Marshfield News-Herald from Marshfield, Wisconsin • 3

Marshfield News-Herald Friday, July 31, 1998 Page 3A calMate Unit hits wires, disrupts service Rozar appointed to state board Donna Rozar of Marshfield has received state Senate confirmation of the nomination by Tommy Thompson tor her reap pointment to y- n. -v: vv 3 I ii tsuJtet si the design ers section of the Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Geologists, Donna Rozar Professional Engineers, Designers and Land surveyors. Rozar was appointed to the Board in March 1996 to fill a vacancy as a public member. This four-year term will expire July 1, 2002. Owner and operator of Town and Country Ventures, LLC, Rozar is a Leadership Marshfield alumnus, a member of the Marshfield Cable TV Committee, president of the GFWC Marshfield Woman's Club and a member of the Main Neo-natal emergency contract extended By EDWARD ZAGORSKI Of the News-Herald The Marshfield Fire and Police Commission Thursday night agreed to an extension of a neo-natal and pediatric ambulance service between the Marshfield Department and St.

Joseph's; Hospital. Marshfield Fire Chief Gregg Cleveland asked that the extension be granted because the current contract expires on Aug. 1 "It's the intent of St. Joseph's Hospital to extend the contract and we still want to be a part of it. We would provide neo-natal transports; when necessary to them and so far the current contract has been working out.

It's just that it expires," he said. Commission President Thomas Lenard asked when the contract is reviewed. "The contract we have with St." Joseph's Hospital is dated Aug. 1989. I think a policy should be-' created that we review it at least once a year," Lenard said.

Cleveland agreed. "I don't know when the new contract would be approved, but I would guess that we would look at it each year," Cleveland said. The contract states that the Marshfield Fire Department will respond to calls for neo-natal and; specialized emergency trips within' St. Joseph' service area, The 7 department will charge $4.40 per loaded mile, plus a $90 fee for each -patient and any charges for that are used In the transport, The contract also states that if no" patient is transported, St. Joseph's will be billed $4.40 per mile one way.

St. Joseph's will also be assessed a monthly fee of $1,000 for the use and availability of the department's services. The hospital will also be respon- sible for sending the city's treasurer not less than 4 percent of the billing statement on or before the first day of the following month. Schools get grade in new survey Street Marshfield Economic Restructuring Committee. July driest month on record WAUSAU The Bob Haight said.

Below left, GTE worker Roger Schultz repairs a telephone line to a home along Fourth Street. This is the first time this has happened, said Dean Borofka, local manager of GTE. No poles were pulled down but four wires were pulled from homes. The homes were at the right height to travel on Fourth Street, the Fire Department's Deputy Chief Bob Haight said. (News-Herald Photo by Tara Walters) A truck hauling a Wick Builders home (above) waits near Fourth Street and Peach Avenue Thursday afternoon after telephone lines were knocked down.

According to the Marshfield Fire Department, two homes were being pulled through town at about noon. The driver of the second home saw the first home hit the wires and stopped. Members of the Fire Department responded to help control traffic until crews from GTE arrived, Wisconsin Valley Improvement Co. reports that this July is the driest in the company's 109 years of recordkeeping. Assuming no rain falls today, the average rainfall along the 1 bi Fn i 0.95 of an inches, a deficit of 2.82 inches for the month.

Previous records for the driest July were in 1897 and 1936, when 1.19 inches of rain were recorded. Two reporting stations near Tomahawk had the driest reported, with 0.36 of an inch and 0.43 of an inch. The further north the station, the drier the report. The Wisconsin Valley Improvement Co. operates 21 storage reservoirs in Vilas, Oneida, Lincoln and Marathon counties for water conservation and streamflow regulation.

Locally, the Stratford recording station reported a rainfall amount of 1.05 inches, and the Eau Pleine recording station reported 0.93 of an inch. A normal July has an average rainfall of 3.77 inches. Chief seeks overtime funds Police begin planning for the unexpected events Marshfield Police Chief Joe Stroik said he "expects the unexpected" at Thursday night's Fire and Police Commission meeting when questioned about the increase in his department's overtime budget for next year. "We can't anticipate when a crime is going to occur or when officers have to spend time in court. We are just planning ahead for what might happen," he said.

"We were anticipating the departure of Chief Clem Spencer and then we had to deal with the resignations of officers Jim Foss and Floyd June. We needed the additional staffing to cover when we were short," Stroik continued. In his budget proposal, Stroik asked for $50,154 in overtime as compared to the 1998 budgeted overtime of $43,720. "Although the requested amount is $6,434 higher than the 1998 budgeted amount, we believe this number is very realistic considering, ongoing staffing demands as compared to current staffing capabilities," he said. However, the 1999 requested budget for the Police Department with a 3.6 percent overall increase.

The total requested amount for 1999 is $2,737,424 as compared to $2,641,627 budgeted in 1998. The operation and maintenance portion of the budget is down from the 1998 budgeted amount of $257,641 to the 1999 level of $223,110. While the city's Emergency Dispatch Center budget for 1999 is up 3.4 percent from the 1998 budgeted amount, the actual dollars requested in 1999 are $331,716 as compared to the 1998 budget of $320,685. Stroik said the increase was due to personnel costs such as an increase in salaries from the 1998 budgeted amount of $207,350 to next year's request of $215,031. The 1998 budgeted amount for Emergency Management was $9,056.

The 1999 requested amount is $8,934 which reflects a 1 percent decrease. The factors involved in the decrease is the annual salary of $3,500 that was paid to the former assistant of Emergency management, but will now be left unspent. Another reason for the drop is the repair and maintenance of the emergency warning sirens. "Prior to 1998, the assistant director performed much of the necessary maintenance on the emergency warning sirens in the city, therefore the budgeted amount for 1998 was $2,700. Since the committee is no longer functioning and the assistant director no longer performing those duties, we have contracted with a local company to repair the sirens," Stroik said.

Before Stroik's budget was approved by the. Commission and sent to City Administrator Michael Brehm for review, Fire and Police Commission President Thomas Lenard questioned the difference in health insurance between the Police Department and the dispatchers. "Why is the law enforcement health insurance up 6.5 percent and the insurance for the dispatchers up 2.2 percent?" Lenard asked. "The rates are different from single coverage and family coverage and we have quite a mix in the department as far as the coverage goes," Stroik responded. Students mourn teacher drowning PRAIRIE DU CHIEN, (AP) Students and friends mourned a middle school chemistry teacher who drowned in a Michigan lake while swimming with his wife of less than a year.

Keith Sohaschko, 39, drowned Tuesday in Platte Lake, near Traverse City, Mich. He taught 7th and 8th grade science and chemistry at B.A. Kennedy School. Sohaschko had been swimming with his wife, Laura, whom he married in February. His body had not been recovered.

He and his wife were graduates of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Property tax deadline today Treasurer predicts $1 million delinquency MADISON (AP) Public schools in Wisconsin got a less-than-best grade of from more than half the people responding to an opinion survey, the state Department of Public Instruction says. Only 29 percent of the respon- dents felt public education does an excellent or very good job of preparing students for the work-. place, the department said Thursday. "We must strengthen our skills in this area," department -Superintendent John T.

said. Ten percent of the respondents gave Wisconsin public education an grade while 55 percent said 1 and 31 percent gave it a grade. The response was more favorable for respondents' local schools, the department said. "There's a perception they're happy with their own children's education but, when they look -statewide, they think problems will affect them," said Jane Shibilski, president of the Parent-Teacher Association of Wisconsin. One of those problems is school funding, she said.

Half of the respondents said they felt financial pressures have impaired the quality of education, the report says. Half said local schools should set policies on school spending. "We've always said that should be done on (the) local level," said Terry Craney, president of the Wisconsin Education Association -Council, the state's largest union of teachers. The Legislature currently restricts school-district budget growth in an attempt to restrain property-tax increases. Teachers protest the state's restraints on salary increases.

The Wood County treasurer's office hasn't been clock-watching yet, but staffers will start after 4:30 p.m to see who has been delinquent in sending in their second and final payment of 1996 real estate taxes. "Our office has been real busy," said Wood County Treasurer Karen Kubisiak. She said between July 1 and July 29, the treasurer's office collected $5 million, which is up approximately $750,000 from last year. Kubisiak said her office is responsible for collecting about in taxes owed after Jan. 30 by residents who only paid half of their property taxes that were due by that date.

She said her office collected 60 percent of the taxes already, which equates to $6,200,000 collected between Feb. 1 and July 30. Kubisiak said $4,200,000 remains to be collected. "By the time all of the mail is in and the 4:30 p.m. deadline is met," she continued, "we should just be short of 1 million." To curb the delinquent payments, Kubisiak said her office sent out reminder notices during the first week in July to residents stating that the tax bill, receipt, tax parcel number or notation of the same must be endorsed or presented with payment to insure proper credit.

"This was the first year we did that and we received some good and bad feedback from it," she said. "Other counties tried it and they had a good response from it. We will try it again next year and see what happens. According to the figures that show we are up on collections, I think the mailings had to have some kind of impact." Kubisiak added that her office will send out delinquent notices in August and September to those who have failed to send in their final installment. "If people fail to meet the deadline, they will have to pay an additional 7 percent in interest plus a 1 percent fee which is retroactive to Feb.

1," she said. To avoid being delinquent and paying back any interest, Kubisiak said that payments must be postmarked by July 31 or dropped off at the county treasurer's office on the second floor of Wood County Courthouse or in the county in which persons reside by 4:30 p.m. Georgia boy dies as forklift flips LANCASTER(AP) An 11 -year-old Georgia boy was fatally injured when a forklift truck he was driving overturned, the Grant County Sheriff's Department said. Skylar Sheffield of Mabletown, was killed when the forklift rolled over and crushed him about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in the town of Muscoda, authorities said.

Alabama 22nd state IF Governors convene in state Alabama is the 22nd state. i April 1, 1998 SuperCash 2-5-11-26-30-35 Daily Pick 3 9-7-4 Daily Pick 4 8-2-2-0 Cash 4 Life 2-14-33-61 MILWAUKEE (AP) A weekend convention of governors whose chief organizer recommends avoiding partisan politics will include a protest against federal intervention in state affairs, Wisconsin's host governor says. "We are concerned about the encroaching that the federal government is doing," Gov. Tommy Thompson said Thursday. "We feel we can do a better job," he added.

The National Governors' Association convention is being held in Milwaukee's new downtown convention center which Thompson had said he hoped to publicize with well-known guest speakers. The association chairman, Ohio Gov. George Voinovich, rejected Thompson's proposal to invite President Clinton and congressional leaders. Voinovich said he wants the convention to be nonpartisan. The guest list includes former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and professional boxer Evander Holyfield.

"Traditionally we've tried to make the summer meeting a little more laid-back than our winter meeting when we really get into the Washington politics," Voinovich said. Conference topics include global economy, technol-. ogy, state powers and childhood issues. Convention organizers predict 1,300 will attend including 40 governors and their families and aides. Opening ceremonies are noon Saturday.

Entertainment includes the city's annual circus parade Sunday featuring horse-drawn wagons from the state Historical Society's Circus World Museum in Baraboo. PR IJrfES rebate coupon ByDigitech INSTALLED YOim EFFECTIVE COST I l-877-410-DISH(3474)roaF. S44.02 TmUMrni him llT Aim II mmmwi afll. rfMOmti Hmmam ilPm Vtmml Umltitmnmt HBO OffWRimAmuftll. Ahrw vmkM Car ntaM (UUnA T1 "rim In umliwij tOmtlbr tat nmtml imuami Ml LMlw.taMyw'y PRiMECTAJt mt RlMtVU npaM millBd MUME3TAH fron.

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