If all goes as planned, Waunakee will have another recreational hub when an ice rink opens next year.
The village board voted to borrow $1 million to fund site work and provide a $500,000 no-interest loan to the Waunakee DeForest Ice Rink board at their meeting Monday.
Brandon Andries appeared at the meeting and explained that he is part of the non-profit organization that has been raising funds to build and then manage a rink.
The project entails a community ice arena and expo center at Hogan Road. It will offer social, economic and health benefits, Andries said during the presentation.
Also, the rink will spur economic growth "to the tune of $20 million over 20 years," Andries said.
So far, the ice rink board has raised $1.2 million in donations, and more than 80 percent of the rink's cost will come from private funding.
"What's critical is to move fund-raising forward by showing the support of the village," Andries told village trustees.
The ice rink board plans to raise another $800,000 in private donations, $400,000 in in-kind donations and borrow $500,000 for the facility.
The village's funding will come in the form of site work, including demolition, grading and fill, concrete, paving, landscaping, utilities and lighting.
In addition, the village will provide a $500,000 repayable note at 0 percent interest with payments to begin in 10 years.
Village trustees said they support the project. Steve Kraus said the finance committee had heard a much more detailed presentation. He added that as part of the deal with the village, if the facility does not succeed, ownership will revert back to the village.
"I've been in support of this from the start," said Trustee Karen Haag. "It will bring a lot of business into the village."
Trustee Chris Zellner asked what the village's interest rate would be on the borrowing.
Finance director Dave Ferris said he expected the rate would be between 3 and 5 percent.
"There would be a cost to that money for us that we wouldn't be getting back," Ferris said.
Ferris worked out the impact on the tax rate, noting that it would amount to a mill rate of 9 cents per $1,000 of valuation, or $18 per year on a $200,000 home for the full $1 million pledge.
Village Board President John Laubmeier said he had had misgivings about the project, and had thought the first priority for the village should be a library, he said.
Laubmeier considered the project from an elderly person's point of view who would never use the rink, he said. But in the end, Laubmeier decided the rink was "an unbelievably good deal for the taxpayer," he added.
The site work would need to be completed no matter what sort of recreational facilities were located there, Laubmeier said, adding that 80 percent of the project costs will come from private funding.
Laubmeier said if one business were to locate in Waunakee because of the ice rink, that tax increment would pay for the interest on the loan.
Kraus added that municipalities have a variety of ways of developing recreational facilities by working with the private sector.
"In comparison to other communities, this is a win-win situation," he said.
The rink will be located on a parcel of land in the village's southeast side donated by developer Don Tierney and the MLG Group for recreational purposes. The long-range plans call for the development of the ice rink and a possible aquatic center or spray park. So far, a skate park has been built at the site.
Found money
in 2010 budget
The board also approved the 2010 budget and allocated an additional $135,000 resulting from additional revenues toward equipment purchases and the transportation and parks pay-as-you-go fund.
Altogether, the budget adds $200,000 to that fund.
Ferris told the board that transportation aids came in higher than expected, along with interest income from investments.
Board members approved the budget, saying they support the pay-as-you-go fund that allows the village to avoid borrowing for maintenance and equipment.
In a memo to village board members, Ferris said the assessed value for the village has not yet been finalized, so he is unable to arrive at a precise mill rate.
The board voted on a mill rate increase of no more than 1.99 percent, and Ferris estimated that the mill rate would be no more than $6.4 percent, depending on the state's assessed value for the village, he said.
For the village's portion of the 2010 taxes, a home valued at $200,000 would see an increase of no more than $31.
Also at Monday's meeting, the board:
•approved a policy that gives the village board the right to contact former employers of applicants to a department manager position with the village. Interviewees will also be required to sign a waiver allowing the village board to check their credit histories under the new policy.
•met in closed session to discuss salary and other matters related to the administrator's position. Since the village administrator resigned last week, the board will discuss that position in more detail over the coming weeks.
•approved under the consent agenda the Westview Meadows Phase 3 developer's agreement. The developer, John Ganser, and his attorney are seeking to complete the engineering drawings and specifications for the next phase and start the development in three years. Normally, construction begins within two years after the drawings are complete. The board approved a one-year extension for the review time.
Reader Comments
Posted: Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Article comment by:
Brian & Caralynn Knutson
Over the past several years, our boys have grown to love the sport of hockey. They also strive for academic success, which is what we expect before all else. It's a hard balance at times- driving them back and forth from this rink to that, all while trying to provide for and raise their younger siblings. We don't want to give them an ultimatum- to give up the sport they so love because there's no home ice. Think of it as if there were just a few area football fields from which to share and your child loves to play football. Travel time from rink to rink has become daunting for our family.
To have our own "Home ice" will provide a solid foundation, sense of pride and a stable future for our youth to pursue this sport. Our local rink will also cut travel time- allowance for afterschool academic studies/pursuits.
Posted: Monday, November 09, 2009
Article comment by:
Dave Smith
I fully agree with the idea of having this rink finished for next year.
