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Big enough to get our Vac-Truck inside it |
My
guess is you already know this but there's a lot going on in town
right now and so I thought I'd give you a few updates on some of
them:
The
Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), current and new
Construction continues at the
new site in the south industrial park across from Chetek Lanes.
Originally we were slated to be operational by August but delays on
account of the supply chain has pushed that out to October. It's not
ideal but there is nothing we can do about it. As they say, “it is
what it is.”
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This is the inside look of the first picture |
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It's all part of the big plan |
Meanwhile if you've tried to
make it to the county recycling boxes via First Street you know that
currently Water Street by the present WWTP is closed. What's all the
to-do there about? The plan calls for our current WWTP to become a
lift station and so that's what they're busy with right now. (In the
meantime we can still access the recycling site via Lakeview Drive.)
Chetek
Municipal-Southworth Airport
The airport was closed on Monday
as the first phase of the crack-seal project began. Much like a
county road crew will crack-seal a highway we are having something
similarly done on the runway at the airport. When complete we're told
that it will buy us ten years of longevity. That gives us a little
more time to come up with the best solution to replace the runway
sometime in the mid 2030s.
The
new Water Tower
According to the master plan any
day now the crew from Maguire should be returning to begin building
our new water tower in earnest. It won't get painted until 2025 but
our main goal is to get this thing built and operational so that S.C.
Swiderski, the contractor the city has retained for the housing
development on Knapp Street, can start moving dirt.
The
39-acres/ “Area 51”
Representatives from Swiderski
met with the members of the Chetek Economic Development Committee
just last week and brought those members up to the speed on the
project. While I was unable to attend, according to the minutes here
were a few of their talking points:
● The new cost of the
development is $20 million.
● This represents a
considerable increase in tax base. Swiderski will pay all necessary
taxes
after the TID agreement has been
met and whether or not they are at full rental capacity.
● This is a managed property
with vetted renters, strict rules and onsite staff (during Business Hours).
● There will be no low-rental
housing and Swiderski will help with the marketing of the
development.
● Rent projections at this
point are between $1100 - $1875.
● No Air BnB nor VRBOs will be
allowed.
The current site plan is not set
in stone quite yet but it's fair to say the concrete is firming up.
.png) |
As it looks today(Knapp Street is on top) |
City
Boat Landing/(Hydroflites) |
Last November |
Recall that last year a new
approach was put in at the City Boat Landing and I have it on good
authority that the parking area will be repaved soon.
City
Field (a.k.a. Denny Overby Field)
Oh, and one more thing: there
seems to be a rumor swirling around town that the city is selling
Denny Overby Field. Twice in the last few weeks I've been stopped
with the “I heard the city sold the ball field,” comment.
Let's be clear: for the most
part everything in our small town is for sale at the right price. But
there are no agreements with anyone at this time let alone
proposals.So if you hear otherwise consider it not “the bare-facts
but the bar-facts.”
For our small town that's a lot
of commotion just as our summer residents are returning for the
season. But it should excite us too as all things being equal - and
if interest rates cooperate - we are positioning ourselves for real
growth.
Finally
May is significant for the
number of professional recognitions that occur during the month.
Teacher Appreciation Week and Nurses Appreciation Week share the same
week (which was last week). But last week it was also National
Municipal Clerks Week and Public Service Recognition
Week. Last December our city went through a significant
change when Carmen Newman, our beloved City Clerk for nearly two and
a half decades, retired. The council decided to change the internal
structure of City Hall and hired Laura Stelzner as our first ever
City Administrator and promoted Water Utility Clerk and Deputy Clerk
Mark Eby to City Clerk. For the most part the transition has been
seamless. Mark continues to grow in his new position and Laura, while
new to public service, has handled her new responsibilities with
great aplomb. We are fortunate to have them both. What's more Deputy
Treasurer Brandy Johnson continues to capably keep our books in order
with quiet alacrity.
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(l to r): Mark Eby, Laura Stelzner and Brandy Johnson |
This week is National
Police Week, a week established by President Kennedy back in
1962 to honor those in law enforcement who have died in the line of
duty. Both Cameron's and our departments were in Madison on Friday to
witness the unveiling of the four new names on the Wisconsin Law
Enforcement Memorial including Cameron Officer Hunter Scheel
and our own Emily Breidenbach. Through the generous donations
of many individuals this week both departments, their families and
both Hunter's and Emily's families are in Washington, DC to
participate in the ceremonies that will take place there. This
includes the unveiling of the names of the newly fallen on the
National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Wall just a few blocks
from the National Mall. It is a solemn time for all the people
involved and I ask that you keep them in prayer as they attend these
gatherings.
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From the Wisconsin State Patrol FB page |
Incidentally, not everyone
made the trip. Chetek Police Department is still open for
business and some of our guys remain on patrol. We are grateful as
well to Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald and the help the county is giving us
so that many of our officers can be in DC at this time.
Last but not least next week is
National Public Works Week. I don't know how it is in
other communities but in Chetek the City has a Facebook page as does
the PD. But Public Works? Nope. What's more they are some of the most
camera-shy guys to be found. They're not looking for any special
attention. They just want to “get 'er done” when it comes to
pushing snow, picking up garbage, cleaning out sewers, cutting grass,
making sure our waste water keeps flowing where it needs to go and so
forth. The funny thing is no one thinks about the Waste Water
Treatment Plant and how it functions until the water in our toilet
doesn't go down but comes up. Then there's heck to pay, right? Thank
God there are guys who know what to do when that or a hundred other
things go sideways – and that they work for us! So thank you Public
Works Director Dan Knapp, Justin Hutzler, Rod Rhodes, Aaron Roberts,
Brandon Davis, Dusty Davis, Matt Hutzler, Joe Atwood, and summer help
Josh Eby and Jack Vork. I know you all prefer a low profile but we
appreciate all that you do to keep Chetek a great place to live and
work.
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Note: this was taken in 2016 and a few of those pictured are now retired |