Inside this edition
Reminders against the rumor mill
Spring Green approves ATV/ UTV ordinance
APT’s Winter Words wrap-up
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Spring Green, Wisconsin
Wednesday, April 21, 2021 Vol. 2, No. 16 Free, Single-Copy
Gov. Evers tours Spring Green Preserve, discusses need for Knowles-Nelson Stewardship funding renewal Photo by Nicole Aimone, Editor-in-Chief
Gov. Tony Evers toured the Spring Green Nature Preserve April 19, to see how the location had benefited from Knowles-Nelson Stewardship grants. During his visit, Evers took a brief hike with Wisconsin Nature Conservancy officials, and was able to explore the recently prescribed burned portions of the preserve, while learning about the unique plants, insects and animals that call the area home. Evers also heard about research being done at the site on the effect of climate change on insect populations. Additionally, Evers visited natural areas in other parts of the state that had received Knowles-Nelson Stewardship grants this week.
Taylor Scott, Managing Editor As part of his Badger Bounceback initiative, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers toured the Spring Green Preserve State Natural Area (SNA) on April 19. The main focus of the trip was to highlight Evers’ 2021-23 biennial budget request to renew funding for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship program while touring a site that has benefited from the funding in the past.
According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Wisconsin Legislature created the Stewardship fund in 1989 to preserve valuable wildlife habitat and natural areas, protect water quality and fisheries, and expand opportunities for outdoor recreation. In 1993, the Stewardship Program was renamed the Warren Knowles-Gaylord
Nelson Stewardship program after two of Wisconsin’s revered conservation leaders, Warren Knowles (governor 1965-1971) and Gaylord Nelson (governor 1959-1963, U.S. Senator 19641981). Through the program, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) acquires land and develops recreational amenities on state properties. The program
also provides grants to local governments and community organizations to acquire and develop properties. In his budget proposal, Evers includes a 10-year reauthorization of the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program at $70 million per year. Currently the program is funded at $33 million per year. The program has been cut from a
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Arena fills board seat without enough votes, trustee questions financials Nicole Aimone, Editor-in-Chief The Arena Village Board met April 13 for its regular meeting amidst a new lawsuit filing, took up the resignation of a trustee and purported to fill the resulting vacancy in a vote that didn’t include enough trustees, leaving questions as to how the board will proceed. Financials The board first took up a consent agenda of routine items and passed them unanimously. Trustee Paul Pustina, former village president, in
an email sent to Village of Arena Clerk DeNean Naeger, Village President Kate Reimann, Village Attorney Paul Johnson and press, raised the issue that March financials were left off the consent agenda — and the April agenda entirely, despite being approved earlier by the Finance Committee, and would need to be taken up at the next meeting of the board. Pustina has previously publicly called for a forensic audit of the village finances, with a focus on water bills.
Trustee resignation and appointment, issues The board then took up and unanimously approved accepting the resignation of Trustee Jessica Voight, who has moved out of the village. The next agenda item taken up was the appointment of Rachel DePouw to the open seat vacated by Voight, with a term expiring April 2022. Valley Sentinel reached out to Clerk Naeger seeking to clarify if DePouw was the sole resident interested in the seat and
we have not received a response as of press time. If we receive a response this story will be updated online. Reimann has recently appointed residents to fill trustee vacancies, which are then acted on by the board. Typically, interested residents have appeared before the board and given presentations under a general appointment agenda item, with the appointments decided on by a roll call vote of the board. It’s not clear under what authority Reimann is
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Restoration of Wright designed Wyoming Valley School gets state boost Jonah Chester, WORT-FM
Wisconsin is dotted with Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. During his decades-long career, the famed architect designed structures ranging from the Monona Terrace to the Robert Lamp House — a single family home on North Butler Street in Madison. Now, one of Wright’s lesser-known buildings is getting a boost from the state of
Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) is awarding more than $90,000 in grant funding to help restore and update the Wyoming Valley School near Spring Green. Wyoming Valley, built in the late 1950s, is the only elementary school Wright ever designed.
For more on the project, our Producer Jonah Chester spoke with Dave Zaleski, the Executive Director of the Wyoming Valley School Cultural Arts Center.
To listen to WORT’s conversation with Zaleski, visit www.wortfm.org. Valley Sentinel would like to thank WORT-FM for sharing their coverage on WEDC’s grant funding to the Wyoming Valley School.
Coverage continues on page 7