Do you dream of owning your own business?  Are you an inventor?  Or do you already own a business but have new ideas for products or services?  Then you will want to make plans to attend an upcoming Entrepreneur and Inventor’s Club workshop on Wed. Nov 19 at 6 p.m. on the campus of Southwest Technical College (room 492) in Fennimore.

    Entrepreneur and Inventors (E & I) meetings are being held all across Wisconsin and have resulted in many new business start ups and more importantly new jobs for the region.  Paul Thares, UW Ext Resource Agent reports “the Grant County Entrepreneur and Inventors Club are somewhat new to our area.  We are sponsoring the workshop as a means to encourage entrepreneurs and inventors to come together at a common meeting place where they can share information with others. This information could range from advice on product marketing to contacts for parts and materials needed for a new invention.”
    
    The E & I Club begins at 6 p.m. with the opportunity to network with others.  A short informational session “How to Survive as a New Business”   begins at 6:30 p.m.  Time will also be devoted to questions and answer period and additional networking opportunities.

    The E & I Club provides a safe environment to help people explore an idea and turn them into products or businesses. JoAnne Ehasz, UW. Ext Agent, Lafayette County explains “E & I workshops are a place where people can take risks, learn from their mistakes and try something new with support from their peers.”

    E & I workshops are held the third Wednesday of each month and are alternated between Fennimore, Platteville, Darlington and Argyle. They are sponsored by UW-Extension Grant County, Fennimore Industrial and Economic Development and chamber, Lafayette Development Corporation and Platteville Business Incubator.  There is no fee to attend; light snacks will be provided.

    For more information contact Fennimore Promotions Coordinator Linda Parrish 800-822-1131 or promo@fennimore.com or UW Extension Resource Agent Paul Thares at 608-723-2125 or paul.thares@ces.uwex.edu.

As a member of the City of Platteville’s Police Facilities Task Force, I have recently had the opportunity to review the state of Platteville’s current police station and the various options for new facilities. From that experience I drew six conclusions.

First, the current police facility is too small, unsafe, dysfunctional, inefficient, and wholly inadequate. It needs to be replaced. Police Chief Doug McKinley will gladly provide tours for those who doubt this assessment.

Second, among the available options for a new facility, the one that will provide the best functionality at the best price is construction of a new building on property the City owns northeast of the intersection of Mineral St. and 4^th St. All other options involve the renovation of existing space. These are more expensive options and it may be difficult to retrofit existing space to meet the specialized space needs of a modern police station.

Third, a new police station should be the City’s highest priority with respect to city building improvements. Second priority should be given to addressing the facility needs of our fire department and EMS. New or renovated city administration offices, a community cultural center, and expanded library facilities are important projects that will someday need to be addressed. However, right now they are not of pressing urgency. It will not be many years before developments in various TIF districts within the City move onto the tax rolls; then may be the time to consider these latter projects.

Fourth, thanks the efforts of many, the City is in good financial shape. By rearranging its budget, we will have sufficient resources to build a new police station and to address the facility needs of the fire department and EMS without increasing the City property tax rate. I am sure City Manager David Berner or other staff members will be happy to verify this statement.

Fifth, the new police station should be built to provide future flexibility. It needs to be designed to allow for expansion should the police someday need more space. It should also be designed to allow for an additional floor or wing, or for a building co-located in the same lot, should the City someday want to build new city administration offices or other facilities there.

Lastly, the City Council needs to find a consensus and act. The community needs to get behind whatever option for a new police station the Council chooses. The deficiencies of the current police facility and the need for a new one have been known for a long time. There are significant risks and costs associated with further delay. The City of Platteville needs a new Police Station. 

The citizens of Platteville are invited to look at this presentation that will give the overview of the facts in the feasability study provided by the consulting firm of Bray Associates Architects, Inc.