11/20/2024
Here is my column as it appears in this week's Kewaskum Statesman. Two of the great treasures in our area: town roads and the Kewaskum Public Library!
Library Connections
ANNE TRAUTNER
WASHINGTON COUNTY SUPERVISOR, DISTRICT 7
If you have not been to the new Kewaskum Public Library, I recommend you check it out.
The library moved into the old PNC Bank building last year. The new, larger space provides access to the library’s collection, with dedicated spaces for computers and seating.
It also offers new areas the old library did not have. A community room is used for a wide array of activities and events for people of all ages. A conference room is available for meetings. The Kewaskum Historical Society is setting up a history room in the old bank vault. And three small, quiet study rooms are available.
One of those small work areas recently was a lifesaver for me. Over the summer, I had been gathering information as town clerk to apply for a $3 million grant to redo one of the area’s greatest treasures: a town road.
The Kewaskum town roads go through what is arguably some of the most beautiful countryside in the nation. People like to take leisurely rides on these roads through the Kettle Moraine area. Many villagers became familiar with the town’s country roads as construction took place on Hwy 45 this summer.
Local farmers know firsthand about the views the roads offer. They also know that some of the roads need improvements, especially when it is planting and harvest time.
On Sept. 30, I was all set to apply for a $3 million grant to help improve an agricultural road in the Town of Kewaskum. I took out all my handwritten notes and sat in front of my computer to fill out the online application.
Unfortunately, when I clicked the button to connect to the internet, I was not able to connect. There was an outage throughout the area.
Kewaskum Schools were without internet. Homes and businesses in the area were without internet. I was without the internet.
The grant application was due at 5 p.m. Panic started to set in, but then I remembered I have a hotspot on my phone. I turned that on and was able to connect to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation website!
However, about 30 minutes later, my hotspot stopped working. Verizon, which happens to be my cell carrier, was having a nationwide outage.
After trying desperately (and unsuccessfully) to fill out the long application over the next several hours, I was able to call the grant coordinator and explain my predicament. I told her I would try to somehow find an internet connection so I could submit my grant application.
I contacted the Kewaskum Public Library, and the internet there was working!
I packed up my laptop, gathered all my papers and notes, and headed to the library.
When I got there, I walked quickly past the other patrons. Even though I was tempted to stop and talk, I walked straight into one of the study cubicles and shut the door.
It was completely silent inside the cubby. I needed that silence to concentrate. I plugged in my laptop and got to work. I was able to complete and submit the grant application!
I won’t know until the end of December if the Town of Kewaskum will be awarded the $3 million grant. I am just so grateful that the town had the chance to apply, thanks to the Kewaskum Public Library.
It is now budget season in Washington County. One of the items on the county’s annual budget is public libraries.
In 2024, the Kewaskum Public Library received $97,671.79 from Washington County. The funds paid for various services, programs and capital expenses, as well as reimbursed the library for items checked out by patrons who do not have a library in their municipality.
Overall, in 2024, the county covered 40 percent of the Kewaskum Public Library’s total budget of $244,450.49, while the Village of Kewaskum covered 43 percent. The remainder was provided by donations, grants, cross-county reimbursement and payment for services.
I look forward to Washington County continuing to support the Kewaskum Public Library in 2025.
