Zoning brings out the acronyms.
• GOOMBYism — Get out of my back yard
• LULUs — locally unwanted land uses
• NOPEs — Not on Planet Earth
• CAVEs — Citizens Against Virtually Everything
• NIMBYs—Not In My Back Yard
• NOTEs—Not Over There Either
• BANANAs—Build absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything
The goal is to:
• Play on public fear of the unknown and lack of technical understanding
• Ignore established facts and records of operation
• Play on public officials’ aversion to conflict
• Obfuscation—muddle the facts and issues
• Delay—hopefully the applicant will go away
• Fear mongering
Monday, August 31, 2009
Friday, August 28, 2009
Budget Principles
As City Manager, I have used these budget principles to guide my decision making.
· Maintain a fiscally sustainable, balanced budget
· Project annual revenue through an analytical process and prepare the budget using conservative estimates and long term forecasting
· Impose taxes, fees, and rates at appropriate levels to fund their intended purposes
· Use one-time resources strategically
· Maintain a reserve for economic uncertainties
· Keep the City Council informed on the fiscal condition of the City
· Focus on incremental changes to staffing and spending
· Identify resources for top priorities and initiatives
· Limit the use of debt to projects that cannot be reasonably funded in a single year and to terms that are consistent with the useful life of the project being undertaken
· Continue to fund capital improvements on an appropriate debt basis with the emphasis on reducing overall debt
· View the budget as a dynamic rather than static plan which requires periodic adjustment as circumstances change
· Maintain a fiscally sustainable, balanced budget
· Project annual revenue through an analytical process and prepare the budget using conservative estimates and long term forecasting
· Impose taxes, fees, and rates at appropriate levels to fund their intended purposes
· Use one-time resources strategically
· Maintain a reserve for economic uncertainties
· Keep the City Council informed on the fiscal condition of the City
· Focus on incremental changes to staffing and spending
· Identify resources for top priorities and initiatives
· Limit the use of debt to projects that cannot be reasonably funded in a single year and to terms that are consistent with the useful life of the project being undertaken
· Continue to fund capital improvements on an appropriate debt basis with the emphasis on reducing overall debt
· View the budget as a dynamic rather than static plan which requires periodic adjustment as circumstances change
Thursday, August 27, 2009
SafeRide Program
Greg Carpenter has called and requested the City consider providing taxi service hours that will work with the SafeRide Program. SafeRide is a program set up by the Tavern League of Wisconsin with grants from the Department of Transportation who fund the program through surcharges on OWI convictions. The department may award grants to any county or municipality or to any nonprofit corporation, as defined in s.66.0129 (6)(b), to cover the costs of transporting persons suspected of having a prohibited alcohol concentration, as defined in s.340.01 (46m), from any premises licensed under ch.125 to sell alcohol beverages, to their place of residence. The amount of a grant under this section may not exceed 50% of the costs necessary to provide the service. The liability of a provider of a safe-ride program to persons transported under the program is limited to the amounts required for an automobile liability policy under s.344.15(1). Grants awarded under this section shall be paid from the appropriation under s.20.395(5)(ek).
County businesses that are ready to begin a Saferide program must establish a contact person to keep records and communicate with the Tavern League Saferide Coordinator. The local businesses must market the program to promote participation. The League provides many proven materials to help. The local businesses must also provide matching funds equal to the amount of your initial grant. This may be done in many ways. Selling Saferide vouchers, golf tournaments, donations etc. are methods used by existing programs.
The City becomes involved because we provide the local taxi service. The SafeRide program has two main options for providing rides, a taxi cab service or a Good Samaritan program. The SafeRide Coordinator will want to know what the specific areas of service and operating hours are for the City taxi service. Our service doesn't cover the hours that are critical to the SafeRide Program and I’m sure they will want us to consider doing it for the SafeRide program because the taxi service is the preferred option. They may want to negotiate the regular rates for rides and ask if we can give you a better price - perhaps a percentage off. They will want us to set up special billing for them with for once a month billing or possibly bi-weekly. The City would have to negotiate these conditions with Brown Cab. Brown Cab has not offered to provide this service and is not interested in anything other than the City paying the full cost of the hours associated with providing the service.
The Good Samaritan payouts are also an option. The Walworth County Tavern League pays out $2 per mile round trip from bar to the patron’s house and back - the minimum Good Samaritan payment is $10 with a maximum payment of $30. The $10 minimum gives the driver a guaranteed amount of money that they can be happy with. Upon completion of the SafeRide, the driver returns the vouchers to the bar the ride originated from for payment. The bar pays the driver from the register, and sends the voucher to the coordinator for reimbursement. The City would not participate in a Good Samaritan Program.
If a Council member is interested in moving this further, they must have it placed on an agenda for discussion.
County businesses that are ready to begin a Saferide program must establish a contact person to keep records and communicate with the Tavern League Saferide Coordinator. The local businesses must market the program to promote participation. The League provides many proven materials to help. The local businesses must also provide matching funds equal to the amount of your initial grant. This may be done in many ways. Selling Saferide vouchers, golf tournaments, donations etc. are methods used by existing programs.
The City becomes involved because we provide the local taxi service. The SafeRide program has two main options for providing rides, a taxi cab service or a Good Samaritan program. The SafeRide Coordinator will want to know what the specific areas of service and operating hours are for the City taxi service. Our service doesn't cover the hours that are critical to the SafeRide Program and I’m sure they will want us to consider doing it for the SafeRide program because the taxi service is the preferred option. They may want to negotiate the regular rates for rides and ask if we can give you a better price - perhaps a percentage off. They will want us to set up special billing for them with for once a month billing or possibly bi-weekly. The City would have to negotiate these conditions with Brown Cab. Brown Cab has not offered to provide this service and is not interested in anything other than the City paying the full cost of the hours associated with providing the service.
The Good Samaritan payouts are also an option. The Walworth County Tavern League pays out $2 per mile round trip from bar to the patron’s house and back - the minimum Good Samaritan payment is $10 with a maximum payment of $30. The $10 minimum gives the driver a guaranteed amount of money that they can be happy with. Upon completion of the SafeRide, the driver returns the vouchers to the bar the ride originated from for payment. The bar pays the driver from the register, and sends the voucher to the coordinator for reimbursement. The City would not participate in a Good Samaritan Program.
If a Council member is interested in moving this further, they must have it placed on an agenda for discussion.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Sanitary Sewer Work to Begin
CP/OWEN/PRAIRIE STREET SANITARY SEWER PROJECT
The Work includes the reconstruction of approximately 2,900 linear feet of sanitary interceptor pipe along CP Avenue, Owen Street, and Prairie Avenue from the Wastewater Treatment Plan to Mulberry Street. This work includes 2,087 linear feet of 15-inch sewer pipe, 813 linear feet of 18-inch sewer pipe, 22 linear feet of 8-inch sewer pipe, 210 linear feet of 6-inch sanitary lateral pipe, 11 sanitary manholes, 2,700 cubic yards of common excavation, 5,478 square yards of asphalt pavement and base course, 2,600 square yards of seed restoration, and other miscellaneous items.
The alternative bid (Mulberry to Cherokee Path) was taken for an additional 1,070 linear feet of 15-inch sewer pipe, 68 linear feet of 8-inch sewer pipe, 360 linear feet of 6-inch sanitary lateral pipe, 7 sanitary manholes, 1,200 cubic yards of common excavation, 2,826 square yards of asphalt pavement and base course, 800 square yards of seed restoration, and other miscellaneous items.
Rawson Contractors is scheduled to begin the Mulberry to Cherokee Path portion of the project on September 1, 2009. The Wastewater Treatment Plant to Mulberry portion of the project will begin September 8, 2009.
The Work includes the reconstruction of approximately 2,900 linear feet of sanitary interceptor pipe along CP Avenue, Owen Street, and Prairie Avenue from the Wastewater Treatment Plan to Mulberry Street. This work includes 2,087 linear feet of 15-inch sewer pipe, 813 linear feet of 18-inch sewer pipe, 22 linear feet of 8-inch sewer pipe, 210 linear feet of 6-inch sanitary lateral pipe, 11 sanitary manholes, 2,700 cubic yards of common excavation, 5,478 square yards of asphalt pavement and base course, 2,600 square yards of seed restoration, and other miscellaneous items.
The alternative bid (Mulberry to Cherokee Path) was taken for an additional 1,070 linear feet of 15-inch sewer pipe, 68 linear feet of 8-inch sewer pipe, 360 linear feet of 6-inch sanitary lateral pipe, 7 sanitary manholes, 1,200 cubic yards of common excavation, 2,826 square yards of asphalt pavement and base course, 800 square yards of seed restoration, and other miscellaneous items.
Rawson Contractors is scheduled to begin the Mulberry to Cherokee Path portion of the project on September 1, 2009. The Wastewater Treatment Plant to Mulberry portion of the project will begin September 8, 2009.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
We Have A Few Trees!
The Lake Mills Forestry Department has an extensive urban forestry management program that is governed by the City of Lake Mills Ordinance 665-B. The purpose of this program is to promote and protect the safety, health and welfare of the general public through the regulation of planting, maintenance and removal of trees within the City of Lake Mills. A continuing effort to improve the urban forestry program in Lake Mills is our goal.
Lake Mills Forestry Facts
* Employs two Certified Arborists.
* Uses and maintains a computerized street tree management plan.
* Responsible for 2656 trees and 330 planting sites along our city streets. These trees have a value of approximately $4 million dollars.
* Responsible for all the publicly owned trees that are located in our parks, cemetery, and at any public owned buildings and properties.
* Has planted over 110 trees per year along our streets and in our parks, for the last 6 years.
* Prunes the street trees in a routine 6 year cycle.
* Prunes street trees under 12" diameter on a routine 3 year cycle.
* Has been a Tree City USA community since 1992.
* Continuing education, safety and dedicated employees is the key to our success as a Forestry Department.
Lake Mills Forestry Facts
* Employs two Certified Arborists.
* Uses and maintains a computerized street tree management plan.
* Responsible for 2656 trees and 330 planting sites along our city streets. These trees have a value of approximately $4 million dollars.
* Responsible for all the publicly owned trees that are located in our parks, cemetery, and at any public owned buildings and properties.
* Has planted over 110 trees per year along our streets and in our parks, for the last 6 years.
* Prunes the street trees in a routine 6 year cycle.
* Prunes street trees under 12" diameter on a routine 3 year cycle.
* Has been a Tree City USA community since 1992.
* Continuing education, safety and dedicated employees is the key to our success as a Forestry Department.
Monday, August 24, 2009
New Substation
A 2007 Update to Electrical System Investigation and Report No.737 (hereinafter referred to as the “Report”) was prepared in August of 2007 by Forster Electrical Engineering of Oregon, Wisconsin.
The report states that the purpose and necessity for the substation is to provide needed reliability to the electrical system, needed capacity for existing loads and planned load growth, and long term economic benefits for the community. A reasonable site for the new substation is near a planned transmission line on property already owned by the City of Lake Mills. This location limits the need for extensive transmission lines and provides several locations to connect to the distribution system.
The recommended plan, as described, had the lowest impact on rate payers and lasts the longest for reliability and capacity. A rate analysis study is included with the Best Value Planning Report located in appendix A of the Report.
The Public Service Commission agreed with the report and issued the construction authorization.
The report states that the purpose and necessity for the substation is to provide needed reliability to the electrical system, needed capacity for existing loads and planned load growth, and long term economic benefits for the community. A reasonable site for the new substation is near a planned transmission line on property already owned by the City of Lake Mills. This location limits the need for extensive transmission lines and provides several locations to connect to the distribution system.
The recommended plan, as described, had the lowest impact on rate payers and lasts the longest for reliability and capacity. A rate analysis study is included with the Best Value Planning Report located in appendix A of the Report.
The Public Service Commission agreed with the report and issued the construction authorization.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Who Did It?
The Council/Manager relationship has change over the years and managers are advising their councils on complex value laden issues. The City Manager becomes associated with values that divide communities. City Manager’s are expected to submit policy proposals to elected officials. They should provide them with facts and advice on matters of policy as a basis for making decisions and setting community goals; and uphold and implement local government policies adopted by elected officials.
The City Manager also recognizes that elected representatives of the people are entitled to the credit for the establishment of local government policies and that the responsibility for policy execution rests with the manager. The Council has trouble with the line between policy and implementation and the manager doesn’t have any problem delving into policy.
As for recognition, the Council President should speak for the Council. This should occur after a policy issue has been resolved by the Council. Council members do themselves a big favor by having one voice after something passes. The Council President speaking for the Council does not gag staff. I believe that staff has an obligation to talk to the press about the issues that we make recommendations regarding. Staff should take care to only represent ourselves and not the Council. I have often been asked by reporters why the Council voted the way they did and I’ve told reporters to discuss the issue with the appropriate council member. The reporter generally indicates that I was the only person that they could get before the press deadline and I have responded with what I thought occurred. I also don’t get to write the article or interpret it for everyone who reads the article. Again, the offended will try hard to be offended.
The Council President should also be signing the poppy resolution, having their picture taken at the Welcome sign and so on. The past Council President did not have time to participate in these activities and they fell to me. I was very happy to have the new Council President step up and perform the duties.
The City Manager also recognizes that elected representatives of the people are entitled to the credit for the establishment of local government policies and that the responsibility for policy execution rests with the manager. The Council has trouble with the line between policy and implementation and the manager doesn’t have any problem delving into policy.
As for recognition, the Council President should speak for the Council. This should occur after a policy issue has been resolved by the Council. Council members do themselves a big favor by having one voice after something passes. The Council President speaking for the Council does not gag staff. I believe that staff has an obligation to talk to the press about the issues that we make recommendations regarding. Staff should take care to only represent ourselves and not the Council. I have often been asked by reporters why the Council voted the way they did and I’ve told reporters to discuss the issue with the appropriate council member. The reporter generally indicates that I was the only person that they could get before the press deadline and I have responded with what I thought occurred. I also don’t get to write the article or interpret it for everyone who reads the article. Again, the offended will try hard to be offended.
The Council President should also be signing the poppy resolution, having their picture taken at the Welcome sign and so on. The past Council President did not have time to participate in these activities and they fell to me. I was very happy to have the new Council President step up and perform the duties.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Tyranena Oktoberfest Bike Ride
The Tyranena Brewery is again hosting the Tyranena Oktoberfest Bike Ride. Now for people who don’t ride, you can still have a lot of fun at the event on October 3rd because the music is always an enjoyable option. The music is scheduled as follows:
Saturday, October 3
1:00pm
Mama Dig Downs (Tentative)
4:00pm
Cash Box Kings
7:00pm
Greg Boerner
The following is information on the music:
For the past 12 years Mama Digdown's has traveled the world spreading the gospel of New Orleans brass band music. While Mama Digdown's nods respectively to the tradition of New Orleans jazz, the street beat they add has earned them the reputation as one of the hottest and hardest hitting brass bands.
Mama Digdown's has played hundreds of shows in their time together and is equally at home in concert halls and in the second line parades of New Orleans. The band has shared bills with such musical legends as The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, The Dirty Dozen and Buddy Guy. Bob French, New Orleans drummer and former member of Fats Dominos band, said of Mama Digdown's "I don't know if the folks up there in Wisconsin know what they have, these Digdown cats can play!"
Whether you catch them uptown, downtown or back-o–town, Mama Digdown's Brass Band will make you shake what your mama gave ya!
The Cash Box Kings are an up and coming blues band dedicated to carrying on the spirit of the 1940's and 1950's post-war blues sound. The band showcases the music of Chess Records and Sun Records luminaries such as Little Walter, Muddy Waters, the Howlin' Wolf, and Big Walter Horton as well as lesser known artists such as Robert Nighthawk, Eddie Taylor, and Luther Huff. The Cash Box Kings delve into the Mississippi Delta sounds of blues men like Charley Patton, Son House, Fred McDowell and R.L. Burnside as well as a healthy dose of original music that captures the essence of the Memphis and Chicago blues sounds of the 40's and 50's.
The Kings' music embodies the raw, stripped-down, ensemble playing that was the hallmark of the post-war Chicago blues sound. Featuring one of the most wild and raucous live blues shows around, this band, delivers an, intense, smoldering, old-school style of blues that is rarely heard these days.
Make no mistake....Greg Boerner is a straight-shootin', clean livin' guitarist/singer/songwriter who performs like some kind of a road-hardened guitar maniac on one song, a 1950's pop idol on another, a Southern troubadour on the next - and at last blows you out of the galaxy with an antique blues tune that might well give John Lee Hooker pause.Today at a young 41, Greg Boerner ( pronounced "Burner" ) shows a musical maturity that belies his age, favoring traditional forms of blues, folk, country, roots rock n' roll and all that comes between. His songwriting reflects this eclectic mix and Boerner cites Ray Charles, Tom Waits, Willie Dixon, Mose Allison, J.J. Cale, Bob Dylan and Willis Alan Ramsey as a few of his influences. Audiences feel quite at ease with where he takes them - as if they are being taken to an old familiar place, but by way of a Southern backroad that only Boerner knows. His performance of blues is immaculate, emotional and convincing, standing proudly on the shoulders of B.B. King, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and all the giants that have come before.But the rock n' roll attitude of those younger days has never left him. It is the very thing that separates him from the majority of singer/songwriters who offer an audience a pleasant "folk" experience - but little more. Boerner's audiences, on the other hand, are quite used to him being soaked at the end of a performance expending more energy and passion playing one song than most of us are born with. Like most great musicians with something to say, Greg Boerner plays and sings as if his life depends on it.....it does.
Travel to Lake Mills and enjoy the experience!
Saturday, October 3
1:00pm
Mama Dig Downs (Tentative)
4:00pm
Cash Box Kings
7:00pm
Greg Boerner
The following is information on the music:
For the past 12 years Mama Digdown's has traveled the world spreading the gospel of New Orleans brass band music. While Mama Digdown's nods respectively to the tradition of New Orleans jazz, the street beat they add has earned them the reputation as one of the hottest and hardest hitting brass bands.
Mama Digdown's has played hundreds of shows in their time together and is equally at home in concert halls and in the second line parades of New Orleans. The band has shared bills with such musical legends as The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, The Dirty Dozen and Buddy Guy. Bob French, New Orleans drummer and former member of Fats Dominos band, said of Mama Digdown's "I don't know if the folks up there in Wisconsin know what they have, these Digdown cats can play!"
Whether you catch them uptown, downtown or back-o–town, Mama Digdown's Brass Band will make you shake what your mama gave ya!
The Cash Box Kings are an up and coming blues band dedicated to carrying on the spirit of the 1940's and 1950's post-war blues sound. The band showcases the music of Chess Records and Sun Records luminaries such as Little Walter, Muddy Waters, the Howlin' Wolf, and Big Walter Horton as well as lesser known artists such as Robert Nighthawk, Eddie Taylor, and Luther Huff. The Cash Box Kings delve into the Mississippi Delta sounds of blues men like Charley Patton, Son House, Fred McDowell and R.L. Burnside as well as a healthy dose of original music that captures the essence of the Memphis and Chicago blues sounds of the 40's and 50's.
The Kings' music embodies the raw, stripped-down, ensemble playing that was the hallmark of the post-war Chicago blues sound. Featuring one of the most wild and raucous live blues shows around, this band, delivers an, intense, smoldering, old-school style of blues that is rarely heard these days.
Make no mistake....Greg Boerner is a straight-shootin', clean livin' guitarist/singer/songwriter who performs like some kind of a road-hardened guitar maniac on one song, a 1950's pop idol on another, a Southern troubadour on the next - and at last blows you out of the galaxy with an antique blues tune that might well give John Lee Hooker pause.Today at a young 41, Greg Boerner ( pronounced "Burner" ) shows a musical maturity that belies his age, favoring traditional forms of blues, folk, country, roots rock n' roll and all that comes between. His songwriting reflects this eclectic mix and Boerner cites Ray Charles, Tom Waits, Willie Dixon, Mose Allison, J.J. Cale, Bob Dylan and Willis Alan Ramsey as a few of his influences. Audiences feel quite at ease with where he takes them - as if they are being taken to an old familiar place, but by way of a Southern backroad that only Boerner knows. His performance of blues is immaculate, emotional and convincing, standing proudly on the shoulders of B.B. King, Bo Diddley, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf and all the giants that have come before.But the rock n' roll attitude of those younger days has never left him. It is the very thing that separates him from the majority of singer/songwriters who offer an audience a pleasant "folk" experience - but little more. Boerner's audiences, on the other hand, are quite used to him being soaked at the end of a performance expending more energy and passion playing one song than most of us are born with. Like most great musicians with something to say, Greg Boerner plays and sings as if his life depends on it.....it does.
Travel to Lake Mills and enjoy the experience!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Vacation
I went up north this weekend and enjoyed my short time away from the grind. The whole family actually made it for the weekend. I spent more time fishing over the four days I was there than I had in the previous thirty years.
The fact that you can wake up and fish without having to get ready, travel and find an unoccupied location added to the eaze of the fishing experience. Something that doesn't happen here at any time.
The fact that you can wake up and fish without having to get ready, travel and find an unoccupied location added to the eaze of the fishing experience. Something that doesn't happen here at any time.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Opportunities
The Jefferson County Economic Development Consortium (JCEDC) serves as the lead economic development organization in Jefferson County. The Consortium was formed in June 2003 to implement Jefferson’s Overall Economic Development Program and to achieve the economic development goals of the County. Its overall goals are to foster and encourage responsible, sustainable economic development activities that result in job creation, job retention, increase the tax base and improve the quality of life for the citizens of Jefferson County.
The Consortium consists of ten voting members, which includes a representative from each of six member villages or cities in the county (this includes the cities of Watertown, Jefferson, Fort Atkinson, Whitewater, Lake Mills, Waterloo and the Village of Johnson Creek), and three county board supervisors. Serving in an ex-officio and non-voting capacity are a representative from the Department of Commerce, the UW-Extension, and the Jefferson County Administrator. In addition, the board has advisory members from the banking, agriculture and utility sectors of the business community.
Dennis Heling, JCEDC’s Executive Director, started a program called the Entrepreneur's & Inventor's Connection, which meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month. This organization is fashioned to serve entrepreneurs, businesses, inventors, and innovators located in Jefferson County and surrounding counties.
The focus of this organization is to provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs, inventors and anyone with a business idea, to participate in networking, learn from experienced entrepreneurs/inventors and develop creative ideas and support for their endeavors. This fosters and encourages the entrepreneurial spirit and is anticipated that it will help create a strong and diverse economic base within the Jefferson County region. The turnout for the organizational meetings demonstrates a strong community interest in forming an organization that will encourage entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial spirit.
In addition, the JCEDC brought the First Step Program and the Entrepreneurial Training Series to Jefferson County. UW-Whitewater produces the program through the SBDC at Whitewater. These programs are geared toward encouraging entrepreneurs to look at business and ways to develop their business including creating a business plan. The First Program looks at such thing as:
Lifestyle changes in becoming an entrepreneur
What are the personal rewards and challenges?
How much capital is needed?
What are the legal requirements?
What’s in a good business plan?
Where to get assistance?
The Consortium consists of ten voting members, which includes a representative from each of six member villages or cities in the county (this includes the cities of Watertown, Jefferson, Fort Atkinson, Whitewater, Lake Mills, Waterloo and the Village of Johnson Creek), and three county board supervisors. Serving in an ex-officio and non-voting capacity are a representative from the Department of Commerce, the UW-Extension, and the Jefferson County Administrator. In addition, the board has advisory members from the banking, agriculture and utility sectors of the business community.
Dennis Heling, JCEDC’s Executive Director, started a program called the Entrepreneur's & Inventor's Connection, which meets on the fourth Wednesday of each month. This organization is fashioned to serve entrepreneurs, businesses, inventors, and innovators located in Jefferson County and surrounding counties.
The focus of this organization is to provide an opportunity for entrepreneurs, inventors and anyone with a business idea, to participate in networking, learn from experienced entrepreneurs/inventors and develop creative ideas and support for their endeavors. This fosters and encourages the entrepreneurial spirit and is anticipated that it will help create a strong and diverse economic base within the Jefferson County region. The turnout for the organizational meetings demonstrates a strong community interest in forming an organization that will encourage entrepreneurs and the entrepreneurial spirit.
In addition, the JCEDC brought the First Step Program and the Entrepreneurial Training Series to Jefferson County. UW-Whitewater produces the program through the SBDC at Whitewater. These programs are geared toward encouraging entrepreneurs to look at business and ways to develop their business including creating a business plan. The First Program looks at such thing as:
Lifestyle changes in becoming an entrepreneur
What are the personal rewards and challenges?
How much capital is needed?
What are the legal requirements?
What’s in a good business plan?
Where to get assistance?
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Wisconsin Innovation Service Center (WISC)
The Wisconsin Innovation Service Center (WISC) specializes in new product and invention assessments and market expansion opportunities for innovative manufacturers, technology businesses, and independent inventors. Since 1980, WISC has researched the viability of more than 8,000 projects. Technical experts and researchers use an extensive array of resources to analyze information on technical feasibility, existing patents, market size, competitive intensity, demand trends, and other areas. WISC's research products cover product feasibility, competitive intelligence, distributor assessment, customer satisfaction, and licensing partnerships.
WISC takes pride in an extremely high rate of client satisfaction, and also in the fact that nearly 75% of clients have been referred by former clients and professionals. For an affordable fee, WISC provides companies with enough information for improved product and market development decisions. If you have a question about their service or new product development, go to the website http://wisc.uww.edu/ and fill out their contact form or call them at 262-472-1365.
WISC takes pride in an extremely high rate of client satisfaction, and also in the fact that nearly 75% of clients have been referred by former clients and professionals. For an affordable fee, WISC provides companies with enough information for improved product and market development decisions. If you have a question about their service or new product development, go to the website http://wisc.uww.edu/ and fill out their contact form or call them at 262-472-1365.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Rock Lake Sailing Regatta
Once again, its sailing time on Rock Lake. CRAW (Catamaran Racing Association of Wisconsin) is hosting the annual Rock Lake Regatta on September 19-20, 2009. Nothing will change from previous year's activities. The competitors will be camping near their boats on Sandy Beach, although no cars will be permitted on the park property overnight.
The schedule of events will be:
1. Friday afternoon/evening. Competetors will be arriving and setting up their race boats.
2. Saturday- 10am. First race, weather and winds permitting. Races will continue all day until approximately 5pm.
3. 6:30pm- Dinner catered at Hering's Sand Bar for race competetors. Sand Bar will also be open to the public.
4. Sunday, 10am. First race. 1pm last race starts.
5. During the entire weekend, volunteers will be available for kids wanting to participate in CRAW's "Intro to Sailing" activities.
In addition to our normal race schedule, during the entire weekend, CRAW will be conducting an "intro to sailing" clinic for kids. CRAW has recently purchased several small O'Pen BIC training boats that are extremely simple to sail, require no previous experience, cannot be damaged, and are loads of fun. Kids as young as 8, have been able to sail these boats without assistance with minimal instruction. We will provide the necessary instruction, and the boats. Anyone under 125 lbs, wanting to participate need only show up at Sandy Beach with a personal flotation device (life preserver) and ask for regatta organizer JJ Johnson, or CRAW youth membership director Daniel Hearn danielhearn@tds.net.
CRAW''s membership consists of catamaran racers from all over the midwest ranging in experience from novice to National Champions. They travel to 8 different racing venues each year, and Rock Lake has become a perennial favorite of the group because of the beautiful beach, proximity to Hering's Sand Bar, and a high level of spectator participation. This year, they can expect 10-20 high speed catamarans, most crewed by 2 sailors. During their exciting downwind runs, spectators will see speeds approaching 20 mph under sail, and photographers will be treated to a kaleidoscope of brightly colored spinnakers.
The schedule of events will be:
1. Friday afternoon/evening. Competetors will be arriving and setting up their race boats.
2. Saturday- 10am. First race, weather and winds permitting. Races will continue all day until approximately 5pm.
3. 6:30pm- Dinner catered at Hering's Sand Bar for race competetors. Sand Bar will also be open to the public.
4. Sunday, 10am. First race. 1pm last race starts.
5. During the entire weekend, volunteers will be available for kids wanting to participate in CRAW's "Intro to Sailing" activities.
In addition to our normal race schedule, during the entire weekend, CRAW will be conducting an "intro to sailing" clinic for kids. CRAW has recently purchased several small O'Pen BIC training boats that are extremely simple to sail, require no previous experience, cannot be damaged, and are loads of fun. Kids as young as 8, have been able to sail these boats without assistance with minimal instruction. We will provide the necessary instruction, and the boats. Anyone under 125 lbs, wanting to participate need only show up at Sandy Beach with a personal flotation device (life preserver) and ask for regatta organizer JJ Johnson, or CRAW youth membership director Daniel Hearn danielhearn@tds.net.
CRAW''s membership consists of catamaran racers from all over the midwest ranging in experience from novice to National Champions. They travel to 8 different racing venues each year, and Rock Lake has become a perennial favorite of the group because of the beautiful beach, proximity to Hering's Sand Bar, and a high level of spectator participation. This year, they can expect 10-20 high speed catamarans, most crewed by 2 sailors. During their exciting downwind runs, spectators will see speeds approaching 20 mph under sail, and photographers will be treated to a kaleidoscope of brightly colored spinnakers.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Lake Mill"s Wholesale Power Bill
This special Developments memo focuses on a single issue – rates. Our staff has received a number of questions concerning high average power costs reflected in wholesale power bills in July for June consumption. I’m sure members have received similar inquiries from their customers. This memo addresses the drivers behind our bills for June consumption, describes actions that WPPI Energy is investigating to mitigate wholesale bill volatility and identifies actions that members can take to lessen the impact on customers of power cost volatility.
Wholesale Bills for June Consumption
The high average power cost we experienced for June consumption was caused by a combination of two factors:
1. The deep recession our country is experiencing has resulted in significantly lower overall electricity consumption on the WPPI Energy system. Loads have dropped by 8 to 10%, primarily as a result of cutbacks in the industrial sector, and
2. Wisconsin experienced a much cooler June than normal, coupled with a few very hot, humid days at the end of the month.
These factors combined to cause significant declines in load factors for the WPPI Energy system as a whole and for many members. In fact, some members experienced the lowest load factors they have ever seen, with decreases of more than 20% compared with their May load factors. Because of the way electric rates are structured for all utilities, including WPPI Energy and its members, the higher a user’s load factor, the lower its average cost of power will be. This occurs because a high load factor customer uses electricity around the clock and thus takes a significant percentage of its energy in the off-peak period when the cost of energy is low. Conversely, a customer with a low load factor generally takes a high percentage of its energy during the high priced on-peak period. This increases its average cost of power.
Much of the load decrease WPPI members have experienced as a result of the recession has occurred off-peak because industrial firms have cut second and third shifts, as well as weekend shifts. Such customers are taking less low cost, off-peak energy, increasing their average per unit cost of electricity, even though the total amount of electricity they are using is less than before. The resulting impact is to lower our system load factor, as well as the load factor of the member serving such an industry.
The weather in June substantially aggravated this problem. We had very hot and humid weather in the last week of June which set high billing demands for members. However, member energy usage over the full month was much lower than projected as a result of very cool weather for three out of four weeks. The combination of high monthly demands and low energy usage resulted in even lower monthly member load factors than recession impacts, which in turn increased the average cost of power delivered by WPPI Energy.
To put some numbers on this situation, WPPI Energy’s load factor in June was 12 percentage points lower than in May. The impact on WPPI Energy of this lower load factor, taken in isolation, was a 5% increase in our average billed cost of power. However, some of our members experienced drops of 20 percentage points or more in their June load factors compared to May. When billed, these members experienced a considerably higher percentage increase in their average cost than the 5% experienced by the WPPI Energy system as a whole.
On the retail side, for example, we know of one industrial customer whose load factor dropped from 67% to 33% because it eliminated off-peak shifts. Although this customer used substantially less electricity than it had in the past, its average cost per Kwh of electricity increased by almost 20%, because of its substantially lower load factor and low off-peak consumption. The customer understandably perceived this change in its average cost as the result of a rate increase. It was not. In fact, had the customer maintained a 67% load factor, the increase in average power cost it would have experienced in June would have been very small. The same would have been true for most members. We recalculated one member’s bill where a 20% load factor decrease occurred and found that its average cost of power in June would have been almost identical to its May cost had the member maintained its May load factor.
Bills in August for July Consumption
We are in the process of pulling together the bills that will be sent next week to our members. July was also much cooler than normal, but we did not experience a demand price spike because of the few days of hot weather. While loads in total were down significantly, resulting in fewer billing units over which to spread our fixed costs than projected in our budget, this cost problem was offset by substantially lower market energy costs, also due to the recession. Our Operation Center was able to buy energy on the market for less than the cost available under our formula rate contracts with the IOUs and thereby achieved significant savings. As a result of these factors, our demand and energy adjustment clauses will be negative in August bills for July consumption. While all the numbers are not yet in, we believe our average power cost should be very close to budget.
Information from Roy Thilly memo dated August 5, 2009
Wholesale Bills for June Consumption
The high average power cost we experienced for June consumption was caused by a combination of two factors:
1. The deep recession our country is experiencing has resulted in significantly lower overall electricity consumption on the WPPI Energy system. Loads have dropped by 8 to 10%, primarily as a result of cutbacks in the industrial sector, and
2. Wisconsin experienced a much cooler June than normal, coupled with a few very hot, humid days at the end of the month.
These factors combined to cause significant declines in load factors for the WPPI Energy system as a whole and for many members. In fact, some members experienced the lowest load factors they have ever seen, with decreases of more than 20% compared with their May load factors. Because of the way electric rates are structured for all utilities, including WPPI Energy and its members, the higher a user’s load factor, the lower its average cost of power will be. This occurs because a high load factor customer uses electricity around the clock and thus takes a significant percentage of its energy in the off-peak period when the cost of energy is low. Conversely, a customer with a low load factor generally takes a high percentage of its energy during the high priced on-peak period. This increases its average cost of power.
Much of the load decrease WPPI members have experienced as a result of the recession has occurred off-peak because industrial firms have cut second and third shifts, as well as weekend shifts. Such customers are taking less low cost, off-peak energy, increasing their average per unit cost of electricity, even though the total amount of electricity they are using is less than before. The resulting impact is to lower our system load factor, as well as the load factor of the member serving such an industry.
The weather in June substantially aggravated this problem. We had very hot and humid weather in the last week of June which set high billing demands for members. However, member energy usage over the full month was much lower than projected as a result of very cool weather for three out of four weeks. The combination of high monthly demands and low energy usage resulted in even lower monthly member load factors than recession impacts, which in turn increased the average cost of power delivered by WPPI Energy.
To put some numbers on this situation, WPPI Energy’s load factor in June was 12 percentage points lower than in May. The impact on WPPI Energy of this lower load factor, taken in isolation, was a 5% increase in our average billed cost of power. However, some of our members experienced drops of 20 percentage points or more in their June load factors compared to May. When billed, these members experienced a considerably higher percentage increase in their average cost than the 5% experienced by the WPPI Energy system as a whole.
On the retail side, for example, we know of one industrial customer whose load factor dropped from 67% to 33% because it eliminated off-peak shifts. Although this customer used substantially less electricity than it had in the past, its average cost per Kwh of electricity increased by almost 20%, because of its substantially lower load factor and low off-peak consumption. The customer understandably perceived this change in its average cost as the result of a rate increase. It was not. In fact, had the customer maintained a 67% load factor, the increase in average power cost it would have experienced in June would have been very small. The same would have been true for most members. We recalculated one member’s bill where a 20% load factor decrease occurred and found that its average cost of power in June would have been almost identical to its May cost had the member maintained its May load factor.
Bills in August for July Consumption
We are in the process of pulling together the bills that will be sent next week to our members. July was also much cooler than normal, but we did not experience a demand price spike because of the few days of hot weather. While loads in total were down significantly, resulting in fewer billing units over which to spread our fixed costs than projected in our budget, this cost problem was offset by substantially lower market energy costs, also due to the recession. Our Operation Center was able to buy energy on the market for less than the cost available under our formula rate contracts with the IOUs and thereby achieved significant savings. As a result of these factors, our demand and energy adjustment clauses will be negative in August bills for July consumption. While all the numbers are not yet in, we believe our average power cost should be very close to budget.
Information from Roy Thilly memo dated August 5, 2009
Friday, August 7, 2009
Explanation of electric bills received in August 2009 by Paul Hermanson
We are keenly aware that several residential customers of Lake Mills Water & Light (LMLW) have called to either inquire or complain about the cost of electricity on their most recent bills. This memo is to provide some insight as to why bills are higher than expected.
LMLW received approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to implement a rate increase in late May to take affect with energy used after June 1, 2009. This is the first bill received under the new rates. The effective rate increase for residential customers is approximately 8%. This includes a $1.50 increase in the customer Charge ($5.50 to $7) and an increase in the effective rate of $.0953 to $.1028 per kWh (approximately 7.9%).
When the rate increase was approved by the PSC it assumed the Power Cost Adjustment Clause (PCAC) would be close, or equal to zero. However, the most recent billing included a PCAC of $.024. Consequently, the effective rate at which customers were billed was approximately $.1268. This is an increase of approximately 33% from the previous month.
Here’s what is driving the cost increase:
First, it is important to note that the LMLW portion of the increase was maintained at approximately 8%.
However, there are three basic reasons for this month’s larger than expected electric bills.
1 – Weather – This billing period includes part of June and part of July. The last couple weeks of June were extremely hot and humid. This causes more fans, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers to operate and, ultimately, customers use more kWh.
2 – Weather again - What also happens because of the hot weather is that energy demand increases dramatically, but overall kWh consumption is increases only slightly. Energy demand is the instant requirement of electricity, consumption is the use of energy over a period to time. This high demand, but comparatively low consumption results in a higher cost per kWh, because power plants must burn more fuel to meet the demand and transmission line become more congested.
In real terms, under this scenario our power supplier, WPPI Energy, charges LMLW a higher purchase cost per kWh, because their cost to generate electricity is higher than expected. The difference between the estimated cost of electricity and actual cost is what determines the PCAC. In other words, we simply pass along WPPI Energy’s increased generation cost as the PCAC. LMLW has no control over the PCAC, and receives no additional revenue.
3 – Timing – In our July billing we collected revenue on the sale of approximately 4.5 million kWh, but we were billed from WPPI Energy for approximately 5.5 million kWh – a difference of 1 million kWh. This does not mean we were over billed. It means the timing between when we read meters and bill customers is different than when WPPI Energy reads our meter and bills us.
For example, we read a cycle of meters from the 15th of June to the 15th of July, while WPPI Energy reads from the June 1st to June 30th. Over the course of a year, this all evens out. Once again, our purchase cost per kWh is affected because we’re billing for less kWh than we’re buying for in this particular time period.
What all this means is that this billing is exceptionally high, and it’s entirely probably that the next billing may be considerably lower. We’ve already been informed that the WPPI Energy bills may potentially result in a negative PCAC for September. We also understand that we’re not alone in this predicament, and that WPPI Energy CEO Roy Thilly will be sending a letter outlining next steps.
As you recall, one of the reasons for adjusting our rates was to level out the PCAC so we don’t get these large swings in cost. Unfortunately, instituting our rate increase corresponded with one of the highest PCACs WPPI Energy has passed along in years. This is a rough start under the new rates, but we remain confident our effort to level costs will take effect over the course of the next 12 months.
Finally, I want to note that the rate increase does provide considerable value to the utility and consumers, and that we are working to use the revenue wisely and efficiently.
1 - We will complete our new substation soon. When the substation goes on line we will immediately reduce our power costs by as much as $500,000 per year because we no longer have to pay WE Energies to provide back-up service.
2 - This new substation will greatly increase our reliability because we won’t have to rely on 40 to 50 year-old equipment. Our capacity will also increase allowing us to grow readily.
3 - Because of the timing of building our substation now we got very good prices on the equipment and construction. We will be at least $500,000 below estimated cost.
4 - We are in the process of replacing our electric and water meters with new remote read meters. This will allow us to reduce meter reading costs and time, and we anticipate it will help us bring our meter reading timing more in line with WPPI Energy’s meter reading.
5 - And finally, we are in the final stages of implementing a mapping system that will allow us to be more efficient on maintain the distribution system. We will be able to respond to outages quicker, control our inventory better, and plan for line replacement in a more timely fashion.
LMLW received approval from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin to implement a rate increase in late May to take affect with energy used after June 1, 2009. This is the first bill received under the new rates. The effective rate increase for residential customers is approximately 8%. This includes a $1.50 increase in the customer Charge ($5.50 to $7) and an increase in the effective rate of $.0953 to $.1028 per kWh (approximately 7.9%).
When the rate increase was approved by the PSC it assumed the Power Cost Adjustment Clause (PCAC) would be close, or equal to zero. However, the most recent billing included a PCAC of $.024. Consequently, the effective rate at which customers were billed was approximately $.1268. This is an increase of approximately 33% from the previous month.
Here’s what is driving the cost increase:
First, it is important to note that the LMLW portion of the increase was maintained at approximately 8%.
However, there are three basic reasons for this month’s larger than expected electric bills.
1 – Weather – This billing period includes part of June and part of July. The last couple weeks of June were extremely hot and humid. This causes more fans, air conditioners, and dehumidifiers to operate and, ultimately, customers use more kWh.
2 – Weather again - What also happens because of the hot weather is that energy demand increases dramatically, but overall kWh consumption is increases only slightly. Energy demand is the instant requirement of electricity, consumption is the use of energy over a period to time. This high demand, but comparatively low consumption results in a higher cost per kWh, because power plants must burn more fuel to meet the demand and transmission line become more congested.
In real terms, under this scenario our power supplier, WPPI Energy, charges LMLW a higher purchase cost per kWh, because their cost to generate electricity is higher than expected. The difference between the estimated cost of electricity and actual cost is what determines the PCAC. In other words, we simply pass along WPPI Energy’s increased generation cost as the PCAC. LMLW has no control over the PCAC, and receives no additional revenue.
3 – Timing – In our July billing we collected revenue on the sale of approximately 4.5 million kWh, but we were billed from WPPI Energy for approximately 5.5 million kWh – a difference of 1 million kWh. This does not mean we were over billed. It means the timing between when we read meters and bill customers is different than when WPPI Energy reads our meter and bills us.
For example, we read a cycle of meters from the 15th of June to the 15th of July, while WPPI Energy reads from the June 1st to June 30th. Over the course of a year, this all evens out. Once again, our purchase cost per kWh is affected because we’re billing for less kWh than we’re buying for in this particular time period.
What all this means is that this billing is exceptionally high, and it’s entirely probably that the next billing may be considerably lower. We’ve already been informed that the WPPI Energy bills may potentially result in a negative PCAC for September. We also understand that we’re not alone in this predicament, and that WPPI Energy CEO Roy Thilly will be sending a letter outlining next steps.
As you recall, one of the reasons for adjusting our rates was to level out the PCAC so we don’t get these large swings in cost. Unfortunately, instituting our rate increase corresponded with one of the highest PCACs WPPI Energy has passed along in years. This is a rough start under the new rates, but we remain confident our effort to level costs will take effect over the course of the next 12 months.
Finally, I want to note that the rate increase does provide considerable value to the utility and consumers, and that we are working to use the revenue wisely and efficiently.
1 - We will complete our new substation soon. When the substation goes on line we will immediately reduce our power costs by as much as $500,000 per year because we no longer have to pay WE Energies to provide back-up service.
2 - This new substation will greatly increase our reliability because we won’t have to rely on 40 to 50 year-old equipment. Our capacity will also increase allowing us to grow readily.
3 - Because of the timing of building our substation now we got very good prices on the equipment and construction. We will be at least $500,000 below estimated cost.
4 - We are in the process of replacing our electric and water meters with new remote read meters. This will allow us to reduce meter reading costs and time, and we anticipate it will help us bring our meter reading timing more in line with WPPI Energy’s meter reading.
5 - And finally, we are in the final stages of implementing a mapping system that will allow us to be more efficient on maintain the distribution system. We will be able to respond to outages quicker, control our inventory better, and plan for line replacement in a more timely fashion.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Site Plan Review
The review of site plans has never been one of my favorite activities. Every owner has a reason why their site plan is exempt from almost all city requirements. It is rare to find the well thought out site plan at the beginning of the process and rarer to have an owner want to comply with the need to think through their site plan because it cost money that could be applied to a productive process for their business.
Now they think that the economic situation allows them to disregard all city ordinances and standards. Site Plan review is now a full scale battle that involves politics more than ever. Owners are running to the press and politicians claiming that staff is unfair and holding up projects that provide badly needed jobs. Nobody seems to be able to keep a reasonable perspective about what should be done. I've seen site plans where the site has two driveways built across a ditch and no culverts and I'm suppose to approve it anyways because the ditch is the city's problem. Thinking through the site prior to construction prevents issues that the city will ultimately have to remedy after construction - which is always harder then during construction.
The public is generally pretty quick to make assumptions and not follow the whole issue through until they start to have flooding problems or the street becomes undriveable. City codes are in for a few tough years.
Now they think that the economic situation allows them to disregard all city ordinances and standards. Site Plan review is now a full scale battle that involves politics more than ever. Owners are running to the press and politicians claiming that staff is unfair and holding up projects that provide badly needed jobs. Nobody seems to be able to keep a reasonable perspective about what should be done. I've seen site plans where the site has two driveways built across a ditch and no culverts and I'm suppose to approve it anyways because the ditch is the city's problem. Thinking through the site prior to construction prevents issues that the city will ultimately have to remedy after construction - which is always harder then during construction.
The public is generally pretty quick to make assumptions and not follow the whole issue through until they start to have flooding problems or the street becomes undriveable. City codes are in for a few tough years.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
WISLR
The City of Lake Mills works with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation on a pavement rating system called Wisconsin Information System for Local Roads (WISLR). Lake Mills uses the Wisconsin Information System for Local Roads, or WISLR, a system developed to aid local governments and the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) with management of Lake Mills 40 miles of local roads. City Staff surveys the streets based on a system developed by WisDOT and then submit the information for incorporation into WisDOT’s database.
The information is:
Physical attributes
Surface type● Left and right shoulder ● One way● Right-of-way● Median type● Left and right curb● Parking● Traffic lanes● Pavement rating● Sidewalk●
Plus more
Administrative attributes
Owner● Road category● Access control● Urban location● Federal urban/rural area● Functional classification● National Highway System data● Highway
Performance Monitoring System data● International Roughness Index data● High Occupancy Vehicle Lane data● Strategic Highway Network data
WISLR offers local governments:
__ Access to key data for decision-making
__ Get more value for your improvement $$$$
__ Substantiate statewide local road pavement needs
__ Control the quality of your data locally
* Update local data in real-time (formal training required)
* Correct data errors as discovered
__ Map your data and view its location
* Provides the ability to view trends in data
* Provides graphics to enhance presentations
__ Quick access to WisDOT forms, maps and reports
* Construction reports
* Inventory reports in Information System for Local Roads (WISLR).
Lake Mills has used the system to evaluate the road projects in their five year capital plan.
The information is:
Physical attributes
Surface type● Left and right shoulder ● One way● Right-of-way● Median type● Left and right curb● Parking● Traffic lanes● Pavement rating● Sidewalk●
Plus more
Administrative attributes
Owner● Road category● Access control● Urban location● Federal urban/rural area● Functional classification● National Highway System data● Highway
Performance Monitoring System data● International Roughness Index data● High Occupancy Vehicle Lane data● Strategic Highway Network data
WISLR offers local governments:
__ Access to key data for decision-making
__ Get more value for your improvement $$$$
__ Substantiate statewide local road pavement needs
__ Control the quality of your data locally
* Update local data in real-time (formal training required)
* Correct data errors as discovered
__ Map your data and view its location
* Provides the ability to view trends in data
* Provides graphics to enhance presentations
__ Quick access to WisDOT forms, maps and reports
* Construction reports
* Inventory reports in Information System for Local Roads (WISLR).
Lake Mills has used the system to evaluate the road projects in their five year capital plan.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Drainage
Standing water inside and/or seepage into residential crawl spaces and basements can cause frustrating problems for the homeowner. These problems can be both immediate and long term. For example, standing water and mud inside crawl spaces make it very difficult and messy to gain access under the house for inspecting, maintaining, and servicing electrical circuits, drains and water lines, heating and air conditioning, and other utilities. Wet basements and crawl spaces are sources of high humidity, which can produce surface condensation, mildew and fungi, musty odors, and an unhealthful environment. Such moisture can cause deterioration of floor joists, beams, subflooring, insulation, and electrical-mechanical systems. Prolonged water around the footer and foundation wall can soften the soil and weaken its bearing capacity, increasing the possibility of wall settlement and cracking. Serious seepage under the foundation footer may erode soil away and cause the wall to drop or crack. Excessive moisture can eventually penetrate the subflooring and buckle the flooring or cause warping, making doors and cabinets difficult to close or open. Since crawl space or basement dampness always moves toward the drier upstairs areas, higher humidity will result in costlier heating and air conditioning bills. In the case of crawl spaces, if the underflooring insulation collects moisture, or sags from excessive wetness, the heating and air conditioning costs are driven even higher. Finally, wet basements and crawl spaces reduce the value of the house--at least by the amount that would be required to repair the damage and to eliminate the cause of the problem. Some homeowners are reluctant to discuss or admit their water problem; for fear that the publicity of an actual or even a perceived problem would reduce the value of their investment. Homeowners, in such situations, they should immediately seek professional assistance in assessing the source and extent of the problem and in finding a remedy.
Some problems may be solved simply by repairing an obvious gutter or downspout leak, while other problems may have causes which are difficult to identify and very expensive to fix. Severe crawl space and basement water problems may cost several thousand dollars to remedy. Always use a competent professional to help you find and eliminate the source of your problem. Don’t settle on quick and cheap fixes which merely deal with the symptoms of the problems.
In order to prevent wet crawl spaces and basements, it is important to understand where the water is coming from. There are four common sources of water that seeps into basements:
Surface water running down foundation walls
Groundwater in water-saturated soils being pushed into the basement by hydrostatic pressure
Storm sewer water from the municipal storm sewer system backing up into the home's existing perimeter foundation drain and leaking into the basement (this can only occur if the perimeter foundation drain system is connected to the municipal sewer system)
Sanitary sewer water from a combined municipal storm/sanitary sewer system backing up into the home's drain system, causing sewer water to come up through sink drains and floor drains on lower levels.
When homeowners experience wet basements for the first time, it is imperative to determine if the water problems are going to reoccur or if it was a one-time event. Essential to solving this question is determining from where is the water coming.
The good news about these unplanned indoor pools is this: while wet basements are often thought of as one life’s biggest home repair headaches, they are generally easy and inexpensive to fix. Most people blame a wet basement on a high water table, the natural level of water in the soil under the building site. This is another myth that could not be further from the truth. Homes are not built below water tables. Builders attempting such a feat would find themselves constructing a foundation in a muddy mess. Likewise, basements that flood after a storm are also never caused by rising water tables. A water table moves slowly and seasonally. If your leaks show up after a heavy rainfall or snowmelt, the cause of your problem is far easier to spot and to fix.
Most basement leaks can be traced to trouble with the drainage conditions around the outside of the house which result in surface water running down foundation walls or saturating the areas around the foundation and entering the footing tiles. If too much water is allowed to collect in the soil around the foundation, it will naturally leak into the basement through the walls, or even up through the center of the floor or overwhelm a sump pump.
The solution lies in improving these drainage conditions. Something that is easy, cheap and highly effective. Here’s where to begin:
Surface Water
Good Gutters
Roof drainage is, by far, the number one cause of basement leakage. Since roof surfaces are as large as the house, they collect lots of water in heavy rainstorms. What happens to that collected water can make the difference between a wet and a dry basement.
Properly designed gutters should have at least one downspout for every six hundred (600) – eight hundred (800) square feet of roof surface. Gutters must be clean. Dirty gutters fill up and the water overflows directly where you don't want it to be: near the foundation. It’s also important to make sure the ends of the downspouts are extended to discharge at least four (4) to ten (10) feet from the foundation. Spouts which discharge too close to the foundation are like big fire hoses that just blast water into the basement.
Be careful not to discharge downspouts too close to your neighbor's property. Most towns and cities have ordinances that prevent downspouts from discharging too close to the property line and causing water problems for neighbors. The local building inspections department can provide you with the minimum distance.
Sloping Soil
Next to gutter problems, the angle of the soil around the foundation perimeter can also cause wet basement woes. The soil should slope away from the house to keep rainfall from collecting against foundation walls.
The angle and type of soil are also important. The soil should slope downward 6 inches over the first four (4) feet from the foundation wall. Thereafter, it can be graded more gradually but should never allow water to run back towards the house.
If grading needs improvement, use clean fill dirt (not top soil) to build up the soil around your house. Tamp the soil down to the correct slope and finish with a layer of top soil and grass seed to prevent erosion. Or, just use stone or mulch. Whatever the top layer is, be certain the slope is established with the fill dirt - or else the water will just run through the more porous material and into the basement. Also, don’t use straight top soil for the grading improvement. This kind of soil is too organic and will hold water against the foundation, which is the opposite of what needs to be done.
It is also important to avoid landscape treatments that hold soil to the house. A brick, stone or landscape timber edging around flower beds adjacent to foundation walls may look attractive, but these edges can prevent water from draining away from the foundation and increase your risk of flooding.
Any hills sloping down toward the house may be the source of the water at the foundation. If this is the case, a civil engineer may be required to analyze the situation and determine the appropriate solutions. In most cases where the yard area slopes toward the house and surface water collects or ponds near the foundation wall, a V-ditch or swale should be constructed around the house to allow surface drainage from both the foundation wall and the other yard areas to an adequate ditch or storm drain. Such cases often exist where the front street is higher than the first floor of the house or when the house is built on the side of a hill.
One of the single largest problems is homeowners who sign the purhase contract argeeing to take responsibility for the final grading of a site. The owner is now responsible for understanding and properly grading the lot. The second owner buys the site with the full opportunity to understand the problems of the property by using a home inspector and an attorney.
A building permit is not issued until the building pad is to rough grade, the actual elevation of the first floor is not regulated and the builder or home owner actual is the ultimate determiner of the building elevation. There are many varied house construction styles and methods and the city does not regulate which ones must be used unless it is required in a lot covenant or noted on the plat as a restriction. Any attempt to blame the city for this problem is misplaced.
Sloping Pavement
Paved areas next to the house that slope toward the house can be the source of the problem. Sometimes paving settles over time and water flow can change direction toward the house. If this is the case, the paving should be removed and replaced so it slopes away from the home.
Controlling Subsurface Groundwater
If no surface water sources are found, then the source of the water is likely subsurface groundwater under hydrostatic pressure. Unfortunately, subsurface groundwater problems are more difficult and more expensive to fix than surface groundwater problems.
When the groundwater levels outside the basement rises above the level of the floor, the basement acts like a boat in a pond. If a boat is sitting in water, water will leak in through any open cracks or holes. It works the same way with a basement. Hydrostatic pressure can push water through hairline cracks.
Symptoms of this are water coming up through cracks in the basement concrete floor or water coming in at multiple locations.
If you have an older house and the house has a basement with no sump pump, it is likely the perimeter foundation drain system connects directly into the city storm sewer system. If the level of the basement is below the street level, there is the potential of storm water backing up in the city storm sewer system and being pushed into the perimeter foundation drain system. This can saturate the soils around the house at the basement level with storm water under hydrostatic pressure, causing water to leak in.
Another source of subsurface groundwater is an underground spring.
No matter where it is coming from, the best way to control subsurface groundwater is to install some type of perimeter drain system to relieve hydrostatic pressure. The groundwater is pushed into the drain system and not into areas where it can damage carpets, walls or belongings. The water drains by gravity into a sump pit where a sump pump discharges it out of the house.
There are two basic types of drain systems for wet basements. One is a perimeter above-slab gutter system installed at the base of the exterior foundation walls on top of the floor slab. It doubles as a base material for the wall. The other type of drainage system is a below slab perimeter drainage system. The below slab system requires the partial removal of the concrete floor slab and installation of drainage pipe making it more expensive than the base gutter system.
It is believed that an under-floor drainage system is better because the under-floor drains are believed to relieve the hydrostatic pressure before the water reaches the bottom of the floor slab.
There are many springs in the Lake Mills area, but predicting their location and preventing construction on those sites would be an expensive and highly unreliable process.
Storm water backing up into your home
In many older houses with basements (mostly pre-1980), there is a perimeter foundation drain outside the exterior wall, at the level of the basement floor, next to the footings at the time the house was built. A pipe was usually installed from the perimeter foundation drain to the street where it was connected to the city storm sewer system.
This can become a problem as the city storm sewer system becomes too small when more development causes more rain runoff. When this happens, the rainwater in the sewer system can get so high that water flows backwards toward the house. The perimeter foundation drain fills with water and releases large quantities into the soil next to the footing and basement floor. The soil becomes water-logged and the water which is under hydrostatic pressure leaks into the basement.
Usually the installation of an interior perimeter basement drain system connected to a sump pump will take care of the problem. The interior perimeter basement drain system can usually pump the water out and onto the ground as fast as the water is backing up from the city storm sewer system.
If that doesn't take care of it, the other, more expensive alternative would be to dig up and cap the pipe that is running from the house to the street from the perimeter foundation drain. However, this is not always possible because many times, this pipe is also draining sanitary waste from toilets and sinks in the house.
If you believe you have this problem, contact an experienced contractor for advice.
Sanitary sewer water backing up into your home
If the water is coming up through floor drains or sink drains in the basement, then the problem is likely water backing up from the municipal sanitary sewer system. The Lake Mills Wastewater Utility has sanitary sewers designed to transfer sanitary waste only. When stormwater is introduced to the sanitary system, either through inflow or infiltration, overflows can result.
Homeowners commonly use sump pumps in their basements to battle moisture and flooding issues. However, water from sump pumps should NOT be discharged into the sanitary sewer system. That’s called a cross connection, and it results in higher sanitary sewer costs. Often, this is a hose leading from the sump to a laundry tub or a floor drain. As you may know, water that goes down any drain in your house leads to the sanitary sewer system and eventually ends up at a wastewater treatment plant, where it is treated before being released back into the environment. Sump pump water is what engineers call "clear water"-most often rain water, ground water, or snow melt. This water should flow directly into area streams, ponds, and lakes. Water from sinks, showers, tubs, toilets, and washing machines is wastewater and must be treated before it is discharged into the environment. As the groundwater rises in an area, water pumped out of the basement and onto the yard generally finds its way back into the basement. This frustrating cycle leads many to redirect the sump pump to the sanitary sewer system.
You can imagine the mess this creates for homeowners because it usually means they are getting other people's fecal waste backing up into their basement. Homeowner can install backflow preventers that help stop sewer water from flowing backward into the house.
Unfortunately, because the city sanitary system works in conjunction with every house sanitary piping, the backflow preventer usually cannot be located on the house's main sewer line. It usually requires several backflow preventers at all basement drain locations, such at every floor drain, sink and toilet.
Some problems may be solved simply by repairing an obvious gutter or downspout leak, while other problems may have causes which are difficult to identify and very expensive to fix. Severe crawl space and basement water problems may cost several thousand dollars to remedy. Always use a competent professional to help you find and eliminate the source of your problem. Don’t settle on quick and cheap fixes which merely deal with the symptoms of the problems.
In order to prevent wet crawl spaces and basements, it is important to understand where the water is coming from. There are four common sources of water that seeps into basements:
Surface water running down foundation walls
Groundwater in water-saturated soils being pushed into the basement by hydrostatic pressure
Storm sewer water from the municipal storm sewer system backing up into the home's existing perimeter foundation drain and leaking into the basement (this can only occur if the perimeter foundation drain system is connected to the municipal sewer system)
Sanitary sewer water from a combined municipal storm/sanitary sewer system backing up into the home's drain system, causing sewer water to come up through sink drains and floor drains on lower levels.
When homeowners experience wet basements for the first time, it is imperative to determine if the water problems are going to reoccur or if it was a one-time event. Essential to solving this question is determining from where is the water coming.
The good news about these unplanned indoor pools is this: while wet basements are often thought of as one life’s biggest home repair headaches, they are generally easy and inexpensive to fix. Most people blame a wet basement on a high water table, the natural level of water in the soil under the building site. This is another myth that could not be further from the truth. Homes are not built below water tables. Builders attempting such a feat would find themselves constructing a foundation in a muddy mess. Likewise, basements that flood after a storm are also never caused by rising water tables. A water table moves slowly and seasonally. If your leaks show up after a heavy rainfall or snowmelt, the cause of your problem is far easier to spot and to fix.
Most basement leaks can be traced to trouble with the drainage conditions around the outside of the house which result in surface water running down foundation walls or saturating the areas around the foundation and entering the footing tiles. If too much water is allowed to collect in the soil around the foundation, it will naturally leak into the basement through the walls, or even up through the center of the floor or overwhelm a sump pump.
The solution lies in improving these drainage conditions. Something that is easy, cheap and highly effective. Here’s where to begin:
Surface Water
Good Gutters
Roof drainage is, by far, the number one cause of basement leakage. Since roof surfaces are as large as the house, they collect lots of water in heavy rainstorms. What happens to that collected water can make the difference between a wet and a dry basement.
Properly designed gutters should have at least one downspout for every six hundred (600) – eight hundred (800) square feet of roof surface. Gutters must be clean. Dirty gutters fill up and the water overflows directly where you don't want it to be: near the foundation. It’s also important to make sure the ends of the downspouts are extended to discharge at least four (4) to ten (10) feet from the foundation. Spouts which discharge too close to the foundation are like big fire hoses that just blast water into the basement.
Be careful not to discharge downspouts too close to your neighbor's property. Most towns and cities have ordinances that prevent downspouts from discharging too close to the property line and causing water problems for neighbors. The local building inspections department can provide you with the minimum distance.
Sloping Soil
Next to gutter problems, the angle of the soil around the foundation perimeter can also cause wet basement woes. The soil should slope away from the house to keep rainfall from collecting against foundation walls.
The angle and type of soil are also important. The soil should slope downward 6 inches over the first four (4) feet from the foundation wall. Thereafter, it can be graded more gradually but should never allow water to run back towards the house.
If grading needs improvement, use clean fill dirt (not top soil) to build up the soil around your house. Tamp the soil down to the correct slope and finish with a layer of top soil and grass seed to prevent erosion. Or, just use stone or mulch. Whatever the top layer is, be certain the slope is established with the fill dirt - or else the water will just run through the more porous material and into the basement. Also, don’t use straight top soil for the grading improvement. This kind of soil is too organic and will hold water against the foundation, which is the opposite of what needs to be done.
It is also important to avoid landscape treatments that hold soil to the house. A brick, stone or landscape timber edging around flower beds adjacent to foundation walls may look attractive, but these edges can prevent water from draining away from the foundation and increase your risk of flooding.
Any hills sloping down toward the house may be the source of the water at the foundation. If this is the case, a civil engineer may be required to analyze the situation and determine the appropriate solutions. In most cases where the yard area slopes toward the house and surface water collects or ponds near the foundation wall, a V-ditch or swale should be constructed around the house to allow surface drainage from both the foundation wall and the other yard areas to an adequate ditch or storm drain. Such cases often exist where the front street is higher than the first floor of the house or when the house is built on the side of a hill.
One of the single largest problems is homeowners who sign the purhase contract argeeing to take responsibility for the final grading of a site. The owner is now responsible for understanding and properly grading the lot. The second owner buys the site with the full opportunity to understand the problems of the property by using a home inspector and an attorney.
A building permit is not issued until the building pad is to rough grade, the actual elevation of the first floor is not regulated and the builder or home owner actual is the ultimate determiner of the building elevation. There are many varied house construction styles and methods and the city does not regulate which ones must be used unless it is required in a lot covenant or noted on the plat as a restriction. Any attempt to blame the city for this problem is misplaced.
Sloping Pavement
Paved areas next to the house that slope toward the house can be the source of the problem. Sometimes paving settles over time and water flow can change direction toward the house. If this is the case, the paving should be removed and replaced so it slopes away from the home.
Controlling Subsurface Groundwater
If no surface water sources are found, then the source of the water is likely subsurface groundwater under hydrostatic pressure. Unfortunately, subsurface groundwater problems are more difficult and more expensive to fix than surface groundwater problems.
When the groundwater levels outside the basement rises above the level of the floor, the basement acts like a boat in a pond. If a boat is sitting in water, water will leak in through any open cracks or holes. It works the same way with a basement. Hydrostatic pressure can push water through hairline cracks.
Symptoms of this are water coming up through cracks in the basement concrete floor or water coming in at multiple locations.
If you have an older house and the house has a basement with no sump pump, it is likely the perimeter foundation drain system connects directly into the city storm sewer system. If the level of the basement is below the street level, there is the potential of storm water backing up in the city storm sewer system and being pushed into the perimeter foundation drain system. This can saturate the soils around the house at the basement level with storm water under hydrostatic pressure, causing water to leak in.
Another source of subsurface groundwater is an underground spring.
No matter where it is coming from, the best way to control subsurface groundwater is to install some type of perimeter drain system to relieve hydrostatic pressure. The groundwater is pushed into the drain system and not into areas where it can damage carpets, walls or belongings. The water drains by gravity into a sump pit where a sump pump discharges it out of the house.
There are two basic types of drain systems for wet basements. One is a perimeter above-slab gutter system installed at the base of the exterior foundation walls on top of the floor slab. It doubles as a base material for the wall. The other type of drainage system is a below slab perimeter drainage system. The below slab system requires the partial removal of the concrete floor slab and installation of drainage pipe making it more expensive than the base gutter system.
It is believed that an under-floor drainage system is better because the under-floor drains are believed to relieve the hydrostatic pressure before the water reaches the bottom of the floor slab.
There are many springs in the Lake Mills area, but predicting their location and preventing construction on those sites would be an expensive and highly unreliable process.
Storm water backing up into your home
In many older houses with basements (mostly pre-1980), there is a perimeter foundation drain outside the exterior wall, at the level of the basement floor, next to the footings at the time the house was built. A pipe was usually installed from the perimeter foundation drain to the street where it was connected to the city storm sewer system.
This can become a problem as the city storm sewer system becomes too small when more development causes more rain runoff. When this happens, the rainwater in the sewer system can get so high that water flows backwards toward the house. The perimeter foundation drain fills with water and releases large quantities into the soil next to the footing and basement floor. The soil becomes water-logged and the water which is under hydrostatic pressure leaks into the basement.
Usually the installation of an interior perimeter basement drain system connected to a sump pump will take care of the problem. The interior perimeter basement drain system can usually pump the water out and onto the ground as fast as the water is backing up from the city storm sewer system.
If that doesn't take care of it, the other, more expensive alternative would be to dig up and cap the pipe that is running from the house to the street from the perimeter foundation drain. However, this is not always possible because many times, this pipe is also draining sanitary waste from toilets and sinks in the house.
If you believe you have this problem, contact an experienced contractor for advice.
Sanitary sewer water backing up into your home
If the water is coming up through floor drains or sink drains in the basement, then the problem is likely water backing up from the municipal sanitary sewer system. The Lake Mills Wastewater Utility has sanitary sewers designed to transfer sanitary waste only. When stormwater is introduced to the sanitary system, either through inflow or infiltration, overflows can result.
Homeowners commonly use sump pumps in their basements to battle moisture and flooding issues. However, water from sump pumps should NOT be discharged into the sanitary sewer system. That’s called a cross connection, and it results in higher sanitary sewer costs. Often, this is a hose leading from the sump to a laundry tub or a floor drain. As you may know, water that goes down any drain in your house leads to the sanitary sewer system and eventually ends up at a wastewater treatment plant, where it is treated before being released back into the environment. Sump pump water is what engineers call "clear water"-most often rain water, ground water, or snow melt. This water should flow directly into area streams, ponds, and lakes. Water from sinks, showers, tubs, toilets, and washing machines is wastewater and must be treated before it is discharged into the environment. As the groundwater rises in an area, water pumped out of the basement and onto the yard generally finds its way back into the basement. This frustrating cycle leads many to redirect the sump pump to the sanitary sewer system.
You can imagine the mess this creates for homeowners because it usually means they are getting other people's fecal waste backing up into their basement. Homeowner can install backflow preventers that help stop sewer water from flowing backward into the house.
Unfortunately, because the city sanitary system works in conjunction with every house sanitary piping, the backflow preventer usually cannot be located on the house's main sewer line. It usually requires several backflow preventers at all basement drain locations, such at every floor drain, sink and toilet.
Monday, August 3, 2009
The Electric Utility
Wage compression can occur when the higher level wages are not increasing as fast as lower level wages. This has occurred in the City’s Electric Utility where linemen will receive at a minimum a 6.5% pay increase and potentially a 9.5% increase pending arbitration. The non-represented supervisors will actually be making less then the foremen in base pay (not including OT). The high demand for lineman has pushed their wages higher in a market where 2.5% increases look pretty good. The problem is that the supervisors need to be paid more then the linemen.
This will create publicity issues that have to be thought about carefully and presented with the most accurate information available. Non-represented employees of the Electric Utility must be dealt with in a fair and equitable fashion. Many cities across the country are facing the same issue for different reasons, most have targeted their non-rep employees because there is no negotiating need to make cuts. This situation is different in that it only affects the top two supervisors and not a large group of non-reps with the potential to unionize.
Budgets may end up looking very funny at the end of this year.
This will create publicity issues that have to be thought about carefully and presented with the most accurate information available. Non-represented employees of the Electric Utility must be dealt with in a fair and equitable fashion. Many cities across the country are facing the same issue for different reasons, most have targeted their non-rep employees because there is no negotiating need to make cuts. This situation is different in that it only affects the top two supervisors and not a large group of non-reps with the potential to unionize.
Budgets may end up looking very funny at the end of this year.
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