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• River Falls planners look for perfect fit
• Gimme shelter: Needs soar for River Falls area's stray animals

By Katie Chaffee, Reporter

City growth planners are now set to focus on the boundary between the city and the town of River Falls, but some town residents are suspicious.

"People feel like they're being flimflammed," said LeAnn Karras about the city's planning process itself, and the notification methods used to inform affected residents.

She said her husband first heard about a possible highway through their property from a neighbor.

Responding to area resident demands for planned growth, the both the city and the town of River Falls have been developing long-range, comprehensive growth plans.

The city's plan is designed to look at growth issues such as land use and transportation problems, in an area that includes both the city and the four surrounding towns.

An urban boundary will be established for future city growth within a specified time.

Three different sketch plans were presented to the public last August. These showed various growth options for the city.

Since then, the town of River Falls has held meetings to discuss those options and how they might affect town residents.

In a letter to City Planning Director Buddy Lucero, town of River Falls Chairman Louie Campbell says the town's Smart Growth Advisory Committee supports what was called "Sketch Plan B" last August and is now nearest to Plan #3.

That plan called for very little city expansion into the towns, limiting town of River Falls growth to filling in the small areas just south of Cemetery Road.

At a city Plan Commission workshop last Tuesday, members selected a plan for future discussion that includes considerably more land than town of River Falls residents had supported.

Labeled Plan #1 of the three options, the new plan adds several areas to the proposed boundary, including a more significant area in the town of River Falls. It closely resembles former option Plan C.

For discussion purposes, the concept has added the Scenic View/Daisy Lane area (925th Street, 800th Avenue, and 920th Street south to 800th Avenue).

It also includes land in the southeast corner of the city, extending east to 900th Street (South Fork Road).

The bulk of this land - 240 acres - is owned by Robert and Michael Moody. Another 40 acres is Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources property. Much of it is sandy marsh, and planners believe it will require special attention if it is developed. Karras, a town resident, took issue with the fact that a proposed road in the plan chosen seemed to run right through the home she and her husband, Bill Karras, own.

That road was a future possible southern connection between Hwy. 29 segments east and southwest of the city.

Although there are town roads that connect the two, they are small, winding roads. Portions of them have been declared "Rustic Roads" to protect their scenic character. Such a designation limits road width and speed, possibly making them inappropriate for carrying heavy traffic loads.

City Engineer and Plan Commission member Reid Wronski said a Hwy. 29 connection would probably not be paid for by adjoining developers - the usual method -- since the surrounding hills and valleys are not very conducive to development. Nor can it be shown that other development in that area causes a need for such a road.

More than likely, it will be built to achieve a regional transportation goal, and so would be paid for by the county or the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, he said.

Wronski said a strong case can be made for a road designed to carry Hwy. 29 traffic around the city rather than on Cascade Avenue and South Main Street.

"There's a complete lack of connectivity in the south," he noted. LeAnn Karras was not at the meeting but had written to Wronski about the plan.

In a phone conversation, she said she was not alone in her concerns.

A petition from people representing about two dozen homes in that area had been presented to city planners. Those who signed wrote that they opposed both the proposed road and inclusion of their property within any city urban boundary.

Wronski said folks shouldn't get too upset about a specific future road route yet.

"These are generalized plans, especially the roads," Wronski explained. "We have to decide on the need first, then take a look at where it should go."

Wronski told planners that his last employer, the city of Rochester, Minn., had two planning boundaries - a 20-year boundary for short-range planning and impact fee purposes, and a 50-year boundary to help utilities plan for oversizing as pipe goes into the ground.

He reminded the group that, by state requirement, impact fees must by calculated for an area no larger than a community expects to serve within 20 years. Water and sewer pipes are routinely made bigger than needed to accommodate future growth, as oversizing costs very little when compared to laying new pipe.

Karras said she had problems with the whole urban boundary planning process. She said property owners who will be directly affected should be contacted individually and informed directly.

Legal notices in the newspaper are not enough, she said, adding that such notices seldom contain clear formation to alert residents that their property is being discussed.

She would like to see a mailing list that notifies them, and includes useable information, not legal jargon.

Karras supports her town's restricted growth policy. Because she and her immediate neighbors are not within the city's Extraterritorial Zone (ETZ), they thought they were not involved in any city expansion planning.

Karras was not reassured by city staff statements that plans for roads and development may not occur for 20 or 30 years, if ever. Such plans affect her home's resale value right now, she said.

"If someone goes to buy a house on 800th (Avenue), they'll freak," she said.

Prospective buyers, she said, would be put off by the fear of an expensive forced connection to city utilities.

Karras said that she and her neighbors need some explanation of why their area would be included within the urban boundary, and approximately when the city would allow more development there.

Lucero said a development priority, or phased growth plan, will be part of the urban boundary plans and agreements with each town.

"A development priority would have as a No. 1 priority development of areas already within the city," Lucero said.

Stage two would follow right behind, building out newly annexed areas. Stage three would be areas closest to existing infrastructure and those almost surrounded by the city limits. In other words, those easiest and least expensive to service, he said.

Campbell asked about the fate of land that is now within the ETZ but not included within the new urban boundary plans.

"Any ETZ areas left out of the plan will revert to town zoning," Lucero said. "Land within the urban boundary will retain ETZ zoning until it is rezoned."

"Nothing in this plan would prohibit farming," Wronski added. Farm land within the boundary will remain under agriculture zoning until a zoning change is requested. If zoning changes are made for other reasons, farming can continue as a non-conforming use. The land may be sold to a new owner who wishes to continue farming, but cannot be used for some other use that is not consistent with its new zoning classification.

For example, if land that is now being farmed is shown as an expected commercial area in the plan, it can still be farmed until zoning is changed. But, it cannot be used for industrial or residential development.

By Phil Pfuehler, Editor

These days there's barely room for the people let alone the animals.

Dawn Fleming, the local Humane Society's director, said crowding and understaffing are growing problems.

As of Friday, the shelter housed some 130 cats, 40 dogs and two bunnies. On Thursday alone, 11 cats were checked in.

Under ideal conditions, Fleming said the shelter can accommodate 25-30 dogs and 60-70 cats.

"It's becoming a crisis," Fleming said. "We adopt out five or six a day, but we are getting so many more brought in. There's really no space left here for the staff to even eat or take breaks."

The large number of stray cats has forced the shelter to fill much of its only bathroom with stacks of 17 cages, some containing several cats. Storage areas are also filled with cages.

Fleming can't explain the surge in the shelter's cat population. She made several guesses: unseasonable weather affecting breeding habits; the increased awareness about the Humane Society shelter; and, possibly, the recent outbreak of ringworm at the shelter.

Ringworm is a contagious fungal disease. The shelter's workers are treating many dogs and cats for this problem, and its presence might slow the pace of adoptions.

Fleming also said a growing human population in St. Croix and Pierce counties means more and more pet animals end up at the shelter.

"And, I think that today people are more caring about seeing abandoned animals and feeling the need to bring them in so they are looked after," she said.

Not long ago she took in two cats from Afton, Minn. The shelter in that town only accepts dogs.

"They had nowhere else to go," Fleming said.

Most strays are picked up much closer to the shelter building, located on Hwy. 65S, just outside the River Falls city limits. Communities where the animals are found are then billed.

Fleming, also a veterinary technician, examines incoming animals. Those with serious medical problems, such as broken legs or vomiting, are seen by a local vet. Fleming said many vets in the area help the shelter by discounting their services.

Theresa Jonas, the Humane Society's offsite volunteer executive director, said in the shelter's first year of existence 12 years ago, it took in some 875 animals. Last year that number was 1,300 and this year it's expected to go well over 1,400.

"This building was never intended to handle those amounts," Jonas said. "We are well over capacity and it forces us to do a lot of 'creative kenneling.'

"The cramped conditions also expose the animals to various upper respiratory illnesses. We have a wonderful, devoted staff. They work long hours at low pay, but they have no privacy here, not even a place to sit down and eat."

While a new or an expanded building is badly needed, Jonas said there are no plans for either. For one thing, she said, the Humane Society has to struggle to finance its roughly $262,000 operating budget.

"And we also have other needs," she said. "We could use a replacement van that is used now for animal control and medical trips. We need an upgrade for the ventilation system, which doesn't work well, and there are constant repairs for the furnace and air conditioning."

Another big job ahead is a new septic system. Jonas said that could cost $10,000.

"So to find a way to add on to this building is like a dream right now," she said. "We're doing all we can just to keep the doors here open."

Jonas said dogs, particularly small dogs, are easiest to adopt. Cats are harder.

"Still, you have people who come in with a fixed idea of what they want and they leave with something quite different," she said. "That's great. An animal strikes a note and they fall in love. Sometimes people will come in looking for one animal and they'll leave with two."

Jonas said the local Human Society's new Web site -- www.adoptablepets.org - has boosted awareness. She said someone has even come from as far as Chicago to adopt from the River Falls shelter.

Jonas asked residents not to forget the mission of the animal shelter.

"Many people find it difficult to come here because they think it will be hard to see so many animals left behind in cages," she said. "But if you adopt just one animal, that helps. That's all you have to do.

"We want this to be a positive place in people's minds. This is not a torture chamber. We care for these animals to the best of our abilities. They are looked after, loved, played with, given food and medical care.

"They are not just shut up and ignored. If we weren't here, where would these animals be?"

If you can't adopt, Jonas said there are other ways to help.

"Remember us in your prayers, or with your financial support," she said. "Get involved with your fundraisers, like the bake sales. And we have board (of directors) meetings that are open to the public. They're held the third Monday of each month starting at 7 p.m. at the university's Rural Development Institute."

Fleming said the shelter can always use material donations, including: office supplies such as staplers, pens, markers, file folders, etc.; cat and dog food; cat and dog toys; cat litter; and hand sanitizer soap.

Fleming said the shelter does euthanize certain animals. She said it's the hardest part of her job.

"Making that decision is very difficult," she said. "I would describe our policy as a sensible, low-kill one. The animal has to have a terminal disease or be so aggressive and threatening that you can't approach it."

On the other hand, Fleming said the best part of her job is "knowing that I'm helping animals that would otherwise be killed, shot or starved, and finding them a home where they make people happy as longtime companions."

The shelter's staff tries to work with people to find a suitable animal to match their lifestyle. Adoption costs are $135 per cat and $200 per dog under five years old; older cats are $75 and older dogs are $110.

Most adult animals have gone through physical exams, various medical tests, and treatment for internal and external parasites. They are also spayed and neutered, and given various inoculations.

Cats leave the shelter with a free travel box and dogs with a free leash. A free, follow-up veterinary exam is offered with the shelter's adoption

A foster program for prospective owners is also available. Pet owners make a deposit and take the animal of their choice home for 10 days as a trial period.

For more information on the Humane Society of Pierce St. Croix, Inc., call 426-5535. Hours are noon to 4:30 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.