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• Rural housing plan seeks to conserve agricultural feel
• DNR warns leave fireworks at home when visiting state parks and forests
• Somerset 16-year-old says he'll play hockey for Badgers
• NR principal resigns to take job at River Falls school
• Cedar Lake Speedway welcomes NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon
• NASCAR Champion Jeff Gordon attracts nearly 6,000 fans to Cedar Lake Speedway

By Jeff Holmquist, New Richmond News Editor

You'd think the fastest growing county in Wisconsin has seen it all when it comes to housing.

But an unusual proposal for a new 140-acre, 77-unit housing development in Hammond township is inching its way through the necessary approval process in St. Croix County and it has more than a few people doing a double take.

Rolling Hills Farm, which would be located at the intersection of County Road J and 160th Street if approved, is the first proposal under the county's new conservation design regulations.

The relatively new type of housing development allows for a concentrated cluster or clusters of houses on a large piece of real estate, with the remaining land being conserved for use by all residents. It replaces the traditional lay-out for rural housing developments that carve up the land in individual chunks of land.

"I think it's a good use for the land," said Dave Peters, one of the land's developers. "We want to maintain an agricultural sense of the property, and it's going to have more of a community feel."

Conservation design has been growing in popularity in the Twin Cities area for the past 10 years. Jackson Meadow in Marine on St. Croix, Fields of St. Croix in Lake Elmo and Inspiration in Bayport are all examples of successful conservation design projects close by.

According to the preliminary plans, Rolling Hills will include many of the amenities that make conservation design popular.

The development site will include two miles of eight-foot trails for resident use, a neighborhood park, a wetland overlook and native prairie grasses.

Homes will also be grouped tightly together, offering a stronger traditional neighborhood feel, Peters noted.

The homes will be outfitted with environmentally-friendly aerobic septic systems, and each home will share a well with one other home.

"There are fewer borings into the aquifer," Peters said about the shared wells. "It's all much better for the environment. We think it's the way to go."

Peters said the developer, Rolling Hills of Hammond, LLC, hopes to gain county approval for its concept in the coming weeks so lots begin selling soon. The company plans to place a showroom on the development site once it gets the necessary approval, which is expected to occur without too much trouble.

"The county has been on board all along," Peters said of the cooperation the developers have received from local officials. "They're real excited about it."

By the end of July, Peters said they'd like to begin moving dirt and complete the road system.

If all goes well, Peters said the developers plan a second phase on a 100-acre parcel across the road. That land has the Kinnickinnic River running through it.

Kim Chapman, Ph.D., with Applied Ecological Services, Inc., helped design the Rolling Hills Farm housing development. He spoke to the St. Croix County Board of Supervisors at its meeting Tuesday night concerning conservation design issues.

All of the elements of the project work toward protecting the environment, Chapman said.

Among the special design elements is an ecological storm water management system that helps to reduce sediment and phosphorus washing into the river.

Developers also plan to protect an existing wetland, and create a new wetland, as part of the project. A savannah remnant and native prairie remnant on the land also are slated for protection.

Where once conservation design was a rare design option, Chapman said its popularity is picking up.

Developers can save money by limiting the length of streets, curb and gutter they need to install, and other development costs are kept to a minimum.

Just last week, Chapman attended a conference in Bloomington, Minn. devoted to the conservation design idea. More than 350 people were in attendance.

"I think the number of such developments have really picked up since the late 1990s," he said. "There's a track record and it's been proven to work. It's becoming more well known and people are jumping in."

Chapman said his company has helped about 25 developers nationwide design ecologically-sensitive housing projects.

MADISON -- The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources welcomes everyone to the state's parks and forests over the Fourth of July, but says leave the fireworks at home.

Fireworks are illegal in Wisconsin state parks and forests, according to Jason Fritz, chief ranger for the Wisconsin State Parks program.

"For the safety of our guests and our resources, our rangers strictly enforce the no fireworks laws," Fritz said. "Fourth of July favorites, the sparkler and the snake, are not defined as 'fireworks' per Wisconsin state law, but most park and forest rangers and superintendents would rather not see them at all because they are a fire hazard."

A citation for illegal fireworks in a state park or forest can cost the lawbreaker up to $200 and parents could be liable for the full costs of putting out a fire started by their children playing with or setting off fireworks.

Anyone responsible for starting a forest fire in Wisconsin is liable not only for the cost of putting the fire out but also for any damages, notes Catherine Regan, forest fire prevention specialist with the DNR Division of Forestry.

As of the last week of June, fire dangers levels throughout Wisconsin ranged from low to moderate. So far in 2006, DNR records show 951 fires have burned a total of 1,565 acres.

By Wheeler News Service

A 16-year-old center from Somerset will play his college hockey at Wisconsin.

Brock Montpetit has given his verbal commitment to Badgers' coach Mike Eaves, starting in the fall of 2008.

He's now taking part in the USA Hockey Select-16 Festival in Rochester, N.Y. and is auditioning for a spot in the National Team Developmental Program.

Instead of going there though, his father says Montpetit may end up finishing high school at Shattuck Saint Mary's in Fairbault Minnesota another hot-spot for young hockey prospects.

There's also talk that Montpetit may spend a year in the U.S. Hockey League before going to college, possibly delaying his start with the Badgers until 2009.

Michael Ballard, principal of New Richmond Middle School for the past two years, has resigned to accept a position with River Falls public schools.

Ballard, 36, submitted a written resignation Tuesday to Administrator Morrie Veilleux notifying New Richmond that he had verbally accepted an offer to serve as principal of Westside Elementary School in River Falls.

Ballard said the decision was extremely difficult for him and his wife, Jenny, because of their close ties to New Richmond and all of the support they have received from students, parents and residents. Ballard is a 1987 New Richmond High School graduate.

However, Ballard said, he is "eager to work with people who work together and focus on what's best for kids."

Ballard is the second New Richmond public schools administrator to submit a resignation in the past one-and-a-half months. High school Principal Jeff Moberg also submitted his resignation, but later withdrew it after board members and community members talked with him about staying on.

The district has been divided over the past few years over a number of issues, including a facilities referendum. On Tuesday, the same day Ballard submitted his resignation, board members debated a new code of conduct that would guide their actions. At that meeting, teachers expressed frustration about a minority of the board publicly criticizing the actions of the majority in the newspaper and in on-line blogs.

At a community wide forum last month, a statement from the administrative team called for more consensus and leadership from the school board.

Ballard's contract ends June 30. He said the River Falls School Board was expected to act on his contract July 17. He was not sure when his last day in New Richmond would be.

"I'm going to really miss New Richmond," Ballard said. "That's what's most difficult, is my family is very vested here."

See the July 6 print editions of the New Richmond News and River Falls Journal for more on this story.

En route to Daytona, four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon will make an appearance at Cedar Lake Speedway, tonight, Wednesday June 28.

Cedar Lake Speedway is located at 2275 Co. Rd. CC, New Richmond, Wis. Grandstands open at 5 p.m. and racing begins at 7 p.m.

Randomly selected fans will get the chance to participate in a Meet & Greet autograph session with Gordon. Tickets will be issued at the gates which put all the fans in the drawing to meet him.

Gordon has quite a following among race car fans due to his race record and personality. Shelly DeCosse, of Deer Park, said she has been a fan for 15 years.

"First because he's really cute, and I just like him," she said. "Because he's from California, he's not like the rest of the racers. He's down to earth."

Tickets are available at the door. All seats are general admission and first come, first served. $20 for adults, $10 for students age 6-16 and FREE for those age 5 and under. For directions and further information, visit the track's website www.cedarlakespeedway.com.

Four-time NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon promised nearly 6,000 fans Wednesday night that if he wins this year's championship, he will be back to Cedar Lake Speedway next year.

Visitors traveled from as far as Indiana and South Dakota just to catch a glimpse of Gordon who landed by helicopter in the middle of the speedway's dirt track prior to the sprint car event.

"This brings back a lot of memories, Gordon said, who, as a teenager, raced sprint cars. "I wouldn't be where I was today if I hadn't had that dirt track experience."

Gordon told the audience that he doesn't get a chance to race dirt track anymore but said the way he learned to maneuver his cars on the dirt taught him a lot about handling his cars today.

Race car driving is a sport that separates its athletes from the rest of the sports, he said during a press conference.

"Racing is not an inexpensive sport," he said. "You have to find sponsors and financial backers and along the way you hope you get noticed for your talent."

Because of the popularity of the sport, he encouraged new drivers to hang in there.

"We've all been there and had our ups and downs," he said. "With hard work and patience it eventually pays off. It all starts right here at the dirt track."

En route to Daytona International Speedway for the Nextel Cup Saturday, Gordon made the stop at the New Richmond dirt track on behalf of Pepsi, one of his sponsors. He gave a news conference before signing autographs for Pepsi VIP officials and randomly selected fans. Tickets were issued at the gates which put all of the fans in the drawing to meet him.

Although she wasn't chosen to get his autograph, Natalie Rose Benoy, 7, of Osceola stood close to the crowd with the hope of seeing Gordon.

"Me and auntie and grandma and mom love Jeff Gordon," she beamed.

Please see the July 6 issue of The New Richmond News for more coverage on Jeff Gordon's visit to Cedar Lake Speedway.