Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com
Published - Thursday, May 08, 2008
Holmen board votes to sell Star Hill parcel to Lions Club
HOLMEN, Wis. — Holmen’s large, illuminated star and cross will become property of the Holmen Lions Club in a sale approved tonight by the Holmen Village Board.
The board unanimously and with no discussion agreed to sell the structure to the Lions for $600.
The sale had been in the works since Holmen resident Eric Barnes lodged an informal complaint with the village because the site has a cross that was lit during the 40 days of Lent. Barnes contended it violated the doctrine of separation of church and state.
The village and Lions Club had erected the illuminated star and cross on the hilltop in 1960. The property is part of the village reservoir site, and the symbol has been lit with village electricity.
A village-ordered appraisal valued the 30-by-30-foot patch of land on which the cross/star sits at $100.
But the Washington D.C.-based American Humanist Association sent the village a $1,000 check for the land, and the Madison-based Freedom from Religion Foundation bid $1,200.
The village was not obligated to sell property to the highest bidder.
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