Cardiac arrest? There’s an app for that.

A new mobile app in Dane County could help save a person’s life by alerting others nearby to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The app – PulsePoint – was brought to Dane County through a partnership with Meriter-UnityPoint Health and Dane County Emergency Medical Services departments.

The app was introduced Feb. 6 and local EMS departments have begun to encourage their members to download and use the app. The goal is to have anybody trained in CPR use the app to respond to emergencies in public places.

Oregon EMS director Tony Antoniewicz said the department has encouraged all members to download the app and that people who take CPR classes through the department have been told about it, too.

“We’ve been receiving a pretty good reception from the classes we’ve taught in the last week or two,” Antoniewicz told the Observer.

Getting someone to start chest compressions can go a long way to saving someone’s life, Meriter cardiologist Dr. Joseph Bellissimo said in a news release announcing the program.

“Effective CPR given right after sudden cardiac arrest can significantly increase a victim’s chance of survival,” Bellissimo said. “We are thrilled that we are part of the team that’s bringing PulsePoint to our community.”

Even hands-only CPR – where only chest compressions are performed – have been shown to increase a person’s chances of surviving a heart attack, according to the American Red Cross. 

The app could be particularly helpful in smaller communities where there aren’t full-time responders. Having someone start the life-saving CPR before EMS can respond “provides a bridge” that could help reduce the harm done by a heart attack, Stoughton Area EMS director Lisa Schimelpfenig said. 

The added benefits do come with a few changes for trained responders. Antoniewicz said the introduction of the app might alter how EMS crews respond to emergencies. They’ll need to be aware of what has been done already for a victim of a heart attack. These types of calls can often be stressful, so staff and app users need to be able to share information about how the victim has been treated so that EMS staff can provide the best care.

Antoniewicz also said app users need to be careful about responding to a situation where they could put themselves in danger. Still, Antoniewicz and other local EMS directors said having the app could be helpful in saving a life.

How it works

The PulsePoint app has two components – alerting users to cardiac events and letting them know where automated external defibrillators (AED) are located. The app’s is activated during an emergency by the 911 call center.

“Notifications are made simultaneously with the dispatch of paramedics to anyone within the area that is CPR-trained and has indicated their willingness and ability to assist during an SCA emergency,” according to the PulsePoint website. “When notifications do occur they intend to target potential citizen rescuers that are primarily within walking distance of the event.”

Nearby app users will get a notification on their phone and a map that gives the location and directions to the cardiac event. 

The app will also let users know where an AED is, which could be helpful in reviving a person. AEDs diagnose what type of cardiac event a victim is having and administer a heart-resetting shock, if necessary. 

As of right now, the app only alerts nearby users when the cardiac event occurs in a public place. As the county and EMS services get more data from the app, there is potential to open up those parameters to allow for more responses from users, Oregon EMS director Tony Antoniewicz said.

Where to download

The app can be used on most smartphones running Android or iOS. Search for PulsePoint in the Google Play store or the Apple App store and download the app. Direct links can be found the “PulsePoint Foundation” Facebook page or at pulsepoint.org. 

The Village Board last week amended two ordinances relating to liquor licenses and alcohol sales in order to make them more “business-friendly.”

The board reduced fees for businesses that hold a liquor license and file for renewal after the April 15 deadline and also for “deficiencies” in late applications. The fee was reduced from $250 to $50 for late applications and from $250 to $25 for deficiencies in applications after April 15.

Village president Steve Staton explained the board felt the fees were too high.

“It was in the interest of our businesses to bring those fees back to a reasonable amount,” he told the Observer.

The other change deals with the village’s minimum standards ordinance. The village has a list of minimum standards in the ordinance that businesses are required to review each year with employees who sell alcohol. After reviewing the standards, businesses were required to develop a list detailing what they had reviewed with their employees and submit the list to the village.

The board unanimously decided last week to have the village create a form that businesses can use instead of requiring them to create their own lists of items reviewed. 

“We met the license holders last year to clarify a few things, and somebody brought up the idea why don’t we just develop that form for them,” Staton explained. “So then there’s one form they can all use if they want to, or they can still do their own.”

The change “was just to simplify the process for the businesses,” Staton added.

“It creates uniformity. If they want to use it, it lists everything they have to do and they just sign off.”

Five years ago, Staton led an effort to stiffen the village’s liquor licensing and alcohol sales policies, culminating in several changes in 2013. He said it’s “hard to really have a handle” on whether the changes have created a better alcohol environment in the village, but people he’s talked to “appreciate what we did.”

He added that “a person who works statewide on alcohol licensing” told him it has inspired other communities to take similar measures.

One of the key items that the village adopted was a tough “social host” ordinance, a policy other communities have since embraced.

“I’ve spoken to 10 communities in Dane County on the social host ordinance and other things that we’ve done,” Staton said.

He said like the statewide ban on smoking in public places, reining in alcohol use is a gradual process that gets results gradually over time.

The State Bank of Cross Plains (lower level) is hosting a candidate forum for Oregon Village Board and Oregon School District races in April.

Invited Oregon School District candidates are incumbent Steve Zach and challenger Marilyn McDole. Incumbent village board candidates Eric Poole, Darlene Groenier and Jeanne Carpenter, and challenger Ben Cowan were invited to the event. 

The event is open to the public. Lunch is available for $7.

For reservations, call the Oregon Area Chamber of Commerce office at 835-3697.

A Wisconsin Department of Transportation study of the State Hwy. 138 corridor between Oregon and Stoughton has concluded the road does not require more lanes or additional right-of-way.

The DOT presented its conclusions to local officials at a Feb. 10 meeting in Stoughton. The study arose from public comments at a similar meeting in the fall of 2012 that drivers were traveling too fast on Hwy. 138 – especially given its frequent use by farm equipment.

“There’s no plans for four lanes in the near future,” Oregon public works director Mark Below told the Observer.

The DOT studied a 6.5-mile stretch from the interchange with U.S. Hwy. 14 in Oregon to the Silverado/Hoel Ave. intersection in Stoughton and found there were slightly more crashes than normal for roads of similar size in the state (75 accidents per 100 million vehicle miles traveled versus 71 on average).

The report indicates there are 97 “access points” to the highway between the two communities, a “higher density” than normal for a corridor of this length, but noted that traffic “flows well” along the corridor, with the exception of the intersection with U.S. 51 in Stoughton.

That intersection is planned for a major upgrade when Kettle Park West is built.

The report suggested that “improved signage” would help at the highway’s intersection with Sunrise Road during high-use events at Madison International Speedway, but additional right-of-way in the area is not necessary.

“The DOT is going to do some intersections improvements and probably some turn lanes, and then they’ve also limited driveway access,” Below said. “They’ve already implemented the limited field and driveway access to the highway, but they haven’t said when the turn lanes will be done.”

Oregon School District representatives Monday discussed the possibility of partnering with the village in developing a regional stormwater pond south of the Oregon Ice Arena.

OSD business manager Andy Weiland met with the Village Board and said the idea of expanding a stormwater pond that’s south of the ice arena had “just come up in the past couple of weeks.”

He said the idea, which is only a concept at this point, would be to eliminate two of three existing detention ponds and expand the size of the one near the ice arena. 

The school district would reconfigure a stormwater conveyance system near the high school and direct runoff away from the neighborhood west of the school, sending it south of the ice arena instead of its current flow pattern west to a concrete culvert along Oak Street.

Village administrator Mike Gracz told the Village Board that he and public works director Mark Below “think it’s a good idea to build this on the east side of the village.”

Below explained that water from more than 100 acres north of the village flows to the Oregon branch of Badfish Creek during heavy storms, often pooling in yards directly west of the high school.

“A lot of water comes through the school district property that’s not from the village,” Below said.

An engineer who appeared with Weiland at Monday’s Village Board meeting said the district has discussed building an overflow structure that during heavy rain events would take water in a closed pipe to a regional pond near Jaycee Park-east.

The village is planning to extend North Perry Parkway in the near future and would be building a new detention pond or two south of Badfish Creek.

Cost-sharing between the village and school district is one of many issues to resolve before moving ahead, but first village officials plan to run the idea past stormwater experts working for Dane County.

“We’ll have to talk with the county, because if they say it’s not something they would support, there’s no sense in pursuing it,” Gracz told the Observer on Tuesday. “We want to see what they think.”

Soden Drive’s end

Also Monday, the board voted to have the village, instead of the school district, initiate a discontinuance of Soden Drive in front of Prairie View Elementary School.

Village attorney Matt Dregne explained there are two ways to initiate the process. The school district could ask property owners living within a half mile of the property boundary to sign a petition seeking the discontinuance or the Village Board could start the process by introducing a resolution to discontinue the street.

The board agreed to the second method Monday because gathering the signatures of nearby residents is likely to be a cumbersome and time-consuming process.

In either case, the village would have to hold a public hearing on the resolution before voting to discontinue the street.

The school district has asked for the discontinuance in order to create a safer environment for children arriving and leaving the elementary school.

Dregne estimated the entire process would cost less than $500, and the board voted to pick up the cost rather than asking the school district to cover it.

Before voting, Village President Steve Staton said he supported the village paying for the discontinuance.

“The school district is going to spend a whole lot more than we are,” he said.

In other business

• The board amended the 2015 fee schedule for liquor licenses, reducing the amount of fees for renewal applications filed after the April 15 deadline

• The board awarded a contract to C.D. L. Electric for the Braun Road rail crossing in the amount of $183,054

• The board authorized public works director Mark Below to advertise for bids to replace the water main on Market Street this summer

• The board awarded an engineering contract to Town and Country Engineering in the amount of $7,500 for the West Netherwood Street water main and paving project

• The board authorized Below to seek bids for engineering of Elm Street and South Main Street; both streets are scheduled to be repaved this summer. It also authorized bids for engineering the extension of North Perry Parkway and North Burr Oak Avenue

• The board awarded a mill and overlay contract to Wolf Paving in the amount of $94,015 for work on South Burr Oak Avenue, Cherrywood Drive, Farewell Drive and Hillcrest Drive.

With election day on April 7, drawing ever closer, voters got a bit more information last week to help make their decisions on two contested village races.

Three of four candidates for three Oregon Village Board seats and both candidates for an opening on the Oregon school board addressed an Oregon Chamber of Commerce forum last week. Village board terms are two years in length; school board terms are three years.

Incumbent candidates Jeanne Carpenter and Darlene Groenier joined newcomer Ben Cowan at the forum. Incumbent Eric Poole did not attend. Village president Steve Staton, who is running unopposed, attended and spoke at the beginning of the meeting.

Oregon School Board member Steve Zach and challenger Marilyn McDole also spoke at the forum, with the winner to represent the Village of Oregon. Jeff Ramin, who is running unopposed to represent the Town of Oregon on the OSD board, did not attend.

Village Board

Jeanne Carpenter, 43, is the specialty cheese manager for Metcalfe Markets in Madison. She has lived in Oregon for 16 years and is finishing her first term on the Village Board.

“I can’t imagine living anywhere else,” she said.

Groenier, 74, now retired after 50-some years in the workforce, has been on the village board for the past eight years, and has lived in the village for more than 37.

“I haven’t gotten a lot of education beyond high school, but I have a lot of practical experience in the work field for over a half-century,” she said. “And I have a lot of common sense.”

Cowan, 33, the owner of Full Scale Promotions, is a political newcomer who is a Brooklyn resident and OHS graduate.

“This is my first attempt at anything like this,” he said.

Poole, 53, a contractor for Home Specialists, ABS Seamless in Madison, has been on the Village Board for 14 years.

Carpenter said she’s excited about the future of Oregon and being a part of what she called “an amazing Village Board.”

“We get stuff done,” she said. “That doesn’t mean we agree on everything – we have lively conversations … but we discuss things thoroughly and we are very dedicated to making decisions that are based on the good of the community.”

Carpenter said while she doesn’t have “set agendas or goals,” she said she hopes to be re-elected again in 2017 so she can see the planned North Perry Parkway construction.

“As a parent of a teenager who went to high school, (I) would love to see that street end, so we have a direct route to the high school and the athletic fields and the parks on that side of town,” Carpenter said. “Of anything, that’s what I’m most passionate about, and I think that will happen.”

Groenier, who has served on a variety of village boards and committees and was president of the Oregon Chamber of Commerce, said she wants to promote more business and jobs in Oregon and grow a “better tax base” in the village.

“I (also) want to maintain support for the senior center, the library, the youth center, and public safety,” she said.

Groenier said she would like to make the village government “more user-friendly” and “streamline the process.”

“The village really needs to expand the tax base with a hotel, and more in the industrial park and expand North Perry Parkway, which we have been working on for a long time,” she said. “I also want to keep our taxes down, so we can keep our senior citizens living in our village.”

Cowan joked with the crowd about his youth and relative inexperience, but said he is a willing learner.  

 “Some of you may have known me in my early 20s and mid-20s, and I apologize for that,” he said, to laughter. “As I get older, I’m getting a little more mature. This is my first go-round … but I’ll learn.

“We have a great president and great board members, and if you give me the chance, it’s something I’ll grow into and really understand how this all works.”

School board

McDole, 66, a former teacher who has lived in the village for 12 years, has worked for UW-Madison and UW Extension as an administrator “from the ground up.” She said she has experience with finances and developing and managing budgets.

“We worked on a lot of different problems at the university,” McDole said.

Zach, 57, an attorney and partner at Boardman & Clark who works with municipal, school and labor and employment law, is finishing his 16th year on the board. An OHS graduate, he’s lived in the village since 1984.

“We do have a really good school district, and we do really good things for our kids,” he said.

McDole said sharing, listening and analyzing issues are strengths she will bring to the board. 

“I will reach across the table to those who I disagree with, but I will never, never degrade them,” she said. “I will always stay on a positive agenda, and always share my experience, my values and my ability to understand the details.”

McDole said at UW-Extension, she worked on the effects of Act 10, something she said will be good experience for dealing with the effects of state laws on public school districts like Oregon’s.

“We’re going to be cut in money for sure, from the state,” she said. “The second year (of the proposed biennial budget), they say, ‘You’re going to get money back,’ but it will come in the tax levy; not to actually help with programs and schools. I want everybody to know that.

“We will have to make prudent choices.”

Zach said there are several key issues the board must address in the near future, starting with getting less state funding.

“We are losing a half-million dollars out of the budget that’s been proposed,” he said. “This is probably the third time in my time on the board that we’ve had a reduction in state aid of a magnitude like this, and each time, we’ve been able to work through that and identify solutions so we don’t cut programs and we don’t lay off teachers.”

Zach said the recent capital project referendum was a “tremendous vote of confidence” from the community, and plans are moving ahead with architects. Another item on the board’s future to-do list, Zach said, is creating a new teacher compensation plan and possible referendum.

“Do we put more money into that plan?” he said. “We’ve got to work through that and do a better job of communicating with the public.”

Construction of a new building downtown is expected to begin this spring after the Village Board on Monday approved taxpayer assistance for two local businessmen.

Jeff Groenier and Mark Mortensen had sought $80,000 in tax-increment financing for a two-story, 4,000-square-foot building they want to put up at 120 N. Main St., in the vacant lot next to the Firefly Coffeehouse.

They made a pitch for the TIF to the Village Board last month. The board responded by offering a package totaling $60,000, mostly for site preparation and special building materials.

TIF is a form of taxpayer assistance that is used as a subsidy for redevelopment, infrastructure, and other community-improvement projects. It combines the increased revenues from all taxing jurisdictions on projects that would not exist “but for” the use of TIF.

On Monday, Groenier and Mortensen returned with more details and explained why their project would not be financially feasible without the amount they originally requested. They told officials they would provide the village with invoices for a list of construction items they considered eligible for TIF assistance, and “anything that’s less than estimated, we’ll give back,” Mortensen said.

He and Groenier said extra work would have to be performed to prepare the site for construction, including excavation to remove fill and items buried when the original building burned down in 1986. They estimated a $10,000 cost for removing and disposing of contaminated materials.

The biggest expense the men were seeking reimbursement for was the $28,850 cost of using concrete block to build firewalls, a requirement due to the proximity to neighboring buildings, Mortensen explained.

They noted the next-door buildings are located too close to the site to allow for pouring a foundation. The building will also require new sewer and water laterals, and the site will be more expensive to build on because there will be little space for staging the construction.

Mortensen and Groenier personally guaranteed payment of enough increment – the taxes on the added value of the property – to cover the TIF grant, and the village structured the package so they will be reimbursed as work on the project is completed.

The total project cost, including $45,000 the men paid for the land, is $435,000.

The men estimated that the village will recover its TIF contribution in 12 years and said it will receive initial tax increment payments in 2017. They said total real estate taxes would amount to an estimated $8,760 per year, based on 2014 rates.

After hearing the men’s explanation of the project and cost estimates, the Village Board adjourned to closed session to discuss the request. When the board returned to open session about a half-hour later, village attorney Matt Dregne said the board had decided to approve the TIF request for the men’s company, GroMor LLC.

“We felt the demand of that lot justifies the use of TIF,” he said.

On Tuesday, Groenier told the Observer he and Mortensen have a potential tenant – a retail business – for the 2,000-square-foot ground floor of the building. He said they plan to market the two 1,000-square-foot spaces upstairs as retail “until the point it has to be residential.”

He said the Village Board’s decision to grant the TIF request “gives us an opportunity to lower the rent so we don't have vacant buildings downtown.”

Groenier, an architect and owner of Concepts in Architecture, noted he had made several changes to the building to meet concerns raised by the Planning Commission and village planner Mike Slavney.

Changes included revisions to the building’s front façade with masonry used on the ground floor and wood or wood-textured siding on upper floors.

“We revised elevations and included bigger windows and a parapet,” Groenier told the board. “Our potential tenant wanted bigger windows, so we’ll install 7-foot-by-7-foot windows – as big as we could go.”

He said with the changes, “the building will look more like the rest of the downtown.”

Click a name below to read that candidate's answers to our questionnaire:

Jeanne Carpenter
Eric Poole
Ben Cowan
Darlene Groeneir

The Town of Oregon and Village of Brooklyn will hold a general election on April 7. The Oregon Observer asked each of the candidates to answer a questionnaire about themselves and the issues facing the Village of Brooklyn and Town of Oregon.

April 7 general election (click on a name to read that candidates questionnaire response)

Town of Oregon Chairperson: Darryl Weber (I), Wayne Ace

Village of Brooklyn President: Nadine Walsten (I), Pat Hawkey

Village of Brooklyn Trustee: Russel Albert Cazier Jr., Heather Kirkpatrick, Kyle Smith, Brittany "Brit" Springer, Todd Klahn*

*Klahn decline to return a questionnaire.

Oregon and Brooklyn voters and those in two surrounding towns each will have two or more local contested races next week to cast ballots for –  on the Oregon school board and on the Oregon and Brooklyn village boards and the Oregon and Rutland town boards. 

Oregon School District voters will choose between incumbent Steve Zach and challenger Marilyn McDole. Jeff Ramin is running unopposed.

Four candidates are vying for three seats on the Oregon Village Board in next Tuesday’s election.

Three incumbents – Eric Poole, Jeanne Carpenter and Darlene Groenier – are seeking another two-year term while newcomer Ben Cowan is hoping to win a seat for the first time. The top three vote-getters will be sworn in at the board’s April 21 meeting.

Groenier has served eight years as a trustee and says her priorities are to expand the village’s tax base by working to bring a hotel development to Oregon and “expedite” growth of the business community by making the village’s approval process more user-friendly and streamlining the process.

Poole began serving on the board in 2001, and his priorities include expanding village sewer and water east of Hwy. 14, balancing growth and spending, and moving ahead with the village’s civic campus plan, which involves redeveloping the downtown area including Village Hall, the post office, the senior center and the library.

Carpenter in completing her first term on the board and is seeking another term to “ensure that Oregon is a strong, thriving place to live and work.” 

She says her top priority is to extend North Perry Parkway to Janesville Street. She also supports laying the groundwork for village expansion east of Hwy. 14 and using tax increment financing to subsidize a hotel development.

Cowan also supports connecting North Perry Parkway to South Perry Parkway and preparing the village to expand east of Hwy. 14. And like all the other candidates, he would like the village to facilitate the development of a hotel in the village.

He also supports growth of the small business community.

“While some may want an influx of big business, I do not,” Cowan wrote in an Observer questionnaire that was published last week. “Our community would be better served with increased small to medium businesses that have 20-100 employees.”

Steve Staton is running unopposed for Village of Oregon board president. 

Beth Cox is running unopposed for her position as municipal judge in the village and town of Oregon. 

The Village of Brooklyn will also have contested races for village president and supervisor, and the Town of Oregon has races for town chair and assessor. Rutland will have one race for an open supervisor seat.

There are also two statewide ballot questions, both regarding the Supreme Court.

Village of Brooklyn

Voters in the Village of Brooklyn have plenty of choices on the ballot, including a race for village president.

Village trustee Pat Hawkey is challenging incumbent Nadine Walsten for president. Walsten originally announced her intention to step down before reversing course and running for another term.

There are five candidates for three seats on the village board.

Newcomers Kyle Smith, Heather Kirkpatrick, Russell Cazier, Jr. and Brit Springer join incumbent Todd Klahn on the ballot.

Current trustees Dorothy Frandy and John McNaughton are not running for re-election.

Town of Oregon

Town Sup. Wayne Ace is challenging incumbent town chair Darryl Weber for the top job.

Ace and fellow incumbent Sup. Fred Clark, Jr. are also running for two town supervisor seats.

Town voters will also choose between incumbent Andy Blomstrom and newcomer Thomas Wiedenbeck as the town assessor.

Town of Rutland

Town of Rutland voters will get to pick between incumbent Milton Sperle and challenger M. Richard Zentner for the open supervisor seat. Jeanette Walker is running unopposed for the town chair position. Dawn George and Kim Sime are seeking their positions as clerk and treasurer, respectively. Shawn Hillestad and Nels Wethal are both running for town constable, of which voters can choose two.

Town of Dunn

Four seats are up for election in the Town of Dunn, though all candidates are running unopposed. Ed Minihan is seeking the town chair position, Jeffrey Hodgson and Steve Greb are running for their supervisor positions and Robert Schneider looks to keep his municipal judge spot. 

Other races

In a statewide race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court, incumbent justice Ann Walsh Bradley faces a challenge from Rock County Circuit Court judge James P. Daley.

There will also be a Constitutional Amendment on Election of the Chief Justice. The question ask if “a chief justice of the supreme court shall be elected for a two-year term by a majority of the justices then serving on the court?" The chief justice position is currently held by the court’s longest-serving member. 

Four Dane County Circuit Court judges are running unopposed in their respective branches.

– Unified Newspaper Group reporters Scott Girard and Bill Livick contributed to this story

After a decade with the Oregon Police Department, Jenny Pagenkopf is looking forward to her newest challenge.

The Village Board approved Pagenkopf’s promotion to lieutenant March 23 after OPD chief Dale Burke chose her from among four in-house candidates for the position. She had served as a sergeant detective for the department before being promoted. 

“It’s going to be tough to leave investigations, but the nice thing is I still get to oversee them,” Pagenkopf said. “I am really excited about the future, with bringing in a new chief and being kind of that middle piece to help the staff adapt and help the chief adapt.”

Pagenkopf was one of four sergeants within the department he considered, Burke said.

The hiring process included meetings with both a police and community panel, plus a test to see how the candidates prioritized different tasks and why.

“Not only do they have to consider the organization as a whole, but they have to consider the role of the organization in the community,” Burke said of the candidates. “You can’t think just about taking care of whatever the incident is. It’s not only the incident, but it’s all the things that could affect how the incident is perceived by the community.”

The community panel, which included a representative from the Chamber of Commerce, the Oregon School District and a church leader, was important to represent more than the department in hiring the second-in-command, Burke said.

“There’s a lot of value in it,” he said. “It gives ownership to others in the decision-making process, and I think it shows the people in the department that I want to be fair.”

While Pagenkopf said she would miss her previous role, she is looking forward to “just being someone that the rest of the staff can count on.”

That will be especially important as the village looks for a permanent police chief to take over for Burke.

“I think the village is working very hard to bring in a qualified chief that’s different from what we’ve had in the past, and I’m excited about that,” Pagenkopf said. “I don’t think a lot of villages would work as hard as they are right now.”

Burke said Pagenkopf has “a lot to learn,” but that the “combination of her work ethic, her experience and her ability to work with others” would serve her well in the role.

“It’s not just about who is my best choice,” Burke said. “I had to be thinking about who’s not only the best choice for the department, but the best choice for the community and the best choice for whoever comes after me.

“Whether that’s a man or a woman or somebody from within Dane County or somebody outside Dane County, (the lieutenant) has to be somebody that can work with whoever.”

The lieutenant position opened when Karey Clark, the former lieutenant, died suddenly in January at the age of 38. That came after nearly a yearlong investigation into retired chief Doug Pettit’s practices that ultimately resulted in charges of tax evasion. 

“I’m just trying to move forward and just be solid for the department and the village,” Pagenkopf said of the tumultuous year.

Burke said the department was planning to have meetings later this week to discuss filling Pagenkopf’s vacated sergeant position, and whether it should be restructured or not.

He said he hopes to have a candidate for the Village Board to approve at its May 4 meeting.

Village of Oregon voters maintained the status quo in Tuesday’s election, but Town of Oregon and Village of Brooklyn voters chose a change in leadership.

Village of Oregon voters returned longtime School Board incumbent Steve Zach for another term. And they also re-elected three incumbents to the Village Board: Jeanne Carpenter, Eric Poole and Darlene Groenier. The incumbents defeated Ben Cowan for three seats in the at-large election.

Carpenter garnered the most votes – 1001 – while Poole tallied 891 and Groenier 823. Cowan came in fourth with 799 votes.

In unofficial results on the Dane County Clerk’s website, Zach had 2,087 votes to McDole’s 1,600. In the lone Rock County precinct in the Oregon School District, Zach garnered nine votes to McDole’s three. Zach, an Oregon High School graduate, has served on the board since he was first elected in 1999.

Jeff Ramin, who represents the village of Brooklyn and towns of Oregon, Montrose, Brooklyn and Union, was also re-elected after running unopposed in his first election as an incumbent. In 2012, as a challenger, Ramin defeated long-time incumbent and then-president Deedra Atkinson. School board terms are three years. 

All numbers from the election are preliminary until the election is certifed next week, said village clerk Peggy Hagg. About 20 absentee votes are still being counted but are will not change the results.

Village President Steve Staton ran unopposed. Vote totals for Staton were not available Wednesday morning.

Municipal Judge Beth Cox was also unopposed. She received 1,231 votes, according to numbers provided by the village clerk.

Village of Brooklyn

Village of Brooklyn President Nadine Walsten lost her race to challenger Pat Hawkey.

Hawkey received 192 votes to Walsten's 138, according to village clerk Carol Strause.

The top three vote-getters for village trustee were Kyle Smith, Heather Kirkpatrick and Todd Klahn. Brit Springer and Russell Cazier, Jr. took fourth and fifth, respectively, and did not make the board.

Town of Oregon

Town of Oregon voters elected Wayne Ace as the new town chair over incumbent Daryl Weber.

-Unified Newspaper Group reporters Scott De Laruelle and Scott Girard contributed to this story

The Wisconsin and Southern Railroad is expected to resume freight service to the Lycon Ready Mix concrete facility in the Alpine Business Park this month.

Trains are expected to run three times per week – likely Monday, Wednesday and Friday – and will be limited to speeds of 30 mph and 10 mph at rail crossings.

Freight trains began running on the rail line from Madison to Oregon last October to serve the Lycon Inc. concrete production plant.

A few trains came to the village in October, but regular freight use of the line will begin this month and run through October, said Ken Lucht, director of government relations for Wisconsin and Southern.

Wisconsin and Southern crews will be doing maintenance work along the track and at railroad crossings in Fitchburg on McCoy Road, Clayton Road, East Cheryl Parkway, Lacy Road, Irish Lane, Byrne Road, as well as Braun Road and Netherwood Street in Oregon. Crews will also be cutting brush and trees between Oregon and Brooklyn this year.

At its March 16 meeting, the Village Board awarded a contract to C.D.L. Electric Company to install gates with flashing lights at the rail crossing on Braun Road leading into the Alpine Business Park. Public works director Mark Below said all of the rail crossings are being “brought up to today’s standards,” and the village’s contractor is installing 12-inch LED lights and gates with warning lights and bells at Braun Road.

The crossing at Netherwood Street will not have crossing gates, Lucht said, but the lights there will be upgraded as well.

The deadline for completing the work at Braun Road is July 31, Below said, noting there’s a “penalty date” in the contract because the village has an end date for using funds from Tax Increment Finance District 2 for the project. The project is expected to cost $183,000, much less than the original estimate of $225,000.

After three straight Aprils where challengers ruled, both Oregon School Board incumbents on the ballot won re-election last week.

Village of Oregon voters also elected three incumbents to the village board, while Brooklyn voters voted for a new village president and have two new village trustees, as well.

In the Oregon School Board race, Area I representative Steve Zach extended a run on the board that began in 1999, comfortably defeating challenger Marilyn McDole, 2,239 to 1,696, according to Oregon School District figures. Jeff Ramin, the Area IV who represents the village of Brooklyn and towns of Oregon, Montrose, Brooklyn and Union, will also return after running unopposed and garnering 2,6,34 votes. School board terms are for three years. 

The incumbent’s win is a definite change from recent school board races. Last April, incumbents Wayne Mixdorf, Lee Christiansen and Courtney Odorico were handily defeated by challengers Barb Feeney, Gwen Maitzen and Charles Uphoff. 

The previous year, two-term incumbent Lynda Farrar lost in a three-way race with newcomers Rae Vogeler and Dan Krause. In 2012, school board president and 15-year board member Deedra Atkinson lost to Ramin, who was running for the first time. 

McDole, who was running for the first time in this election, said she intends to monitor the board’s actions in the future and speak in meetings “as needed.” She said wants the board to serve students in a positive way, and treat each other with respect.

“I also want more open discussion between the administration and the board,” McDole said. “The board sets policy by state statute, and the administration should be open to reasonable inquiries. All employees and board members need to remember this – no ‘My way or the highway’ posturing, and no negative agendas, please.”

Zach is traveling out of the country to visit family and was unavailable for comment as of press time. 

Village of Oregon

Voters in the Village of Oregon returned three incumbent trustees to Village Board in last week’s election. Jeanne Carpenter, Eric Poole and Darlene Groenier defeated challenger Ben Cowan for three seats in the at-large election.

Carpenter garnered the most votes – 1,001 – while Poole tallied 891 and Groenier 823. Cowan came in fourth with 799 votes. It was Cowan’s first run for elected office. 

Poole is the longest serving trustee, having been elected in 2001. Groenier was elected to her fifth two-year term, while Carpenter will begin her second term on the board. 

Village President Steve Staton ran unopposed and begins his fifth term leading the village. He also served as a trustee for two terms prior to being chosen as the village’s top elected official.

Village of Brooklyn

The Village of Brooklyn will have three new faces, including a new president.

Ten-year Village President Nadine Walsten lost to challenger and trustee Pat Hawkey.

The top-three vote-getters for village trustee were incumbent Todd Klahn and newcomers Heather Kirkpatrick and Kyle Smith. Outgoing trustees Dorothy Frandy and John McNaughton did not run for reelection.

New candidates Brit Springer and Russell Cazier Jr. finished fourth and fifth, respectively.

Walsten had originally declared she wasn’t going to run again, but reversed that decision later in the process, saying she wanted to continue working to get a business in the Brooklyn Business Complex.

She did not return a call requesting comment this week.

Hawkey said in an email her win demonstrated residents “wanted a change.” Her top priorities include answering questions about the business park, budget issues and public services.

“The village is facing a lot of challenges trying to do more with less resources,” she wrote. “Meeting these challenges will take a lot of community support.”

Town of Oregon

The Town of Oregon will have a new leader as well, with Town Sup. Wayne Ace beating incumbent Town Chair Darryl Weber.

Ace received 455 votes to Weber’s 436.

Ace was also one of two candidates for two town supervisor positions, along with fellow incumbent Fred Clark, Jr. Ace’s seat will now be appointed.

Incumbent town assessor Andy Blomstrom also held onto his seat over challenger Thomas Wiedenbeck. Blomstrom received 621 votes to Wiedenbeck’s 224.

The new officers will be sworn in at the town’s annual meeting April 21.

Town of Dunn

Four seats were up for election in the Town of Dunn, with all candidates running unopposed. Ed Minihan will continue as town chair position, while Jeffrey Hodgson and Steve Greb will continue their supervisor positions. Robert Schneider will continue as municipal judge.

Town of Rutland

Incumbent Milton Sperle defeated challenger M. Richard Zentner for the open supervisor seat, 241-163, in the town’s only contested race. Chairperson Jean Walker, clerk Dawn George and treasurer Kim Sime were re-elected after running unopposed.

– Unified Newspaper Group reporters Scott Girard and Bill Livick contributed to this story.

After years of back and forth between Dane County and the City of Fitchburg, two sections of Hwy. MM near the Village of Oregon will be repaired. 

The City of Fitchburg will contribute $50,000 toward the project after the Common Council voted in late March to approve the funds. Dane County will contribute up to $100,000.

In 2012, the state Department of Transportation rebuilt the interchange at Hwy. MM and Hwy. 14, adding three roundabout intersections where the roads meet and at Hwy. M. Two 600-foot sections of Hwy. MM north and south of the project fell outside the project scope and were left untouched. Drivers in the area had questioned the lack of repair to these two parts and officials from Dane County and the City of Fitchburg set out to find a way to agree on the project costs and figure out who is responsible for the road. 

Several agreements had been proposed and rejected during the past three years, with the city arguing that the project should be covered by Dane County. The county sought a 50/50 cost sharing agreement as part of its road maintenance policy. 

As part of the agreement signed last month, the county and city agreed that this project won’t set a precedent for future funding under the same or similar circumstances. 

The project will include tearing up the old pavement and putting down a 5-inch layer of asphalt over the two sections. 

The work is slated to be completed in 2015, but detailed construction schedules have not been made available yet. 

Oregon’s first high-visibility OWI patrol of the year is this weekend. 

From 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. Saturday, as many as 10 patrol cars from seven jurisdictions will cruise the streets of Oregon in a high-profile display to dissuade people from considering operating while intoxicated. 

This is the second year for Oregon in the “Capital Area OWI Task Force,” a state grant-funded program that continues to add new wrinkles in its fourth year. It has grown from a half-dozen agencies to 14, and this year it is splitting most patrols in half and will accompany some of them with a police car that’s been repainted to look like half-taxi, half-squad car.

Half the traveling officers will be in Oregon this weekend, and the other half will be in Stoughton on the same night. The two will again share the patrols in July.

This year’s program kicked off last Saturday in DeForest, where it all began. It’s the brainchild of DeForest Lt. Dan Furseth, who started high-visibility patrols there in 2009 and won his first grant to expand the program to other communities in 2012 after finding it reduced drunken-driving arrests throughout the year. The grant covers overtime expenses of up to $30,000 and has also paid for the cost of signage.

The idea of the patrols, Furseth has said in multiple interviews with the Observer, is not to catch drunken drivers, so much as prevent them.

OPD’s coordinator, Sgt. Matt Wagner, said his department took that a step further last year, warning tavern owners in the week prior about the event and stopping in at bars on the night of the patrol to remind patrons.

“We didn’t want to surprise anyone,” Wagner told the Observer last week. “The ultimate goal is education ... even during the traffic stops.”

That’s the idea behind the four neon signs that will warn drivers and the new “Choose Your Ride” repainted squad car that looks like a half-taxi, half police vehicle to grab a little extra attention. The car will be used at other community events throughout the county throughout the year, and Wagner said it is no longer a patrol car but rather will be used as a bit of a moving sign Saturday.

“We’ll have it as a static display downtown for a little while, but then we’re also going to drive it on the main drag so it’s visible,” he said.

The event will start with a briefing at 8 p.m. and then hit the road. 

Wagner said the event will employ all four Oregon police cars, as well as the department’s K9 unit and one or two drug-recognition experts so they can catch drugged driving, as well.

Still, the patrols have been a mostly good-natured, educational, preventative effort. To that point, Wagner said the department feedback from last year’s event was mostly positive, that people were happy to see a “proactive approach.”

Anecdotally, it seemed to work, Wagner said.

“The nice thing we observed (was) a lot more taxis in town that night. (And) at the end of the night, more personal vehicles still sitting in tavern parking lots, which for us was a good sign that people were finding the best ride home,” he said. “That was a good sight to see.”

Still, last year there were two OWI arrests in Oregon during last year’s patrol. But the vast majority of the 87 traffic stops were friendly, with 85 warnings and 16 citations issued.

This year’s patrol will include representatives from the City of Madison, Town of Madison, Verona, University of Wisconsin and Capitol police departments, as well as the Wisconsin State Patrol, plus four Oregon cars, all dedicated solely to putting on a display to make people think twice before driving impaired. 

Overall, last year’s 11 patrols yielded 22 OWI arrests among 1,143 stops. The first year’s six patrols totaled one OWI arrest but many friendly interactions with drivers, as was the goal. That number grew to 13 OWI arrests in 2013.

As with most of the other communities in the patrols, the shifts have been popular among officers, but the OPD but found that so many cars on Oregon’s few well-traveled roads was a bit much.

“Last year there was just too many people for the size of the village we had,” Wagner said.

Wagner said the villager will have four neon “OWI Task Force Ahead” signs, two of them with blinking lights, at the entrances to the village to make doubly sure everyone knows they’re here.

The Village of Oregon began advertising for a new police chief Tuesday.

At Monday’s joint meeting of the Village Board and Police Commission, the consultant the village hired to assist in the search reported on interviews she conducted with the 17 members of the Oregon Police Department.

The recommendations of the consultant, Sue Riseling, chief of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department, led to a revised job description for the position. 

The board approved that description and the job announcement that was posted Tuesday on the village’s website. The board also approved an adjusted salary range – $94,000-$102,000. Former police chief Doug Pettit was earning about $90,000 annually when he retired last September.

Village administrator Mike Gracz told the Observer the language of the job description and announcement includes attributes Riseling said department employees would like to see in a new chief. Among those are a college degree, a high degree of ethics, honesty, transparency and respect and a willingness to engage with the public frequently.

Applications will be accepted through May 10, and the village hopes to hire the new police chief by late summer. 

‘We want you engaging outside the office’

Gracz and acting police chief Dale Burke wrote the job description, with guidance from Riseling. Gracz said while the duties and responsibilities section of the document are “pretty basic” – such as a minimum of five years of experience in a law enforcement leadership position – other parts were tailored specifically for the village’s police chief.

“We have a statement in it, for example, that frequent interaction with the general public and other officials outside the police department is necessary for success,” Gracz said.

Under the section heading Environmental Conditions, the description says the chief should work “inside 60 percent of the time and outside 40 percent of the time.”

Gracz explained that the Village Board and Police Commission are looking for a chief who is out and about in the community and not spending all of his or her time in the office.

Riseling responded to a question by one of the police commissioners on that point, saying, “We’re trying to establish that the chief is the chief, but we want you engaging outside the office. The implication is you better be fit. We do not want them holed up in the office, and we want someone with personal skills.”

A section titled Personal Attributes includes the following: “The Police Chief must provide strong leadership and professionalism while fostering an atmosphere of the highest ethics and respect for staff and the public. A Police Chief who is honest, straightforward, and can deal transparently with elected officials, staff and the community.”

The ad on the village website lists the chief’s responsibilities and says the chief “must be an active member of the community.”

Officers ‘grateful’ to
be asked for input

Riseling said members of the Oregon Police Department were “grateful to be able to have input” in the preparing the list of qualifications and attributes for the new chief.

She said officers and other staff members “want a fresh start and to move forward.”

“What I got from them was a sense of gratitude,” she said, noting that the department feels it has a strong relationship with the community.

Riseling said OPD staff have been stressed by the investigations of the department and that they “pulled together” throughout the process.

“They want this person to communicate and be respectful,” she observed. “They want the new chief to bring people together and collaborate, someone who makes good, confident decisions and someone who’s even-tempered.”

Other qualities they seek in the new chief include someone with a good knowledge of technology and crime issues, someone who’s ethical and willing to learn, and someone experienced at community policing, Riseling said. 

OPD staff “really want a formal recognition program of the good work they do,” she added. “And they want someone from outside their training consortium.”

She noted it would help to have someone with a good sense of humor at the appropriate times.

Riseling demonstrated that herself, when she referred to acting Chief Dale Burke, who sat beside her before the board, and said they want someone like him.

“I wish he was 10 years younger – and he probably does, too,” she said with a laugh, as Burke smiled and nodded in agreement.

“They want someone like Chief Burke, who’s a good communicator and treats people with respect.”

The Village of Brooklyn water system won a statewide award earlier this month.

The Wisconsin Rural Water Association gave the village its 2015 Water System of the Year award at its recent conference. The award is presented to one system each year that “demonstrates excellence in the field of waterworks operation,” a WRWA news release said.

“The award was directly attributed to the two employees that have been here a long time,” said village public works director Mark Langer, referring to Leif Spilde and Curt Golz.

Spilde, who currently serves as the village’s utilities director, said it was “quite an accomplishment.”

“The community should be proud that on limited budget resources we’re able to accomplish that the DNR and Wisconsin Rural Water think is one of the best water systems in the state,” Spilde said. “Residents should be proud of the employees and themselves. We have budget restraints and we still are able to give them a good service.”

He said a key to the village’s success was the creation of the position he currently holds.

“My main objective is to look at the wastewater and the utilities water,” he said.

Former Village of Oregon police chief Doug Pettit appeared via telephone in court Monday to answer charges of tax evasion.

Online court records show Pettit made his initial appearance April 27 on the charges that were filed in December 2014 by the Department of Justice. Pettit faces two felony charges of filing false tax returns, and has another hearing slated for May 18.

Pettit is free on a $500 bond following months of delayed initial hearings due to health complications.

According to a criminal complaint, Pettit submitted tax returns to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue for 2010, 2011, and 2012 that did not include income he’d made providing security services to private businesses, including the Union Sports Club. The sports club became the center of controversy last year that led to Pettit’s retirement and an investigation into the department.

Pettit began using personal and medical leave from the village in May 2014 and officially retired Sept. 1, 2014.

At the time of his retirement, Pettit was the longest-serving police chief in the state, at 29 years. He worked for the Oregon Police Department for almost 39 years.

He has not returned the Observer’s phone calls seeking comment on his indictment since last October.

A historic church on Main Street that’s been vacant for more than a decade could be the future home of an assisted living facility.

Oregon resident Marshall Mennenga confirmed last week that an out-of-state firm has made an offer to purchase the 2.7-acre property, which includes the former People’s United Methodist Church, built in 1862, and a former school that was constructed in 1972.

Mennenga said the firm, which he declined to name, has until July 1, 2016, to close on the property.

“The closing won’t happen until everything’s approved” by the village, including a tax-increment financing package, he said. “There’s a lot of hoops to go through, but we’re optimistic that something will come of it.”

Village administrator Mike Gracz told the Observer the firm, which specializes in developing assisting living projects, had contacted him and participated in a conference call a couple of weeks ago.

Gracz said the company was interested in local property values and asked what the facility would be worth if it were built in Oregon.

“We put them in contact with the village assessor,” he said. “Our financial adviser, Mike Harrigan (of Ehlers Inc.), is something of an expert on tax-increment financing and is going to talk with them about village assistance.”

Gracz added that he hasn’t scheduled anything related to the property for a Village Board meeting because the firm “is still doing some homework on their end.”

“It’s not ready to go anywhere because if the deal doesn’t work out, it won’t go forward,” he said. “I’m not trying to be pessimistic, but it’s just not there yet.”

The former People’s United Methodist Church on North Main Street was abandoned in 2004 when the congregation built a new church on the village’s west side.

A group of investors that includes Mennenga bought the building shortly after it was vacated and for the past 11 years has been trying to either develop the property or sell it.

In 2012, Mennenga told the Observer he and co-owner Robin Roberts were thinking about demolishing the building and turning the area into a green site.

That was after the investors in 2008 had planned to build an assisting-living facility themselves but ran up against the nationwide recession and couldn’t put together financing for their plan.

“They were looking for financing in the fall of 2008, just before the recession,” Gracz explained. “It was just the worst timing. If they’d started a year earlier, their project probably would have gone ahead.”

They didn’t demolish the building, and instead it has been vacant and boarded up. The former education building behind the church has been used as a place to collect and store bicycles that are being donated to a village in Kenya, in project headed up by Gail and Al Brown.  

Mennenga said when he and Roberts were planning to develop an assisted-living center, the neighborhood was “very much in favor of it.”

The property is in the village’s TID 3, which Gracz said presently is “not cash flowing” and requires help from another TIF district to pay its debt service.

That could present a problem for the potential developers, who would rely on tax-increment financing assistance from the village, Mennenga said.

“We’re optimistic but also realistic, and I think something will happen with it within the next year,” he said. “We do have an offer to purchase.”

The firm specializes in assisted living throughout the country and wants to start a footprint in Wisconsin, Mennenga said. This is their first venture in Wisconsin.