Story originally printed in the Holmen Courier or online at www.holmencourier.com
Published - Sunday, April 13, 2008
Lions could get Star Hill cross site for $100
The future of Holmen’s Star Hill will be before the full membership of the Holmen Lions Club on Monday, April 21.
Last month the Holmen Village Board received a letter of intent from the Holmen Lions Club to buy part of the property known as Star Hill in an effort to avoid a church-state conflict.
Village trustees directed Village Administrator/Clerk Catherine Schmit to have an appraisal done of the property near Holmen Drive and Main Street. Now a professional appraisal — the appraiser said the parcel is worth $100 — has been forwarded to the fraternal group.
The matter is expected to come back to the village board’s May meeting.
After the sale, the site would be fenced to designate which land does not belong to the village, said Village President John Chapman.
The village and Lions Club erected the illuminated star and cross on the hilltop in 1960. The property is part of the village reservoir site, and the symbol has been lit with village electricity.
A Holmen resident, Eric Barnes, lodged an informal complaint with the village because the cross, which is lit during the 40 days of Lent, is on village property.
Trustees said they want to avoid the legal problems other communities have had with religious symbols on public land. “Everything we have done is within the letter and within the spirit of the law,” trustee Mark Seitz said Tuesday.
Church nixes offer
A $1.3 million bid for the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church property is too low, according to parish priest Fr. Robert Schaller. The village offered to buy the church for use as a new library but could only offer the appraised amount. The church needs at least $2 million in order to afford to move to a new location.
The Friends of the Holmen Area Library are now seeking other locations so the library can escape its constricted building.
Mobile home permit
Holmen’s newly enacted $500 mobile home building permit fee will remain, at least for a year until the village assessor’s contract is renegotiated.
Mobile home park operators wanted a break from fees the village charges, arguing it is not reasonable to charge as much to inspect a manufactured home as it does a stick-built home. “The state Department of Commerce said there is one-third less work for inspectors,” said park owner Scott Ryan.
Tuesday he told members of the village board’s Finance and Personnel Committee that manufactured homes are inspected in the factory and that the local inspector only has to look at utility connections and the foundation.
Village inspector Bud Raymer has said it takes him as much time and paperwork to inspect a manufactured home as a stick-built. Schmit recommended the fee stand at $500 until Raymer’s contract is renegotiated next year so there is time to evaluate the work that goes into inspections.
Ryan told committee members the fee would harm the village. “This has an unfortunate, disparate impact on folks who can only afford a $40-50,000 house; they might not be able to live in this community,” Ryan said.
All stories copyright 2006 Holmen Courier and other attributed sources.