BLANCHARDVILLE - For years, Blanchardville Village Hall struggled with a seemingly small problem that became something bigger - the front doors.
The building - which houses the police station, fire station, village clerk's office and library - was built in the late 1990s. But the doors were only able to be opened manually, which posed a problem for some residents, including the grandfather of Village Clerk and Treasurer Amy Barnes.
"My grandfather lived in the village for 89 years, and he would come in to pay his water bill the day he got the statement," Barnes said. "He would struggle to get inside, using his canes to open the door. That helped motivate me to get new doors installed."
Barnes has been the village clerk since October 2015. This past year, she applied for a grant from the Blanchardville/Hollandale Area Special Projects Fund - about $2,000 - and automatic doors were put into place in January. The grant reimbursed the city for the cost of the doors in May.
"It was a simple process," Barnes said. "I just went online."
The Blanchardville/Hollandale Area Special Projects Fund is a component of the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin Inc.
Linda Gebhardt oversees the Lafayette and Green County portions of the CFSW and said that each community in Lafayette County has its own fund, as well as an advisory board and grant process.
"We fund over 600 projects," said Gebhardt, who is in her 16th year at the foundation. Most of the funds come as donations, according to Gebhardt, be it bequests, stock funds or just donors walking in.
For the Blanchardville Village Hall, getting the doors was a priority, as Blanchardville's period to request funds is in the springtime. The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, which ended in June 2016, once "dinged" the village because of the effect the manual doors had on elections, according to Barnes.
Residents coming inside to pay a bill or visit the library had to ring a doorbell to get inside if they were unable to open the doors themselves. Barnes said it didn't help that the doorbell didn't always ring, either.
"We had a former firefighter, who has mobility issues, who would call ahead of time to make sure we were here to open the door," Barnes said.
Now parents with children in strollers, the elderly and people with walkers, canes and wheelchairs can all get inside with the push of a button.
"It's a move forward for our residents and visitors who want to get in," Barnes said.
The building - which houses the police station, fire station, village clerk's office and library - was built in the late 1990s. But the doors were only able to be opened manually, which posed a problem for some residents, including the grandfather of Village Clerk and Treasurer Amy Barnes.
"My grandfather lived in the village for 89 years, and he would come in to pay his water bill the day he got the statement," Barnes said. "He would struggle to get inside, using his canes to open the door. That helped motivate me to get new doors installed."
Barnes has been the village clerk since October 2015. This past year, she applied for a grant from the Blanchardville/Hollandale Area Special Projects Fund - about $2,000 - and automatic doors were put into place in January. The grant reimbursed the city for the cost of the doors in May.
"It was a simple process," Barnes said. "I just went online."
The Blanchardville/Hollandale Area Special Projects Fund is a component of the Community Foundation of Southern Wisconsin Inc.
Linda Gebhardt oversees the Lafayette and Green County portions of the CFSW and said that each community in Lafayette County has its own fund, as well as an advisory board and grant process.
"We fund over 600 projects," said Gebhardt, who is in her 16th year at the foundation. Most of the funds come as donations, according to Gebhardt, be it bequests, stock funds or just donors walking in.
For the Blanchardville Village Hall, getting the doors was a priority, as Blanchardville's period to request funds is in the springtime. The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, which ended in June 2016, once "dinged" the village because of the effect the manual doors had on elections, according to Barnes.
Residents coming inside to pay a bill or visit the library had to ring a doorbell to get inside if they were unable to open the doors themselves. Barnes said it didn't help that the doorbell didn't always ring, either.
"We had a former firefighter, who has mobility issues, who would call ahead of time to make sure we were here to open the door," Barnes said.
Now parents with children in strollers, the elderly and people with walkers, canes and wheelchairs can all get inside with the push of a button.
"It's a move forward for our residents and visitors who want to get in," Barnes said.