Mayor’s Column July 15th, 2023
Rohn Bishop, Mayor of Waupun
Hello Waupun!
Last summer, I announced a partnership with SERVE Waupun, an outreach wing of ONE Waupun, with the goal of helping connect people with a need to a group looking to help. SERVE Waupun has helped the city by assisting in the moving of a “Trucker’s Jamboree” cabinet and display to the Waupun Public Library. By taking care of smaller projects like this, SERVE allows the Department of Public Works to focus on ongoing priority projects and helps the department do their part in community improvement.
The awesome volunteers at SERVE Waupun continue to look for ways to help people with needs in our community. If you know of someone with a need, who could use a group of guys with some tools, please let us know. You can either contact me at mayor@cityofwaupun.org or SERVE at MVB2SERVE@GMAIL.COM.
Another wonderful service organization in Waupun is Church Health Services. CHS is a faith-based healthcare organization that conducts dental, and mental health care clinics for low-income children and adults. CHS has clinics throughout the Waupun area including one in Rock River Intermediate School. The clinic at RRIS helps provide mental health, dental, and other intervention services for kiddos at both WASD and CWC. CHS anonymously helps kids with serious needs, often from families without the resources to pay.
I’m excited to announce that the Other Bar is hosting a meat raffle in support of Church Health Services this Sunday at 2pm. All monies raised will go towards helping Church Health Services continue to help underserved kids in the Waupun area! I hope to see you there!
Last week, I took a few complaints and saw on Facebook that there was discussion about how long the red light is at Main and Watertown Street. Having heard about this (and admittedly, sometimes red lights feel like forever!), I did work with our Public Works director to have the lights inspected. The red light on Watertown (or the green light on Main) should last between 20 and 40 seconds. Every time I watched the lights change, the Watertown light was red for about 30 seconds. I understand it can feel like an eternity when there isn’t traffic, but the light is working within its normal parameters.
We have begun to spend ARPA dollars that came to Waupun. We’re replacing a leaking roof at the Safety Building, after part of the ceiling collapsed at the fire department, and we’re investing into childcare expansion. I’m still committed to helping youth sports for all the reasons I’ve been writing about for a year, but most importantly because the sports that host tournaments bring in hundreds of people on tournament weekends. Baseball, hockey, softball help to fill up hotels (room tax revenues) and help keep restaurants busy, and every dollar spent in Waupun gets spent in Waupun seven times before leaving! One way to truly invest in our community, both the economy and kids, is to help our youth sports.
Thank you and God Bless,
Mayor Rohn
