SELL YOUR HOME EASIER! Local, Experienced & Trusted Get the RIGHT Real Estate Advice... Get Geiger JASON GEIGER It’s your paper! (608) 277-2167 Friday, April 11, 2014 • Vol. 1, No. 2 • Fitchburg, WI • ConnectFitchburg.com • $1 Office Next to Great Dane - Fitchburg GeigerRealtors.com UN338231 Inside Construction Hwy. PD gets fixed season ... Well, kind of. Page 3 takes over SCOTT GIRARD Sports Unified Newspaper Group As the long, freezing winter comes to an end, Fitchburg will see plenty of action around the city in what should be a busy season of construction. With new apartments, homes, businesses and West’s Cates plays roadwork, just going baseball in for a short drive around town brings the sights Puerto Rico of orange cones, big machinery and, yes, a few Page 13 traffic delays. “There’s more than a lot of people realize,” city Business economic development director Mike Zimmer- man said. East side Much of the major con- struction in the upcoming season will be for new apartments, especially on the city’s east side near the new interchange at New Indian cuisine U.S. Hwy. 14 and Lacy Road. in town Avante Properties is in the process of adding to Page 22 its existing 84-unit Riva apartment complex on East Cheryl Parkway with City construction of a new Golf course or 78-unit building, which Photo by Victoria Vlisides should take through the park? Pat Caine is a local dairy farmer who’s been volunteering his time – and his cattle – to help interested youth show his animals and learn spring and part of sum- about their care. He’s become a mentor who helps kids succeed at showing animals in area fairs from his Byrne Road farm in Fitchburg. mer. Take the survey Just around the cor- ner, Tim O’Brien homes Page 18 is also constructing its third single-family home among 27 the company Schools plans to build in the new Uptown neighborhood off Leading the Herd Hwy. 14. It broke ground on the first home last Farmer, mentor volunteers with youth to instill rural values October. Zimmerman said this VICTORIA VLISIDES “We’ve all always been into the cat- construction is the first Unified Newspaper Group tle,” Jeanne said. of much expected in Pat, a Fitchburg native living on the neighborhood in the FFA student Jordan Beyler doesn’t Byrne Road, and his family are what foreseeable future as have any farm animals of her own, people might picture when they think businesses expand as a but she’ll still have a chance to show of a typical Wisconsin dairy farm fam- response to the growing cattle because of the help she gets from ily. With his parents nearby, Pat lives Chopped! population in the area. a local farmer who’s been mentoring at the fifth-generation dairy operation “People want to see Cooking class at kids like her for about a decade. with a two-story farm house. rooftops,” Zimmer- Beyler is among countless other Many in the Fitchburg-Oregon agri- Aldo Leopold man said, referencing youth who have been able to get cultural community are already famil- the attraction residential hands-on experience with showing iar with the “Caine” name (as in Caine buildings can bring for Page 11 cattle because of help from the Caine Road off Hwy. M), which comes with businesses. OHS teacher family of Fitchburg. history and respect, and Pat’s dedica- In the nearby Swan Local farmers since the 1940s and tion to local youth carries on that tradi- brings training Photo by Becki Clark Creek neighborhood, two business owners since 1955, Jeanne tion. His work represents rural values new buildings with 95 back from Brazil and Tom Caine laid a foundation in that can sometimes be forgotten in a Caine has mentored Bailey Clark for a cou- units total will be built community service and farming for big city filled with sprawling urban ple of years in cattle showing. She recently this summer, as well. Page 10 their son Pat, 47, to continue having saw a calf being born on his farm. kids come out to the farm. Caine/Page 20 Construction/Page 21 PRSRT STANDARD ECRWSS Free Parkinson’s Exercise Class Begins US POSTAGE PAID the End of April UNIFIED NEWSPAPER GROUP Watch For (608) 845-6465 Our Upcoming www.fourwindsmanor.com “Ask A Professional” Articles Better Care, Better Living. UN343079 2 April 11, 2014 The Fitchburg Star ConnectFitchburg.com VANN grants will help local families VICTORIA VLISIDES – donated the money to Unified Newspaper Group Joining Forces For Fami- lies so liaisons can help Verona Area Needs out their clients with, Network is donating on average, about $75 funds to two causes toward their bill, said in the community this JFF social worker Lisa spring. Hemauer, who works in VANN pantry director Verona. Karen Fletcher said the Additionally, VANN first grant of $1,500 will will give $1,000 to the go toward helping fami- Verona Area School Dis- lies paying their overdue trict’s Family Assistance bills. That’s in anticipa- Fund. This funding will tion of the moratorium go toward various stu- on electric companies dent needs, such as help- not shutting off power ing students pay for fees during the winter is up in to take the ACT and SAT mid-April. tests. VANN - which serves The donations were Verona and Fitchburg part of VANN’s 2013-14 budget. Photo by Scott De Laruelle Woman killed in traffic Bike on A pair of bike experts from the Freewheel Community Bike Shop (1804 Park St., accident in Janesville Madison) stopped by the library Saturday A Fitchburg woman called to the Interstate afternoon to talk bicycles and show people died in a rollover acci- 39/90 offramp to Hwy. how to keep theirs in good shape. dent on a Janesville 14 around 2:46 a.m., offramp Monday, March Channel3000 reported. Above, Brel Hutton-Okpalaeke demonstrates 17. A 31-year-old Madi- some maintenance techniques. According to Chan- son man lost control Right, Charlie Pastore concentrates on a nel3000, Shondra of his car on the ramp, quick repair. Lynette Morbley, 36, of where it rolled over and Fitchburg died, while came to rest on the driv- five other passengers er’s side, according to were injured. Channel3000. Emergency crews were Live at Riva! TOWNHOMES OPENING JUNE 2014 Welcome To LUXURY LIVING IN UPTOWN FITCHBURG 5152 E. 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VOTE To Keep NMLS #434669 5951 McKee Rd, Suite 100 • Fitchburg WI • 608.441.6000 • OakBankOnline.com • Our Golf Course UN342924 UN345244 OB_14_011_FitchburgStarApril_F.indd 1 4/1/14 4:19 PM ConnectFitchburg.com April 11, 2014 The Fitchburg Star 3 City, county agree to McKee Road repairs • Removal and repaving 6 inches Formal contract delayed of the asphalt MARK IGNATOWSKI • Installation of a paving fabric Unified Newspaper Group that has some waterproofing abilities and helps absorb stresses in the road Drivers along McKee Road • Removal of and compacting should have a smoother commute of the about 10 percent of the base before next winter hits. course material at some of the cracks City of Fitchburg and Dane Coun- and installment of underdrains to ty officials have agreed to a deal that allow water to flow away from the would fix McKee Road and transfer roadway, which should result in less responsibility for maintenance and pavement heaving. future repairs to the city in the next • Snow removal by the city start- few years. The Common Council ing in 2016 was set to approve an agreement • The city taking over maintenance with the county April 8, but that of the road by Jan. 1, 2020 Maintenance in the short term action was delayed while the coun- Photo by Mark Ignatowski ty works out details of the formal would still be partly covered by the agreement. McKee Road isn’t as bumpy as it was two months ago, but the city and county reached a deal this month to prevent the county. The county would fill cracks City administrator Tony Roach heaving drivers experienced on it all winter from returning. and maintain traffic signals for five told the council at its April 8 meeting years after the transfer. In the fifth that Dane County had not yet given Wescott, confirmed the work would Elected leaders for the city are $3 million deal features the city and year, the county would chip seal the the city a copy of the agreement. still be done before next winter. expected to agree to terms later this county cost-sharing 50/50. road if the city wants, with the city It was still to be reviewed by the “There continues to be a lot of month, but officials came to a con- Roach previously told the Star that paying half.