Although not much has changed since its birth in 1987, there may be some changes in the future for Centennial Park.

A handful of trails meander through the woods and follow Otter Creek. A bike path/walkway cuts through the main grass area of the park and passes a small, tranquil pond. For the most part, Centennial Park looks the way it did when it was proclaimed. But things are in the works for the park in the near as well as not-so-near future. City Administrator Mike Golat said that there are plans for a bridge, trail realignment, trail improvements, and connections to the additions on the south side of the trail and to the trail near South Willson Drive.

The city is working with their partner, the local California Off Road Vehicle Association (CORVA), a group of people dedicated to promoting the positive aspects of vehicular access on public lands and protecting that right for the people. The most likely improvements in the near future to the park would be improvement on the trails.

Director’s note: The city is working with their partner, Chippewa Off Road Bike Association (CORBA). CORBA’s mission is to promote mountain bike opportunities throughout the Chippewa Valley.

“There is nothing concrete at this moment, but next year we may start to work on the trails,” said Craig Manthe of the local CORVA CORBA. “Some of the trails are narrow and rough. We’d like to widen and improve some of the trails to draw in a wider range of people. There is also the concern of erosion that needs to be addressed on some of the trails and they may need to be rerouted.”

Other trails would need to be rerouted due to the trails ending in a dead end where housing developments have cropped up since the park’s inception.

Another project in mind is putting in a bridge across the Otter Creek to connect parts of the park. This is a project for the more distant future because it would be more expensive than trail improvements and the city would need to hire professional engineers to design and build it.

It was a brisk fall day when I stopped by Centennial Park, but there were still a few patrons enjoying the scenery, including one Eau Claire native who came to the park on his lunch break and watched the ducks idly swimming in the pond and a woman and her dog who explored the trails. There is a mixed reaction to the mentioned improvements to the park. “I think they should leave it the way it is. We have other parks nearby that have been developed. It’s nice to see a wild area of nature so close by,” was one sentiment. “It’s a shame they never did anything with it. It’s just been sitting there for 20 years now,” was another view.

The VFW also has plans for a veteran’s memorial park in the northwest quarter of the prairie area, but according to VFW member Ralph Ely, they are still in the planning stages.

Many people rely on their IRAs and 401(k) plans to help them pay for their retirement years — and for good reason, because IRAs and 401(k)s are excellent retirement-savings vehicles. But once you reach the point where you are contributing the maximum amount to your IRA and 401(k) each year, what else can you do to build resources for retirement? You might want to consider annuities and cash value insurance.

Fixed and Variable Annuities
When you buy a fixed annuity, the insurance company puts your funds into fixed income investments, such as bonds. Your principal is guaranteed, and the insurance company pays you an interest rate that is also guaranteed for a certain period of time. At the end of the guarantee period, the insurer adjusts the guaranteed interest rate upward or downward.

If you’d like the potential to earn more than you can receive from a fixed annuity, you might want to consider a variable annuity. When you purchase a variable annuity, you place your money in various accounts that can be made up of stocks, bonds and other securities. You choose how to allocate your investment dollars, based on your risk tolerance and time horizon. (Keep in mind, though, that this investment is called “variable” for a reason; your account balance will fluctuate along with the financial markets, and there’s no guarantee you will get back your entire principal. Furthermore, various fees are associated with investing in variable annuities.)

With either a fixed or variable annuity, you won’t pay taxes on your earnings you begin taking withdrawals. Be aware though, that if you are younger than 59-1/2 when you start taking withdrawals, you will have to pay a 10 percent tax penalty in addition to ordinary income tax on the amount withdrawn.

Apart from tax deferral, annuities offer at least one other key benefit: flexibility in taking your payments. You can accept distributions as a lump sum, spread them out over a certain number of years, or create an income stream for the rest of your life — or even your life and that of your spouse.

Cash Value Insurance

When you buy permanent insurance, also known as “cash value” insurance, part of your premium pays for the death benefit (the amount that goes to your beneficiary), but some of the payment goes to help build cash value — and this money grows on a tax-deferred basis, similar to annuities, your traditional IRA and your 401(k).
You can choose from a variety of cash-value insurance policies. In building cash value, some of these policies rely on variable investments, such as stocks. Consequently, your cash value will fluctuate over time, and, as is the case with variable annuities, you could lose some of your principal. However, you can also choose varieties of cash-value insurance, such as whole life or universal life, that typically pay guaranteed rates of return.

To access your cash value, you can cancel or surrender your policy (although, if you surrender it within a few years of purchasing it, you may have to pay surrender charges) or you can borrow from your policy and pay yourself back with interest.

Ultimately, you can provide a significant boost to your retirement savings by investing in annuities and cash value insurance. So, give them some consideration once you’ve hit the “ceiling” on your 401(k) and IRA.

High winds cause a large tree to fall through the roof of your home. Since you’ve never had an insurance claim before, two questions immediately come to mind: “What can I expect from my insurance company and what can I do to help with the process?”

First, report your claim. You can do this by calling your agent or the insurance company’s claim call center, if it has one. You’ll be asked to provide your policy number, brief description of what happened and phone numbers where you can be reached.

If your home has sustained serious damage, take prompt and reasonable steps to prevent additional damage. Use plywood, tarps or other materials to cover broken windows and damaged rooftops. Keep copies of the receipts for your adjuster.

An adjuster will contact you to arrange a visit to your property. Once there, the adjuster will inspect your home and begin to develop repair estimates. If you have time, compile a list of any damaged furnishings or personal items before the adjuster arrives. Include the make, model, age and serial number of each item.

Once the investigation is completed, the adjuster will contact you to review your claim and settlement amount. You will then receive your claim payment minus your policy deductible.

Remember, the insurance company will pay for materials that are of like kind and quality to the materials that were damaged. If you want to upgrade materials or make an improvement, you will be responsible for the additional cost.

It is your responsibility to select a contractor and arrange for repairs. It is usually best to select a local contractor who has operated in the area for several years, has adequate insurance and is willing to give you a written guarantee.

If you have problems getting the repairs done for the claim payment, call your adjuster prior to hiring a contractor so you can discuss a resolution.

At one time or another, most people have found themselves strapped for cash. An unexpected repair, the loss of a job, or simply unchecked spending can push a person into a cash flow crisis. Whatever the cause, the results can be nasty: living paycheck to paycheck, putting too many purchases on a credit card without the means to pay them, or even tapping into a home equity line for daily living expenses.
Millions of Americans today face this challenge. Unfortunately, a crimped cash flow often means true priorities—like building a financial safety net for emergencies, funding a child’s education and saving for retirement—go ignored for the sake of just getting by. Some simple tips can help address this challenge:
Keep track of expenses: Recording all spending for one month helps to get a better handle on one’s cash flow. Recognizing how much is being spent and where the money is going can be a real eye opener, but it’s a critical first step to seeing where to cut back and use dollars to fund other goals.
Establish goals to reduce debt: Credit cards offer the easiest route to sliding into debt overload. The more cards a person has, the easier the slide. By creating a list of credit cards, interest rates, outstanding balances and minimum payments, one can see the problem and establish a plan to pay down the debt. Once a credit card is paid off, cancel it. To avoid backsliding, establish little rewards when goals are reached. A good rule of thumb going forward: if you can’t pay for it with cash, don’t buy it.
Keep one emergency credit card: After cutting one’s debt, a person should cut up and cancel those credit cards. Keep one low-rate card for emergency use only.
Don’t misuse home equity: Recent all-time low interest rates sparked a dangerous trend of people buying larger homes with bigger mortgages than they could afford. Originally meant for investing in home improvements, home equity lines of credit began being tapped to pay for daily living expenses or frivolous pleasure purchases. Avoid this mistake. Consolidate revolving debt with a home equity loan, since it may lower monthly cash outlays and provide a tax deduction.
Start a systematic savings plan: Finally, by having a regular, systematic savings program, one’s saving can be an automatic budget item just like other “non-optional” bills. Contributing to a 401(k) or an individual retirement account and creating an emergency fund helps one save automatically while not needing to rely on credit in case of an unexpected event or job loss.
Managing a cash crunch isn’t impossible. By taking charge of the checkbook, most people can both live for the present while investing in their future.

The Altoona volleyball team never trailed at any point in their regional semifinal match with Mosinee on Friday, October 19, defeating the Indians 25-18, 25-15, 25-9.

Aimee Reyzer had 12 kills and Brittany Gregorich added seven, while Sarah Nielsen, Krista Hines, and Tiffany Gregorich had two blocks apiece for the Railroaders, who advanced to Saturday’s regional final against Medford with the win.

“(Mosinee is) a good team,” said Altoona coach Ron “Duff” Martin. “But we knew what we needed to do against that team, and we executed it.”

That execution included grabbing an early 6-2 lead in the first game and later getting seven consecutive points to break open what had been a close 10-7 contest. Mosinee threatened in game 2, rebounding from a 7-0 deficit to pull within 13-12, but the Railroaders took control from there to win 25-15 before dominating the final game 25-9 to seal the victory.

“We turned our blocking game around,” said Martin. “That was key to our defense. If we can get Sarah and Rachel (Larson) and Krista and Aimee and Brit or whoever’s up there blocking to just get a touch on the ball, slow it down a little bit and let our defense recover the touch… it will make it so much easier for us and it will make their hitters think twice.”

Martin also liked what he saw from his team at the service line, where they were led by Brittany Gregorich’s 20-for-20, seven-ace performance. The Railroaders erred only three times in 73 attempts and racked up 15 aces as a team.

The Railroaders made the long road trip to Tomahawk the following night, where they defeated Medford 3-0 for the regional championship.

The Altoona volleyball team claimed the regional championship by knocking off top-seeded Medford in three games at Tomahawk on Saturday night, 25-21, 25-13, 25-14.

Altoona got off to a slow start in the opening game, trailing 14-10 at one point, but four consecutive points tied the game, and after the Raiders went back ahead 16-14, Monica Rasmussen served as the Railroaders took the next seven points to go ahead 21-16 en route to their 25-21 game win.

“The girls were very nervous and came out and struggled,” said Altoona coach Ron “Duff” Martin. “But once the girls got energized and once we got a couple kills and once we got a couple blocks… it took us a little bit to get going, but they did get fired up.”

Once Altoona had the momentum, the Railroaders made sure it never swung back to Medford. The Raiders threatened midway through each of the final two games, but both times Altoona responded with six consecutive points to regain control. Medford pulled within 11-10 in game 2, but a service error gave Altoona a needed side out, and Sarah Nielsen and Tiffany Gregorich recorded kills as the Railroaders opened up a 17-10 advantage. Game 3 saw a similar situation when Medford came back to within 13-11, but Aimee Reyzer started the Altoona run with three straight kills and added another three points later to extend the lead to 19-11. Back-to-back kills by Krista Hines helped the Railroaders finish off the match with a 25-14 win.

“(We) had so much energy,” said Martin. “(Medford’s) team just quieted down, their fans even quieted down… it seemed like when their fans started clapping and cheering, it got our girls going even more.”

Reyzer finished with 18 kills and Gregorich set 40 assists in the match for the Railroaders, both personal bests in three-game matches. Gregorich also led the Altoona defense with 13 digs, while Reyzer added 10.

They were hardly the only players with superlative performances on the evening. Brittany Gregorich had eight kills and 12 digs, front row hitters Rachel Larson, Nielsen, and Hines recorded four kills apiece, and Rasmussen went 13-for-13 with a team-high three service aces. Ashley Robinson and Gwen Frederiksen added 10 and nine digs, respectively.

“We are such a unified team,” said Reyzer. “We just played so well together… it was a team win tonight.”

For Martin, getting to the game was the hardest part. He was the best man in a friend’s wedding in Milwaukee at 2:00 and had to charter a private flight directly into Tomahawk for over $2,000 in order to make the 7:00 game.

“It was (worth the flight),” said Martin. “It’s easy for me to say that because we won, but if we had played like this and lost, it still would have been worth the flight. It just confirmed to me that this is where I wanted to be. I don’t have kids of my own, so to me I’m giving back to my kids, because these are my kids for the time being. It was worth it. It was so worth it.”

Travel arrangements were easier to make Thursday when the Railroaders took on West Salem in the sectional semifinals at Black River Falls. That match was played after press time and will be featured in next week’s edition of the Star. A win on Thursday would advance the Railroaders to the sectional final on Saturday night in Durand against either Hayward or Osceola.

Despite sloppy field conditions that made footing tricky for seemingly everyone else on the field, Neillsville runningback Cody Friemoth returned from injury to gash the Altoona defense for 317 yards as the Warriors cruised to a 48-0 victory in the Railroaders’ season finale on Thursday, October 18.

Altoona (1-6 Large Cloverbelt Conference, 2-7 overall) held Neillsville (5-2 Large Cloverbelt Conference, 6-3 overall) to a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession, but aside from a missed field goal at the end of the first half, that would be the only time all game the Warriors failed to score.

Kalib Boe got the Neillsville onslaught underway with a 2-yard touchdown run with 4:30 left in the first quarter. After an Altoona punt, Friemoth scored from two yards out on the first play of the second quarter. Following another Railroader punt, Friemoth galloped 63 yards on the next play to put the Warriors in front 21-0, and Boe added two more scoring runs in the quarter to extend the lead to 35. Neillsville nearly piled on even more before halftime, calling time out with four tenths of a second left to attempt a 28-yard field goal, which missed both short and right.

Altoona finally got its offense into gear on their opening possession of the third quarter, using a 26-yard pass from Caleb Burch to Matt Fetzer to spark a drive to the Neillsville 10-yard line. But the drive would stall there and the Railroaders would turn the ball over on downs after a fourth-and-6 incompletion. The Warriors responded with an 11-play, 90-yard scoring drive – 71 by Friemoth – capped off by a 10-yard Friemoth touchdown run that made the score 42-0.

Neillsville put in its the subs on their final drive of the game, capitalizing on an interception with an 8-yard touchdown run by Bo Barquist to conclude the game’s scoring at 48-0. The Warriors faked the extra point kick to go for two but were stopped on the play. The missed conversion ultimately prevented the Railroaders from tying the largest margin of defeat in school history. Altoona lost to Fall Creek 50-0 on September 5, 1986. The 383 rushing yards allowed by the Railroaders in that game remained the school record until Thursday, when the Warriors finished with 415 on 42 carries.

Altoona nearly answered with a score of their own, however. Burch connected with Garrett Heiman for a 45-yard completion that moved the Railroaders to the Neillsville 20, but again Altoona was unable to get into the end zone and the game ended with a Warrior interception.

Burch completed 5 of 16 passes for 101 yards and two interceptions for Altoona, who managed just 24 yards on 26 carries rushing. Meanwhile, Friemoth carried 17 times for 317 yards, including 11 attempts for 246 yards in the first half, finishing with three touchdowns. Boe also ran for three scores, gaining 80 yards on 19 carries. The Warriors did not attempt a pass in the game.

Altoona finished its final season in the Large Cloverbelt Conference with a 1-6 record in conference play and 2-7 overall. A full season recap will appear in next week’s edition of the Star.

NEILLSVILLE 48, ALTOONA 0
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
N – Kalib Boe 2 yard run (Brent Kronberger kick); 4:30.
Second Quarter
N – Cody Friemoth 2 yard run (kick failed); 11:55.
N – Friemoth 63 yard run (Friemoth run); 10:33.
N – Boe 1 yard run (Friemoth run); 7:18.
N – Boe 7 yard run (run failed); 1:14.
Third Quarter
(No Scoring)
Fourth Quarter
N – Friemoth 10 yard run (Kronberger kick); 9:52.
N – Bo Barquist 8 yard run (run failed); 3:46.

ALTOONA 0 0 0 0 – 0
NEILLSVILLE 7 28 0 13 – 48

Game Statistics
Passing
Altoona: Caleb Burch 5-16 101, 2 INT.
Neillsville: (None).
Rushing
Altoona: Cody Gaede 7-19; Ben Devine 8-15; Shane McKee 6-7; Caleb Burch 5-(-17).
Neillsville: Cody Friemoth 17-317, 3 TD; Kalib Boe 19-80, 3 TD; Bo Barquist 2-8, TD; Mitchell Erickson 1-7; Andrew Meshnick 1-2; Kyle O’Leary 2-1.
Receiving
Altoona: Garrett Heiman 1-45; Matt Fetzer 1-26; Tad Hanson 1-20; Josh Kriesel 1-5; Shane McKee 1-5.
Neillsville: (None).
Total Yards: Neillsville 415 (415 rushing, 0 passing); Altoona 125 (101 passing, 24 rushing).
First Downs: Neillsville 14 (14 rushing); Altoona 6 (3 rushing, 3 passing).
Fumbles: Altoona 1 (1 lost); Neillsville 0.
Penalties: Altoona 2-20; Neillsville 2-15.
Records: Neillsville 5-2, 6-3; Altoona 1-5, 2-7.

The Altoona cross country teams concluded their 2007 season on Saturday at the WIAA Division 2 sectional competition in Black River Falls.
Rebecca Weinmeister was the top finisher for the Railroaders, placing 69th in the girls’ race with a time of 20:30. Katie Hanson followed with an 84th-place time of 21:36, while Kate Gessert finished in 22:48, good for 91st.

Keely Rubash of Mauston won the girls’ race, leading the Golden Eagles to a team victory and a berth at state. West Salem also advanced to state by finishing second as a team.

On the boys’ side, Jonathan Vollmer finished 99th in 21:37, while Ryan Hanson recorded a time of 22:23, Jake Wayne 22:47, and Tyler Hinnendael 26:10. Marcus Aumann of Loyal/Greenwood won the race, but it was Nekoosa/Port Edwards and Medford earning the state bids.

A recap of the team’s season will appear in next week’s edition of the Star.

The final score may have been 6-1 Big Foot/Williams Bay, but the Altoona girls’ tennis team delivered a strong performance across the board in the WIAA Division 2 state semifinals.

Ashley Schick and Sarah Norgren got the Railroaders’ lone win, defeating Julie Forsythe and Courtney Castelein 6-4, 6-4 at #3 doubles. Altoona also came close to victories with Lauren Kacvinsky and Stephanie Schick at #3 and #4 singles, respectively. Both players won their first set before eventually falling in three sets. Kacvinsky’s final set was close to the end, ending 6-4 in favor of the Chiefs’ Julie Kolnik.

Meanwhile, the Railroaders’ top doubles team of Grace Kressin and Ashley Watt went down to the wire in a first-set tiebreaker with the Chiefs’ Ellen Blum and Jen Yih, but were unable to pull out the victory and lost 7-6 (3), 6-3. In the top singles slot, Altoona’s Kristi Weinmeister put up a valiant effort but ultimately could not stay with two-time defending individual state champion Caroline Starck.

“This is the best I’ve seen the team perform as a team, top to bottom, from 1-singles all the way down to 3-doubles,” said Altoona coach Greg Emerson. “We had our chances at 3- and 4-singles, we had a chance at 1-doubles, and we got the 3-doubles. 1-6 doesn’t reflect how close it really was, score-wise.”

“The attitude of the girls was very very positive,” he added. “Some of them were sad at the end of the match, but they were happy with the way they played and they should have been.”

Big Foot/Williams Bay lost to the University School of Milwaukee 5-2 in the state final. Caroline Starck won for the Chiefs at #1 singles, while Pietkauskis and Lauterbach defeated the Wildcats’ Lisa Koenig and Susie Carter at #2 doubles. Koenig and Carter had defeated Altoona’s #2 doubles team of Alana Peck and Kirsten Pieterick at the individual state tournament last week.

A complete season recap will appear in the November 9 issue of the Star.

BIG FOOT/WILLIAMS BAY 6,
ALTOONA 1
Singles
#1: Caroline Starck (BF/WB) def. Kristi Weinmeister (A); 6-1, 6-1.
#2: Liz Starck (BF/WB) def. Hillary Jenness (A); 6-2, 6-0.
#3: Julie Kolnik (BF/WB) def. Lauren Kacvinsky (A); 5-7, 6-1, 6-4.
#4: Taylor Lauzon (BF/WB) def. Stephanie Schick (A); 5-7, 7-5, 6-1.
Doubles
#1: Ellen Blum/Jen Yih (BF/WB) def. Grace Kressin/Ashley Watt (A); 7-6 (3), 6-3.
#2: Jenny Pietkauskis/Maggie Lauterbach (BF/WB) def. Alana Peck/Kirsten Pieterick (A); 6-4, 6-2.
#3: Ashley Schick/Sarah Norgren (A) def. Julie Forsythe/Courtney Castelein (BF/WB); 6-4, 6-4.

This informational conference is free for all parents who have children with special needs, ages birth through 12 years old that are a resident of a school district in the CESA 10 (Cooperative Education Service Agency) area. It will be held on Tuesday, November 6th from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the CESA 10 Conference Center, 725 West Park Ave. in Chippewa Falls.

The opening session, “Treasure Mapping…Dreaming Big…Discovering your Treasures…Determining your Path!” will have participants developing family resource maps, discovering treasures…and the “pirates” along the way. Some of the topics for the breakout sessions include: “Practical Visual Supports for School and Home”, “Challenging Behaviors”, “Pre-School Options”, “Preparing for the IFSP and IEP”, “Early Literacy Learning”, “Transitioning into Middle School”, “Do You Hear What I Hear: Working with Your Child’s Teachers”, and “Reading Your Child’s IEP (Individualized Education Plan) for Meaning”.

Families are encouraged to sign up early, as registration is limited to the first 85 registrants. For more detailed information, the registration and brochure are listed on the CESA 10 website, http://www.cesa10.k12.wi.us . To navigate to the conference brochure from the home page, click on “Special Education”, then “Parent Resources” and the brochure will be under “Workshop Flyers”. On the home page is also a listing of all the school districts in the CESA 10 area.