Hopes for better water quality and for redevelopment in Dane County do not have to conflict…or do they?
The Village of Cross Plains has proposed a “Black Earth Creek Greenway Project,” which would extend Lagoon Street (one street south of Highway 14/Main Street) along Black Earth Creek in order to redevelop the downtown business area. In May, Dane County Supervisor Kurt Schlicht – who represents the area – contacted me and the County’s Environment, Agriculture and Natural Resources (EANR) Committee about his reservations regarding the proposed project. Schlicht owns a business which lies in the redevelopment area, by the way, and he is not normally “on the same page” with progressive supervisors on land use and environmental issues.
The EANR Committee toured the site and generally raised its collective eyebrows when it saw how close the road would be to the creek…too close to stop more run-off from polluting the creek, it appeared. Schlicht subsequently asked County Board Supervisors to sign on to a letter to the Cross Plains Village Board expressing reservations about the proposed project. 35 of 37 supervisors signed the letter…not exactly a split decision. Black Earth Creek is a jewel for fish habitat in Dane County and many environmentalists would oppose any project that would further damage it.
Since then, the Village organized a “walkabout” tour for village residents and officials. I toured the site with Supervisor Schlicht, and EANR Committee Vice Chair Patrick Downing (southwestern Dane County) was also there. Turns out the proposal may include an important component which would request that the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) “remeander” (read: move) the Black Earth Creek, and remove a substantial amount of concrete in and next to the creek to improve the water quality and fish habitat. This piece of the project is extremely important and must be the first step in order for area environmentalists to support the whole deal.
Now it’s up to the Cross Plains Village Board to get the message and ensure that the WDNR is on board and ready to address questions about the Black Earth Creek before any extension of Lagoon Street occurs. The Village Board meets tomorrow evening, Monday, July 19, at 7:00 p.m. to consider the matter again. We’ll see what happens…in any case, Village officials should now be on notice that their project is being watched by many people who care about the environment in Dane County.
