Letters to the Editor

Dear editor, The Plain Ambulance Service would like to thank the community for their continued support and donations at our Fall Spaghetti Supper, which was held on November 7. A special thank you to the American Legion for the use of their building and to Mike Bernard, Tammy Alt, Jeff Meise, Marissa Needham, Mya Walsh and Cayson Walsh who volunteered their time to help us make the dinner a success. Proceeds will help purchase equipment for the ambulance and for EMT recruitment, supplies, and training. Hope to see you at the Spring Spaghetti Dinner that will be held April 2, 2024. Sincerely, Plain ambulance staff   Dear editor, Twenty-one total years of service pushed out the door. At the November 7 Arena Village Board meeting Sargent Wyatt Miller and Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Warden Ben Gruber received thanks for saving the life of a young woman through CPR. The CPR was performed while waiting for the Mazomanie ambulance.  Then, moments later, the resignations of Arena Police Chief Nicholas Stroik and Sargent Miller as full-time officers came as a shock to all. Chief Stroik has spent 17 years of his life serving Arena. Sargent Miller has spent four and a half years in the village. Both officers live here, pay taxes in the village, shop in the village and are extremely visible within the community. Both officers have literally been available 24/7. They have paid out of their own pockets for their training and their police dog training and care. They have sacrificed pay increases in order to purchase equipment needed to perform their duties.  While the village board, previously, two years in a row, passed resolutions to increase pay for the other village employees before budget work for the next year had even begun, the police department did not receive increases. The police department’s consistent adherence to an exact and thoroughly throughout budget process is something the Arena Village Board, under Kate Reimann’s tenure, has not done.  Since 2019, Arena’s village finances have been managed with no thought for the future. This change in police protection could have been avoided if a thought out budget process was utilized. During this year’s finance committee budget meeting, a committee member’s remark, “There is no money” never rang truer. I have a recording of the statement.  For a village board member to state that Arena is just a stepping stone is also a very uninformed remark. Chief Stroik being here 17 years and Sargent Miller’s four and a half years of service throw that statement out the window. I have done a ride along with Chief Stroik, met with both officers, multiple times and discussed what happens in Arena, the surrounding area and the state. I asked questions about how and why they perform their duties. I can say with certainty, current board members have not.  I am pro law enforcement. I fully support two full time officers in Arena. We have a quiet and safer village and township, due to the 24/7 service of our officers. With part time service, I predict we will slowly see things change for the worse. To the people who do not support our two officers, I challenge you to contact them and ask them questions. They will respond and I predict you will change your thinking.  Paul Pustina  Arena   Dear editor, American Education Week is celebrated every year the week prior to Thanksgiving, November 13 through 17, this year.  It was first celebrated in 1921 after representatives of both the National Education Association and the American Legion met in 1919 distressed over the fact that 25 percent of World War I draftees were illiterate and nine percent were physically unfit.  The conventions of both these organizations adopted resolutions to raise public awareness of the importance of education.  Today’s co-sponsors include the U.S. Department of Education as well as other national education organizations.  The River Valley School District Endowment wishes to celebrate and congratulate all of the school district employees who do a tremendous job in the education of our students: the teachers, substitute teachers, administrative team, educational support aides, support staff, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, custodians and many others. Thank you also to the community for your continued support of the River Valley School District.   Sincerely, The RVSD Endowment Board:   Jean Alt, Nancy Baenen, Loren Glasbrenner, Tom  Gloudeman, Gwen Gorman, Fred Iausly, David Jones, Jennifer Kraemer, Mike McDermott, Heather Meixelsperger, Kay Taylor   Dear editor, On behalf of the Service Learning class at River Valley High School, I would like to thank everyone that participated in our recent Blood Drive, November 1, at the high school.  We were able to exceed our goal of 71 pints with a total of 74.   Special thanks to area businesses who donated food and snacks for participants:  Arena Cheese, Block 23 / Straka Meats, Prem Meats, Subway, Wisconsin Riverside, Molters Fresh Market, and Culver’s.   For those that missed out or were unable to donate, we will be holding another drive in early March.  And, of course, repeat donors are always welcome! Matt Snow Service Learning Teacher RVHS   Dear editor, I urge Town of Spring Green residents to attend the annual budget hearing and electors’ meeting on Thursday, November 30. Details on the proposed 2024 town budget will be presented at 6 p.m. At 6:30 p.m., residents will be asked to approve the tax levy, which will determine the town’s tax rate.  Additionally, I will be proposing referendum questions for the April, 2024, ballot to make changes to the position of town clerk, which I have held since being appointed in 2018 due to a vacancy and have served as an elected clerk since April, 2019. Under the existing structure, the position is part-time and must be filled by a town resident through election every two years. My term as the elected clerk ends in April, 2025. However, due to career changes and family obligations I plan to resign as town clerk in September, 2024. The town clerk is responsible for cost accounting, payroll, web site management, records management, information technology and cybersecurity, election administration, and all other administrative tasks that are not performed by the elected treasurer. As a side note, while state statutes require no minimum skills to hold public office, clerks are required to receive election training each year, and are responsible for training election workers. Over the last few years the workload and skills needed have increased, especially in the areas of technology and elections. I am advocating that the position should be changed to full-time and appointed, which would allow the town board to look outside the town, if necessary, for a qualified candidate.  I believe having a robust turnout of residents at electors’ meetings is important for our town’s civic life. I hope to see many of my fellow residents at the Town Hall on November 30. Vicki Terpstra Clerk, Town of Spring Green