August 2017 Fitchburg Star
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Your Local Real Estate EXPERT! It’s your paper! Friday, August 11, 2017 • Vol. 4, No. 6 • Fitchburg, WI • ConnectFitchburg.com • $1 GeigerRealtors.com Jason Geiger (608) 277-2167 Broker, Advisor adno=533219-01 Inside New van brings Police chief to retire at end of 2017 library to the Page 3 community AMBER LEVENHAGEN Schools Unified Newspaper Group Access road The library is a little bit out of reach for some who remains an issue for live in the sprawling city of new VAHS Fitchburg. Library officials are hop- Page 11 ing their new outreach van will change that. Because many Fitch- Community burg residents don’t have access to the library and its services, building and strengthening the commu- nity connections between those people and the library is one of the top priorities for staff, library director Wendy Rawson told the Star. That’s what sparked the idea of a mobile library. “We’ve been talking Photo by Kimberly Wethal about the outreach van for Mark Miller, leader for the Uphoff Garden, walks alongside the Lacy Garden Monday night. probably four or five years, Fitchburg couple the idea being Fitchburg is such a large community and enters parenthood the library is not necessarily after fighting infertility in the thick of things,” Raw- ‘Right to the pantry’ son said. “And I think that Page 12 we as a city are concerned about areas that can’t nec- Pair of Fitchburg gardens provide healthy options for pantries essarily get to the library.” Sports To reach those areas, the library needed more KIMBERLY WETHAL than just the van. Outreach Star correspondent Locations librarian Liz Zimdars Potatoes don’t grow on trees. There are eight gardens in the suburbs around Madison that donate all was hired That was the lesson learned a few produce to local food pantries: last year to years ago by a young man who vol- Lacy Garden Middleton Outreach Ministry help solve unteered his time digging up potatoes the problem, out of the ground at the Lacy Garden 5897 Whalen Dr. Behind distribution center at 3502 and the van at 5897 Whalen Dr. All of the food Fitchburg, WI Parmenter St. has simply harvested there goes to Madison food Uphoff Garden Middleton, WI aided her on Zimdars Regents’ football sea- pantries to feed people who know Blackhawk Garden her mission money doesn’t grow on trees either. Corner of Murphy and Lalor roads to build con- son opens Aug. 18 “He said to me, ‘I thought pota- Fitchburg, WI 9620 Brader Way nections. toes grew on trees, like peanuts do,’” Emmett Schulte Garden Middleton, WI From attending regular Page 14 recalled Tom Parslow, the Lacy Gar- community meetings at 11214 Midtown Road Hershberger Perennial Garden den leader. Leopold Elementary School For the record, peanuts also do not Verona, WI 11214 Midtown Road and helping coordinate oth- Business grow on trees. Ken Witte Garden Verona, WI er events within the library, “He learned a lot that day,” Parslow 11214 Midtown Road Wagner Garden she said she has repeatedly said. heard the same issue: the 3131 Shady Oaks Lane The Lacy Garden and the Uphoff Verona, WI lack of an out-of-school Garden, located at the corner of Verona, WI resource for when classes Lalor and Murphy Roads, are two aren’t in session, specifi- Fitchburg food pantry gardens that cally for those families who are part of a broader effort to fight Action Coalition, which then distrib- organization was started after volun- lack direct access to the hunger in the Dane County area. ute the produce to other area food teers from local churches and service library. Part of a network of eight gardens pantries. clubs found that the leftover produce For now, Zimdars and the run by the Madison Area Food Pan- The gardens are named for the they had been collecting from local van can be seen out around try Gardens nonprofit organization, people who donated a portion of farmer’s markets to donate to the Fitchburg – specifically the Lacy Garden has been servic- their own land to host the food pan- food pantries was not enough to meet at Leopold – encouraging ing food pantries for close to two try gardens – Phil and Paul Lacy first the needs of the community, accord- Fitchburg residents to get New chiropractic decades. The Uphoff Garden, led by donated an acre in 2000 when the ing to the organization’s website. to know each other, and the studio opens in Mark Miller, is in its fourth season of pantry garden program began, and The solution was to establish three library, a little bit more. harvesting summer squash. Charles Uphoff donated his garden 1-acre gardens that together yield- “I’m really trying to Break Away All produce grown in the gardens after some Hmong community mem- ed 60,000 pounds of produce each talk to people, get to know is donated to food pantries such as bers stepped back from managing it, season. The addition of five other Page 21 St. Vincent de Paul, Second Harvest Parslow said. Turn to Van/Page 19 Food Bank or Community The Madison Food Pantry Gardens Turn to Pantry/Page 18 PRSRT STANDARD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID Elevated Uptown Living UNIFIED NEWSPAPER GROUP avanteproperties.com 608.441.9999 adno=533186-01 ConnectFitchburg.com 2 August 11, 2017 Fitchburg Star Summer library program ends with a zip The library ended its summer reading program with a Lego showcase and zipline challenge event. Wisconsin Lego Users group members showcased displayed their Lego creations while kids worked on designing their toy block workers out of art. Photos by Helu Wang Mia Ketter, 5, gives a thumbs up with a medical emergency helicopter crew member. Police hold annual crime prevention picnic The Fitchburg Police Department held its annual Crime Prevention Picnic at McK- ee Farms park Saturday, Aug. 5. People checked out a medical emergency helicopter, ambulance and police patrol cars while enjoying refreshments, such as sandwiches and chips. The event aims to unite the community in an effort to prevent crime. Photo by Helu Wang Noah Fields, 14, introduced his Lego “Batman museum” that he has been building for almost a year. CONCERTS AT McKEE IT’S APARTY IN THE PARK! Cyrio Pfannenstieo, 6, tells a police officer he is excited to show off his driving skills. 100 Local Artists Live Music Food &Beverages fItchbuRgfItchbuRg Capital Brewery Beer Garden Children’s ArtYard agagoRaoRa aRaRtt fafaIRIRBack: for2017 Art inthe Wind Hands-OnArt Experience Rain or Shine august 21 golpe tierra THE PARTYSTARTSAT6PM at McKEE FARMSPARK in Fitchburg! FREE live musicfood carts cold beer adno=533706-01 Saturday, August 19 5500 E. Cheryl Parkway •• agoraartfair.com 10am –5pm Fitchburg, WI Facebook.com/ConcertsAtMcKee adno=507833-01 ConnectFitchburg.com August 11, 2017 Fitchburg Star 3 City of Fitchburg Police chief Mayor: Foxconn officials visited Fitchburg area to retire at headlines around Wis- investment from a company DeForest. Madison has also Did not speak with consin recently after an would be “a lot of tax base, proposed some sites, includ- city staff, elected announcement from Gov. and 650 new jobs,” but that ing the now-vacated Oscar Scott Walker and Presi- the city would need to be Meyer plant. officials dent Donald Trump that careful. The project, which the end of year the company would make a “It’s front and center in State Journal reported could SCOTT GIRARD $10 billion investment in a my mind protecting the tax- involve health-related devic- Unified Newspaper Group plant in southeastern Wis- payer as far as the incentive es or a research facility, Hiring process consin, according to vari- to come to Fitchburg and would be a step toward low- Mayor Jason Gonzalez ous news reports. The Wis- the environment,” he said. ering unemployment here, expected to begin in Hiring said Fitchburg was among consin State Journal later “Those would be critically Gonzalez added. the municipalities officials reported that the Madison important to me.” “Some more manufactur- Sept., start date in timeline from a Taiwanese electron- Region Economic Partner- The state legislature has ing jobs would help address January 2018 Sept. 11-Oct. 8: Ad- ics company visited as they ship (MadREP) had sent been discussing a $3 bil- our double-digit unemploy- vertise position, accept look for locations to build in an email to Dane County lion incentive package for ment in the northern parts of SCOTT GIRARD applications Wisconsin. municipalities asking for the company related to our city,” he said. “I would sites for another potential the potential southeastern definitely be open to mak- Unified Newspaper Group But he cautioned that they Oct. 9-11: Applicant did not meet with any city building. Wisconsin building, and ing sure there was adequate screening After nearly two decades, staff or elected officials, and Gonzalez said the city some critics have expressed transportation from those Fitchburg will have a new Oct. 11: PFC approves any sense of Foxconn poten- responded to MadREP’s concerns with a possible northern parts of our city police chief next year. interview list tially building in Fitchburg email with three possi- exemption for the company to wherever they chose to Thomas Blatter, who Oct. 25: Panel interviews is “very preliminary.” ble sites for development, to environmental standards. locate.” began as chief of the Fitch- “They didn’t state what though he declined to share Gonzalez told the Star Nov. 1: PFC interviews the purpose of their business those sites at this point. that the “typical players” Contact Scott Girard at burg Police with finalists Department was,” Gonzalez said, adding While it’s early in the around Dane County are [email protected] in February Nov.