Dear Town of Spring Green Board and Plan Commission Members,
The proposed Kraemer Company sand pit on Highway 60 and Jones Road would have a very dramatic impact on our community for many reasons. The only good from this enterprise will be the money made on mineral extraction by the Kraemer Company. This sand pit represents a man-made disaster for the families whose homes immediately surround the proposed pit. Unfortunately, Jim and Maxine Pfefferkorn are one of those families. They are also friends of mine.
I have long had an interest and respect for architecture and architects. Some architects dedicate their lives to designing buildings to make people's lives better, more efficient, more interesting, more enjoyable. One of the world's most famous architects is from Spring Green, Frank Lloyd Wright. Mr. Wright brought the prairie style home design to the world.
Jim Pfefferkorn is an architect. Jim studied under Frank Lloyd Wright and was a fellow at Taliesin. Many residents consider the Pfefferkorns part of the history and heritage of our community. The Pfefferkorns designed and built their dream home on a beautiful parcel of land in the sand prairie of Spring Green. It took a lifetime of work for the Pfefferkorns to achieve their dream. Now the Kraemer Company is threatening to turn their dream into a nightmare.
The Pfefferkorn's property is at the end of a secluded drive. Their home is nestled in the woods at the end of a long driveway. Soft rolling sand knobs sculpt the ground as it rises away from the river towards the bluff. The Kraemer Company sand pit with its bulldozers and dump trucks will bring chaos to a beautiful and peaceful area. People's dreams will be destroyed.
The future of the fragile dream of the Pfefferkorns will be decided by the elected officials in the Town of Spring Green and Sauk County in the coming days. The Kraemer Company sand pit in Spring Green is a man-made disaster that can only be prevented by government officials.
It can take a lifetime to make the world a little better. It doesn't take that long to destroy a lot more.
It would be nice to believe that we lived in a community where the Kraemer Company had the simple sense of decency to recognize that their plans will devastate many people's lives. Instead, their development plans target each home surrounding their sand pit like a TV news story about the military destroying buildings by remote control with no thought of the collateral damage to the people on the ground.
The letter below was written by Maxine. It is a plea to her friends and neighbors to help her to protect their home and its immediate environment. Hopefully the town plan commission will realize that if they do not help the Pfefferkorns then there will be no help for them when their home is threatened. Let's stop this disaster in its tracks right now in the Town of Spring Green. Thanks.
Mark Culverhouse
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Dear Editor and citizens of the River Valley community, Monday afternoon, August 14, brought shocking news to my attention. I looked out of our kitchen window and saw a Kraemer Company van in the parking lot. A young fellow emerged. He was a geologist doing a GPS survey of residences in this area for that company. He politely told me that a sand pit was proposed for the large field south of our property. The field runs from Thuli Road eastward along Jones Road and Highway 60. He would put our home and others on the GPS map to allow a required distance from the operation. Our family has lived in this home (which Jim designed and built) since 1973. We are among the elderly people and many others who have a great love for the natural beauty and productive nature of the River Valley area. Our children and grand children will live in this house when we call for their assistance and after we are gone. Now we are quite concerned about the future of this place, this community. I called our neighbors along Thuli, Neuheisal and Jones Road and heard many responses of amazement, disbelief and sorrow. It became apparent that we needed to get together to discuss this situation. So, we had a community informational meeting here on Monday evening, August 21. 25 residents came for details and to discuss the matter. It was unanimously agreed that we should pursue further facts and details and schedule a meeting to inform the public. That meeting will be held at the Spring Green Library at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday, August 29. It will be covered by The Home News and will be in print as soon as possible. We are also putting up posters around town with dates of relevant Town Planning Board meetings at which the public is welcome. It is important and effective to have a strong representation from concerned and interested citizens. The currently scheduled meetings are 1) 6:30 PM Thursday September 7 at Spring Green Town Hall - regarding amendments to Town's Comprehensive Plan. Specific to Mineral Extraction Issues. 2) 7:00 PM, Monday September 11 at Spring Green Town Hall - The Kraemer Company will present Sandpit Proposal to Plan Commission. We as residents are also on the Agenda. We appreciate any and all support anyone can give. Thank you! |