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Thursday, December 28, 2017 • Vol. 136, No. 23 • Stoughton, WI • ConnectStoughton.com • $1
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Stories of the year 2017
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City of Stoughton
4 decades and out
Lynch retires, won’t miss the politics BILL LIVICK Unified Newspaper Group
The No. 1 story of 2017 was about losing four icons from around Stoughton. Clockwise, from top left, is Carl Sampson, Verne Pieper, Patrick Nowlin and Helen Johnson.
Memorable passings Deaths of icons, possible murder top list with Riverfront progress Stoughton had so many memorable passings in 2017, ranging from the expected to the shocking, that we almost couldn’t decide which one was most significant. They included the city’s longest-serving mayor, its most well-known former coach, a lottery winner who touched all sorts of people with his devotion to charities and Stoughton’s most easily recognized orator and pedestrian. We also got gut-punches when 14-year-old cross country runner was killed in a car accident with half her team and when a 20-year old died in a motorcycle accident. Our decision got even tougher on Nov 27, when two roommates got into a fight that escalated into an act authorities are calling first-degree murder. But as the Hub staff discussed it further, it became clear nothing quite matched up to the combined impact of the many Stoughton icons we lost this year. Former mayor Helen Johnson. Wrestling coaching legend Verne Pieper. American Legion commander Patrick Nowlin. Carl Sampson, who
Stories of the year 1. Iconic deaths 2. Riverfront stalls 3. Possible murder 4. Olson not running 5. Veterans park opens 6. Public works facility planned 7. Wal-Mart Supercenter opens 8. School board elections 9. 14-year-old killed in crash 10. Wrestling success at age 98 still delivered the Gettysburg Address every Memorial Day. Those four were the heart of Stoughton in their own ways, and we’ll miss them dearly. Stoughton’s history took center stage in other ways this year, as well, particularly in the debate over whether to preserve an industrial building near the riverfront. That put a hard pause on redevelopment efforts, angering some who were anxious to
see progress there. Those stories amazingly overshadowed several stories that could easily be No. 1 in other years: the decision of Mayor Donna Olson to step down after eight years on the job; the successful fundraising and construction of a veterans memorial; the decision to build a $10 million public works facility; the opening of a Wal-mart Supercenter; and a stunning sweep of three new school board members.
1. Iconic deaths Some of the most iconic names in recent Stoughton history were lost to us this year, mostly by natural causes. LaVerne Pieper and Helen Johnson both had enormous impacts on the community in their own ways – Pieper as the legendary wrestling coach who built Stoughton into a power and Johnson as a four-term mayor who put her stamp on the city through historic preservation and development of city facilities, sometimes at the same time.
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Tom Lynch was reluctant to take the Stoughton parks and recreation director position when it was offered, and he’s never been entirely comfortable in the job, either. Now, 17 years later, he’s retiring from a position he didn’t seek and that he said doesn’t fit his personality. But he told the Hub last week he’s grateful for his 36 years as a full-time city employee and will miss his colleagues and working with the public. A S t o u g h t o n n a t ive , Lynch, 61, graduated from Stoughton High School in 1975, married in 1978 and has four adult children. He told the Hub he’s
enjoyed the recreation part of his job more than the administrative duties. Still, he’s proud of several accomplishments that happened during his tenure, including the renovation of Troll Beach seven years ago, the founding of a new youth center, and the youth athletic programs that he and recreation supervisor Dan Glynn initiated. “Everything that we’ve done, we’ve done without increasing our budget,” Lynch said. The pair also have worked on plans to establish a whitewater park on the Yahara River near Mandt Park. The project is still in the planning stages, with a meeting scheduled next month with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources officials to garner support for the park.
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Liimatta brings focus on new, existing events to chamber Started in Sept. as events and visitor services manager AMBER LEVENHAGEN Unified Newspaper Group
When the Stoughton Chamber of Commerce transitioned to a two-person staff in September, two familiar faces left the organization. Susan Liimatta started Sept. 6 as a full-time events and visitor services manager, and the change from two part-time support staff has freed up executive director Laura Trotter to focus specifically on chamber membership and programming. Liimatta dove immediately into a series of new
projects Trotter said are “very welcome,” including building two new websites and putting more of an emphasis on new and returning events. “She has been bringing in excellent energy in very pro- Liimatta fessional ways of marketing our town,” Trotter said. “We’re pretty excited about that.” The new duties of Liimatta’s position focus on tourism and welcoming activities. Some of that was handled by the previous two part-time employees, Tricia Suess and Mickey McCormick, but the switch
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