“In autumn, don’t go to the jewelers to see gold; go to the parks.” — Mehmet Murat ildan
Fall is my favorite time of year. I love the fresh cool air, watching the animals scurrying about preparing for winter, the beautiful fall colors and the smell of a pumpkin pie baking in the oven. Scarecrows and fall flower arrangements are beginning to appear here at City Hall. Residents stopping in are wearing Green Bay Packers and Shawano Hawks sweatshirts.
We welcome fall, but we still have a few projects to complete. No doubt most of you have noticed the Spirit of Shawano Park renovation project (corners of Green Bay Street and Main Street) has begun.
Several residents have voiced their concern regarding the statues located at the park. Although their location within the park may change, the statues are part of our history and will continue to be a focal point of the park.
The shrubs and bushes have been removed, and the area will be landscaped to give the park a more “open” and welcoming look.
The 1,350 names currently appearing on the memory/recognition walls will be re-engraved onto two large granite plaques. It is anticipated the renovation will be completed by mid-November with the exception of the placement of the plaques. They will be put up in spring.
The city is developing a park plan for Smalley Park. During the Oct. 3 farmers market at Franklin Park, various concepts will be available for viewing. Resident comments are encouraged. Representatives involved with the project will be available to listen to citizen input from 9 a.m. until noon.
There is more good news for downtown Shawano. Domenic Badalamenti, of Luigis, recently announced they are also now the owners of Fannita’s Bakery, formerly known as Bult’s Bakery.
Domenic said, “We will be keeping the same treats and adding some new items.”
He added, “We will be selling our homemade bread with our already popular desserts that we sell as Luigi’s.”
I can attest to those awesome desserts. For Christmas dinner each year, I order a red velvet cake from Luigis. It is simply delicious! Looks like this year I will be ordering it from Fannitas.
Budget time is upon us, and various city committees have been discussing the 2016 budget with city department heads. The capital improvement budgets have been submitted and operational budgets were due on Sept. 24.
City Administrator Brian Knapp told me he and his 12-pack of Sun Drop will be spending the weekend at City Hall putting the numbers together for the Oct.5 finance committee meeting, where elected officials will have their first glimpse. Additional meetings have been scheduled throughout the month of October.
Normally there is a great deal of give and take before the final numbers are agreed upon. Everyone takes this process extremely seriously, and minutes quickly turn into hours of discussions. Each year’s budget is unique and requires a great deal of scrutiny and consideration.
A public hearing on the 2016 city budget will be held on Nov. 18 at 6 p.m. Immediately following the public hearing, the Common Council will vote on the adoption of the budget.
This weekend is Shawano’s homecoming. The Shawano Hawks play Green Bay West today at 1 p.m. at the Shawano Community High School. Good luck, Hawks, from the city of Shawano and our residents!
The answer to the trivia question — Who was the commander of American Legion Post 117 in 1989? — is James Gramza.
This week’s question is: Can you name the photography studio located at 613 W. Green Bay St. in 1972?
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