WHAT WILL IT COST YOU?

Total cost of a new highway facility - including design, land acquisition and construction - is $7.92 million. And what will that cost you? Eighteen cents per $1,000 of assessed value annually, or $18 per year on $100,000, which amounts to $360 over the course of the 20-year bonding period.

In 1936 the Calumet County Highway Dept. had a brand new building on agricultural land in south Chilton. It fit the bill for the county's needs in 1936, but only 12 years later the first of several additions was made to accommodate the growing department.

A decade into the 21st century and it's obvious to just about everyone the building has outlived its function. It may still look fine from the outside, but inside is another matter.

The building was created 54 years before the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act, so it meets none of the requirements of an ADA-compliant public building. It has an ancient ventilation system. It's poorly insulated. Equipment has gotten much larger since the 1930s. Mechanics work just feet away from the corner welding shop. Office space is cramped and dingy. In short, the building is a dinosaur.

While most see the need for a new Highway Dept. building, many balk at the proposal to build a nearly $8 million facility on agricultural land in the Town of Chilton.

On July 20 the Calumet County Board voted 12-6 to spend up to $350,000 on an architectural design for a new highway building. With that vote, the design phase is now on a fast track. Proposals are due from design firms on Aug. 24, interviews will be held on Sept. 2, the contract will be awarded Sept. 7, and the finished design is expected on Dec. 7.

A proposal to build on the present site was voted down at the July 20 meeting. Several supervisors are promoting the idea of building a new office and maintenance building at the current location,and they have wondered why that was not included as an option.

"It was considered," said Calumet County Administrator Jay Shambeau. "It was part of the scope of the SEH folks that created this study in December of 2009 and they, quite frankly, said 'Don't do it. You have a tired 1936 building. It's served it's useful life. Move on.'"

"They springboarded off of a previous study that suggested the same thing," said Calumet County Highway Commissioner Mike Ottery. "With the configuration of the building, it's difficult."

Some have also suggested that a new multi-million dollar highway facility is really just a monument — a personal Taj Mahal — to Shambeau and Ottery.

"I know some supervisors have tried to personalize the Mike and Jay thing. That's just not a fact," Shambeau said. "I've told people all along, the1998 study when this started was way before my tenure here," Shambeau said.

Some have objected to moving the department from Chilton to the Town of Chilton. Shambeau said if there were 20 acres to build on in Chilton, the question wouldn't even come up "and we'd make the snowplow routing work, just as we have all these years. There's just no physical room on this property. There's no magic behind that location, other than it works well for snowplowing the entire county. It could be in the near-Hilbert area, it could be Woodville or just a mile or two outside of Chilton.Those types of decisions have to be made."

Estimated savings with a new energy efficient, centrally located shop amount to $116,000 saved annually in travel time between the Chilton headquarters and the satellite shop in Sherwood, $26,800 annually in energy costs (or $1.3 million over 50 years), as well as inestimable savings in operational efficiencies and employee morale.

A copy of the pre-architectural study and related documents can be found at the Calumet County website,co.calumet.wi.us.

Tickets on sale for three shows in Kaukauna

Those who attend the public fireworks shows scheduled during the Pyrotechnics Guild Inter-national annual convention will get to see some of the most unique fireworks displays ever presented. Each show will feature at least one hour of fireworks, which will be choreographed to music and feature specialty shells that are not available for community fireworks shows.

"This is the international 'Olympics' of handmade fireworks," said PGI member Tom Sklebar. "Some of the big shells take three weeks to create and are never seen in a public display because they are too costly and too difficult to make. You will also see rockets that you will never see at a public display."

Sklebar encourages people to purchase tickets for the best show experience.

"If you think you can watch the displays from outside the bleachers, you are missing at least half the show. Fireworks displays at PGI events are much more elaborate than a public display like many 4th of July shows. They include full ground displays of wheels, lance work, and other special effects visible only to those in the stands. "

Attendees at the Sunday and Wednesday shows can stay after the public display to view a hand-made fireworks competition.

"One of the displays for Wednesday night is created and put on by our Junior Pyrotechnic Association," continued Sklebar. "The children do all their own product selection, pick their own music, choreograph the entire show, do all the setup and shoot the entire show themselves."

Parents supervise their children while the kids plan and execute this event.

Tickets are available for the public fireworks shows on August 8, 11 and 13. Tickets can be purchased from TicketStar Online, the Pit Stop in Kaukauna, Decker's Uncle Sam Fireworks in Green Bay and at Express Convenience Centers in the Fox Cities, Green Bay, and Oshkosh.

Show times are: Sunday, August 8 and Wednesday, August 11, 2010 at 8:30 p.m.; and Friday, August 13 at 8 p.m. Tickets for the Sunday and Wednesday shows are $10. Tickets for the Friday show are $15. Parking for all nights is $10 per car. Prices do not include service charges or handling fees charged by the ticket outlets.

The PGI is a nonprofit educational group of pyrotechnic enthusiasts that come from all walks of life that have a love of shooting and making fireworks. PGI members will come from every state in the US and a number of foreign countries.

"We have lawyers, doctors, clergy, teachers, farmers, firemen, policemen and everything in between and we have almost as many women and children as men", said Sklebar. "It is truly a family event."

More information on PGI can be found at www.pgi.org.

First, the attempt to push through a new county garage for the highway department on a new site is definitely not in the best interest of county municipalities and taxpayers. If a need truly does exist for a new building consideration should only be given to the site where the current building is located because space is available there. Sewer and water are already there and purchasing additional land in the country at a time when land has reached unbelievably high prices is completely irresponsible and unnecessary. In addition it completely disregards previous positions by the Board with regards to Farmland Preservation. Lead by example!

Next, we believe maintaining two buildings for this service in the county would be much more efficient especially in emergency situations as well as employee travel to their workstations. Trying to create an unnecessary need for a LARGER facility by getting rid of existing facilities is very shortsighted. How many new job projects have we added to justify a new larger building? Our guess is very few if any since we have been "farming out" work to other businesses or counties in the past years as should be done in the interest of efficiency. Consolidating services with other counties is certainly being considered in many cases in light of the expense of equipment compared to the past cost. We need to scale back, not expand costs when they can be shared with others just as efficiently. Maybe privatization of the entire department is an option that may have to be looked at as well. We have done it in other areas. If we cannot operate in a cost-effective way that may be an option. A $1.5 million steel building might accomplish the same purpose as a $5.5 million Taj Mahal. It a garage not an office building!

Finally, on this subject, many feel that the current facility will serve us just fine for the time being considering the financial condition of our communities, state, and country as a whole. A lot of wasted space has been noticed with obsolete or unused equipment stored, which might just as well be disposed of if unneeded. A new building would undoubtedly be more efficient but failure to maintain the building in the past may be part of the reason for that. It has been also called to the attention of some that the WPS building nearby may also be available in the future and be able to be converted to our needs at a much lower cost.

The next issue is the new radio system being considered with Fox COM Systems. This also is a completely unnecessary expense, which does not justify the need for a small area that currently may lack coverage. Several fire departments and first responders have updated equipment in the past months and also feel this is a system which will not greatly improve coverage and does not justify the expense and make their recent upgrades a waste. Their radios are working fine and grants are available for additional upgrading. For costs, which are estimated, to not exceed $125,000 we can be compatible with surrounding counties, rather than spending $5 to $6 million on a new system that has no guarantee of not becoming obsolete any sooner than upgrades to the current system would. In addition, information attained from the public meeting on Feb. 24 showed current annual operating costs are estimate at between $25,000 to $50,000 and the new system maintenance cost could approach $1.5 million with no contingency on providing for this cost.

In these difficult times, you members of the board are elected to do the most for the residents of the county at the most reasonable costs and not create undue burden for our municipalities or us. By acting on either one of these issues contrary to the wishes and needs of your constituents you are ignoring the bind you are placing them in as well as limiting what other projects or needs are encountered in the future. No issue this large should be an open decision for the board, but should be open to vote by the public.

Gary L. Lemke, Secretary/Treasurer, Calumet County Civic Association

Ledgeview powers up on solar energy

For the past several years Ledgeview Nature Center has hosted a "Food and Energy Festival" and has goals of practicing what they preach in renewable energy.

After two years of fundraising they have now moved closer to accomplishing their mission to become as energy efficient as possible. Last week Ledgeview had a 3.2 Kilowatt Solar Tracking Array installed on their grounds.

The installation was completed by Mike Troge of NEW Solar, LLC and a group of construction -based professionals taking a week long course on solar energy at Ledgeview.

The general contractors, electricians and others spent the week with classroom and hands -on instruction to pursue certification in installation of systems in accordance with Focus on Energy thru the Midwest Renewable Energy Association in Custer, Wis.

Ledgeview benefited from their hands-on instruction by receiving free installation.

The 3.2 Kilowatt Solar Tracking Array produces 30% more energy than a fixed array. The tracking array is on a rotating system and follows the sun through the sky during the entire day.

The system should offset 10% of the yearly energy costs at the center.

Although limited in the U.S. as compared to Europe and Japan, the concept of renewable energy is slowly gaining attention in this country.

The student workers at Ledgeview report that only 3.5% of U.S. households use some form of renewable energy, while in Europe the rate nears 70%.

Ledgeview Nature Center has received numerous grants and donations over the past two years to complete the project. A major donor was Focus on Energy.

In addition Ledgeview received money from the Chilton Area Community Foundation, an environmental grant from the Community Foundation for the Fox Valley Region, Inc., Green Bay Packer Foundation, Peters Foundation, Glacier Land Resource and Development, WPS Foundation, Wal-Mart, and a private donor..

The Environmental Grant will cover the costs of an indoor display on renewable energy, including a monitor that tracks the system's output.

Calumet County Naturalist Ron Zahringer, states that Calumet County will also be tracking the output and has expressed interest in installing a second unit.

The "Food and Energy Festival" is scheduled this year for Sept. 11. A ribbon cutting ceremony of the solar tracking array will take place. In addition, Ledgeview will host locally grown and produced foods and beer, renewable energy displays, kid's games and more.

Colton Brandenburg was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) leukemia on December 28, 2007, and later got involved in the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

According to Colton, he met John Kuhn at a luncheon in September of 2009 and instantly became a fan of him as a person and a player, so when he had the chance to pick a player to spend the day with he quickly chose Kuhn.

"It was awesome," Colton said. "He was really nice."

The two of them spent most of the day shopping in Best Buy, where Colton received several electronic gifts and ended the night eating dinner at the Texas Roadhouse.

With some help from his mother, Sarah Kopf, Colton said he received a Nintendo Wii, a camera, an iPod, and various games and movies.

He also received tickets to the Packers first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns on August 14, where he will be wearing a special Packers shirt that Kuhn bought him.

"He (Kuhn) is going to try and take us touring before the game but he didn't know for sure based on his schedule," Sarah said.

His time with the Packers up and coming star didn't end that night, as Kuhn invited Colton and his parents to a bowling night.

A large portion of the Packers team participates in this bowling event dedicated toward Angel Fund, which is a supplementary group that helps out with the cost of cancer care throughout Northeastern Wisconsin.

"Colton got to meet all the other players, including Aaron Rodgers," Sarah said. "He got pictures with all of them and he got a bowling pin that they all signed, so it was really fun."

Colton alongside bowling opponent Aaron Rodgers.

According to Sarah Kopf, the week after the Make-A-Wish Foundation trip, Packers offensive lineman Allen Barbre left a message on the her answering machine offering to pay to send Colton to a kid's cancer camp in Michigan next year.

Sarah said, the kids get to go fishing, horseback riding, play team sports, and there is a medical staff constantly available.

"What's nice is there are volunteer doctors and nurses who are full time on staff there, so if anything goes wrong while they are there they have medical care," she said. "And they have to be a certain distance from a hospital, so it's a good program."

Colton is currently undergoing much treatment including daily chemotherapy, monthly major chemotherapy, and blood draws every other week.

"This will keep going till next March, God willing we'll be done," Sarah said. "He will still have to go in monthly or weekly for blood draws until they are sure that the threat is at least removed for a while."

Despite the hardships, Sarah said the situation is all about advocacy.

"We've had good support and we've been here about a year now," she said. "He goes to the Chilton Catholic School and his friends have really rallied around him and are supportive so that helps; it's a good community."

There are currently no funds set up for Colton but there is a Relay For Life team called Clarence's Heavenly Hogs, which he is involved with, and there will be a brat fry at Save-A-Lot in Chilton on Aug. 7.

According to Sarah, her and some other parents have started looking in to a non-profit group for Colton and are going to try to provide Calumet County children with supplementary financial help.

Through all of the support from friends and family and Colton's fighting spirit, they hope Colton stays strong and spreads the word to fight leukemia everywhere.

"It's a different way of life and a different culture, but you don't feel sorry for yourself, you don't have time for that," Sarah said. "All you do is keep positive and keep moving forward, and tell everyone you can about what you've been through in hopes that somebody somewhere provides advocacy to somebody else the way you did to them."

To stay updated on Colton's condition, you can visit http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/coltons

Colton,  and family, are joined by Edgar Bennett and John Kuhn.

SPIFF is a mini-grant program, which just awarded its first grant to Riverview Middle School in Manitowoc. Grants are to be given to youth organizations for them to do community service projects. The organization recently received its tax-exempt status and is officially non-profit.

Also benefiting from the fundraiser this weekend will be the Calumet County Dive Team. They will take on the Valders Fire Department in a softball game on Sunday before being presented with a check for a donation from SPIFF

"So far we have raised over $13,000 for the Calumet County Dive Team," Savannah's mother Justine Katze said. "We do have a long way to go to make sure everyone gets the training they need, but this is a good start."

The fundraiser starts at 10 a.m., on Saturday and goes through 6 p.m. on Sunday. Blues Brothers, a band from Milwaukee, will perform Saturday. There is no charge to see the band play, but those who plan to come are asked to bring a donation of a non-perishable food item, a household item, or a personal hygiene item.

"All donations are greatly appreciated," Katze said. "I also really appreciate everyone who has given their time to Savannah's foundation."

A magician will also be at the park throughout the weekend. Other activities going on will be softball, volleyball, and horseshoe tournaments. Frisbee golf will be free all weekend and there will be a bounce house as well as a playground. Food and refreshments will also be available.

"We want to provide a picnic atmosphere for everyone who comes," Katze said. "We hope we can inspire people to help others while everyone has a good time. The donations are all going to a good cause."

Any organization that would like to apply for a grant can send an e-mail to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or they can call (920) 905-4863. The website for the foundation is spiffonline.org, which should be fully functional by the end of the month. A full schedule of the weekend's events is already available on the website. There are also groups on facebook. and myspace. that anyone can join. Information about the foundation is available through these groups.

State Representative Brett Davis wants to follow in the footsteps of Arthur MacArthur, Erasmus D. Campbell, Thaddeus C. Pound, Herman L. Ekern, Philleo Nash and 37 other largely forgotten servants of the people of Wisconsin. He wants to be your next lieutenant governor.

   Brett Davis, State Representative for the 80th District, running for lieutenant governor as a Republican.

At the tender age of 28, Davis was elected in 2004 to represent the 80th Assembly district. The young Republican has been re-elected twice in a district he admits leans Democratic. Barack Obama won 64% of the vote in his district in 2008; Davis took 56% of the vote in his last re-election.

A 1998 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh business program, Davis gained a passion for politics in college working as a volunteer for former state Rep. Gregg Underheim. Upon graduation, he began his political career as a legislative aide for a previous 80th District Assemblyman. He went from there to a staff position with then Gov. Tommy Thompson, and followed Thompson to D.C. when he served as President George W. Bush's secretary of Health and Human Services.

Besides being a heartbeat away from the governorship, why, you might ask, would someone with a bright political career aspire to a role that traditionally has been a political wasteland of ribbon cuttings and rubber chicken dinner functionary?

"In our modern times, nobody can point to one thing a lieutenant governor has done, and it's not a partisan thing. Gov. Thompson and Lt. Gov. McCallum didn't get along. Same thing with Barbara Lawton and Gov. Doyle," Davis said during a recent visit to the Chilton Times-Journal office.

Davis considered all these things before deciding to make the run last year.
"I sat down with my wife, Amy, and talked about it," he said. "How can I make a bigger impact, continuing to serve in the Legislature or if Republicans get elected, if we have a Republican governor, which I believe will be Scott Walker, if I can make a difference and make the lieutenant governor a strong position for once, I think we can do some really positive and great things."

Davis has an agenda that he believes will bring meaning and value to the role of second in command of the state.

"If it continues to be a figurehead position, it needs to be eliminated," he said. "I don't think our founders set up the Constitution for this role to be a figurehead. I don't believe it's what they envisioned. I'm trying to breathe life into the lieutenant governor position. It's more than a ribbon cutter, more than a marketer."

Davis began stumping for the lieutenant governorship Labor Day weekend 2009. The message he has been imparting is the he would be "the leading taxpayer watchdog in Wisconsin."

"Looking at fraud, waste and abuse in government, that's No. 1," he said. "Consumers, taxpayers, need a strong advocate who has the ability to look within the administration, if given the authority by the governor, and go into the DNR and DOT and Dept. of Corrections and hold people accountable, start to do business practices differently. I can help save, every single year if I'm elected lieutenant governor, 100 times what it costs to run the office of lieutenant governor. That equates to $40 million every year, and I'm confident we can do it."

As the leading Assembly Republican spokesperson for education and former chairman of the Assembly Education Committee, Davis said education reform would also be a top issue if he is elected.

"When you look at our overall test scores on the national level, the National Assessment of Educational Progress scores, its staggering, Davis said. "It's really frustrating and no one's talking about it. I've been screaming my lungs out in the state Legislature but I can't get any traction on it. But when you look at reading scores, proficient levels of reading, 66% of Wisconsin eighth graders – this is a sample of 8th graders – are not able to read at proficient levels. This is the nation's report card. That's unacceptable to me, 66% in reading and 61% can't do math at grade level."

In the spring legislative session, Davis co-introduced with Sen. Randy Hopper (R-Fond du Lac) legislation that would link teacher evaluations to student performance. Their legislation was not considered, but Davis still believes in merit pay as an incentive to performance.

"I think accountability within education is important. I think we should have some type of merit pay system in Wisconsin," he said. "The range of options that I want to continue to research varies."

What often gets lost in discussion of education reform is a focus on individual student performance, Davis said.

"At its simplest level, student growth as an individual from the beginning of the year to the end of the year," he said. "It sounds like a simple concept, but as a state we lose sight of it. As a state we've said we're going to fight about the school funding formula, which needs to be changed. I've introduced legislation and have some ideas to change that...The idea is that best practices should be disseminated faster throughout the state of Wisconsin. If they're doing something really well here in Chilton, we should be doing it everywhere across the entire state That's the focus to me. The lieutenant governor's position could be a strong advocate for education reform in the state."

Of course, the next lieutenant governor's role depends on the working relationship that person has with the new governor.

"I believe I would have a very good relationship with Gov. Walker. I've endorsed him publicly," Davis said. "I think we'd have a better working relationship and he would give more authority for getting things done."

Ultimately, Davis said he is making the run at lieutenant governor for his three children, Will, 6, Audrey 3, and Sam, 9 months.

"For me selfishly, it's for my kids over the long term," he said. "People are getting involved for the same reason. They want to make life better for their kids or their grandkids. And they don't see the same Wisconsin as when they were growing up. I certainly don't. My wife, Amy, grew up in Fond du Lac and I grew up in Monroe, although my family's originally from Omro and Oshkosh. We just don't see the same quality of life if we continue down this path. State spending right now is unsustainable. There are so many things we can do."

Job & Career Accelerator, a comprehensive online job search system, is now available to help overwhelmed job seekers find employment. This innovative on-line resource provides job seekers with everything they need to find their next job, all in one easy-to-use application. The online program is available to patrons of all the public libraries in Manitowoc and Calumet Counties at no charge with their library card and can be accessed at the libraries or from any internet-enabled computer by locating the Learning Express link on a local library's website.

Learning Express Job & Career Accelerator provides personalized, step-by-step assistance for job seekers at all experience and education levels – from exploring and matching suitable occupations from over 1,000 detailed occupation profiles to finding available jobs in the their area from a database of more than 5 million up-to-date job postings. With Job & Career Accelerator, users can easily create professional resumes and cover letters, master interviewing and networking techniques, im-prove work-related skills, and prepare for occupation -related exams. In addition, it helps job seekers plan, tailor, and track multiple job searches at the same time while providing expert advice and tips .
To find out more about how you can access Job & Career Accelerator, call the Manitowoc Calumet Library System office at 920-553-6257 or stop by your neighborhood library.

Wisconsin's accolades stem from the passionate and innovative people behind every award-winning inn, tried-and-true destination and charming small town. Day in and day out, the state's hospitality industry continues to provide a genuine experience for every traveler to venture here. The proof? The awards Wisconsin continues to earn year after year. Here are just a few:

Wisconsin Dells: Best Desti-nation in the U.S. for Families

Not only was Wisconsin Dells named "Best Destination in the U.S. for Families" in 2010 but it was recognized as the No. 3 "Best Destination in the World for Families" by TripAdvisor. It shouldn't come as any surprise considering that "The Waterpark Capital of the World" has been attracting families year after year.

White Gull Inn: America's Best Breakfast

Visitors to Door County will want to take a morning to enjoy "America's Best Breakfast" as chosen in 2010 by "Good Morning America" and voters across the country. The White Gull Inn is a charming and historic inn known for the traditional fish boil. Book early because weekends fill up fast!

Three Lakes: Single Best Town in America

The town of Three Lakes was chosen by Kraft Singles as "The Single Best Town in America" for 2010 due to its natural beauty amidst the world's largest chain of inland lakes and its welcoming residents. Located in the 650,000-acre Chequamegon Nicolet Na-tional Forest and known for its crystal clear lakes, abundant fisheries, trophy deer and an array of wildlife species, Three Lakes offers four seasons of traditional Wisconsin Northwoods recreation.

Stockholm: Small Midwest Town You'll Love

This year, Midwest Living selected Stockholm as one of the "5 Small Midwest Towns You'll Love." A Swedish-founded town, Stockholm boasts outstanding scenic views, challenging biking on the Great River Road, galleries, shopping and Scandinavian food.

Egg Harbor: America's Coolest Small Town.

Budget Travel singled out Egg Harbor in Door County as one of "America's Coolest Small Towns" in 2010 for the town's high "cool" factor, based on quality of life, arts and restaurant scene and proximity to nature. Check out the Birch Creek Concert Series which features symphony, percussion and steel drum and jazz performances from the nation's most talented music protégés and their teachers. Or take a guided sunset kayak tour with Door County Kayak Tours.

Wisconsin: No. 2 Bicycle Friendly State

The League of American Bicyclists named Wisconsin the No. 2 "Bicycle Friendly State" in 2010 for its commitment to bicycling through the legislation, infrastructure, education and all-around bike-loving culture. Take the family to explore the grand-daddy of all rail-trails, the Elroy-Sparta State Trail. If you want to put your skills to the test, take on the rural hills of southwestern Wisconsin or attempt the "Top of the World Tour" in Trempealeau County where nearly 400 miles of paved, lightly traveled roads are ready for the nation's best on-road cycling.

Aspira, Sundara & Kohler: Three Amazing Midwest Spas

Spa magazine recently featured Aspira Spa, Kohler Waters Spa and Sundara Inn & Spa on the 2010 list of "10 Amazing Midwest Spas." Kohler Waters Spa, part of the Midwest's only AAA Five Diamond resort The American Club, was also named one of the World's Best Spas by Travel & Leisure readers in 2009 and is a four-time recipient of the Forbes Four-Star award. Sundara Inn & Spa in Wisconsin Dells was named among the top 25 spa resorts in the country by Travel & Leisure and is noted for their use of organic products procured from both around the world and locally in their treatments. The lakeside Aspira Spa at the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake embraces the healing wisdom of indigenous peoples from around the world for a holistic, organic approach.

   Lefeber spoke with two planning commission members and found them to be understanding of her point of view. She also wrote a letter to the planning commission, but did not get a personal response. “Why are we the people letting an unelected bureaucratic body dictate what should be done in the Town of Stockbridge?” Lefeber said. “Once you’ve lost your freedom of choice it’s too late to change your mind.”        

   Amanda Fritsch owns a certified natural grown farm in the Town of Stockbridge. “The property maintenance requirements are ridiculous,” Fritsch said. “This is a working farm and my husband has a busy shop. Stuff is always being built up, torn down, moved around, obtained or sold. Farmers are the most overworked people in the world and don’t have the time, patience, or money to worry about whether or not he needs to put a pile of fence posts in a building.”    

   “This is an agriculture area,” Fritsch said. “When the planning committee said that since farming is in a decline, the area should be zoned residential so that farming would fade away, I was shocked to silence. Zoning for safety is one thing. I can understand property maintenance zoning in a village, but to zone farms, country homes, and land is absurd.”    

    “The gentlemen on the town board were voted in to represent the best interests of the people,” Fritsch said. “What they are actually doing is representing the best interests of their own desires to control their neighbors.”