spirit BILL LIVICK Unified Newspaper Group
Last year, the city adopted two measures designed to curtail violence in the community. Although neither has been enforced yet, the Common Council’s support for them sends a “strong message that hitting and bullying are unacceptable behaviors,” explained police chief Greg Leck. “I think the biggest impact we can talk about is the conversation – and that’s important,” he said. “Just to have the conversation about bullying and no-hit zones is an important deterrent.” In August 2016, Stoughton became the first municipality in the United States to approve a policy declaring it a “no-hit-zone city,” according to the La Crosse-based No Hit Zone website. It means the city will strongly discourage hitting of any kind in its facilities
by adults or children, including parents spanking children as part of discipline. Two months later, alders embraced another anti-violence initiative when they passed an anti-bullying ordinance. Almost every state has bullying laws that address the issue through school actions, but Stoughton joined a handful of Wisconsin cities that could fine parents for repeat violations of bullying behavior by their children. While neither measure has resulted in tangible enforcement action in the year since they were adopted – and no reports of incidents that could require preventative action, either – that’s “actually a good thing,” said Leck, who supported both initiatives before they were adopted. He noted that no-hit zone signs have been posted at various city-owned properties, and employees in “key positions” that come in direct contact
Turn to Bully/Page 14
City of Stoughton
MillFab demo gets delayed Contractor backup means project will begin in January BILL LIVICK Unified Newspaper Group
The Stoughton Redevelopment Authority learned last week that demolition of the MillFab building in the riverfront redevelopment area has been delayed until January. T h e c i t y aw a r d e d a $322,000 contract last month to Earth Construction Inc. and expected the company to begin taking
down the six buildings on the 6-acre MillFab site in early November. RDA consultant Gary Becker informed the RDA at its meeting last week, Nov. 8, that the contractor has fallen behind on other projects and won’t be able to begin demolition until after the first of the year. The city is in the process of clearing 10.4 acres of city-owned land in the riverfront redevelopment area to make way for a developer to revive the area with new buildings, a riverwalk and public spaces. It’s
Turn to Demo/Page 14
Photo by Amber Levenhagen
Holding her hood to block the wind, Miley Vayding pokes at some leaves with a stick at the outdoor classroom.
Growing a classroom
Kegonsa uses grant to expand outdoor learning area SCOTT DE LARUELLE Unified Newspaper Group
Cold, snow or ice – nothing can stop them from getting through. Kegonsa kindergarteners, that is. You might think an outdoor classroom in the middle of winter would be no fun at all, but for students of Angel Schroeder, Joy Meyer and Julie Alexander, it turned out to be one of the best
parts of a new focus in their classrooms. Now, Kegonsa teachers are using another grant to expand the learning area, which is open for business – and fun – all year ‘round. The teachers created the area last year, using funds from a Stoughton Area School District “Innovation Grant” focused on “play and inquiry-based learning.” Under the maple trees – whether they had leaves or not – the kids spent a half-hour four out of five days, learning about nature, and working together to explore and learn. Students visited “sensory stations”
where they could do everything from identify leaves to dig up bugs or make “mud pies.” When the snow falls, there is also plenty to see and do, like identifying the tracks of animals, or about anything else a 5- or 6-year-old could come up with. Now, the trio are expanding the area, using a $3,000 grant from the Healthy Classrooms Foundation. Schroeder applied for the grant from the group, a statewide nonprofit “committed to improving the health of children
Turn to Kegonsa/Page 16
For depot, landmark status based on history Building owner died just before it was designated last year BILL LIVICK Unified Newspaper Group
A little more than a year ago, the Common Council designated a historic former railroad depot on East Main Street a local landmark. The building, a one-anda-half story cream-brick structure with a limestone
foundation, was constructed in 1885 and used until 1913 as a passenger and freight depot for the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad. It was owned by the late Chuck Haase, a woodworker who died Oct. 16, 2016, three days after the Landmarks Commission held a public hearing and voted unanimously to recommend that the Common Council designate the building a local landmark. Haase thanked the
Courier Hub Community Banking Since 1904
commission for its support but didn’t live long enough to witness the council’s vote Oct. 25 to accept the commission’s recommendation. Just before his passing, Hasse had contacted the commission and asked that it consider the building for landmark status. “It was a pretty big surprise when he reached out to us and said that he wanted this designation,” recalled Peggy Veregin, chair of the Landmarks
Commission. “I’d heard that he had not been in support of historic preservation in the past, but we didn’t have a chance to find out more from him.” His daughter, Tamaki Hasse Wu, inherited the building from her father and confirmed in a Hub interview this week that her father had been dismissive of historic preservation and later changed his mind. “I’m not sure why he changed his mind,” she
Turn to Depot/Page 7
Take us wherever you shop!
Stoughton • McFarland and Sun Prairie! www.msbonline.com NMLS# 596586
Member FDIC
Samsung Pay is a registered trademark of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Apple Pay, is a registered trademark of Apple Inc. Android Pay, and the Android Logo are trademarks of Google Inc. Mastercard and the Mastercard Brand Mark are registered trademarks of Mastercard International Inc. Message & data rates may apply. adno=548890-01
NMLS# 596586