Yesterday in La Crosse

Bad week for Harborview, 42 years ago

Published

5 years ago

December 10, 2018

At Christmas-time of 1976, the head of La Crosse’s redevelopment authority, Charles Parrott, resigned to take a similar job in Colorado. Parrott had been hired by La Crosse in 1965, at a salary of $11,000. After eleven years, his salary had tripled…but critics said Parrott didn’t have much to show for his recent work, specifically, trying to develop Harborview. The vacant patch of land along Front Street had been described as a “lighted racetrack for gophers.” All seven members of the Redevelopment Authority Board also resigned, and Mayor Pat Zielke was being blamed for the lack of activity at Harborview. The mayor was accused of trying to end efforts to make Harborview a downtown shopping mall, rather than developing Valley View Mall.

The city council set the speed limit on Losey Boulevard at 25 miles an hour. Council members had voted down a plan to let drivers go 35 on Losey.

The Entebbe airport hijacking drama in Uganda, which ended on the 4th of July of ’76, had already been turned into a three-hour made for TV movie in time for Christmas. “Victory at Entebbe” featured Kirk Douglas and Elizabeth Taylor as airplane passengers, along with Anthony Hopkins as Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Forty-two years ago, 1976, yesterday in La Crosse.

Related Topics:Entebbe Harborview Losey Boulevard

Brad Williams

A native of Prairie du Chien, Brad graduated from UW - La Crosse and has worked in radio news for more than 30 years, mostly in the La Crosse area. He regularly covers local courts and city and county government. Brad produces the features "Yesterday in La Crosse" and "What's Buried on Brad's Desk." He also writes the website "Triviazoids," which finds odd connections between events that happen on a certain date, and he writes and performs with the local comedy group Heart of La Crosse. Brad been featured on several national TV programs because of his memory skills.