West Bend veteran on Saturday’s Honor Flight

There are seven veterans from Washington County on Saturday’s Stars & Stripes Honor Flight to Washington D.C.

Gordon Sailer, 82, of West Bend is going. Sailer was 17 years old and a graduate of Medford High School when he enlisted in the Air Force. “It was Washington’s birthday, Feb. 22, 1951,” he said. “I chose the Air Force because I didn’t want to be a ground pounder.”

Sailer is an easy-going guy with a quick wit and an old-school saying for any occasion.

Following four month of basic training in Lackland Air Force base in San Antonio, Texas Sailer was transferred to Goodfellow Air Force in west Texas where he ran the aqua system. “They used that water to pump the gasoline into the planes,” said Sailer. “We had 380 T-6 single-engine trainer planes; they flew those around the clock.”

After a couple of years Sailer was transferred to Gary Air Force Base in Sam Marcos, just north of Houston, Texas. A warehouse supervisor at the time, Sailer finished his military career as a staff sergeant working in the base laundry.

Discharged on Feb. 21, 1955, Sailer came back to Wisconsin and worked at a variety of companies including Caterpillar, Sterns Electric, Perlick Brass Manufacturing in Milwaukee and eventually Weasler Engineering in West Bend. “I was there for five years,” said Sailer.

Although he was never stationed outside the country Sailer said he is looking forward to seeing all the memorials while in Washington D.C. “I’m looking to see anything they got,” he said.

Sailer’s son, Colonel Daniel Sailer from Volk Field at Camp Douglas, will be his guardian.

Other veterans on today’s flight include Robert Koeckenberg of Slinger who served as an Army engineer in the Korean War. John Pretre of West Bend who served as a B-47 mechanic in the Air Force during the Korean War. Edward Schreoter of Richfield who was an Army corporal in Korea and Donald Whisler of West Bend who was in the Army infantry during the Korean War and Leslie Howard of West Bend who served in the Navy in the Pacific Theater during WWII.

Bodybuilding title holder Drew Ziegler

There’s a body building champion in our midst. Drew Ziegler, 16, is a junior at Living Word Lutheran High School in Jackson. He recently took the title at the Wisconsin Natural Teen Bodybuilding contest in Madison. Ziegler also won the men’s middleweight class.

“I started working out when I was 9 years old,” said Ziegler. “This is the second contest I entered, the first was in April.”

During his first contest Ziegler placed third in the teen class and fifth in the men’s class. That show was in April. Over the last six months Ziegler has been training with his brother and local bodybuilding pro Tony Chemer, owner of Paradise Springs Fitness.

“I’m normally 190 pounds,” said the 5-foot-10 Ziegler. “But I competed at 175 pounds.”

Judges liked Ziegler’s legs and conditioning. “I need to work on my back and my shoulders,” he said. “But some body parts come easier because you have a genetic predisposition; once I learn how to target those muscles better then I’ll be able to get them to grow.”

Preparing for the contest, Ziegler trained throughout the day. His mornings were filled with about 30 minutes of cardio followed by posing. “After school I’d go to the gym at the Kettle Moraine YMCA. I’d be there for a couple hours and then I go home and do more cardio and posing,” he said.

Discussing the importance and technique of posing Ziegler said, “It’s an interesting way to be able to display a lot of hours of conscious thoughts of developing a good physique. You have to tense every muscle in your body. It’s not too exhausting, you prepare for it.”

While training for a contest Ziegler said his diet changes as he gradually eats less and fills up on water.

“I eat pretty clean; chicken, rice, potatoes and steak and almonds. I definitely don’t drink soda,” he said. Energy drinks aren’t part of the plan either. Ziegler said he drinks at least a gallon and a half or two gallons of water a day.

Balancing athletics with academics Ziegler carries a 3.3 Grade Point Average and finds he can get a lot of homework done while at school including college prep classes.

“If anybody wants to get into bodybuilding I’d tell them to have a plan, have a vision and a reason to do it. I love bodybuilding. It gives me purpose to wake up every morning and I want to take this as far as possible,” he said.  Photo courtesy Drew Ziegler.

WB Parks employee recognized by WPRA

Lauren Oliveri, recreation supervisor with the West Bend Parks, Recreation and Forestry department, is the recipient of the Young Professional of the Year award. It was presented this week by Wisconsin Parks & Recreation Association. Oliveri was recognized for her “unique programming ventures, strong work ethic, positive attitude and commitment to the Recreation Section.” Oliveri organized the extremely popular Dirty Ninja Mud Run for Kids.

New CEO at Cedar Community

Cedar Community has a new CEO. Following a 10-month search Cedar Community is announcing its hired Lynn Olson to replace CEO Steve Jaberg who will be retiring Jan. 22, 2016.

Olson is president / CEO of Hannibal Regional Hospital in Hannibal, Missouri. He will start at Cedar Community on January 4, 2016, ensuring a smooth transition for residents, staff, families and volunteers.

Joan Adler is president of the Cedar Community Board of Directors which spearheaded the search. “After a thorough and intensive nationwide search, we are very excited to be welcoming an executive with Lynn’s leadership capabilities, professional experience and passion for our mission,” Adler said.

Olson has more than 28 years’ combined leadership experience in acute care and elder care settings. He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Winona State University and a master’s of science in health care administration from the University of St. Francis, Joliet, Ill.

Olson joined Hannibal Hospital, a 99-bed acute care provider in rural Missouri with a 100-member medical staff and 850 employees, in 2011, overseeing initiatives to revitalize its home-based services, implement computerized medical records and develop strategic alliances with rehab services and physician’s groups to improve financial performance and quality of care.

“I am excited about the opportunity to serve Cedar Community, and look forward to the privilege of working with a dedicated team of employees, volunteers and board members,” said Olson. “My wife Rene and I thoroughly enjoyed our time in West Bend during the interview process, and we look forward to becoming an active part of the community.”

Jaberg joined the West Bend-based organization in 1984 as administrator under founding CEO Rev. Louis Riesch, and was named CEO in 1991 following Riesch’s retirement. Cedar Community is a not-for-profit, United Church of Christ-affiliated leader whose mission is to model Christ’s love for humanity by creating life-enhancing relationships, services and environments.

Children’s Hospital Pediatrics opening in West Bend

Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin Pediatrics – West Bend is opening Nov. 16 2015. The facility, 500 Shepherds Drive, will feature two board-certified pediatricians Carol Estill, MD and David Meuler, MD. The new signs for the facility went up this week. The clinic is located just to the north of Highway 33 – across the street from the Charcoal Grill.

Amy Reuteman new WB assistant city administrator

Amy Reuteman is making a big jump as the West Bend city clerk is now the new assistant city administrator. Following a brief closed session Monday night the common council approved Reuteman for the position.

“I’m very flattered,” said Reuteman. “I live in the community, I am a taxpayer myself and I am eager to improve the operation at City Hall.”

Prior to West Bend, Reuteman graduated UW-Stevens Point with a bachelor-of-science degree in business administration. She worked as a deputy county clerk in Michigan which included human resource responsibility. Reuteman started as the deputy clerk in West Bend in 2001 and was appointed city clerk in 2008 following the retirement of Barb Barringer.

“I appreciate her experience and she commands a high level of respect,” city administrator T.J. Justice said. “Amy has a background in human resources and a financial background.”

Justice said Reuteman is familiar with the TIF Districts and she has hands-on experience calculating the tax rate.

Questioned why they didn’t post the position, Justice said they were not required to. “Normally we do post key positions but this made sense to hire Amy; it will make the transition smoother,” he said.

The job of assistance city administrator opened after Steve Volkert, 48, was hired as the new city administrator in Hartford. “Typically filling this spot would be about a two-month process,” Justice said. “The mayor and finance commissioner and I thought it would make sense to get Amy and obviously the council agreed.”

When questioned whether a better candidate could have been selected had the position been posted, Justice said Reuteman had the experience and he was confident in her ability.

District 8 alderman Roger Kist liked Reuteman’s education. “A public search wasn’t necessary,” Kist said. “The most impressive thing is, she has a good education.”

District 7 alderman Adam Williquette said the city has been setting itself up with succession plans. “Even though we weren’t expecting it this ended up being a great internal succession that is going to work better than anything that we could have come up with going out to look, especially with the weak amount of applicants we came up with the last time we went through that process,” Williquette said.

Reuteman, 52, does garner a great deal of respect at City Hall. She has a good relationship with staff, an affable sense of humor and a sound level of trust and professionalism. Reuteman has also lived through the change in staffing and the morale that came with it.

“It’s been hard,” she said. “There have been a lot of changes at City Hall and some of those people were my friends but I feel strongly that it’s been a good experience and going forward there’s more we can do.”

Reuteman said she will take the next two months to work with Volkert and bring herself up to speed on Obama care and the changes in health care. Volker’s last day will be Dec. 31.

Reuteman is already involved in the budget process and she said she will be able to keep an eye on her old job as well. “The assistant city administrator oversees elections so I’ll still be able help when needed,” she said.

The position for a new city clerk will be posted. Megan Gundrum is currently the deputy city clerk.

Reuteman will officially take over as assistant city administrator Jan. 1, 2016. Her salary will jump from $65,000 to $82,000. Reuteman and her husband Mike, a bank manager at BMO Harris in West Bend, have raised three children who went to Holy Angels School in West Bend.

Washington County to get new polling machines

Watch for new polling equipment to be unveiled in the February 2016 primary as Washington County gets a new toy.  Washington County Clerk Brenda Jaszewski said new machines will replace 35 dated units that were purchased in 1994 and 1995. “I mean, can you imagine – who has a 20-year-old computer,” Jaszewski said.

The new polling machines are manufactured by Dominion and they’re called Image Cast Evolution or ICE machines. “This is one machine that meets both the ADA requirement and you can vote a regular ballot,” said Jaszewski. “Prior to this the county needed two separate machines – one to be ADA compliant and the other normal.”

The machines are being replaced countywide because, according to Jaszewski, they were malfunctioning. “I want to be perfectly clear, they were either working or they were not working,” she said. “When they were working they were absolutely accurate but we just had a lot of breakdowns and it is just time.” The new machines will read the ballot after a voter fills in the oval. “They will also create an image of every ballot,” said Jaszewski. “On the image it actually prints out how the machine read every single race.”

Nobody else in the state of Wisconsin has these specific machines however Jaszewski said others are in the process of acquiring them. “There are other counties purchasing these and I’m working with Ozaukee because they’re getting the same equipment,” she said.  Fond du Lac County, Door County, and Winnebago County are also getting ICE.

Washington County is paying 80 percent of the cost of the new machines and the municipality is paying 20 percent. The old machines will be recycled for a fee by the vendor who is conducting the training on the new machines on Dec. 2 at West Bend’s City Hall.

Jaszewski said it will be up to the individual municipality on how it gets rid of its machine. Final negotiations on the price of the new machines is still being determined.

Updates & tidbits

-A couple of new red bike racks with a West Bend logo were installed this week on Main Street downtown near Vest Park, between Sal’s Pizzeria and the former Ziegler building.

– New signs are in place at Mother’s Day Restaurant, 501 N. Wildwood Road, in the former location of Dairy Queen. The restaurant is hiring full and part-time positions for waitress, cook, and table busser. Apply in person from 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. The family-style restaurant is expected to open shortly.

– Germantown’s American Legion Post 1 is hosting a Veterans Day celebration on Sunday, Nov 8, starting at 11 a.m. to honor the men and women who served our country. A complimentary lunch with refreshments will be served following the ceremony.

– The new fishing pier is in the water at Kiwanis Family fishing pond at Regner Park. The 50-foot fishing pier is ‘T’ shaped, handicap accessible and located on the southwest corner by the parking lot. The Parks Department is also planning to stock more fish including crappie, small mouth bass and minnows.  The pier was paid for by a combination of donations and city funding.

– The Kid’s Free Fishing Clinic will be held at the Kiwanis pond on April 9, 2016. The clinic was formerly held at Sandy Knoll County Park. The clinic is open to children 15 years old and younger and it’s free.

-Registration is underway for the Diamond Dash at Regner Park on Dec. 6. The dash runs through the spectacular light display at Enchantment in the Park. Pre-registration ends Nov. 22. Sign up now at husars.com/about-us/events/ to guarantee a commemorative performance beanie.

– The Kettle Moraine Symphony will perform its “Home for the Holidays” concert Saturday, Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. at Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, 1044 S. Silverbrook Drive, West Bend. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $5 for students. Tickets available at kmsymphony.org More information at 262-334-3469.

– Bill Coffin of Germantown is this year’s winner of the Oliver tractor held at the 22nd annual tractor raffle by Wisconsin Antique Power Reunion.

-Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School in Jackson will host the WELS National Choral Festival on Nov.13-15. The fest features show choirs from all of the WELS high schools nationwide. This year there will be 460 students from 21 choirs and 20 high schools. On Friday, Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. there will be a Pops Concert, where each choir will perform its own 5-minute show. The rest of the weekend choirs will be grouped into three larger choirs. On Sunday, the choirs will present a Sacred Concert at 2 p.m.

– Volunteers are needed Friday, Nov. 13 to help put up holiday decoration in the Downtown West Bend Business District. The Department of Public Works will lead the effort from 8 a.m. – noon. This year 66 more sways will be added to the light poles along with nine extra five-foot wreathes.  If you want to volunteer in decoration set up contact Ashley Mukasa at 262-335-5171.

 Lots of meaning behind KML flag-folding ceremony

There was quite a bit more to the flag-folding than met the eye during this week’s veteran’s ceremony at Kettle Moraine Lutheran High School. Following patriotic songs and speeches a pair of military soldiers from the Navy presented a flag-folding ceremony that occurs at a military funeral.

The flag used was presented in 1970 to the family of SPC 5 Stanley Hansen, U.S. Army 815th Engineer Battalion. He was killed in action 45 years ago on May 21 while serving in Vietnam.

“That was my brother,” said Jody Hansen, business manager at KML. “I was one year old at the time.” Hansen said his brother was in a convoy and they were ambushed. “He was finishing his third tour and he was 23 years old,” he said.

The flag had been at Hansen’s house, above the fireplace. He brought it in to be used at the ceremony. “This wasn’t really about my brother but it is about all the veterans and for us to respect and honor them,” said Hansen.

The flag folding made an impact on quite a few people at the ceremony especially Lois Dornacker. “They did that for me when my husband died and they gave that to me at his grave site.” she said. Ray Dornacker of Kohlsville served in the Army during the Vietnam War. He died May 19, 2012.

Stanley Hansen is buried at Washington County Memorial Park, kiddie corner from the mausoleum, fourth row in from the road and tree.

Stanley Hansen’s name will be one of 14 names of soldiers from Washington County that will appear on The Moving Wall™ when it comes to Germantown next September. The display will be at Kennedy Middle School Athletic Field from Sept. 1, 2016 through Labor Day, Sept. 5.

Washington County Insider is the primary media partner for The Moving Wall™