By Brian D. Bridgeford

Baraboo's Park and Recreation Commission will spend $5,000 in cooperation with a local home builder to build a riverside gazebo as part of Baraboo riverfront improvement efforts.

During Monday's meeting, Parks Director Tim O'Keefe reported local builder Tom Holmes of Glenville Timberwrights has offered to construct a gazebo at the foot of Oak Street in the park planned as part of the city's riverfront redevelopment. A crew from the company will build the 16-foot-by-16-foot structure Sept. 29, he said.

Holmes appealed to the commission to put about $5,000 toward purchase of materials for the project, O'Keefe said. He will also be asking for a similar donation from Baraboo Kiwanis Club. Kiwanis members have been strong supporters of the Baraboo Riverwalk that will eventually connect to the gazebo.

"They're going to put it up for free, and he's just trying to recover most of the costs of the timber," O'Keefe said.

A crew of city workers will pour a concrete foundation for the small shelter this week, O'Keefe said. He also passed around a drawing for the ornately decorated pavilion.

Several commission members were impressed by the offer and commented that Holmes' company is well-known for the craftsmanship and beauty of the homes they make. Glenville Timberwrights collects structural timbers from older buildings that are being dismantled and recycles then into lumber for new wood-frame buildings.

"I think it would be a wonderful addition," said Commissioner Craig Schlender. "I think this is (worth) about $20,000."

Commission President Greg Wise agreed.

"It seems to me this is a bargain we can ill afford to snub our noses at if we want it to happen," he said.

Commissioner Roy Franzen wanted to know if the gazebo would have an electrical wiring so it could be illuminated. He did not want the gazebo to be a dark spot in the city.

O'Keefe said he didn't plan to install lights immediately. However, at the urging of the commission, it was agreed that basic electrical connections should be installed so lights could be added without disturbing the appearance of the gazebo.

After discussion, commission members voted to contribute $5,000 toward the gazebo project. The money will come from park development funds generated by impact fees charged to developers.

Baraboo's newest City Council member, District Five Alderman Joel Petty, attended the meeting and participated in discussion. Because he will be officially appointed to duty on the commission and city Administration Committee today, he was not allowed to vote during Monday's meeting.

Visiting the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center and attending the dedication ceremony for Sue and Tom Holmes' gift to the city of Baraboo of a beautiful gazebo along the Baraboo Riverfront have been satisfying experiences for me.

My church women's fellowship were given a tour of The Legacy Center recently. One can't have lived around Baraboo very long to have had a number of opportunities to hear about and understand what a gift Aldo Leopold and his thinking and writing have been, not only to this state, but to the whole conservation movement. Viewing the ceiling beams, fashioned from trees the Leopold family planted years ago on the property where they spent vacations in the "Shack," was awe-inspiring. It's too bad that Aldo, who died in his early 60s helping a neighbor put out a fire, couldn't be alive now to see the advanced technology that went into the construction of the center.

I got on the phone that night to call my youngest son, Tom, to tell him about it. I was amazed to hear that he had not read "The Sand County Almanac." He majored in environmental science and has a master's from a university in Corvallis, Wash. He currently works for the federal government and lives in Colorado promoting care of the environment. I sent him a copy of "The Sand County Almanac" and the literature from the Legacy Center the next day. If he and his family visit next summer, that tour is high on the list for them to do.

Meanwhile, local people don't have to wait. Two tours are scheduled, one on Friday and one on Saturday. Don't miss one if you can possibly get there. In a way, it's a sort of laboratory of ways alternative sources of energy, etc., can be incorporated into one's own home. The drive out there is lovely as a special bonus.

The whole concept of using recycled products in Sue and Tom Holmes' Glenville Timberwrights business, located on Highway 113, incorporates sound environmental principles. Their lovely log home, located nearby, also could be considered a laboratory similar to the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center.

The construction of the riverfront gazebo from Southern yellow pine timber from a dismantled Joliet, Ill., factory, is typical of the kind of recycling they do.

Such a wonderful gift and addition to the Riverwalk project!

Brian D. Bridgeford

Families of Boys & Girls Club members, local residents and business people already have donated or pledged more than $8,400 to keep the club open for the rest of the year, advocates for the club said Tuesday. They also have pledged more than $3,200 to continue club operations into 2008.

Supporters met with the club's board of directors at the Gasser Construction offices in West Baraboo in response to a decision to shut it down announced this month. After the loss of government grants officials had planned on for 2007, board members announced Oct. 8 the club in the Baraboo Civic Center would be closed at the end of the month.

However, club supporter and rural Reedsburg artist Arlene Beagan said people are stepping forward to support the club inspired by the announcement of its imminent closure. As of Tuesday, she has raised more than $11,000 in cash or pledges for 2007 and 2008 with the help of local business owners Tom and Sue Holmes.

"We are just getting a groundswell," she said. "Since I helped start this club, I can't see it close."

Sue Holmes said the Boys & Girls Club of Baraboo/Sauk County is vitally important for children. Sue Holmes said she has worked in the Sauk County courts system. If they community does not support places for children to go after school, they will have to pay through law enforcement and the courts when they get in trouble, she said.

After Beagan and fellow supporters spoke, board members went into closed session to discuss the club's future.

Members of the Boys & Girls Club's Board of Directors still were meeting late Tuesday evening. No details of their deliberations or any decisions made were available.

By Brian D. Bridgeford / News Republic

After $180,000 in flash flood damage, the owners of the local environmentally conscious home builder the Glenville Timberwrights found the Baraboo Plan Commission receptive Tuesday when they proposed moving to a city business park.

Owners Tom and Sue Holmes appeared before the commission with a proposal to move from Highway 113 south of Baraboo to the city-owned Devil's Lake Business Park along Lake Street.

Tom Holmes told commission members their business suffered $180,000 in losses when flash flooding hit the Highway 113 area on the evening of June 12. A building he rents for construction of timber frames was damaged, and equipment including their business office was destroyed.

"We're well aware these kind of things have happened four or five times in the past, and we're not prepared to do this again," Holmes said. "We want to start anew with a model green-built commercial/industrial building in the Devil's Lake Business Park."

Holmes said the business operation would include a structure to hold their wood planing machine. The main assembly building would include elements like a porch to give it a more home-like feel and help it fit in with residential condos across the street.

They would like to heat the business with a modern wood-fired furnace Holmes said is so efficient it meets California pollution-control standards. They heat their current building by burning their wood scrap, he said.

City Attorney Mark Reitz said the wood furnace would have to be inside the building to meet city regulations.

The business would take up about 2 1/2 acres of land, said City Administrator Ed Geick.

Several commissioners expressed enthusiastic support for having the business move into Baraboo.

"I'd like to say I welcome this plan," said Commissioner James O'Neill. "I'm glad to hear you're going to continue in the community, in the city of Baraboo, and you're carrying on your green way of doing business."

Commission members voted unanimously to recommend the City Council approve the sale of land to Glenville Timberwrights. The Holmeses also must win approval from the commissioners of a more detailed site plan.