February 8, 2007

Stories on the Front Page

 

Supervisor's broken back on the mend

by Greg Lauser

 

Pierce County Board Supervisor Mel Pittman of rural Plum City is recovering from a broken back at home after falling while working in a pole barn at the family dairy farm about 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 24.

"From what the doctors have told me, I feel I'll be able to continue faithfully representing the interests of my constituents in the county," Pittman said.

His low-key sense of humor is intact. "They told me not to fall again," Pittman said when asked what other advice doctors gave him other than insisting he wear a full torso and back brace to stabilize a fractured thoracic vertebra whenever standing or sitting.

Pittman spent the first six days after his fall in hospital ­ first being transported by ambulance to the Durand Hospital and then transferred to Sacred Heart Hospital in Eau Claire. He said he was released from the Eau Claire hospital Jan. 31 after being treated medically and fitted with the customized back brace.

"The doctors told me to wear the brace whenever I stand or sit upright and not to lift more than five pounds for the next three months," Pittman said. He said the brace is intended to help prevent any further back injury.

Pittman said he was working among hay bales in a building at his dairy farm when he fell about 12 feet and landed badly. He said he didn't recall precisely how he landed, but the result was a fractured thoracic vertebra.

He said doctors haven't told him precisely how long he'll need to wear the brace, but suspects he'll learn more during follow-up visits over the next several months.

"Doctors said I could be up and around as much as I care to be at this point and to always wear the brace," Pittman said. "If I'm lying down I don't need to have it on."

Pittman represents county district 17 that includes the towns of Maiden Rock, Salem and Union and the villages of Maiden Rock and Plum City.

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Aztec dancers enrich Malone

by Jason Strangis

 

Dressed in colorful costumes with long feathers sprouting up from tribal headdresses, Aztec dancers put on a thrilling show for students at Malone Elementary School on Feb. 2.

The event featured energetic performers dancing barefooted around the gym floor to loud drumbeats in the background.

"We're teaching them how our culture looked and how it was passed on and that our culture is still alive today," said Tommy Cuauhtemoc, a member of the Danza Mexica Cuauhtemoc group based in the Twin Cities. "Dance was very important to our ancestors. We use dance to tell stories."

The Aztec dance tradition goes back 500-1,000 years, Tommy said.

"These dances were passed on through generations," he noted.

Malone students were invited to take part in the celebration as they made a large circle in the gym, showing unity.

Following the dancing, there was a brief question-and-answer period at the end of each session.

One question concerned the flamboyant costumes, particularly the long feathers used for headdress.

"We use the costumes because they are colorful and attract people," said group leader Felipe Cuauhtemoc.

Costumes were either made from scratch or came from Mexico.

Felipe continued to talk about the traditions and customs of Aztec people. Hunting has always been part of that tradition.

"It's important to honor the animal even if you eat it," he said.

Traditional Aztec foods include corn, tomatoes and tortillas.

While Danza Mexica members honor past traditions, they don't live a primitive lifestyle by any means. Felipe explained tongue-in-cheek that members of his group often use cars for transportation and go shopping at grocery stores, among other things.

Danza Mexica members perform between 150-200 events each year. They visit many schools throughout the year and also dance at political events and parades.

The group took part in the 2006 Prescott Daze parade and that visibility prompted their return to the local area last week.

The Malone Parent Committee recommended having the Aztec dancers perform at the school.

"We try and do something different every year to provide a new and diversified experience for our school children," principal Scott Halverson said.

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EdgeBuilder building contractor awareness

by Jason Strangis

 

Contractors attending the open house on Jan. 30 at Edgebuilder Wall Panels Inc. were treated to a free lunch followed by a tour of the indoor facility.

Co-owner Gene Heger showed off his plant to a group of about 30 building contractors. Heger acted as tour guide, taking his guests around the large indoor facility where employees were busy working on various projects.

"That day they were building wall panels that will be used for a condominium project near Green Bay," Heger pointed out.

All guests were required to wear safety goggles during the tour. Heger directed them around the building, pointing out different aspects of the 17,000-square-foot complex.

The purpose was "to show them the quality of materials and how building inside allows you to do a better job," Heger said.

Glenbrook Lumber & Supply Inc. started 18 years ago in Oakdale, Minnesota. A couple years ago the business expanded to the Prescott area by acquiring Edgebuilder Wallpanels Inc.

"We saw a good fit for a lumberyard in Prescott," said Jason Kirchner, who manages the local facility. "This market is growing a lot."

So far there are about 25 employees of the local plant and lumberyard, and Kirchner is hoping for even more expansion.

"It's a good area because of the potential of the lumberyard business," he said. "We have room for bigger crews."

Added Heger, "We've been growing our business steadily. We've noticed an increase in the interest in housing. Things are looking positive. The builders are excited and optimistic about 2007."

 

 

 Co-owner Gene Heger gave tours for building contractors during an open house on Jan. 30 at EdgeBuilder Wall Panels Inc. in Prescott. Photo by Jason Strangis.


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Industrial park starting to shape up

by Greg Lauser

 

The Prescott Planning Commission was briefed by city consulting engineer Russ Kiviniemi on evolving concept ideas for the new 92-acre mixed-use industrial park northeast of downtown at its Feb. 5 meeting.

Kiviniemi, of Cedar Corporation in Menomonie, told commissioners that plans presented Monday evening reflected inputs thus far from members of the Prescott Industrial & Economic Committee and the Economic Development Task Force.

Concept plans thus far have segregated commercial and retail blocks of businesses nearest the intersection of highways 10 and 29/35. Sites for locating industrial and industrial/technology properties are designated for further north and east of that intersection, Kiviniemi said.

 

Roundabout Rejected

The roundabout intersection within the proposal drew the most comment from commission members. Referring to the site overview drawing, Kiviniemi said the PIE group and task force members had reached no consensus on whether the roundabout intersection it contained should be included in the final plan.

"Those things may look pretty and work in residential settings but they absolutely are out of place in an industrial setting," said commissioner Diane House. "Speaking from personal experience I can tell you they aren't designed large enough to handle truck and semi-traffic."

House said that even in residential developments roundabouts and their curbing often deteriorate quickly as builder equipment and truck deliveries take their toll on them.

Kiviniemi noted that public works director Jerry Killian and fire chief Bill Dravis also had weighed in against the roundabout as presenting potential difficulty for snowplows and emergency vehicles.

Based on sentiments expressed by commission members, Kiviniemi said that a four-way stop intersection will be given more consideration. He noted that roundabouts have been shown to be more fuel efficient in many situations, because they don't create stop-and-start situations for drivers.

"It's exciting to actually get the land so we're now at the point of trying to put together the right way to proceed in our planning," said mayor Mike Hunter. "We want to work with Royal Oaks on what they're planning for the 10 acres they retained at the intersection and what we're doing."

He noted that the turnout, feedback and participation from those attending PIE and task force sessions has been very good.

"I see the planning commission as being the visionaries in the community that determines where the city is going and how to best get there," Hunter said. "We want to work together on this and arrive at the best plan possible, even though it may change or be refined. We want as much input early as possible."

 

Royal Oaks Perspective

He asked Mike Black, who attended on behalf of Royal Oaks Development, for any input he might want to offer on the evolving site plan.

Black noted that the road configuration from Highway 29/35 had changed from earlier versions. He suggested a return to having he east-west arterial road follow more closely the property line between city and private property.

Black also urged the commission and other planners to consider at least one additional right-turn into and out of the industrial park from both major highways, Highway 10 and Highways 29/ 35, to provide easier access to the company's 10-acre parcel.

"Obviously, the viability of the corner area is determined by attracting retail businesses that demand easy access," Black said. He urged including a right-turn-only intersection for ingress and egress at the corner along the property line between with the city's property along Highway 10."

Commissioners agreed that it made sense to consider those possibilities, particularly reshaping he flow of the east-west arterial road to eliminate installed a right-turn access off of it to the Royal Oaks property.

Black added that right now it looks like it will be summer 2008 before Royal Oaks expects to have any retail businesses on its commercial property.

 

Other Business

Commissioners also approved conceptual plans for replatting a portion of North Acres Business Park to include reconfigured stormwater management ponds that will accommodate a potential 19,000-square-foot farm supply business and separate restaurant on land along and between North Acres Road and Kasson Drive.

Owner and principal Neil Durhman did not identify the potential tenant but said he is having very serious discussions with the farm supply retailer about the building and an adjoining 18,000 square-foot outdoor yard.

A concept plan for constructing a 6,400-square-foot Beane Sprouts Day Care Center on a one-acre site along Orrin Road just south of M & I Bank also was approved. Kathleen Beane, owner of Beane Sprouts in Hudson, and Karen Pesik, of the Prescott Beane Sprouts, were there to present the concept and answer questions.

The commissioners also approved the condominium plat for Lot 7 of Melstrom's Glenridge 1st Addition.

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County preparing for the worst flus

by Erik Anderson

 

Preparing for the worst and hoping for the best the Pierce County department of public health says it is ready for an influenza pandemic.

While common influenza is in its peak season, the health department says that is not the disease they are concerned about.

Sonja Kamrath, health educator for the Pierce County department of public health said H5N1 or Avian influenza could become a pandemic in the United States.

She said this should not be confused with a seasonal flu.

The seasonal flu is a disease that has been contracted by area residents before; that people have antibodies and vaccines to combat it. She warned that a pandemic would constitute a flu virus that people would have no antibodies for and would be a health emergency.

Kamrath said while the county still offers common influenza vaccinations, there is no vaccination for the H5N1 virus.

Despite this, she said the Avian flu can be prevented in much the same way as the common flu; by covering your cough and sneeze in your sleeve - not hands - staying away from others who are ill, washing your hands and reporting flu symptoms to health authorities.

 

Preparing for the Pandemic

"In public health, it's not a matter of if it's going to come, it's when," Kamrath said. "We're trying to prevent the severity of it and the spread of it. It is out there, it's in other countries, there have been deaths, but we don't want people to panic either, we are planning for it."

Kamrath said the department is preparing for a possible pandemic, by developing mass clinic sites to provide vaccine and antiviral medication, recruiting volunteers, stockpiling needed medical supplies and planning for social distancing, isolation and quarantine.

"One of the biggest concerns is that we are so global now that once it becomes human-to-human contact one of the ways we believe it will transmit the fastest is through our international air-flights," Kamrath said. "That is why it is really important to be cautious in prevention. By washing your hands and other preventive measures."

She added that with Pierce County's proximity to Minnesota and the Twin Cities, the public health department is involved in discussion with an interstate committee that discusses how the two states should prepare and handle a pandemic.

Another relatively new program that has helped Pierce County watch for outbreaks of diseases is the school surveillance program.

Susan Timm heads up that program and said it already has proved useful.

She said a school in Spring Valley late last year reported an increased absence rate for students. It went from three kids sick Tuesday, to 40 kids sick by noon Wednesday, to 80 kids sick by noon Thursday and by the end of Thursday 106 were out, she said.

The program helped notify the county and eventually the state of the situation, and could have helped speed assistance if it was needed. As it was, the outbreak of influenza type A cleared up on its own.

 

Not the First Pandemic

Kamrath said she believes a pandemic could happen in Pierce County because it has happened before.

She named four previous pandemics in the 20th Century as examples of what could happen in the United States if a pandemic were to occur. She said the Spanish flu of 1918-19 impacted the most people, killing more than 500,000. Adding that the Asian flu of 1957-58, Hong Kong flu of 1968-69 and Russian flu of 1977-78 killed another 70,000, 36,000 and 8,300 respectively.

"We're preparing for the worst-case scenario, so we always plan for the Spanish flu (impact)," Kamrath said.

She said during a pandemic flu, an estimated 30 percent would become ill, with 10 percent needing hospital care and 2 percent fatalities. That would mean up to 32,000 deaths in Wisconsin alone.

Kamrath said in Pierce County, residents would face 11,000 people sick, with 4,000 hospitalized and up to 700 dead.

 

H5N1

"Currently, the threat of a pandemic flu is the H5N1 strain," said Kamrath. "But right now there is little and rare human-to-human contact (so there is no widespread outbreak)."

Kamrath however, warned that the situation could change.

She said there are five phases before a disease becomes pandemic and the H5N1 influenza virus currently is in phase 3.

In phase 3 a disease is described as having human infections, but no or rare human-to-human infections, meaning the disease is spread by animal-to-human contact, but not human-to-human contact.

"Right now it's really localized," Kamrath said, "And as long as you're not handling dead birds you're probably going to be safe."

Currently, H5N1 is localized, but has spread from where it was originally noticed. Authorities have found the virus present in poultry and wild birds throughout the Asian continent, in some European nations, Pacific islands and African nations.

Cases where H5N1 has infected humans also have been seen in Asia and the Middle East.

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