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The Arboretum News
Our mission is to create a community-based arboretum for the purposes of education,
recreation, conservation, and the cooperation within the Platteville community.
Message from the President
S P R I N G
2 0 1 5
MPO Rountree Trail Design/Construction Planning Under Way
Delta 3 and IIW were selected by the City
Council, with input from the MPO Steering Committee, to lead the design and
construction of the ‘Moving Platteville Outdoors Rountree Trail Project’ to pave, light
and enhance the Rountree Trail.
First, I’d like to thank the Platteville Community Arboretum Board of Directors for electing
me their President for the 2015-2017 term. It is
such an honor to be elected as your next PCA
President. I am humbled that you would place
your faith and trust in me. This is a responsibility that I do not take lightly, and I will
endeavor to represent the PCA with the utmost
transparency and boldness.
As the new president my first action will be
to thank the former members of the Board of
Directors for the PCA.
For serving numerous years in maintaining the Rountree Trail, Dick Bonin, has been
a reliable source through his hard work and
sweating dedication to make the Rountree Trail
a solid addition to the Platteville community.
I can not begin to count the number of times
we called Dick knowing we could count on his
endless drive. Dick will be missed.
I also want to thank Bev Loy for the years she
continued on back
OFFICERS
Ric Genthe - President
Frank Steck - Vice President
Katherine Burk - Secretary
Julie Pluemer - Treasurer
Amy L. Delyea-Petska - Executive Secretary
BOARD of DIRECTORS
Mark Hirsch
Evan Larson
Tom Nelson
Mike Penn
Jen Schweigert
Gene Weber
Robin Fatzinger - Past President, 2013 - 2015
Ric Genthe - Past President, 2011-2013
Kris Wright - Past President, 2005 - 2011
David Canny - Past President, 2004 - 2005
608.778.1131
pca@plattevillearboretum.org
www.plattevillearboretum.org
PO Box 302 • Platteville, WI 53818
Pictured, Julie Neebel, IIW Project Manager
for the MPO Project, makes a point in a
design meeting. L-R Gene Weber, PCA/
Steering Committee/MPO Chair; Howard
Crofoot, City Public Director; Julie; Dan Dreessens, Delta 3 Project Manager; Noah Hofrichter,
IIW Engineer; and Tom Nelson, PCA/MPO Steering Committee. Howard, Tom and Mike Penn
(not pictured) - PCA/MPO Steering Committee make up the committee providing direction to
Delta3/IIW group for the Design/Construction phase.
Design plans are being developed and discussed with the DNR. When finalized, a firm construction plan will be set. Construction is expected to begin in 2015 and be completed in 2016.
MPO Project Ground Breaking
At 4PM Wed
April 1st, the
official
ground
breaking of the
trail project to
pave and light the
Rountree
Trail
was attended by
over 60 people.
The history of the
trail was narrated
by Angie Wright;
and Gene Weber
summarized the collaborated leadership effort lead by the Platteville Community Arboretum,
Platteville Community Fund, Building Platteville and the City of Platteville. The assistance of Representative Tranel and Senator Marklein along with the DNR represented by Peter Biermeier.
Robin Fatzinger recognized the 20 organizations leading specific fundraising projects. Duane
DeYoung thanks the 12 local business fundraisers while Angie Wright shared appreciation for
the residential brochure distribution team. Gene shared: “Without the entire community’s
efforts, this would not be happening - Thank you.” And Tom Nelson ended the program by
requesting everyone to stop by a local contributing restaurant for dinner or your favorite contributing retailer to buy that something you need.
Pic: L-R Tom Nelson - PCA/MPO Engineering PM;
Dick Bonin - City Council; Mike Denn - City Council;
Brian Stuart - MPO Fundraiser; Duane DeYoung
- Building Platteville/MPO Local Bus. Fundraising
Leader; Mike Olds - Building Platteville; Jen Schweigert - PCA Raffle Leader; Peter Biermeier - Wi
DNR; Gene Weber - PCA/MPO Chair; Howard Marklein -Wi State Senator; Travis Tranel - Wi Representative; Mike Jansen - IIW; Cindy Tang - PCF; Larry
Bierke - City Manager; Dan Dreessens - Delta 3;
Katherine Burk - PCA; Angie Wright - PCF/MPO
Grant Writer; Nate Curry - PCF President; Evan
Larson - PCA; Mike Penn - PCA/MPO Engineering PM; Robin Fatzinger, PCA Past President; Barb
Stockhausen - City Council. Photo by Gary Tuescher.
School District Employees joins
effort to help Match the MPO
Tang $25,000 Challenge –
only $4,283 to go!
The MPO Steering Committee is pleased
to announce that the Platteville School
District has provided their board, staff
and faculty the opportunity to make a
donation to help pave, light and enhance
the Rountree Trail in the name of the
Platteville School District. Those individuals donating $100 or more will get a yard
continued on inside
It all started some 18 years ago
when David Canny and Martin
Dawson formed the Friends of the
Rountree Branch (FORB). Officially
FORB was an ad hoc sub-committee of the City of Platteville’s Parks
and Recreation Department.This volunteer group secured DNR funding
and trail easements to begin construction of the Rountree Branch Trail
(RBT). Over the next several years, FORB, the City, UW-Platteville, local
businesses, and many, many volunteers worked together to construct
approximately 1 mile of gravel trail along the Rountree Branch stream.
The first section, or Phase 1, was the short jaunt between Chestnut
Street and State Highway 80/81. Phase 2 completed the trail segment
between State Highway 80/81 and Valley Road. In 2002, educational
signs were installed along the trail through a cooperative project funded
by the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. Amazingly, all of FORB’s activities were funded through WI DNR grants and donations from community members and organizations.
In The Beginning!
In 2002 members of FORB began talking about formalizing the group
and expanding the vision to include a community arboretum. However,
this would not be a traditional arboretum; this arboretum would be
linear and would follow the Rountree Branch stream with the RBT
as its backbone. The Platteville Community Arboretum, Inc. (PCA)
was started in 2004 to provide a new range of additional resources
to the community that would be associated with the trail and stream
(i.e. gardens, natural areas, recreation, etc.) The PCA is an independent,
nonprofit community organization that fully supports its operation and
projects through membership fees, private and corporate donations,
grants, and volunteer efforts. Although independent, the PCA maintains
a close working relationship with the City of Platteville which allows
both organizations to take advantage of a broader range of resources
to enhance Platteville’s Rountree Branch Trail corridor.
In 2005 the City and PCA partnered to conduct a surfacing pilot study.
Two segments of trail were surfaced with cold mix asphalt and two segments were surfaced with recycled asphalt. Neither segment held up
well. The recycled asphalt has essentially reverted to something resembling gravel, while the cold mix asphalt was slightly “wavy” when installed
and has cracked and buckled in many areas. As these were only meant
as pilots and were not intended to be permanent, the installation of a
long-term, uniform surface remained a vision for the future.
In 2012 the City and PCA began talking about needed infrastructure
improvements for the trail. The following three projects were identified
as highest priority: 1) replacing the failing bridge between Novus and
Culver’s; 2) rerouting the trail around the stairs behind Fastenal; and 3)
completing the off-road connection to the Platteville Dog Park portion
of the trail. In December 2012, the City offered a $50,000 challenge
match to PCA to complete the three high priority projects. PCA named
the projects “3 for $100K.” PCA did fundraising for the “3 for $100K”
projects and successfully raised just over $50,000 to meet the challenge
and secure the City’s match.
During fundraising PCA was repeatedly asked by residents and business
owners about plans to pave and light the trail. The City and PCA developed a tentative plan for completing the trail improvements in phases;
beginning with completing the “3 for $100K” projects, followed by paving, and finally lighting the trail as funding allowed. However, after talking
with several funding agencies and foundations the City and PCA were
convinced the project would be more attractive to funders as one large
project. They also learned that adding lighting after paving presented
construction concerns as well as being difficult to fund. Based on these
discussions and research, PCA and the City decided to use the existing
funds as match to leverage additional funding from other sources.
To sign-up:
http://www.eventbrite.com/e/rountree-spree-10k-run-tickets-15662665454
Event Details
This is not your average 10K, it will be a challenging and all terrain race along the scenic Rountree Branch. You
will run on grass, gravel, pavement and possibly some mud! Park your cars at Mound View park and we will bus
you to the race start on the UW- Platteville campus. You will run through part of campus and then connect on the
trail and make your way back to the park for the finish line.
Check in and waiver signing from 8-9 a.m., transportation to start leaves at 9:05 a.m. sharp, and the race begins
at 9:30 a.m.. If weather is extremely bad and it is unsafe to race, we will cancel the event by email and posting an
announcement on our facebook page at 8 p.m. the night before the race. There will be no rain date if the event is
cancelled.
Event Registration includes Custom Rountree Spree Nike DriFit Cotton T-Shirt! Sign up by April 11 to guarantee a
shirt! All proceeds of the event will help fund the Platteville Community Arboretum (PCA) Trail Pavement Project.
Come out and enjoy the Rountree Branch Trail and help us reach our goals to improve the trail!
$25.00 Registration fee includes a nike drifit t-shirt and snacks
Are you interested in learning about nature by spending
time along the Rountree Branch Trail? Would you like to
learn about fishing, native trees and plants, and how to build
a bird feeder? If so, sign up to attend Platteville Community
Arboretum’s Nature Camp at Rountree Branch. Please
register at the Recreation Office, but make checks out to
the Platteville Community Arboretum.
The registration deadline is
June 12, 2015.
FEE: $20 • GRADE: 3 - 6
LOCATION: Mound View Park
DATE: July 13 - 17
TIME: 8:30-11:30am
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Moving Platteville
Outdoors Rountree
Trail Project
The Moving Platteville Outdoors effort grew out
of a $50,000 challenge grant from City of Platteville aimed at smaller piecemeal solutions to
the Rountree Branch Trail’s existing infrastructure
problems. As work was being done to raise funds
to meet the challenge, a grander vision for the
community to delay the smaller projects and use
the initial challenge to leverage additional funds
took focus and Moving Platteville Outdoors
(MPO) was launched in late 2013.
PCA quickly determined that this grander vision
would require a community-wide collaboration
to lead the project. Most of the matching funds
for the “3 for $100K”project had come from the
PCA membership and Platteville residents. For
MPO to succeed, donations from local businesses
and grant funding needed to play a significant
role.
The first step of the plan fell into place when a
local philanthropist provided PCA with funds to
hire a grant writer. The MPO community collaboration was put in place with the PCA, City
of Platteville, Building Platteville, and the Platteville
Community Fund leading the way.
In April 2014 the City of Platteville submitted a
grant request to the Wisconsin Department of
Natural Resources Stewardship Program for
MPO. In August 2014 the DNR awarded the City
$642,692. Moving Platteville Outdoors was the
only project in our region to receive funding.
This great opportunity to leverage state and federal funds along with the collaborative MPO leadership has pulled the entire community together
to support the MPO project. Local businesses,
service organizations, and other groups held numerous fundraisers over the course of 2014 (See
article on page 4 for a full list). Well over 1,500
residents and more than 50 local businesses have
donated between $10 and $30,000. Through
these fundraisers, grant writing, and many, many
donations MPO has raised $614,000 in matching
funds for the $642,692 in grant funds received
through DNR.
Delta 3 Engineering and IIW are currently completing the surveying and design work for MPO.
The construction plan is not yet finalized, but
construction will start later this year and be completed in 2016.
Thank you to all who have contributed or helped
in any way. MPO is truly a remarkable community
collaboration that shows just how much we can
accomplish when we work together.
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Moving Platteville
Outdoors Major Donors
$100,000 + (Trail Section
Sponsorship Sign - Limit 3)
• City of Platteville
• WI DNR Stewardship grants
$50,000 + (Naming Rights
to Bridge - Limit 3)
• UWP Foundation via donor
$25,000 + (naming rights to
a special tree Limit - 5)
• Cindy Tang Charitable Fund
• Platteville Development Group
• Federal Recreational Trails Program
$15,000 + (naming rights
to a Kiosk - 4)
• Woodward Foundation
• Platteville Community Fund
$10,000 + (naming rights to
a bench - 10)
• People for Bikes Foundation
• Livingston State Bank
• Edward Jones and the
Reeves Family and
Friends/Nutrition World Staff and Customers
$5,000 + (naming rights to
a mile marker - limit - 13 maxed out
• Alliant Energy Foundation
• Runde Auto Group
• Bob and Barry Brodbeck
• Rotary of Southwest WI-
Platteville/Rotary Foundation
• Dupaco Credit Union
• Ubersox Auto Group
• Wisconsin Bank and Trust
• Gene and Jan Weber
• Heartland Credit Union
• Southwest Health
• Innovative Ag Services/
Land O’Lakes Foundation
• Tricor Insurance
• L&M Corrugated Container
Corp
• Bob Digman
$2,500 + (naming rights to a
light pole - many)
• Vassen-Pluemer CPAs
• Platteville Dental
• Avalon & Millennium Cinema
• Momentum Bikes
• Bev Loy
• Mound City Bank
• Platteville Optimists (Morning)
• Pizzaria Uno
• Dairy Queen/Country Kitchen/
Sigwarth Family
• UW-Platteville Advancement
Division Employees 2014
• Platteville Regional Chamber
Above are recognized with permanent name plate on entrance kiosk.
$1,500-$2,499 (name plate
on kiosk plaque for 5 years)
• Brothers
• Matt Melby
• Life Line Video & Audio
Technologies
• Eastman Cartwright
• John Deere Dubuque Works
$1,000-$1,499 (name plate
on kiosk plaque for 3 years)
• Eric Cleveland Agency
• Century 21 Southwestern
Reality
• Medical Associates of
Platteville and Cuba City
• Culvers/Bruce and
Caroline Kroll
• Michael Seitz Memorial
• Doug Rogers
• Myron and Sheila Tranel
• Driftless Market
• Pioneer Ford/WI Automobile
and Truck Dealers Assoc.
• Faherty
• Platteville Main Street
• Honkamp Krueger & Co
• Snowbusters
• Louise Brockman
• Lislie Financial
$500 - $999 (name listed
on kiosk for 3 years)
• Bill Kloster/Deb Rice
• Stephen VanDeWeil
• Carley Borcherding
• Thom Geyer
• Eva Marie Beining Memorials
• Badger Brothers
• Gobin Allion Flooring • Sherwin Electric, LLC.
• Tom and Karen Heiser
• TC networks of Dubuque
• Jaycees
• Walmart
• KFC
• Dunkin Donuts
• Mark Hirsch
• Paul Wantschik
• Bill’s Plumbing
. . . school district
sign along with helping the School District gain recognition on a Trail entrance kiosk with
the many other collaborating organizations. School district donations are elligable for the
$25,000 of matching funds from Cindy Tang available thru the residential fund raising campaign. Initial school district employee donations have driven the match amount to $20,717
leaving only $4,283 to go.
Over 300 residents have contributed since the initial trail fundraising began – above and
beyond those buying raffle tickets, brats, soup dinners, etc. These special educators are definitely collaborating to make good things happen for our youth and our community. PCA
has a long history of collaborating with the school district team providing PCA Leadership
opportunities, summer nature camps, environmental library, and maintaining the trail for use
by track and cross country athletes and others getting in shape for their sports as well as
the use of the trail, stream and our keystone wetland areas for biology and other school
studies.
Balance needed to fully match the DNR Award of $642,692 is now below $28,000.
Contributions of any amount can be mailed to the Platteville Community Arboretum, PO
Box 302, Platteville, WI 53818 noting “MPO” in memo. Contributions are also being received online at plattevillearboretum.org/MPO. The PCA is a 501(c)3 charitable organization, making contributions tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
Other MPO Rountree Trail Fund Raising Project Efforts
Several businesses and organizations held trail
paving and lighting fundraisers to include the
following:
Building Platteville Soup Suppers –
The Building Platteville Board held two soup
supper fundraisers.
MCB Dress Down – every Friday in September. Barb Winkler and the Mound City
Bank team fundraiser.
Fidelity Bank 2 Brat Sales - Mike Moran’s team at Fidelity grilled brats.
Livingston State Bank Brat Sale Doug Martin’s team had a brat sale raising
$500.
PCA Community Service Auction
hosted - Platteville High School & UW-P
Students Worked Together To Help Raise
$1,380 for the Rountree Branch Trail
Students from the Platteville High
School Swim Team, Cross Country
Team, Key Club, UW-P CERES Women’s Fraternity, UW-P Green Campus
Organization and many other students/
organizations offered a variety of services
from lawn raking, shoveling snow, washing
windows to detailing and washing your car
that were auctioned off.
There were also many other items to bid on
such as tickets to the Nov. 5th UW-Madison
Basketball Game held at the Kohl Center,
an 18-Hole Round of Golf with UW-P’s
Basketball Coach, Jeff Gard at the Platteville
Golf & Country Club, Fighting Saints Tickets
and more. Beth Frieders, Amy Seeboth and
Denee Hirsch led this event.
PCA Raffle $6,210 was raised for
matching funds in a raffle led by Jen
Schweigert. Raffle tickets were sold
through Mound City Bank, Benvenutos, Elks, Mound City Bank, many
Optimists and PCA board members.
Our thanks to all organizations that
donated gifts:
• UW-Platteville Foundation: Box Seats, Food and Drinks for 8 for the 11/15
Football Game vs UW Oshkosh
• Momentum Bikes: Trek 7.1 FX Bicycle
• Snap Fitness: One Year Single Membership
• Mark Hirsch: 20x20 “That Tree” Matted & Framed - Limited Edition Print Photo of Choice; “That Tree” Collector’s Edition Book and 10x10 Numbered Print; “That Tree Book” Autographed Copy
• Dairy Queen: 1 Small Blizzard a Month for a Year; 1 Small DQ OJ Smoothie a Month for a Year
• Kwik Trip: 2 - $25 Gift Cards
• Mary Ann Shultz: One Hour Massage
• Platteville Community Arboretum:
5 One Year Memberships
• Platteville Main Street Program: 2 Cases of Avista-Esterline Joni Brugger is planning
Potosi Root Beer
employee fundraising events at this time.
PCF Community Campaign - The
Platteville Community Fund facilitated the
residential fundraising drive. In October, they
distributed information throughout the community about Moving Platteville Outdoors
Rountree Trail paving, lighting and enhancement project. Information came to residents
in and around Platteville via an informational door hanger – 5000 were distributed.
Cindy Tang pledged to match up to $25,000
contributed by residents and to date over
$20,000 has been raised.
Tour de Trail - Another trail fundraiser
($200) and Healthy Activity Event sponsored
by SWHC, PCA, UWP Health Promotions
and others! 58 people participated.
Platteville School District: shared MPO
info with all faculty, staff and school board
members allowing them to donate in the
name of the school district if they so choose.
Donations are currently coming in.
UW-Platteville Society of Pre-Health Students’ Trivia Night: is being held Wednesday
4-15-2014 to benefit the “Moving Platteville
Outdoors” project.
This past fall the PCA held a
raffle to raise funds for the
trail. With the support of the
local community, PCA board
and others we were able to
sell 403 tickets. After cash
prizes were awarded we took
in $6210 for the trail! The
PCA board would like to
thank again the community
groups that helped us sell
tickets and the local businesses that donated the prizes
necessary to make this raffle a
success.
It was a fun event and participants got to
know the trail better. They chose from a
series of events (a group walk, jog, bike ride,
walking yoga, or boot camp) led by UWPlatteville Health Promotion majors. All
ages and experience levels (including kids!)
participated in the events followed by lunch
and live music.
Bargain Nook Discount Day - Raised
$50 thanks to Tracy Wiegel and Lynn Johnson
Wonder Wash hosted a fundraiser
for the Moving Platteville Outdoors:
Rountree Trail Paving, Lighting, & Trail Enhancement Project on November 22, 2014.
50% of the proceeds that day went toward
the fundraiser resulting in $132.
Wild Sanctuary Massage Offered Massages and raised $100 for the trail –
Thanks to Hannah Adams
JustGive.org brought well over $1000 for
the trail. This was an initiative started by
Amy Seeboth-Wilson
UW-Platteville Advancement Division Employees 2014: Dennis Cooley’s
team joined together and contributed $2500
– individual students donated up to $180
individually.
Platteville Regional Chamber Hometown Hog Roasts were the projects that
helped the Chamber raise/pledge $2,500 for
the trail.
Message from the President
has spent giving numerous volunteer hours to
improving the Rountree Trail. Her hard work
was seen by the enthusiasim and allegiance
displayed while working the trail and serving
the board. Thank you!
To Robin Fatzinger, our Past President, I hope to
follow Robin’s zeal and determenation to move
the trail forward as it was achieved during her
2013-2015 term. As a fulltime teacher and mother she was always able to find the time needed to
carry onward with the plans and goals set by the
board of directors. Her hours spent and served
will always be warmly appreciated.
With Robin, now acting as Past-President, and
Kris Wright, (President 2005-2011), I am confident the PCA will continue growing knowing
that their wisdom and knowledge will be available for all of us to draw from.
Optimists – internal membership fundraiser and donation $2,500
Finally, and equally most important, I offer a
big “Thank-You” to our donors, who have been
extraordinarily generous through the years.
It is the donations and the spirit of the Platteville citizens from which the PCA gathers the
strength and blood to reach our goals in serving
the community we are all proud of.
Platteville Main Street Root Beer Sales
project generated $1000
Rotary Club raised $5000 via grant requests, pie sales and other fund raisers.
Thank you,
Ric Genthe
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