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Shown above is the Saucer Drive castle home of Paul Elliot and Dianne Owens south of Watertown. In September, the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors voted 24-5 to send back to committee a recommendation to not allow the venue to be used for agricultural business use. The decision gives new hope to the owners of the home.
Glenn and Mary Zwieg are ready to welcome customers, new and old, to a party Sunday at their restaurant that is celebrating 75 years in business. The event, with music, food and drink, runs from 1 to 5 p.m. inside and outside Zwieg’s Grill.
The offices of Valero’s facility in the Town of Aztalan are shown Wednesday afternoon. The offices are on the northwest side of the massive complex.
The Spot restaurant building, a former Ponderosa on South Church Street in Watertown, was razed Wednesday morning by Koplin Excavating. The space is being readied for location of KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants. Watertown Zoning and Floodplain Administrator Jacob Maas has said Pizza Hut and KFC will each occupy 2,175 square feet of the building, with 1,573 square feet left for a third tenant, which could be retail.
The City of Jefferson has set two public, open house dates in December to meet with citizens to evaluate and discuss a new streetscape design for the city’s downtown. The events are scheduled Dec. 2 and 9 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at city hall in the common council chambers. The east side of the 100 block of South Main Street is shown above on Tuesday afternoon.
TOP: Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus, in the background, were, of course, the focal point of an outdoor live nativity that look place this past weekend at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church on Watertown’s south side. LEFT: This 17-year-old camel from Oshkosh, shown with its care-taker Michelle Schultz, was trucked in and was one of the stars of the show. RIGHT: The three wisemen played a prominent role in the weekend’s live nativity.
TOP: Strong gusts toppled the fence along the Town Square site. MIDDLE LEFT: Watertown Street Department employee Matt Willmann takes a sign off a broken post Thursday. It was unclear if it was toppled by high wind gusts or a car crash. MIDDLE RIGHT: Watertown Parks employee Julie Kulke Krueger picks up branches and limbs in Riverside Park. She said there was not a lot of damage. BOTTOM LEFT: Santa Claus’ clothing blew on Spaulding Street in the winds. The National Weather Service recorded maximum gusts of 51 mph in Watertown.
Shown above is the Saucer Drive castle home of Paul Elliot and Dianne Owens south of Watertown. In September, the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors voted 24-5 to send back to committee a recommendation to not allow the venue to be used for agricultural business use. The decision gives new hope to the owners of the home.
Glenn and Mary Zwieg are ready to welcome customers, new and old, to a party Sunday at their restaurant that is celebrating 75 years in business. The event, with music, food and drink, runs from 1 to 5 p.m. inside and outside Zwieg’s Grill.
The offices of Valero’s facility in the Town of Aztalan are shown Wednesday afternoon. The offices are on the northwest side of the massive complex.
The Spot restaurant building, a former Ponderosa on South Church Street in Watertown, was razed Wednesday morning by Koplin Excavating. The space is being readied for location of KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants. Watertown Zoning and Floodplain Administrator Jacob Maas has said Pizza Hut and KFC will each occupy 2,175 square feet of the building, with 1,573 square feet left for a third tenant, which could be retail.
The City of Jefferson has set two public, open house dates in December to meet with citizens to evaluate and discuss a new streetscape design for the city’s downtown. The events are scheduled Dec. 2 and 9 from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at city hall in the common council chambers. The east side of the 100 block of South Main Street is shown above on Tuesday afternoon.
TOP: Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus, in the background, were, of course, the focal point of an outdoor live nativity that look place this past weekend at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church on Watertown’s south side. LEFT: This 17-year-old camel from Oshkosh, shown with its care-taker Michelle Schultz, was trucked in and was one of the stars of the show. RIGHT: The three wisemen played a prominent role in the weekend’s live nativity.
TOP: Strong gusts toppled the fence along the Town Square site. MIDDLE LEFT: Watertown Street Department employee Matt Willmann takes a sign off a broken post Thursday. It was unclear if it was toppled by high wind gusts or a car crash. MIDDLE RIGHT: Watertown Parks employee Julie Kulke Krueger picks up branches and limbs in Riverside Park. She said there was not a lot of damage. BOTTOM LEFT: Santa Claus’ clothing blew on Spaulding Street in the winds. The National Weather Service recorded maximum gusts of 51 mph in Watertown.
September
Sept. 14
A series of stories presented in the Daily Times addressed the challenges of operating fire and EMS services in a complex world, with area leaders in firefighting saying it is becoming increasingly difficult to find staff members to conduct their business. Watertown Fire Chief Kraig Biefeld spoke about the demands placed on the city’s fire department in 2021, saying one of the things that worries him most is simply being able to recruit and retain staff members qualified to respond to emergency calls. Biefeld said there are fewer people interested in joining the fire service these days, which, in turn, means fewer people entering the EMS field.
Sept. 16
There was an outpouring of support at a meeting of the Jefferson County Board of Supervisors for a man and woman whose dream it is to turn their castle home south of Watertown into an elegant, medieval-themed gathering place to host weddings, business meetings and other quiet events. In an unusual move for the county board, its members rejected — by a vote of 24-5 with one absent — a recommendation from the county planning and zoning committee to deny creation of an Agricultural and Rural Business Zone for the home. The county board in October approved the castle becoming an entertainment venue.
Sept. 20
The Watertown economy sustained a blow in recent days when it was announced by the State of Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development that Eaton’s Watertown plant will be closing Nov. 19. The facility is located at 901 S. 12th St. and employs 56 people, all of whom will be losing their jobs in the city. Adrienne Mendes, who is lead human resources generalist and manager in the industrial control division at Eaton in Watertown, said that Eaton is transitioning its U.S. Control Division manufacturing location in Watertown to Juarez, Mexico.
Sept. 21
A few years ago, some local folks doubted whether Gemuetlichkeit Days, Jefferson’s annual German heritage festival, would make it to its 50th anniversary. Following a canceled anniversary event in 2020 and with the COVID-19 pandemic still in effect, 2021’s delayed fest could have been a bust. Instead, two years of pent-up anticipation and community spirit all combined to make the delayed “50th” a record-breaking one, with crowds far in excess of those seen in recent years — or perhaps ever.
Sept. 22
A crush of patients has caused the Watertown Regional Medical Center to temporarily shutter its Urgent Care doors and move its staff there to its emergency department, a hospital official said. Watertown Regional Medical Center Marketing and Communications Coordinator Steve Hunt said there has been a significant influx of patients suffering from COVID-19 and others who have put off their medical care because of the pandemic and have now seen their health decline.
October
Oct. 6
The century-long history of the Watertown Area Chamber of Commerce takes awhile to read through, but the time to RSVP to the organization’s 100th Anniversary Gala Dinner is short. The deadline for the Watertown Chamber of Commerce’s receipt of RSVP’s for its 100th Anniversary Gala Dinner is Thursday and organizers are excited about the 1920s-themed evening of celebration, information and entertainment. The event, itself, is set for Oct. 21 at Watertown Country Club.
Oct. 7
Valero’s massive ethanol production facility — the former Ladish Malting structure visible from State Highway 26 north of Jefferson — will experience a layoff of 61 of 68 employees in the coming days, according to a letter from Valero to the state’s Department of Workforce Development. “We are writing to inform you that we will have a mass layoff at the Valero Services Inc. facility (near Johnson Creek),” said Martin Parrish, senior vice president of alternative energy and project development at San Antonio, Texas-based Valero. Parrish said the planned workforce reduction is due to the continued idling of the facility, which was originally Ladish’s malting plant that served Miller Brewing Co. in Milwaukee for decades by railroad line. “(The mass layoff) is expected to be indefinite, unless, and until, market conditions significantly improve and is expected to impact 61 of 68 employees at the facility,” Parrish said.
Oct. 12
The reshaping of downtown Watertown took a big step forward this week. An 87-unit, multifamily housing development cleared two hurdles when the city’s site review committee and plan commission each gave their approval for the project, which now is headed to a public hearing Nov. 2. “The redevelopment authority, our city team, and the developer have been very purposeful with briefing the appropriate boards, committees, and the full council so that people are aware of the progress, comfortable with the project and have an opportunity to provide input,” Watertown Mayor Emily McFarland said. “The development agreement process gave a lot of opportunity for that, and much of what is being discussed today was conceptually proposed at that stage, so I am optimistic that the council will maintain their comfortability and favor with the project.”
Oct. 13
The city’s Town Square recently received a financial boost to help construct its main stage and lawn seating area, which will be named the Fisher Barton Performance Plaza. The amount of the donation was not released. The area encompasses an expansive green space skirted by a naturally landscaped area with boulder seating. Audiences of 250 or more can enjoy a solo musician, a multi-piece band or dance/theatrical groups performing on an open air, elevated wood platform.
Oct. 27
Watertown Regional Medical Center announced it is among 18 LifePoint Health hospital campuses and associated sites of care selected to become part of a new national health system called ScionHealth. Watertown Regional Medical Center is currently part of LifePoint Health, which announced earlier this year plans to acquire leading post-acute provider Kindred Healthcare. As part of that acquisition, the companies announced they intend to create ScionHealth, a new company that will be comprised of 61 long-term acute care hospitals from Kindred and 18 of LifePoint’s hospital campuses and associated sites of care – including Watertown Regional Medical Center. As part of ScionHealth, Watertown Regional Medical Center will keep its name and continue to have access to capital to invest in its facility and community, as well as resources and support to accelerate its ongoing efforts to enhance healthcare delivery and expand the services available in Watertown and the surrounding communities.
November
Nov. 4
The Watertown Police Department found itself in another dangerous chase this week — this one early Tuesday morning. The Tuesday pursuit followed one Sunday morning that ended with the fleeing vehicle crashing in a roundabout south of the city, with one person being injured. According to Watertown Assistant Police Chief Ben Olsen, the pursuit Tuesday began at 1:05 a.m. when an officer from his department attempted a traffic stop on a vehicle on Market Street after its driver did not stop for a stop sign. “Officers pursued the vehicle throughout the city,” Olsen said. “The driver eventually stopped in the 400 block of South 8th Street where three occupants got out of the vehicle. One of the subjects complied with the commands of the officers on scene. The other occupants refused to listen to commands.” Olsen said officers used their Tasers and were able to take the party into custody.
Nov. 5
We Energies representatives said the utility will begin site preparation activities before year’s end and will be providing an updated construction timeline following the Wisconsin Public Service Commission’s approval Thursday of a $185 million liquid natural gas storage facility in Ixonia. “We appreciate the commission’s thoughtful process and approval of these important projects,” We Energies spokesman Brendan Conway said of the Ixonia and Bluff Creek LNG projects. Bluff Creek is located in Walworth County just east of Whitewater. “Today’s decision will allow us to keep our customers warm on the coldest days of the year with a safe, affordable and reliable heating supply. These LNG facilities are also expected to save customers more than $200 million over time.” According to Jefferson County Corporation Counsel J. Blair Ward, the PSC is the last approval authority before the Ixonia LNG storage facility could be built.
Nov. 6
Jefferson residents and visitors to the city can look forward to a nicer-looking and safer downtown in the coming years, as leaders ponder tackling an ambitious project to update the streetscape of the county seat. According to Jefferson City Engineer Bill Pinnow, officials are looking at budgetary estimates from the planners of the project and are narrowing the scope of the work as planning progresses, with some of the labor scheduled to begin in the latter half of 2022. Pinnow and the city’s administrator, Tim Freitag, said they are striving to achieve a project plan that is cost-effective, while bringing Jefferson’s downtown appearance and atmosphere more in line with the current century. The last time the overall look and feel of Jefferson’s downtown was addressed was in the early-to-mid 1990s.
Nov. 12
“For sale” signs have sprouted on the grounds of Watertown’s Bethesda corporate office building, with the facility currently listed at $5.43 million. The three-story, 54,700 square-foot, longtime headquarters of Bethesda is located along the Rock River on the city’s south side, just off of Milford Street. The Dickman Company, Inc. of Milwaukee is representing Bethesda in the sale. According to Tom Campbell, vice president of real estate at Bethesda, most of the organization’s corporate employees have been working remotely for the past two years due to COVID-19 and the space is no longer needed. At its height, the building was the workplace of approximately 150 employees. Today about 20 employees regularly use the Watertown office, with another 10 to 20 based out of Watertown who mostly work remotely, according to Bethesda officials.
Nov. 23
Watertown’s commuters to and from Milwaukee and Waukesha counties can breathe a sigh of relief as one of the fastest routes east has reopened after repairs to the Highway E bridge over Interstate 94 near Concord have been completed. According to the Jefferson County Highway Department, the Highway E bridge that crosses above the interstate was fixed over the weekend and is able to sustain traffic after its underside was struck in September. It was repaired at a cost of $147,500, with this cost funded through an insurance claim. The bridge was damaged by a dump truck that was performing highway construction work below on the eastbound lanes of the interstate and since the incident had been reduced to a one-lane bridge, controlled by traffic signals.
December
Dec. 7
One of Jefferson County’s kindest-spirited and longest-tenured governmental department heads, Gail Scott, is calling it a career after four decades of service, including helping manage the local response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Scott’s retirement is effective Jan. 21, 2022. “Gail has spent a lifetime of dedication to Jefferson County, not only in her current role as the director of public health, but she also grew up in the greater Fort Atkinson area,” Jefferson County Administrator Ben Wehmeier said Monday as he reflected on Scott’s pending professional exit. Wehmeier said Scott handled emergencies calmly and effectively, no matter their size and scope.
Dec. 9
Watertown Public Library will be closed today and remain closed for more than six weeks for the final phase of its $10 million expansion project. “The renovated side of the library is complete for the most part and we still have to do the punch list next door,” said library Director Peg Checkai. “That will be happening over the next few days and we will make corrections at that time.” The entire library collection will need to be moved back to the other side, the director pointed out. That includes more than 80,000 books, the DVD collection, audio book collection, CDs and Lucky Day Collection for about 100,000 items. “And we have to put them back in order, too,” Checkai said.
Dec. 9
The Watertown Common Council approved modification of an ordinance designed to help city police officers enforce restrictions on “loud and unnecessary noise” during the day — not just between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. — but some residents and business owners have trepidations about the change. Watertown Police Department Assistant Chief Ben Olsen has said that it has been difficult over the years to quiet noise that was excessive. Olsen said, before the change was made, police could only enforce the city’s noise ordinance after 10 p.m. Olsen has said that the alteration that was approved would help if someone has a band playing in the early afternoon hours and the noise becomes a nuisance and remains a disturbance to neighbors. Mayor Emily McFarland said it will help with excessive noise from things like TV’s, stereos and lawn mowers, but that Riverfest is exempted from the updated ordinance. Olsen said Watertown police officers do ask for voluntary compliance to turn the music down to a reasonable level before issuing a $124 citation.
Dec. 10
Call it another casualty of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Dodge County’s Public Health Officer Abby Sauer is calling it quits. Sauer recently submitted her resignation with the last day of her employment in county government being Jan. 6, 2022. “It’s been a long road for me,” Sauer said admitting some of the miles traveled at times were rocky. Sauer said it was a difficult decision for her, but one she needed to make. “In the end, I need to focus on my children and my family,” she said.
Dec. 16
Many Jefferson County residents have personal experience with the scourge that is opioid addiction. For those who don’t, all they have to do is drive around the nearest city or town, or talk to law enforcement, health or social workers, and they will be made aware of the deadly effects of these drugs locally. The Jefferson County Board of Supervisors voted to allow the county to at least try to repair some of the damage done by opioids by entering into a $2.9 million settlement agreement with pharmaceutical companies that dispensed the painkillers. After becoming addicted to these legally prescribed medications, some people moved on to cheaper street heroin and even stronger fentanyl. This resulted in numerous overdose deaths in Jefferson County that continue to this day.
Dec. 21
Area school districts took a variety of precautions because of vague posts on the social media platform TikTok promoting “challenges” of violence in schools. Lake Mills High School dismissed students early, while Waterloo schools went under a soft lockdown out of precaution. Watertown carried on as usual, but with an increased police presence at all its facilities. In Watertown, there was heightened police presence and attendance was down, but there were not incidents.
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