Sarah Kretschman of the City of Fennimore’s 2nd ward, was approved by the Fennimore City Council is fill the council seat recently vacated by Courtney Sheckler at their monthly council meeting held on Monday, June 23.
The seat become open when Sheckler moved out of her ward.
Kretschman, who expressed her interest in the vacant seat to a few council members, stated to the council she “always involved or volunteering,” whether it was with the library, fire department, Friends of Fennimore Elementary School, etc.
After her unanimous council approval, Kretschman was named to replace Sheckler on the city finance committee, joining fellow 2nd ward alder person, David Streif.
Additionally, Alderperson Jeff Hagen resigned as the council’s Dwight T. Parker Public Library board member, and Kretschman was approved as his replacement.
In her report, City Clerk Ashley Edge stated the pool officially opened on May 26, and overall, has been running smoothly.
She also stated that with Yelloh’s closing, “We’ve been trying to figure out the best way to get ice cream to the pool. We are considering reaching out to a local business to cut down on the running.”
In his report, Fennimore Police Chief Chris French “revised” suggestions made during a meeting in May, of last year with Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) representatives provided Fennimore with several studied and proven ideas to improve safety on Lincoln Avenue. Suggestions included:
• Pedestrian crossing lights, like the ones located 9th Street. have been shown to provide a 48%reduction in pedestrian-related crash incidents.
• Crosswalk marking visibility. Wider white lines or ladder bars can be used to make the crosswalks more visible to drivers.
• A reduction in parking stalls at problem intersections increases pedestrian visibility and safety when crossing. The city is in control of how many parking stalls are to be painted on Lincoln Avenue.
• Increased lighting at intersections enhances visibility and increases pedestrian safety. This could help visibility at 4th and 12th Street along with any other crossings that are a concern.
• Active speed warning signs are effective in getting drivers attention and reducing speed without an increase in traffic stops. The Fennimore Fire Department was unsuccessful in attempts to secure grant funding for active speed signs.
• Crosswalk enforcement signs help get drivers attention, but are only affective for short periods of time as driver get used to seeing them. The fire department does have signs that we put out every now and then.
• Crosswalk bump-outs have been shown to provide a 37% reduction in pedestrian related crashes. Pedestrian crossing signs or a large traffic cone could be placed in the parking terrace on the oncoming traffic side of the crosswalk to discourage drivers from passing on the right at intersections. This idea had not been studied and was brainstormed during our meeting with DOT.
French also stated in his report that “High visibility enforcement mobilizations have also been studied and shown to be effective in changing driver behavior. This process involves notifying the public of an enforcement event, visible traffic enforcement in several jurisdictions during the event and then notifying the public of the resulting enforcement numbers.”
The council approved an agreement/ memorandum of understanding between the city and Southwest Wisconsin Technical College (SWTC) pertaining to the land that city and SWTC purchased in 2024 from Jeidy Irrevocable Trust.
The properties are contiguous, have been annexed into the city, and were purchased for development purposes.
In the agreement, the city has agreed to the installation of the septic system on the SWTC property with “the understanding that, when the water and sewer infrastructure is extended out to the SWTC property, use of both the well and the septic system will be discontinued, and connections will be made to the City water and sewer services within 12 months” according to memorandum of understanding.
A scope of services with Town and Country Engineering to study sewer usage rate study was also approved by the council during Monday’s meeting.
The study, according to the agreement, will “identify the impact of existing USDA debt, increasing collection system and operation and maintenance costs on the City of Fennimore’s sewer customers, as well as the future impact of potential industrial customers, a detailed rate study is required.”
During her Fennimore Tree Board update, Margaret Sprague asked the council about possible plans to filling the city’s rubble site, or as she stated, “get a conversation started.”
Mayor Ryan Boebel said that he would reach out to Town and Country Engineering to “look for first steps,” to get a plan in place.
Lastly, the council approved the city’s liaison police officer agreement with the Fennimore Community School District for the upcoming school year. The school board had approved the agreement during their May board meeting.
The next meeting of the Fennimore City Council is scheduled for Monday, July 21, in the council chambers of City Hall.
