The Journal Times from Racine, Wisconsin • 3

the Journal Times, Monday, September 22, 1986 Racine, Wis. 3A Unclaimed, Cotty So have 4 cab wms puzzling many on list By Gta Srvarm-Jnn Journal Times By Mike HOI Journal Times First there was none, then there was one and now there are four potential taxicab companies in Racine. Last week the city council licensed AB Cab Co. and since then it has received one more application and indications that two more companies want to do business here, said City Alderman Robert Heck. "It's hard for me to believe" Heck said.

"You go from famine to feast." Heck, who heads the city council's public safety and buildings committee, said the committee will try to sort out the applicants When it meets Tuesday at 6 p.m. in room 2 of city hall. The city is required to license any cab company that meets regulations, but having more than one company in operation here might again eliminate service, Heck said. A lack of business was cited by Courtesy Cab Co. when it folded in March.

"Everytime we get two (companies), they go out of business." Heck said. Heck said he contacted federal officials to see whether Racine could limit itself to one cab company for every 90,000 residents, but a Fed eral Trade Commission official indicated the city could be violating antitrust laws by prohibiting competition. Heck said, state law can be changed to allow the city to award one cab company license. But that won't have any immediate bearing on the four potential cab companies that want to establish service here. William Linnenkohl, who operates KRM Limousine service has already received license approval for his one-taxi AB Cab but needs to prove his operation meets city regulations before beginning service.

A partnership called Carob Corp. is applying to establish Lighthouse Taxi with four or more vehicles, according to the city clerk's office. Applicants are Robert Nissen and Carl Petersen of Racine. Heck said there are two other men who indicated they want to propose separate taxi companies, including one whose father runs a cab company in Minnesota. Meanwhile, Heck's committee is to get a petition Tuesday from more than 300 residents who want taxi service restored to the city.

Heck said the residents' request should be easy to handle with up to four applicants. "Between them all, we ought to get a cab company," he said. i Pt'A ffV' Wife' There were a lot of puzzled people in Racine County this morning. Tbey were wondering what kind of property they have left unclaimed at banks, or corporations, or utili- ties, or insurance companies. "I have no idea.

It's probably interest on $2. God, who knows? Maybe from when I was 7 years old and had a savings account," said Lennie Weber, a Racine County assistant district attorney. "I have no idea. I lived at a 3 Mile Road apartment maybe 10 or 12 years ago. Maybe I left an old vacuum there or something," said Racine attorney John Albert.

Weber and Albert were part of a huge group of Racine County residents and businesses whose names the state treasurer's office published Sunday under the beading, "Notice of names of persons appearing to be owners of abandoned property." State officials said more than 40,000 people, governmental units and businesses have unclaimed property in the state worth about $18.6 million. The unclaimed property includes cash, bonds, stock, and the contents of safety deposit boxes. Under state law, banks and other institutions must report accounts that are inactive for five years or more to the state treasurers office. Those whose names appeared on the list were directed to write State Treasurer Charles P. Smith for information regarding the inactive accounts.

Most today had no idea exactly what they have left unclaimed all these years. Some even didn't know they were on the list. The list for Racine County included such corporations as S.C.Johnson Son Color Arts Design North Racine Medical Clinic and the Kurten Medical Group, Walker Manufacturing and Southeastern Savings Association now known as North Shore Savings Loan Association. "We don't know," said Lee Sucharda, president of Design North, 8007 Douglas Ave. "We think it's something in a safety deposit box.

It's going to be a treasure hunt." "We don't know," echoed James Van Hoven, headmaster of the Prairie School, also on the list. "But, we're going to find out. We're kind of curious. We hope, it's good news." At the Racine County Housing Authority, Executive Director John Caldwell was puzzled too. "I don't know what it's all about," he said.

"The address they listed for us is very, very old. We're not there anymore. We're going to find out what it is. Probably some old grant." Roger Lacock, administrator of Racine Medical Clinic, thought the clinic's must be something to do with liens the clinic places on people's property. "We will chase it down," he promised.

The unclaimed property will become the property of the state if claims are not in by Dec. 1. Earl assails Thompson plan Mark Hertzberg, Journal Times Yes, parking APPLETON (AP) Republican Tommy Thompson is "struggling" to show he could make sound decisions as governor and has already boxed himself in with his fiscal proposals, Gov. Anthony Earl said today. In remarks for the Wisconsin Counties, Association, Earl said Thompson's plan for the state to pick up 50 percent of the cost of public schools "wipes out his ability to add money to any other program." The plan would cost the state $600 million the first year and $1.2 billion over four years, Earl, a Democrat, said.

"Unless he has some secret plan of cuts he has yet to reveal, Tommy's announced choices mean there will not be additional resources for any county program, let alone the dollars for a new prison," Earl. The two will meet in the Nov. 4 election. Earl said that Thompson, as As sembly minority leader, has found it too easy to say 'no' to executive decisions. "One of the luxuries of being in the minority is never having to face the due bill," Earl said.

"You can criticize those who make decisions, you can say no, and you -can tell everyone what they would like to hear without ever having to deliver. "Today, Tommy Thompson is in a different situation," the governor said. "He's struggling to convince people that he is capable of making executive decisions. "I think he has put himself in a box, and I think you as county officials would find yourselves cramped in that box with him were he to be elected," Earl said. The present system of using school districts, counties and municipalities "as 4he middlemen of property tax relief" has not worked well.

The Shoop Parking Ramp in the 200 block of Wisconsin Avenue opened with a dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting Sunday afternoon. The 220-car, four-level ramp behind the renovated Shoop Building cost $1.6 million to build. ypemDSoe' expenses detailed Total Board meeting All meeting 86 85 Nam payments for 86 $287 990 Anderson, David 150 Anderson, H. John 78 569 422 Anderson, Wendell 68 Bauemfeind, Norman 125 Boehme, Donald 75 Braun, Hubert 133 328 1,624 125 567 44 53 58 24 41 68 54 6 99 46 55 44 70 96 Calhoun, Brian 42 Dawkins, 71 DeHahn, Raymond 112 315 210 649 Gallo, Michael 85 Gedwardt, Ruth 81 Gunderson, William 74 Hansen, Forest 145 Hansen, John 104 603 527 937 712 Hermes, Ross 61 Mileage expense for 86 $277 515 286 295 220 595 125 279 315 210 320 406 453 479 339 1.231 174 353 292 197 586 706 232 1,399 82 282 814 177 159 323 240 601 64 Other expense for 86 $10 475 283 127 108 1,029 0 288 0 0 329 197 74 458 373 500 387 0 69 0 374 200 13 413 4 262 0 0 5 467 9 Jacobson, Jean 164 119 86 85 24 22 26 23 24 25 26 24 24 24 26 23 25 23 25 6 26 22 27 24 27 25 22 25 25 23 25 25 25 22 26 24 23 20 27 22 25 25 22 21 22 24 27 25 27 22 26 24 25 22 26 25 22 24 24 23 26 23 26 25 24 23 26 24 1,731 561 Johnson, Robert 72 44 353 Ladwig, Bonnie 98 Mcintosh, Miller, Frank A ...88 Miller, Frank ....84 Rehberg, Richard 106 Reteinger, David 65 55 83 44 88 77 46 By Linda Shaw Journal Times County Board Vice Chairman Cle-tus Roanhouse went to 169 meetings last term, more than any other supervisor, records show. Roanhouse's expense reports and other records filed with the county clerk's office also show he led supervisors in total reimbursements from April 1985-April 1986.

Reports show Roanhouse received $1,812 for expenses such as mileage and travel fees associated with conferences. Jean Jacobson followed Roanhouse in total reimbursements with $1,731. Board Chairman Hubert Braun had $1,624 and Earl Skagen had $1,076. These numbers represent the trips and meetings which supervisors entered on their expense reports during the time period stated. Because some supervisors turn in their expense reports late, some may have attended more meetings or received higher total reimbursements than the accompanying chart shows.

Some supervisors also included expenses from 1984-85 on their 1985-86 reports. Most of the supervisors' records, however, roughly -follow the April 1985-April 1986 period. Roanhouse's expenses were the highest partly because he attended more meetings than othef supervisors and partly because he lives in Waterford. The records show he has a 33-mile round trip to the board's offices in Ives Grove and a 53-mile round trip to the courthouse. He also attended two Wisconsin Counties Association conferences during the year.

Calhoun, Ross Hermes and Frank N. Miller reported attending more meetings this period than last. Some of the increases were dramatic. David Anderson, for example, reported attending 150 meetings in the 1986 term, up from 44 in 1985. Norman Bauemfeind reported attendance at 125 meetings in 1986 compared with 24 in 1985.

Anderson said he thought last year's numbers must be in error. But he said he has been attending more meetings as chairman of the finance committee and as the board's representative to the Racine County Economic Development Corp. Bauerfeind said he retired in March 1985, leaving him much more time to attend committee meetings and do other county work. Braun said he thinks supervisors remember to record more meetings than they have in the past because they know the totals will appear in the newspaper. Some supervisors record all meetings even if they attend two or three on a single night and only receive mileage reimbursement for one.

Others only record meetings for which they are reimbursed. Samsel accepts mileage reimbursements only for county board meetings, so he didn't record other meetings he attended during the year. Overall, the county paid $24,277 to supervisors for their county business-related expenses. This total includes $4,860 in general expenses, including about $2760 in conference fees not designated for any particular supervisor. Overall, the board budgets approximately $30,000 for travel-related expenses each year.

Roanhouse, Cletus 169 108 Samsel, Clyde 22 Sheahan, Lucille 69 42 361 197 960 906 245 1.812 82 286 1,076 177 159 328 707 610 Skagen, Earl 80 Sklba, William 63 Smiley, Hartwell 99 70 52 79 53 72 50 Thomas, Leo 89 Thomson, Carl 91 Yanny, David 78 Samsel applies for reimbursement for county board meetings only, not committee meetings. mm' v- 1 A v-: Braun led supervisors in expenses other than mileage. He received a total of $1,029 for non-mileage expenses, much of which was for conferences he attended during the period. Braun traveled to Washington D.C. twice during the period, once to lobby for harbor funds and once to attend the National Associa tion of Counties' annual meeting.

Supervisors who attended all 27 county board meetings during the period were Michael Gallo, Ruth Gedwardt, Bonnie Ladwig, Richard Rehberg and David Retzinger. Gedwardt and Rehberg also attended all 25 meetings last period. All the supervisors except Brian Development director's son with harbor firm Matthew said he also will oversee work on the 921-boat slip marina the county plans. Matthew said he's enthusiastic about his work on the harbor and marina project, but would prefer if his involvement weren't disclosed publicly. "If this becomes a known fact, people might start screaming conflict of interest," he said.

"I don't want to raise eyebrows." Thomas Wright said there isn't any conflict of interest, because he doesn't have "any dealings with the monetary end of the project" and his son is "a little man on the totem pole" at Warzyn. Patrick Carroll, county engineering and maintenance superintendent, said he found out Matthew was working for Warzyn and on the harbor project when Warzyn officials told him they were considering assigning Matthew as Warzyn's on-site inspector, based in Racine. Warzyn officials said Richard Glover ultimately was selected as on-site inspector because he had more construction experience. Matthew said he worked as technical staff enaiiwxtr far fAmmnnuiaiilth EMicsm miolAov. By Marcia Nickow Journal Times Matthew Wright always wanted "to build things on water," says his father, City Development Director Thomas Wright.

But he never imagined Matthew would have a part in building on Racine's harbor, he said. Thomas Wright has long guided the city in its plans for a festival park and other waterfront projects. His son Matthew, 27, a civil engineer with Warzyn Engineering meanwhile has worked behind the scenes on the harbor project for nearly two years and has been monitoring construction since work began in April. "I think it's a very marvelous coincidence," said Mayor Stephen Olsen. Olsen and County Executive Leonard Ziolkowski said they didn't know Matthew worked for Warzyn or that he was assigned to Racine's harbor project before contacted recently by the Journal Times.

Both said they didn't see any potential conflict of interest, and Olsen said he would hope nobody would maliciously imply that Wright can swing Warzyn or his son can swing Warzyn." Warzyn designed the roughly $30 million worth ofbarbor and marina improvements the county plans and also has done some harbor-related work for the city. Matthew said he follows the harbor project on a day-to-day basis from Warzyn's Madison headquarters, reviewing daily construction reports and photographs. If contractors, Warzyn's on-site inspector or the county's three on-site inspectors have questions about construction procedures or interpretation of drawings, he offers technical assistance, he said. Matthew said he was hired by Warzyn in November 1984, when the firm was just beginning to make calculations for the harbor project.such as amounts of stone needed. Matthew helped develop drawings, details, final designs and bidding documents, said Greg Hofmeister, head of Warzyn's civil engineering section and project engineer for the Racine harbor project.

Last spring, when the county awarded construction projects, Warzyn put Matthew in charge of contract administration, Hofmeister said. Matthew said he'd asked to be put on the harbor project design team. His familiarity with the harbor has been helpful, he said, noting that he grew up sailing out of the Racine Yacht Club with his father and fishing from the piers. Mark Hertzberg, Journal Time Harvest time Christian Henry, right, helped Chuck Goldthwaite press cider during the YWCA's harvest festival at Riverbend Nature Center Sunday afternoon. The 13th annual festival drew 400 to 500 people who got a chance to take part in a watermelon seed spitting contest, pick apples and roll them in carmel and nuts or press them into cider, and take canoe and hay rides, according to Riverbed officials.

nlnnl Til OlA bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. yiere also were several cratt activities tor eniiaren. 1.