Pewaukee denies triathlon permit

Posted: Jan. 21, 2013

Village or Pewaukee - Gary Youso, Midwest Sports Events board member, showed a magazine to the trustees on Jan. 15. The Pewaukee Triathlon, he said, was named the No. 1 in the state and one of the best in the entire Midwest region by Triathlete magazine.

It probably won't happen this year, though.

The village denied the event's permit.

According to an email sent to event coordinator Gloria West on Dec. 6, Midwest Sports is no longer qualified for a special event permit because the event is no longer sponsored by the Tourism Committee through the City of Pewaukee. The email added that village code requires a local civic/nonprofit organization to provide funding or act as a sponsor.

During the citizen comment portion of the Jan. 15 Village Board meeting, West said that she never sought funding because she was waiting for the chance to meet with the village. Every year, Midwest Sports Events is required to meet with the trustees and present post-race information.

"This last August, I began as usual. I contacted (Village Administrator) Scott Gosse to be able to get onto the village agenda for a post-race meeting. I tried from August to November, and I never got a return phone call," West said.

"Had it been a valid permit application, I would have circulated the materials to the board and placed her onto the village agenda," Gosse said.

West said it has been unfair to her organization, first to be denied that post-race meeting, which was a requirement, and also because there was not a clear explanation about the nonprofit organization requirement. On Jan. 15, West said she wants to be placed on the next Village Board agenda to see if officials will reconsider her request.

West also said that she is willing to work with community partners such as The Pewaukee Chamber of Commerce or Positively Pewaukee.

Meanwhile, Midwest Sports Events has been added to the Tourism Committee meeting agenda for Jan. 29. It is requesting $500 for a July 14 event, although that funding is not likely to be approved; it's requested for an event on a day that's already been reserved and approved for a Positively Pewaukee event.

"I can tell you that we are not working with Midwest (Sports Events) at this time," said Elaine Kroening, executive director with Positively Pewaukee.West was notified of the scheduling issue in a Dec. 20 letter sent by the village. The letter states that she should cease advertising for the 2013 event on her website because the village had already approved an application from a local nonprofit organization (Positively Pewaukee) for an event on the same weekend.

But West said she already has registrants for the triathlon. It's a popular event: 1,227 people were reported to have participated in 2012, according to White River Sports Timing.

"But, like every year, we have to open registration because this is an event that's pretty much in demand. Right now we have about 500 participants, and I feel it's going to become a public-relations nightmare and financial nightmare to tell those participants that there is no (Midwest Sports) Pewaukee triathlon," she said.

West declined an interview, citing legal reasons.

Multisport weekend

In the meantime, Positively Pewaukee is putting the final touches on its Multisport Weekend, July 12-14.

"In some respects, (the triathlon) is coming back home," Gosse said.

Kroening said that the event was developed as a celebration of fitness and multisport athletes with an opportunity for visitors to participate in three specific events (run, duathlon, triathlon) and offers a kids triathlon for ages 3 to 12.

"We want to keep the money in the community," Kroening explained.

She said that proceeds from the event will go back to Positively Pewaukee, Friends of Pewaukee Parks and other local charities. Several sponsors for the event are already lined up, including Attitude Sports, Peak Performance Professionals, Performance Running Outfitters, Orthopedic Associates of Wisconsin, Prime Time Timing and Body Mechanics. Positively Pewaukee is also partnering up with local law enforcement agencies - Kroening said that the extra security is great but it will also provide a good training opportunity for the emergency responders.

There is a preliminary schedule online and they're accepting registrations at PewaukeeLakeTri.com.

"We're very excited about it. There are lots of things to do, from walking to running a 5K or swimming. … And we're trying very hard to advertise this, to get the word out there, that this is a fun place to be," Kroening said.