PUBLIC UTILITIES AND FACILITIES

As St. Croix Falls continues to grow, there will be additional pressure put on the current community wide-services and facilities. A steadily rising standard of living and continuing population growth, create new demands for cities such as St. Croix Falls. Local officials must provide and finance these facilities and services in the most practical manner possible.

This section discusses several essential facilities and services in St. Croix Falls. Included are fire protection_ ambulance service, police protection, library services and educational facilities. St. Croix Falls community facilities can be found on Map CF-1.

CITY ADMINISTRATION

The City Hall is located at 71 0 Highway 35 South. The municipal offices housed at City Hall include the offices of the Mayor, City Clerk and Treasurer. The building is also home to the police department, tourism center and the city council chambers. The building was built in 1993, and as approximately 4,000 square feet of floor space. There are currently no plans for expansion.'

The Public Works Building is located at 210 South Madison Street. The 'City may require expansion of this facility within the next 10 years.

POLICE PROTECTION

The City of St. Croix Falls employs one full-time Chief of Police, three full-time deputies and five other part time officers. At present the department is equipped with three squad cars. The police department is located in the City Hall Building. For non-emergency calls the police department can be reached at 483-9298.. In the event of an emergency the police department can be reached at "911". The offices are adequate at this time.

FIRE PROTECTION

The St. Croix Falls Fire Hall is currently located at 135 South Washington Street. The Department staff consists of a chief, an assistant chief, a captain, an engineer, a safety/training officer, a fire inspector and 20 volunteer firemen. The St Croix Falls Fire Department Serves the City of St. Croix Falls as well as the Townships of Eureka and St. Croix as shown on Map CF-2.

The vehicles and equipment used by the unit make the 81. Croix Falls Fire Department well equipped to deal with any emergency. Currently the Department has two engine or pumper trucks, two tanker trucks, two wild land fire/grass rig trucks, and one ladder truck as well as a rescue boat, snowmobile and disaster trailer.

One problem the Fire Department is facing, is that they have begun to outgrow their building. With recent acquisitions of new vehicles, and increasing growth within the community, the Fire Department has found itself short on space.

AMBULANCE SERVICE

The St. Croix Falls Ambulance Service operates out of the S1. Croix Regional Medical Center. The Ambulance Service has 16 EMT -DA trained volunteers. The staff is paid on a per run basis, with the exception of a full time manager. The Department has two type 3 ambulances. Service is provided' 24-hours a day and all emergency calls are dispatched through the Polk County 'Sheriff's Department. Map CF-2 shows the boundaries of the St. Croix Falls Ambulance Service.

The St. Croix Falls Ambulance Service is funded through the St. Croix Regional Medical Center, municipal taxes and its fees charged for services provided.

The following is a list of common task and-training performed by both the Fire Department and the Medical Response Teams:

Fire fighting structural

Fire fighting - forest

Emergency medical (E.M.T. First Response)

High level rescue

Extraction

Hazardous Materials

Confined space rescue

Search and rescue summer/winter

Boat operations - search and rescue

Weapons of mass destruction (N.B.C.)

LIBRARY SERVICES

The St. Croix Falls Public Library is located at 210 Washington Street and currently has an adequate amount of space. The library plans on joining the MORE library system in the near future. The MORE system will allow St. Croix Falls to share resources totaling 'over a half million items, with other libraries throughout Western Wisconsin. Their circulation for 2001 was approximately 30,000. The St. Croix Falls Library is opened on the following hours.

	Summer	Winter
Sunday	Closed	Closed
Monday	10-8	10-8
Tuesday	Closed	10-6
Wednesday	10-8	10-8
Thursday	2-7	10-6
Friday	10-7	10-6
Saturday	9-12	9-12

POST OFFICE

The St. Croix Falls Post Office is located at 113 South Washington Street. The Post Office currently serves approximately 2,200 households. The facility is 2,400 square feet, which includes lobby space and a mailroom sorting area. Currently the Post Office has no plans for expansion. However, the need for additional space has been identified, and will need to be addressed to accommodate the increased demands of a growing population.

EDUCATIONAL SERVlCES

Public School

The St. Croix Falls School District encompasses the City of St. Croix Falls, the Villages of Dresser and Cushing, as well as portions of the townships of St. Croix, Osceola, Garfield, Balsam Lake, Eureka, Laketown and Sterling (see map CF-3). The funds to run the school district come from state aid, local taxes_ and other sources.

The St. Croix Falls School District is presently operating four schools. Three of the schools are located within the city limits of St. Croix Falls; consisting of the High School_ Middle School, and one Elementary School. A second Elementary School is located in the Village of Dresser. The system is divided by kindergarten to 3rd grade, Intermediate (4th Through 6th grades), Middle School (7th and 8th grades) and High School (9th through I2th grades). The total enrollment for all four schools is approximately 1,100 students.

Within the school district, there is one Superintendent; three principals, one for the Elementary, Middle and High Schools; and a five member school board. - The school board meets on a monthly basis.

The School District is planning on going to referendum in 2003. The referendum will include the addition of an auditorium to the High School and the building of a new Elementary School. Future expansion is expected to take place on current school grounds.

Parochial Schools

There is one parochial school located in St. Croix Falls. The Valley Christian School is located on Highway 35, South of S1. Croix Falls. Valley Christian School currently provides kindergarten through grade 12 educational services, and has an enrollment of 105 students. Valley Christian School also offers preschool services during the school year.

CEMETERY

There is one cemetery in St Croix Falls. The cemetery is located on Maple Drive on the east side of the city. The cemetery is managed by the Cemetery Association, which is made up of a six member board. The cemetery is funded through the City of St. Croix Falls, Township of St. Croix, and the sale of lots.

CHILD CARE FACILITIES

The City of St. Croix Falls currently has nine active child care providers. The nine providers are composed of both daycare centers and home providers. At present the combined capacity for children is 147.

HEALTH SERVICES

St. Croix Regional Medical Center is located in St. Croix Falls at 204 South Adams Street. The facility currently has 92 licensed beds and approximately 89,000 total square feet, however, the medical center is currently in the middle of a 7.5 million dollar remodeling project, which will increase the square footage, another 44,000 square feet. The new addition will double the number of patient exam rooms in the Clinic, increase the size of the Emergency, laboratory, and diagnostic imaging (X-ray) departments, and enhance the pre- and post-operative areas of surgery.

The Medical Center has approximately 400 full time employees, including 30 physicians and mid-level providers. The hospital has a 24-hour emergency center with physicians on-site at all times.

NURSING HOME

St. Croix Falls has one nursing home facility for its residents in need of care. St. Croix Valley Good Sam is a private, not-for-profit facility, located at 750 Louisiana East. Good Sam is licensed for 95 residents in the nursing home and also has 8 independent living apartments attached on the west end of the facility. The Good Sam serves the general public.

POWER PLANTS! TRANSMISSION LINES

There is one hydro plant located in St. Croix Falls, on the St. Croix River; The plant is owned

and operated by Xcel Energy Inc. (Xcel). The plant was constructed between 1905 and 1906. According to Xcel, the St. Croix Falls Hydro Plant is its 2nd highest producer of electricity among the Xcel's-Wisconsin's 19 hydro plants. The plant utilizes eight hydro turbines, and has the capability of producing up to 117,363 kilowatts of power annually.

Transmission lines in the area are owned and maintained by Xcel. St. Croix Falls currently has a sufficient supply of electricity entering into the community. However, there have recently been proposals to extend more transmission lines through St. Croix Falls, which has been met with local opposition. The purpose of additional power lines would be to deliver electricity to northeastern Wisconsin. The proposal would extend the power lines from the hydro plant, up Louisiana Street, and out to the east through the industrial park. To maintain the scenic beauty of the River Valley and appease opponents of the project, Xcel Energy plans on burying all of the lines that will extend through the City.

RECYCLING FACILITIES

The Polk County Recycling Center is the facility that serves the City of St. Croix Falls. The facility is located at 1302 208th Street, St. Croix Falls. The 16,000 square foot facility has been open for approximately 10 years. The recycling center is operated by Polk County, and has four full time employees and five part time adult handicapped employees. Local residents can either drop off recyclables directly or use a local recycling hauler. There are currently no plans to expand the facility.