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6A WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28, 2011 VILAS COUNTY NEWS-REVIEW/THE THREE LAKES NEWS
NEWS
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Heather and Mike Will, owners of the Heart II Bar &
Grill, announced plans for a full-service tiki bar in the
spring of 2012. --Staff Photo By JULIE SCHIDDEL
Heart II Bar & Grill
plans tiki bar addition
After officially opening
for business this past
July, Heart II Bar & Grill
in Arbor Vitae has
announced plans to add a
full-service tiki bar for the
spring of 2012.
Owners Mike and
Heather Will said the new
addition will overlook the
establishments volleyball
courts and horseshoe pits.
Heart II, located at
11023 Highway 70 E., fea-
tures a full menu includ-
ing homemade pizza,
soups and sandwiches
and a Friday fish fry.
Customers can keep
warm near the fieldstone
fireplace while they take
advantage of daily food
and drink specials. Spe-
cials also are available for
Packers games, which
patrons can view on four
high-definition televisions.
Although there is live
music every Saturday at
Heart II, a performance
by Chicago-style blues
artist Michael Murphy is
planned for New Years
Eve beginning at 9 p.m.
Were going to have
free food and champagne
at midnight, along with
party favors and hats,
said Mike Will.
Heather Will said she
and Mike both grew up in
St. Germain. Heather has
been in the bar and grill
industry for the past nine
years, while Mike
received a bachelors
degree in hospitality man-
agement from UW-Stout.
Were also raising two
young children, she said.
We have two sons, Cole,
who is 4 years old, and
Brody who is 1.
Like many who grew
up in the North Woods,
the Wills said they live it
up by snowmobiling, boat-
ing and icefishing.
Hours for Heart II are
Wednesdays through
Mondays from 11 a.m. to
bar close. For more infor-
mation, contact the busi-
ness at (715) 358-7000.
PRIZE GIVEAWAY Parsons of Eagle River announced the win-
ners of its holiday giveaway prizes. Taking part in the presentation
were, from left, Parsons of Eagle River general manager Bill
Weber; Don Goldschmidt, winner of a $50 Visa card; Mike
Tomaszewski, winner of an iPad 2; and new car manager Brandee
Nieckula. Not shown is John Geniesse, winner of a Kindle Fire.
--Contributed Photo
Three Lakes board report
Supervisors discuss DNR assessments
detailing Thunder, Maple Lake dams
Dam repairs in Three
Lakes was the prevailing top-
ic at last weeks town board
meeting, as supervisors
reviewed Department of Nat-
ural Resources (DNR) assess-
ments of Thunder and Maple
lakes.
The water level in Thunder
Lake is currently above its
legal operating elevation and
its dam has deteriorated,
according to the DNR. Mean-
while, the concrete in the
Maple Lake dams spillway is
in poor condition.
For Thunder Lake, the
DNRs inspection also found
that the dam couldnt achieve
compliance with the lakes
current operating elevation,
the lake overflows its
embankments during times of
high water and the concrete
structure has deteriorated to
the extent that the only flow
going through was leakage.
In addition, unauthorized
alterations to the dam in 2002
effectively reduced its spill-
way to one-third of what it
was prior.
The town is now required to
take four actions as a result of
the DNRs findings, according
Town Chairman Don Sidlows-
ki. The compliance dates for
those actions are as follows:
March 31, 2012, the
town must submit a permit
application for new water lev-
els or take action to return the
dam to where it can meet its
legal operating level;
Sept. 30, 2012, complete
construction of lowering the
dams sill if a new water level
isnt being pursued;
June 30, 2013, submit
permit application for long-
term rehabilitation of the
dam; and
Sept 30, 2014, complete
construction of long-term
improvements to the dam.
According to the report, if
the town pursues a new oper-
ating level for the lake, it will
need to obtain flowage ease-
ments from lakeshore proper-
ty owners.
Without even getting an
engineer out there to look at
it, this is a significant
expense, said Sidlowski, who
added that one of the next
steps should be to get a ball-
park estimation of the costs
involved with each dam.
Supervisor Steve Garbow-
icz recommended the board
hold at least one special meet-
ing with Thunder Lakes pro-
tection district and the cran-
berry marsh owners.
Sidlowski said hed spoken
with both and agreed that the
board should hold special
meetings.
The cranberry marsh own-
ers told me they understand
they have a responsibility and
a vested interest in repairing
the dam, he said. After pre-
liminary conversations,
theyre both aware and ones
on board financially.
For Maple Lake, Sidlowski
said the bottom line is that
looks can be deceiving. While
the standpipe appeared to be
in good condition, once the
engineer lifted its steel grate,
the dams problems became
apparent.
The inspection found that
the concrete in the dams spill-
way is in faulty condition. The
vertical drop inlet was found
to be composed of cracked con-
crete and exposed rebar, while
the horizontal channel had
significant cracking and some
leakage present.
The DNRs report recom-
mended the construction of an
auxiliary spillway to ease the
burden during the restoration
of the existing spillway.
If were going to do an aux-
iliary spillway, to me it just
becomes a new spillway and
the old one becomes an auxil-
iary, said Sidlowski. Either
way, the bottom line is that, if
the concrete in that dam fails,
the lake will drain.
The actions required for the
Maple Lake dam and their
compliance dates are as fol-
lows:
June 30, 2012, submit
plans for concrete repairs on
dams spillway;
Sept. 30, 2012, remove
brush from the dams
embankments;
Sept. 30, 2013, complete
repairs to spillway concrete;
Dec. 31, 2013, complete
and submit for review an
inspection and operation and
maintenance plan; complete
and submit an interim emer-
gency action plan and prepare
and submit for review a dam
failure analysis; and
Sept 30, 2014, complete
and submit a final emergency-
action plan.
Sidlowski said there wasnt
any good news about the dams.
However, this could be
great with all the repairs, he
said. Were going to have two
dams that will be good for
another 50 years.
In other action, the board:
heard a report on the
final funding for the East
School Street reconstruction
project and approved a grant
administration payment to
MSA Professional Services
Inc.;
approved operators
licenses;
appointed election poll
workers to two-year terms;
adopted a MUTCD sign
regulation implementation
plan for 2012-15;
decided not to require a
form to request changes in
town snowmobile routes; and
adopted a planning
phase project plan for Safe
Routes to School.
___________
BY ANTHONY DREW
NEWS-REVIEW ASST. EDITOR
___________
Judges: OMelia and Bloom also in primary
FROM PAGE 1A
county and had two small
children at home, so I went
into private practice to have
more flexibility.
Vocke has been a reserve
judge across the state and
became an alternative dispute
resolution provider, and has
mediated and arbitrated more
than 1,000 civil disputes dur-
ing his career as a private
neutral.
I believe my strong point is
experience, said Vocke. I
have been a district attorney,
a circuit judge, in private
practice and a reserve judge.
A big advantage I have to the
public is I can hit the ground
running.
Vocke graduated from the
University of Wisconsin Law
School in 1973 before gaining
his first professional experi-
ence as an assistant district
attorney in Racine County
from 1973 to 1976 and as dis-
trict attorney in Vilas County
from 1976 to 1979. He has
tried more than 100 jury trials
to verdict.
OMelia
A Rhinelander attorney for
32 years, OMelia also is seek-
ing to fill the vacancy created
by Judge Mangerson leaving
the bench.
OMelia announced his can-
didacy a day after the 100th
anniversary celebration of his
familys law firm, OMelia,
Schiek & McEldowney, which
was founded in 1911 by his
grandfather, A.J. OMelia.
I am confident that the
extensive experience I have
gained during the last 32
years has prepared me to pre-
side over all areas of the law
should I be elected, said the
lifelong Rhinelander resident.
My father, grandfather
and uncles practiced law and
served this community and
region. Its what they taught
me, said OMelia. It would be
an honor to serve the citizens
of Oneida County as circuit
court judge.
Since graduating from
Marquette Law School in
1979, OMelia has worked on a
wide array of cases in private
practice. His experience in tri-
al practice includes plaintiff
and defense personal injury
cases, family law, real estate,
criminal, workers compensa-
tion, unemployment insur-
ance and Social Security dis-
ability.
Bloom
Bloom was a candidate for
the Oneida County Branch I
judgeship four years ago when
Circuit Judge Robert E. Kin-
ney retired in the middle of
his term. Former Oneida
County District Attorney
Patrick F. OMelia was ulti-
mately appointed to fill Kin-
neys chair and Bloom was
appointed to the district attor-
neys office.
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VILAS COUNTY NEWS-REVIEW/THE THREE LAKES NEWS WEDNESDAY, DEC. 28, 2011 7A
NEWS
INC.
Tree Trimming and Removal
Hazardous Tree & Technical Removals
Storm Damage Clean-Up
Power Stump Removal
Lake View Improvement
German Forestry Woodlot Clean-Up
Fertilizing and Pesticide Applications
KFREE ESTIMATES
KFULLY INSURED
Association
(WRA).
Existing home sales were
up 14.8% in November, rela-
tive to that same month last
year; and the statewide medi-
an price fell just 2.2%, to
$134,000 over that period.
The strongest region in the
state was the north where
sales rose 27.7% over Novem-
ber 2010.
We are definitely closing
out the year on a strong note,
said Rob Keefe, chairman of
the WRA board of directors,
noting that the seasonal pat-
tern of home sales typically
slows as winter approaches.
The strong market of the last
few months has pulled sales
in 2011 nearly even with the
2010 level, he said.
Keefe noted that year-to-
date home sales through the
end of November are now less
than 1% below last year, and
that is without any bump
from the federal government
to stimulate existing home
sales.
Home sales were up in four
of the six regions of the state,
with three of the six regions
seeing their November home
sales grow more than 20%.
The north regions nearly
28% increase was followed by
the south central region, which
was up 25.2%; and the south-
east region up 21.4%. The
northeast region was up a solid
7.9%, whereas November exist-
ing home sales fell 5% in the
central region and were down
6.6% in the west, compared to
November sales last year.
The statewide median price
of existing homes fell 2.2% in
November, compared to
November 2010; and year to
date, median prices fell 6.1%.
This is clearly a buyers
market, and while inventories
are down from October, they
still remain high at more than
14 months, said WRA Presi-
dent and Chief Executive Offi-
cer Michael Theo. This means
buyers will be in the drivers
seat for the foreseeable future.
Regionally, there was some
volatility, with half the
regions showing median
prices down: the southeast
down 9.7%, south central
down 2.6% and the northeast
down 4.8%. The western
region was essentially flat,
and median prices in the
north and central regions
were up 7.3% and 15.8%,
respectively.
The economy did get a little
good news in November with
an improvement in the nation-
al unemployment rate and
even an uptick in consumer
confidence and consumer
expectations, said Theo.
The national unemploy-
ment rate improved to 8.6% in
November, and the Wisconsin
unemployment rate has also
been trending downward
recently.
In addition, The Conference
Boards Consumer Confidence
Index improved, as did their
Leading Economic Indicator
Index due in part to better
consumer expectations.
These are both positive
signals on the economy, but
they are very preliminary;
and it will take sustained
improvements, including sig-
nificant job growth, before
many homebuyers are com-
fortable diving back into this
market, said Theo. However,
if these trends continue, new
buyers will be greeted with
very affordable housing in the
state, with Wisconsin housing
among the nations best val-
ues.
The WRAs report showed
that the November WRA
Housing Affordability Index
was at 242, meaning that the
family with median income
can afford to buy 242% of the
median-priced home in the
state, given current 30-year,
fixed-rate mortgage rates and
a 20% down payment.
Comparing Wisconsins
index with a recent National
Association of REALTORS
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For o complete listing of progroms ond events, visit our online
Heolth Connection Colendor of Events ot ministryheoIth.org/events
JANUAR CALENDAR OF EVENIS
governor who honors his cam-
paign promises. Those promis-
es were acknowledged in an
October 2010 Wisconsin Edu-
cation Association Council
newsletter and were accompa-
nied with a warning to their
members to get out and vote
against him! Do your own
research. Google:
weac.org/lakewoodlookout/oct
ober2010. The information is
on Page 3.
Scott Walker prevailed
despite their threats and
tantrums, so the Democrats
decided to try again by misus-
ing our recall process. Their
continued frivolous wasting of
millions of tax dollars on
another recall election shows
their level of disrespect for
our tax dollars.
What will it say about Wis-
consinites if we recall a gover-
nor who protected the finan-
cial stability of our public
schools while preserving the
quality of instruction?
Joyce Bant
Hazelhurst
Reforms
FROM PAGE 13A
READER OPINION
Dear Editor:
I was reading from a recent
newspaper edition, and I read
the article Sommer to discuss
mining at Many Ways of Peace
center. This topic interests me
greatly, as I am a student at
Conserve School and, just three
weeks ago, we had a mining
debate.
Before the debate, I was
strongly against mining. I
thought that there was no way
to mine environmentally
friendly and, if you cant mine
environmentally, then we
shouldnt mine at all. To my
misfortune, I was placed in the
pro group. I didnt see how I
could debate for something
that I didnt believe in but,
after a lot of research, my opin-
ions started to shift.
The Gogebic Taconite mine
promises to mine sustainable.
They state on their website,
gogebictaconite.com, that
instead of using chemicals to
extract the copper and other
minerals, they are going to use
a system of water and magnets
to extract it. Americans depend
on mining. Without it, we
wouldnt have cell phones,
washers and dryers, comput-
ers, household appliances and
many other things that we use
for everyday living.
Also, the mine is going to
produce over 700 jobs which
will help boost the local
economies in the surrounding
towns.
I am pro mining now! There
are a few cons such as the pos-
sibility of ghost towns after the
mine leaves, but the pros out-
weigh the cons, and I feel that
the Gogebic mine is a necessity
not only for the local economies
but for America as a whole.
Sincerely,
Anna Vik
Land O Lakes
Pros outweigh cons concerning mining, if done correctly
NATURES ART A nest created by paper
wasps is a work of art, a unique mix of colors,
patterns and shapes. Leaves were folded into
the shell. --Staff Photo By KURT KRUEGER
Letter to the Editor:
An open letter to our
Congress and president:
You are all a disgrace to
your jobs; to the people of
America who put their trust in
you to do the right things for
them; and our country.
You are overpaid, your ben-
efits are over the top and you
remind me of a spoiled kid, but
the only difference is this isnt
a kids game youre playing.
Your job or lack of job is a
direct reflection on the people
of America, their livelihood,
their way of life and security.
Our government is turning
the greatest country in the
world to a Third World coun-
try, it appears that way.
What ever happened to
negotiations and win-win
solutions?
The rules seem to change as
to what Congress and the
president want, is more impor-
tant than what the people
want.
I can only hope that the
people of America remember
this fiasco that is going on in
our government, economy,
jobs, bailouts, recession and
use their voting rights to send
a message to all the politi-
cians. We the people have
spoken.
Gene Klumpp
Conover
Government turning U.S. into Third World country
Dear Editor:
I would like to comment on
Sen. Holperins letter in last
weeks News-Review Walker
actually had a higher budget.
Yes, Gov. Walkers budget is
higher than Jim Doyles last
budget. Two of the major rea-
sons are $713 million in
increased Medicaid spending
for the poor and increased
road construction spending.
Gov. Doyle received federal
stimulus money for what we
were told were shovel ready
projects. Instead, he and his
party spent $3.6 billion of fed-
eral stimulus money else-
where, leaving us $3.6 billion
short on this years budget
compared to the last Doyle
budget. He also took money
from the transportation and
victims fund leaving us even
further behind with more to
pay back.
It is hard to believe that
even with these windfalls
and revenue from a booming
economy, Gov. Doyle and his
party raised taxes throughout
his eight years in office. This
is what Sen. Holperin and the
Democrats are running from.
Charlie Gullan
Eagle River
Doyle left state $3.6 billion short
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