Mayor’s Column August 12th, 2023
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun!
I have a favor to ask of you. You’ve been hearing me talk about staffing struggles at the Rescue and Fire Department, especially as our call volumes rise. We have fewer and fewer firefighters available to respond during daytime working hours, and Lifestar Ambulance is oftentimes busy, and that is delaying response times. Because of these challenges the Common Council initiated a study to examine staffing models for fire and emergency response service in the community. The Waupun Fire Department currently operates with two full-time and twenty-eight paid-on-call firefighters, and a contracted ambulance service. An Emergency Medical Responder (EMR) program was added in 2022 to support increasing call volumes and is staffed with volunteers. As part of the study, we want as much community involvement as possible, and we have launched a survey to help gauge where residents are on this issue, and that’s where my favor comes in. Could you please take about ten minutes and fill out the survey at https://www.cityofwaupun.org/fire-emergencymanagement/page/fire-emergency-response-community-survey ?
I’d really appreciate it if you could. Thank you!
In other news, I’ve seen a lot of discussions on social media about why Waupun doesn’t allow for free pool days sponsored by local businesses. Actually, we do! Recently, we had an evening of swimming that was sponsored by My Property Shoppe, and we’ve had other business step up and offer free days in the past. Any business wanting to host a free day at the pool would be encouraged to contact the Waupun Recreation Department for more information.
On August 18th the Recreation Department will be hosting an end of the 2023 Summer Parks Program picnic. This wraps up a very successful Summer Parks Program! Between both the parks program and Library Summer activities, Waupun is fortunate to have so much fun stuff for the kids during the summer. Another example of how Waupun has got it going on, and why we’re a great place to live!
I’m excited to announce we received a grant and we’ll be replacing stop lights in 2025.
Finally, this past week was my birthday, and I did one of those birthday fundraisers on Facebook. The proceeds go to the Waupun Historical Society in support of the Recording Angel Centennial Rededication. I had a goal of $200, and I’m excited to say we successfully surpassed that goal! As you know, last year I created an ad-hoc committee led by Kyle Clark and Sue Hafemeyer to spearhead a ceremony to celebrate the Recording Angel turning 100 years old. The ceremony will be located at the sculpture at 10am on Saturday, October 7.
Thank you and God Bless,
Mayor Rohn
