Weekly Report
City Manager Report 06/22/12
Council Approves Waste to Energy Project; Will Create 70 New Jobs and at Least $10 Million in New property Value
Trippe Lake Receives Biological Treatment to Better Manage Invasive Eurasian Water Milfoil Plant Species
Whitewater Passenger Depot Nominated for National Register of Historic Places
Welcome to Lynette La Frenier, New Accounting Technician in Finance Department
Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve Talk Scheduled Tomorrow
Thank you to All!
Council Approves Waste to Energy Project; Will Create 70 New Jobs and at Least $10 Million in New Property Value
The Common Council, this week, approved a development agreement with Green Energy Holdings, Inc., for development of a waste to energy project that will create 70 new jobs and at least $10 million in new property value for the City. City staff has been negotiating this development agreement with Green Energy Holdings for the last nine months.
The Green Energy Holdings’ project will be developed on a fifteen acre site located next to the Whitewater wastewater treatment plant located at 109 County Trunk U. Green Energy Holdings, in turn, will be constructing a mixed use development that will include but not be limited to a renewable natural gas (RNG) anaerobic digester system, greenhouses, lawn care/landscaping building and associated facilities. Green Energy Holdings represents in the development agreement that its total private investment for this project will be approximately $30 million dollars. It will guarantee at least $10 million in taxable property. If the property value falls below $10 million, the company will make a payment in lieu of taxes for the difference between the actual value and the $10 million guarantee.
Since this project will be located within Whitewater Tax Incremental Finance District (TID) #8, the City has agreed to provide Green Energy Holdings with an economic development incentive grant in the amount of $175,000 to locate in the community and will also extend water to serve the site. Total public costs are expected to be approximately $200,000 and will be contributed by TID #8.
Green Energy Holdings has represented to the city that it will create at least 70 jobs in Whitewater effective with the completion of construction of the planned Green Energy Holdings’ Whitewater facilities by December 1, 2013.
It is anticipated that Green Energy Holdings will be working with the Whitewater Community Development Authority on an economic development loan to assist in financing the Whitewater Green Energy Holdings’ project. In addition, Green Energy Holdings will pursue Federal Midwest Disaster Recovery and/or Exempt Facility Bonds as part of the financing of its Whitewater facilities.
Perhaps the most exciting part of this project to me is that the siting of the Green Energy Holdings’ facilities adjacent to the City’s wastewater treatment plant presents significant financial and operational opportunities for both parties to pursue. Such opportunities between the two parties will be subject to subsequent agreements, but will include but not be limited to possible shared use of the current Whitewater wastewater digester; Green Energy Holdings’ production of material to be treated at the Whitewater wastewater facility and Green Energy Holdings’ treatment of phosphorus produced at the wastewater treatment plant.
Green Energy Holdings will be purchasing fifteen acres of land from the City for this project, with all land proceeds to remain within the City’s sanitary sewer utility.
Trippe Lake Receives Biological Treatment to Better Manage Invasive Eurasian Water milfoil Plant Species
EnviroScience Inc, of Stow, Ohio has been selected by the City to manage the invasive plant species, Eurasian water milfoil, in Trippe Lake. Eurasian water milfoil is an exotic aquatic weed that was accidently introduced in the United States in the 1940s and has spread throughout Wisconsin and North America. Eurasian water milfoil is problematic in that it is adapted for rapid growth early in the spring and forms a dense canopy that shades out native vegetation, inhibits the movement of fish and seriously inhibits recreational uses like swimming, boating and fishing.
Utilizing the proprietary Milfoil Solution® biological control process, EnviroScience will increase the existing population of a native aquatic weevil that is the known predator of Eurasian water milfoil. The weevils are only about the size of a sesame seed and feed exclusively on Eurasian water milfoil. Augmenting the native weevil population provides the critical density necessary over time to reduce the Eurasian water milfoil infestation and maintain it at low levels for long-term control. The milfoil weevil does not damage native vegetation or property, and the weevil population is naturally regulated by the amount of food (milfoil) available to it.
Milfoil Solution® is the only natural and long-term method for controlling milfoil and EnviroScience Inc is the sole commercial provider of this technology. Biologists from EnviroScience, Inc have applied this method successfully in over 250 lakes in North America and Canada.
The City of Whitewater launched its first Milfoil Solution® Program at Trippe Lake on Tuesday, June 19th, 2012. EnviroScience biologists will survey the lake and stock five thousand weevils in one location. The project will then be re-surveyed in August of this summer to determine the progress of the project.
Whitewater Passenger Depot Nominated for National Register of Historic Places
The City received word this week from Daina Penkiunas, National Register Coordinator for the Wisconsin Historical Society, that the Whitewater Passenger Train Depot has been nominated to be on the National Register of Historic Places. This nomination, by law, must now be submitted to the Whitewater Landmarks Commission for review and comment. The Commission has sixty days to review the eligibility of the property to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Welcome to Lynette La Frenier, New Accounting Technician in Finance Department
The City welcomes Lynette LaFrenier who started work this week in the Finance Department as our part-time Accounting Technician. Lynette comes to the City after working in the private sector and holds an associate degree in Finance from Madison Area Technical College. She also has served as treasurer for the Friends of the Milton Library for the last five years.
Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve Talk Scheduled Tomorrow
Naturalist Renae Prell Mitchell will lead a 'Natural Plant Communities Talk & Tour' at the Whitewater Effigy Mounds Preserve, south on Indian Mounds Parkway, tomorrow Saturday, June 23rd, at 10 a.m.Dr. Mitchell will talk about the existing wetlands, DOT prairie and Silver maple/burr oak stand, as well as, the rare remnant of Oak Savannah or Oak Opening. She will help us understand the importance of these existing habitats, and give us a glimpse of the landscape as it was for the hundreds of years before the founders of our community describe its beauty in the "Annals of Whitewater".
Thank you to All!
This will be my last weekly report to the Common Council and citizens of Whitewater. I am extremely grateful and humbled by the opportunities that have been granted to me over the last eight years to serve as Whitewater’s city manager.
I want to briefly thank the following:
My Family
I recently figured out that I have spent over 4,000 evenings away from my family during my local government career while attending Council, committee and other meetings. Local government is predicated on citizen involvement so evening meetings are extremely important to our democracy, however, it greatly impacts one’s family life so I’m so appreciative of the support that my family has unconditionally given me over these many years of public service.
Common Council
The current City Council as well as the others that preceeded them have given me great support and the confidence to serve the Whitewater community over these past eight years. I know that the Council wanted me to extend my contract but I thought it best for the City as well as for me personally to move on in my career so I greatly appreciate their respect for that decision.
City Staff
There is a tremendous team that serves this City so well. They are a very conscientious and highly dedicated group of public servants and I have had the chance to see first -hand how good they are and Whitewater is very blessed to have them working for them. I can tell you unequivocally that they are the best I’ve ever worked with.
UW-Whitewater
Chancellor Telfer and UWW Administrative Staff have been a real joy to work with. They are highly professional and innovative and I have learned so much from my association with them. The City and University have collaborated on some really great things and I encourage the strong Town-Gown relationship to keep flourishing.
Community Stakeholders
I have thoroughly enjoyed my relationship with the many community groups that make Whitewater special—the Arts Alliance, Historical Society, School District, Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Whitewater, CDA, Tourism Council, Neighborhood Groups…thank you all for the privilege of working with you on some pretty neat projects and programs over the years.
Citizens of Whitewater
What really gets me the most excited every day is to serve the citizens of this community. Local government exists to serve the essential needs of the people that live within their borders and my greatest satisfaction has been to assist our citizens on a daily basis. Thank you for the privilege of serving all of you!
Keep up all the good work towards making Whitewater a better place in the future. My favorite quote and one that I say regularly is “None of us is important as all of us” (Ray Kroc, Founder of Mc Donald’s). This has been never more important than today when collaboration, cooperation and citizen involvement in government is so needed to adequately address community needs and problems.
This Week’s Quote
“When a gifted team dedicates itself to unselfish trust and combines instinct with boldness and effort, it is ready to climb”-Patanjali