Thank Wayne for Making Our River Safer

Hi, I’m Taylor Housley Pass. Like many of you, I grew up on the beautiful St. Croix River, and I care deeply about our river community! When I heard the news that the long-sunken boat off Beer Can Island in Hudson, WI had finally been removed (after nearly a year of being an eyesore, a hazard, and a source of community frustration) I knew we needed to do something to thank the people who made it happen.

Many local residents, boaters, and businesses have expressed overwhelming gratitude and asked how they can help. Here is our chance to show appreciation in a tangible way.

The successful removal was led by Wayne Prokosch of River City Welding, with coordination help from Gordy Jarvis and Dave Jarvis of St. Croix River Cruises & The Afton House Inn. This wasn’t a small task. It took difficult and skilled work just to get the boat off the island but was really 4 full days of effort when factoring transport and mobilization. Wayne and his team surveyed, monitored, pumped, floated, and ultimately transported the boat, first to the Hudson Excursion dock, then all the way down river to Hager City (Red Wing) for removal and still needs to come back to do a job in Bayport that he was originally in the area to do.

Wayne stepped up because he knew he had the right equipment, expertise, and team to get the job done safely and effectively. He didn’t do it for recognition, and certainly not for profit. An anonymous donor has already generously contributed to help cover a portion of the expenses but the removal normally would have costed at least $20,000 let alone the liability involved.

This GoFundMe is our community’s chance to step up and help.

Let’s show Wayne and River City Welding how much we appreciate the time, effort, and financial risk they took to make our river safer and more beautiful again.

Please consider donating—every dollar makes a difference.

A huge thank you to Wayne Prokosch and Josh from River City Welding, Dave and Gordy Jarvis from The Afton House Inn & St Croix River Cruises in Hudson, and everyone who played a role in making this happen. Your dedication means the world to our river community. We’re so grateful for your action, effort, and care in helping restore a place we all love.

Here is the latest Pioneer Press article: LINK

Let’s rally together and give back. Thank you all!!