4A

The First Amendment

The Platteville Journal

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

ETC.

Black and white

artin Luther King Jr. once

said he wanted his four
children to live in a nation where they will not be judged
by the color of their skin, but by
the content of their character.

You dont have to be a sociologist to

observe that were not there yet, 52
years after King made that statement in
Washington, D.C. (Among other things,
Steve Prestegard
there is considerable disagreement over plattevillejournaleditor@
what that statement means, or should
gmail.com
mean today.)
Most people probably would prefer invasive surgery to discussing race. For one thing, conversations about race often arent conversations; theyre one side
telling the other side to listen and not say anything. Collective guilt is often imputed as well, as if those of us whose
ancestors werent even in this country before the Civil War
are responsible for slavery.
Whether students like it or not, that conversation is going to
take place at Platteville High School as a result of threats made
late last week. (Which apparently were not made by a PHS student.) PHS is using what happened Friday to find out how students feel about not just race, but how safe students feel at PHS,
with activities yet to be determined going from there.
That is even though it is possible that what precipitated
last weeks events was less about racism than about students
being jerks to each other and using a convenient epithet.
High schools are cauldrons of hormones and emotions not always appropriately expressed. Most people do not know what
is going on in someone elses life whether theyre having
financial or workplace problems, or problems in their family,
unless that person chooses to disclose those problems.
That also comes to mind in reading the comments attached to the survey as well, which included one statement
in favor of the Confederate flag, one that said This school
does not take differences nicely (a statement that could apply to any high school anywhere, regardless of racial composition) and statements about the First Amendment and
staying off social media. One accusation that the school district is not disciplining AfricanAmericans because they
dont want to get sued was countered by The black people
in this school get it constantly and then when they actually
stick up for themselves they get in a lot of trouble.
Part of the problem in having a conversation about race
is that race issues are often more about cultural issues than
skin color. A black child who grows up in a single-parent
family in, for instance, Milwaukee does not have the same
experience as a black child of a two-parent family in Platteville. For that matter, replace black with white or Latino in that sentence, and the result is the same.
The irony is that this is taking place in a community that
is certainly the most diverse, racially and otherwise, in
Southwest Wisconsin, thanks largely to UWPlatteville. So
its probably appropriate that the school district has reached
out to UWP and its Stop the Hate program.
The opposite irony is that sociologists have been claiming this entire century that Americans are more segregated
than ever. Thats not along race lines; its along cultural, occupational, religious and political lines, and it is segregation
by choice. Ask yourself this: How many people do you know
who do not have the same religious beliefs as you? How
many people do you know who are in a completely different
line of work from yourself? How many people do you know
whose vote in elections cancels out yours?
I certainly cannot predict how this is all going to turn out
here in Platteville this school year. Suffice to say that this
wasnt a column I would have predicted I would have been
writing before Friday morning. For those who think the
school district overreacted late last week: By 2050, demographers project, there will be no majority race in the U.S.
There will be more whites than any other minority group,
but there will be more non-whites than whites in the U.S.
This is a strange way to end this column, but I got an
anonymous letter from someone about an incident at UW
Platteville earlier this month, with what were described as
two hate-filled, holier-than-thou sexist, homophobic, judgmental bigots, surrounded by a group of people ... listening,
though probably not agreeing. The writer said UWPlatteville police officers didnt seem to agree with what was being said or done but they were still there ... keeping the
community safe and trying to maintain order and peace.
One police officer called the day a beautiful day for people
to flex their Constitutional rights.
At the end of the day, we have to get along with each
other, regardless of our differences, and whether we agree
or disagree with each other. Thats what a civilized society
does. High school students might as well learn that before
they enter the real world.

The Platteville

journal
www.swnews4u.com

Serving the Platteville Area Since 1899

USPS 435-560
John Ingebritsen, Publisher

Editor
Steve Prestegard
journaleditor@centurytel.net
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journalads@centurytel.net

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Carol Tyson
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Kellie Houtakker
Shirley Thalmann
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G u e s t opi n io n

You, a philanthropist?
by Barb Daus
Donor Services Representative, Community
Foundation of Southern Wisconsin

early everyone practices

charity somewhere. It
might be dropping coins
in a street musicians open guitar case, buying a candy bar
from the local sports booster
club, attending a special fundraising event, or adding to the
collection plate at church.

Think you cant be considered a philanthropist? Think again. Philanthropy

is just a big word for caring. To be a philanthropist all you need is a kind heart,
not necessarily a big bank account.
The Community Foundation of
Southern Wisconsin likes to start people thinking about philanthropy as simply a way of giving with goals. Giving
to any charitable cause is a very personal choice that involves thoughtful
and meaningful decision making. In the
words of Caroline Fiennes, director of
Giving Evidence, effective philanthropy
today is not about what you give, but
the way that you give it. By tailoring
gifts to your style, your family, your
causes, you can start to identify where
your gifts will have the most impact.
But how do you narrow in on the
causes youre most passionate about so
that you help ensure they continue to
meet local need and last forever? How
and where can your gifts make the
most impact?
Community foundations are the
ideal conduit for charitable giving to
a variety of causes that meet donors
intentions and community need. They

also help direct charitable resources

to the areas of greatest need. As an independent public charity, community
foundations work to build permanent
collections of endowed funds, contributed to by many donors in both large
and small amounts. The funds are
pooled and invested. Earnings from
the endowed funds are returned to the
community in the form of grants, scholarships, and other charitable distributions that last well beyond many donors lifetimes.
The PHS Scholarship Fund and the
Platteville Community Fund are components of the Community Foundation
of Southern Wisconsin. The PHS Scholarship Fund made its first scholarship
awards in 2010. During the six years
since its creation, the PHS fund has
presented scholarships to 300 PHS students and worked with donors to create
12 named scholarship endowments.
The Platteville Community Fund has
been making grant awards in the community since 2005. Through 2015, the
Fund has made 190 grant awards totaling nearly $359,000 all for projects
that benefit the people of Platteville.
Charitable giving or being a philanthropist doesnt mean you have to be
rich. Leaving a legacy doesnt mean
you need to start your own private
foundation.
We often hear, Im young. I dont
have an estate or assets. If you work,
have a home, a car, even a small savings account, you do indeed have assets and an estate that, through tax
breaks and incentives, can work to offer you not only a nest egg for your
family but also provide a legacy to the
causes closest to your heart. Many are

unaware of the tax benefits that still

make it possible to give a gift you may
not have thought possible, regardless
of income level or age.
Where do you start? A community
foundation can help you in creating
your personal philanthropy mission
and define what it means to give with
goals in mind, but it is recommended
you start with your financial advisor or
attorney to learn the many benefits of
planning your charitable giving. Your
support of your cause or causes could
be as easy as a simple designation in
your will which wont affect your cash
flow during your lifetime and can be
revoked or amended if your situation
changes. You can also make a gift to a
cause by assigning it as a beneficiary of
a life insurance policy. And retirement
funds can be heavily taxed if passed
on to heirs, but tax free if given to a
charity. Financial and legal professionals can help you establish your giving
strategy. A community foundation can
help you accomplish it.
National Philanthropy Day is Nov.
15. Make Nov. 15 the day you begin
and further your philanthropic journey. The Community Foundation of
Southern Wisconsin can help. The
Foundation is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization with assets in excess of $43
million working to match charitable
donors with the needs of their communities and schools in nine southern
Wisconsin counties including Iowa, Lafayette and Grant counties. For more
information on the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin (www.
cfs.org), call 788-3344 or email barb@
cfsw.org.

LETTERS
The Platteville Journal, P.O. Box 266, Platteville, WI 53818-0266 plattevillejournaleditor@gmail.com

On the Library Block

As the Library Block project nears
final approval by the Platteville Common Council and the details of this
project finally come to light, we are
finding that it differs significantly from
what was originally represented to the
community.
Its my view that through the Library Block project the city is choosing to subsidize a non-local developer
with a project that will directly compete with existing businesses in Platteville as well as negatively impact other
development projects in town. Others
have expressed their concern as well.
What prompts this letter, however,
is the significant deviation from the
original representation of the cost to
the city to subsidize the Library Block
project.
On Jan. 21 the city held a public
informational meeting at Wisconsin
Bank & Trust. At that public meeting a
handout was provided claiming:
The city will be using new tax revenue from the development to provide
an upfront incentive to the developer
via Tax Incremental Financing funds.
The developer will lease the library to the city for $1 per year for
seven years, after which ownership
will transfer to the city.
Tentative financing for the project
included $4 million in New Market Tax
Credits, $1.5 million in private equity
investment, and an unknown amount
of TIF monies and private financing.
At that public forum I specifically
asked what amount of TIF monies
would be provided to the developer. After three unanswered requests to the
city manager, the developer stood up
with calculator in hand, punched in
some numbers and declared the maximum amount of TIF incentive to be
provided by the city would be $1.2 million.
Since that time there have been

multiple closed meetings by city officials and council members and others pertaining to this project. Ive been
told that requests for information during these meetings were denied.
In a presentation to the Common
Council Oct. 27 the following was
stated:
City TIF contribution: $2 million.
City contribution of existing library building: $800,000. (Previous figures stated the value of that contribution at $575,000. When questioned, it
was stated that the $800K was a misprint.)
Guaranteed tax increments:
$2.685 million by the developer over 20
years starting in 2017.
The Development Agreement
Risk section of the presentation indicated there is no guarantee the library
will be turned over to the city after the
seven years.
In that same Common Council meeting a handout, Library Block Redevelopment Frequently Asked Questions,
stated:
Over 20 years the city will recoup
$3 million on its $2 million investment
(this is just less than 2.5-percent accumulative return on investment).
Only $2.685 million in tax payments are guaranteed by the developer.
To reach the $3 million return, if
the tax increment of the project does
not cover the $3 million the $315,000
shortage will be generated in a TIF
donor district. (It is my understanding that TIF 7, where this project is
located, is a distressed TIF distrcit,
effectively meaning that the tax increment from that district will not support the districts debt. With that designation the city can then direct TIF
funds from another district to TIF 7.
TIF 5, the Keystone Development, is
currently a donor to the distressed TIF
7 with monies from TIF 5 going to TIF
7 to support its current debt.)

The statement the project includes a $6 million commercial building that will house a new public library infers the library will be a
$6 million building, or $273 per
square feet. Compare this to the new
6,800-square-foot library being built
in Muscoda at a cost of approximately
$200 per squqre foot. Considering
economies of scale a 22,000-squarefoot building should cost even less per
square foot.
Instead of paying $1 per year, the
city will now pay a monthly lease payment to the developer in the amount of
$18,333 per month. The cost to the city
initially represented for those seven
years increases from $7 to $1.54 million yes, thats right, a 22 million
percent increase!
To be very succinct, here are my concerns:
The city is subsidizing a non-resident developer to put up a hotel which
will compete with local businesses that
receive no city subsidy whatsoever.
Original representations have
been changed significantly behind
closed doors with what appears to be
very little public input.
The city is doing this to be given
a library. A new library is a laudable goal, but it was originally represented as costing the city no more than
$1,200,007. It is now represented at
costing the city $3.54 million during
the first seven years, not including operational costs. Plus, there is no guarantee that the library will be turned
over to the city at the end of the seven
years.
It seems that almost all information
made public on the Library Block project has been to sell the project to the
public and not an objective assessment
of the positives or negatives. Since
public information on the process and
the final outcome has been minimal as
best, one is left to wonder why the deal
See LETTERS page 8A u