The year brought new events to the New London area, but it also brought the closing of some local businesses.
A group of area veterans pushed forward with their effort to get a war memorial built in New London, while the saga of the site of proposed apartment buildings changed.
This is the second in a two-part review of the top stories for 2014.
The city of New London Finance and Personnel Committee asked City Attorney Earl Luaders to prepare an ordinance amending the traffic code to increase the current parking fine from $10 to $15 and add an increased fine of $25 for winter violations.
The city of New London Finance and Personnel Committee learned that the town of Mukwa made a request to New London Utilities to turn off five street lights in their jurisdiction as a cost savings measure.
Concrete crews installed a sidewalk along the north side of Washington Street across from New London Middle/Intermediate School. The sidewalk was phase two of a safety project that addressed drop off and pick-up concerns in front of the school. The city of New London Police Department and Public Works Department collaborated with the school district on the project.
Smiles by Design Family Dentistry in Hortonville welcomed Dr. Blake Treichel, D.D.S. to the practice.
The 6th annual Fehlberg Memorial Veterans Ride donated $25,500 to local veterans’ charities on July 24.
Wolf River Veterinary Clinic announced the addition of Dr. Keri Weyenberg to its staff.
The first ever Filling the ‘Community Cupboard’ 5K Walk/Run & Brunch event was held at Hatten Park in New London on July 26.
Joe Mobile, the local Element Mobile Store in New London, closed its doors on Aug. 1. Larry Redmann, manager of Joe Mobile, said the store had been notified by AT&T that the location would close. AT&T purchased Element Mobile in the fall of 2013.
Ron and Tracy Zimmerman of rural New London won a 2014 Toyota Camry at the 50th annual Sauerkraut Festival held in Bear Creek.
A group of area veterans attended the New London Parks and Recreation Committee meeting on Aug. 5 requesting a memorial for war veterans in the city.
Travis Karlgaard, who interned during the summer at the New London Public Museum, did a presentation about Native American projectile points that dated back 9,500 years.
The Hortonville City Board discussed the future of the former library building during its regular board meeting Aug. 7. The board received a letter of interest from a prospective buyer who wished to convert the old building into retail space.
The New London School Board approved a $500,000 maintenance referendum. The referendum would address maintenance needs on buildings that had to be postponed because of the lack of funds.
Tony and Sandra Fuller of New London received the Century Farm award at the Wisconsin State Fair in West Allis.
Community volunteers broke ground on a new playground project at Hatten Park.
The Catalyst Academy and the Next Generation Academy charter schools in New London each received a grant for $150,000 for the 2014-15 school year.
On Aug. 21 a dedication event took place at the new North Greenville Elementary School in Greenville.
New London City Administrator Kent Hager reported the proposed apartment complex behind Walgreens would not take place. The issue of wetlands on the property along with the necessity of substantial fill made the economics of the situation difficult for the developer.
Half Nelson’s Restaurant and Lounge closed until further notice.
Flavor 8 Bottling Co. of New London closed its doors after a delayed installation of a bottling line machine drained the business’s cash flow.
A dedication was held on Aug. 26 at Hortonville High School to commemorate new additions and renovations.
Seven new teachers started the school year in the New London School District.
It was announced that unsuitable fill was found at the site of the proposed new city garage. About five to seven feet of fill would need to be removed and replaced with good fill.
The New London City Council approved funding for 14 capital project items worth $76,720 at its Sept. 9 meeting. The items approved were to be funded through the remaining bond money borrowed April 1, 2013, originally for city technology and roof projects.
The New London School Board approved a 2014-15 budget that projects an increase in the tax levy by 1.9 percent and an increase in district spending by 2.7 percent. Both projections were based upon passing a $500,000 referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot.
It was announced at a New London School Board meeting that Readfield Elementary School received a rating of, significantly exceeds expectations, when the district received its report cards.
A fire on Sept. 27 took place at 623 Wallace Street. Thanks to the actions of four young men, everyone got out of the building safely.
The New London Economic Development Committee was given an update regarding proposed apartment buildings in New London. The committee was told the developer was preparing an offer to purchase land on the northern end of the city near Partridge Drive. The proposed development originally was slated for behind Walgreens.
The Hortonville High School Equestrian team won the Division A championship.
In a study by CreditDonkey.com, New London was ranked as the happiest city in Wisconsin.
At its Oct. 7 meeting, the New London Finance and Personnel Committee approved the sale of 1.88 acres of city owned land for $10,000 to Commonwealth Development Corp.
The New London Parks and Recreation Committee unanimously passed a motion to rip up an unused section of railroad to allow for development of the Newton Blackmour Trail into New London from House Road.
At the Oct. 14 New London City Council meeting the council sent the recommendation to tear up the unused section of railroad back to committee.
The city of New London’s tax levy remained flat in the proposed 2015 budget.
Governor Scott Walker visited Piping Systems Inc. The company had announced a $5.5 million expansion project and more than 100 new jobs over the next two years.
Voters in New London approved the non-recurring school referendum in the amount of $500,000 for four years. It passed by 467 votes.
The New London Veterans Memorial Foundation narrowed its site selection to two sites.
Dana Ramshak was selected to fill the vacancy to represent the village of Hortonville on the Hortonville School Board. The seat was vacated by Sebastian Pugliese III.
The Hortonville School District announced the tax rate per thousand would increase from $9.35 to $9.70.
Crews installed a new sign over the scoreboard at Cottrill Field in Hatten Memorial Stadium on Monday, Nov. 17. The new sign honors Stanley Cottrill and his generous contributions to the Hatten Stadium Memorial Foundation.
On Nov. 20, Chasen Gardner of Boy Scout Troop 59, received an Eagle Scout coin, acknowledging his dedication and hard work to boy scouting.
ThedaCare announced it would introduce its new system-wide brand identity, starting in New London.
New London Public Works Director Jeff Bodoh informed the Public Works Committee that the estimate to fix the bad soil at the site of the city’s new garage was $10,800.
On Dec. 9, crews installed a new sign at ThedaCare Medical Center-New London. The new sign was part of the roll out of ThedaCare’s system-wide brand identity.
Public hearings on Dec. 9 regarding rezoning issues filled with audience area. The first public hearing was for the rezoning of vacant land west of 511 Partridge Drive. The second public hearing was for Beacon Street rezoning.
Students at Parkview Elementary School put their talents together to win big in “Piggly Wiggly’s Healthy Food Choice Challenge.” The grand prize was 10 new iPads.
Community member Darlene Bolson donated $10,000 to the Hortonville School District’s Manufacturing, Engineering, and Technology Department. The donation was to be used to cover material and labor costs for a village of Hortonville project.
The last sign at Saputo Cheese was taken down on Dec. 18.The building sold to New Mill Capital as of Dec. 22.
On Christmas Day, without incident, Grand Cinema Theatres in New London ran the controversial film “The Interview.”