Is more than one really a good thing? (KJs expansion project)

 

Last week I posted this picture to my mayor's page and my page “blew up” as the saying goes these days. Per Facebook, over 1,100 people engaged in this one post and over 50 took time to post their opinion about it. Of all the things I have posted to Jeff Martin, Mayor since being elected back in 2016 this has generated more reaction than perhaps anything else I have ever posted. Talk about a picture being worth a thousand words!

In the entryway of KJs

Last year, KJs bought the building from the Kurschners with the
intention of expanding into what was once Family Dollar. They've made no secret about their plans. They have the general schematic posted in their entryway in a “preview of coming attractions” kinda of way. When complete sometime next year, the new addition will contain a bait shop, a bakery and a Caribou Coffee outlet.

The comments posted ranged the gambit from “neah” to “yeah” (honestly, more “neah” than “yeah”) and as much as I welcome any kind of comment to my page some of them are worth responding to if only to clarify a few matters.

There were several comments that essentially posed the question: “How could the city have allowed this?”

JYN: Couldn’t the City have said, “no” to the bake shop, chain coffee and bait shop? The Family Dollar is needed in town. And as others said, don’t need more bake shops, coffee shops or bait shops. Already have those.

BOS: Why coffee shop, bakery, bait shop?!?!?! Don't people realize it IS NOT BRINGING people to town it IS TAKING AWAY from the already great places we have!!! How about come up with something this TOWN doesn't have!! Same with the new liquor store! Sure didn't need it!!

L.S.: Doesn't make sense to me or a lot of people in this community to add a bakery, coffee shop, and another bait store. Why do you need 3 bait stores? Why do you need 2 bakeries? Why do you need 2 coffee shops? Seems to me the board who approved this doesn't have their community and local business owners' best interest at heart......

You can access our Code of Ordinances
from the city's website

So I placed a call to Joe Atwood the City Inspector to follow up on this question as I couldn't recall KJs ever appearing before the Plan Commission to get approval for their expansion. The answer, Joe explained to me, is in our Code of Ordinances, the “bible” by which we live. KJs is a business in what is defined as the Central Business District (CBD) and according to Sec 118-79:

• Sec. 118-79. - CBD Central Business District.

Purpose. The CBD District is intended to provide for the location of sales, service, cultural, entertainment and other activities which benefit from a central business location and pedestrian traffic and which cater to the general public.

Permitted uses:

• Any use permitted in the General Commercial District except for multiple-family dwellings.

• Hotels and motels.

• Theaters, bowling alleys and places of amusement.

• Drive-in restaurants.

• Taverns.

• Automobile service stations.

• Transportation terminals, not including trucking.

• Appliance and small machinery repair establishments.

• Retail stores and shops.

• Churches.

• Newspaper and magazine publishers.

• Private lodges and clubs.

• Apartments above the ground floor of a permitted or conditional use with a minimum floor area of 500 square feet.

• Marinas and related sales and service.

• Automobile sales and services.

• Uses customarily incident to any of the above uses.

So the answer to the question “How could the city allow this to happen?” is KJs did not need the city's permission to expand their business as the things they are planning to do are already allowed in the CBD. (The same goes for any existing business in the CBD who wanted to expand their current facility so long as it is covered by this ordinance.)

As much as I'm happy to join the chorus questioning whether or not the city really needs another bait shop, bakery or coffee shop (let alone another liquor store) it doesn't really matter what I think. This is America, the land of opportunity, a place to pursue your dream. The fact that someone else in our town may have the same dream as me is, in the end, irrelevant. The city sets the standards by which businesses will operate and then the principles of capitalism drive the market. Consumers frequent the places that provide good and friendly service at costs they can afford. Otherwise, they go elsewhere.

Cue "Those were the days, my friend,
I thought they'd never end..."

A few people made reference to the good old days when there were
four grocery stores in town, several filling stations (off-hand, places like the Chetek Museum, the Courtyard [aka Hope & Anchor/Whimsical Wares] and Great Pines Plaza all stand where former gas stations used to be) and a Ben Franklin to boot.

G.F.: Remember when we had Kirkwood's and Co-op grocery stores.
There was also Bill's Trading Post and I think his brother had a store on the north end of town. And we had a Ben Franklin! My kids loved that store

K.G. So sad. The bakery, bait shops and coffe shop we already have are pretty amazing. Why take away from these small family owned businesses? Especially after the year or two they have had...

What made them all go away? Well, two significant changes come to mind (there probably were others): Highway 53 became a freeway and WalMart came to Rice Lake. 15 minutes is all that separates a lot of people these days from cheaper prices for grocery and other items (like socks, as one individual lamented there not being any place in town now to buy socks these days.) There's just no denying the obvious that Rice Lake has been the retail center of the county for a long time now. We still have a local hardware store and lumberyard (thank God!) but the Big Chain stores have the ability to buy in bulk, something the smaller “ma & pa” stores just can't do.

As unsettling as the prospect of how their expansion may affect the Chetek Bakery, Hope & Anchor, and Rod & Gun, a few people made what I thought were good observations about the coming change:

NHH: No one can compare to your top notch customer service. Remember a great business owner loves competition. It creates more business and makes everyone evolve.

B.H.: New business, creates more business. Choices are nice. Pricing? Well It may cost a bit more for local but my time is worth something too. If I were vacationing I would rather not spend time chasing for some things. Local businesses may have quantities you want rather than a box of something you can buy individual. 

T.K.: Don't worry at all about this, or any other competition. Focus on what you're good at which is darn near everything and the competition will have no impact on you. Worst thing you can do is complain about it. Focus on being great and be proud of your service and product (which is all awesome!!!) and the sky is literally the limit.

Regardless of your age, change is not only difficult; it can be down right scary, too, especially if it looks like that change will cut into your bottom line. I recall one former restaurant owner giving me a piece of his mind from time to time because the city annually issues the license that allows the Panda Truck to set up shop every Wednesday on the south end of town. But the thing is they offer a service not offered anywhere else in town. I mean, where else are you going to get Chinese around here?

I expect a lot of us frequent the local businesses we do not only because we like to but also because we like the people who run their shops. When KJs finally turns on the OPEN sign in their new addition sometime next year, no doubt people will check them out and try their wares but ultimately they'll have to “win” their clientele just like Chetek Bakery, Hope & Anchor and Rod & Gun have to continue to appeal to their customers to keep them coming back for more. We can only hope that in the long run the change will be, well, good for everyone.

Going UP (water and garbage rates are soon to go up)

 

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but rates are going up – both water utility and garbage rates are on the rise and you should notice the difference as soon as your next water bill.

Effective October 1, our water utility rates went up. On average your monthly bill will be now approximately $7 higher for residential customers (commercial rates will go up as well but it may be higher depending on water use, etc). If you are a resident of the city you should have received a letter from the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin back in August informing you of the coming rate increase. It's not what I would call a quick-read, however, and rather on the confusing side as letters go but it tries to answer the “Why?” question.

I didn't read mine either

In case you glanced at it and tossed it out or misplaced it, here's the gist of what it says:

• A municipality can't just willy-nilly increase it's water rates because it wants to. There's a process to it. Earlier this year the Chetek Municipal Water Utility filed an application with the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) to increase water rates. Why? Well...(no pun intended) the cost of doing business (i.e., such as chemicals, wages and other operating expenses) has gone up since January 2010, the last time water rates increased. That's right, water rates have not gone up in 11 years.

• How much more do we need to “break even”? Just shy of $57K which will mean an approximate rate increase of 15 ½%.
  

• Now here's where it gets a little technical (at least for me) so I'll quote from the letter verbatim:

  

  • The Utility currently collects $38,250 from the City of Chetek for providing public fire protection (PFP) to the City. This cost is approximately 28 percent of the total PFP cost. Additionally, the Utility currently collects a total of $97,837 directly from customers on their utility bills. This is approximately 72 percent of the total PFP cost. The total PFP cost of $136,087 covers the additional storage, pumping, and distribution required to provide the high flows and pressures needed to fight fires. The City collects the funds for the current municipal PFP charge of $38,250 from property taxes and pays this charge to the water utility...

  • Did you catch all that? Not only do we need to increase our rate because of the increased cost of doing business but to ensure the expenses inferred in fire protection are adequately covered. You know, Mrs. O'Leary's cow and all that.

Per legend it was Mrs. O'Leary's cow
which kicked over a lantern that
started the Great Chicago fire of 1871

You will see the difference in your next water bill due out in early November.

I also have to tell you that your garbage rates will be going up as well come January 1. Chetek is the only municipality in Barron County that runs its own garbage service. We do so because it not only pays for itself but it allows us to hire two public works employees as well. By county ordinance, all our trash goes to the incinerator in Almena. The county sets the “tipping fee” (i.e., the expense of dumping our trash at the plant) which is currently $72/ton.

January 2018 was the last time customer rates increased (even though tipping fees have since gone up). Come the first of the year, residential customers should see an additional $1.50 on their monthly statement while commercial customers should expect an increase of approximately 7% per month as well.

So there you have it, Ben Franklin's proverb regarding the certainty of death and taxes come home to roost once again. But it's part of the cost of keeping our books balanced and our small community viable.

Ben said it first

While an extra $8.50/month ($7 water and $1.50 garbage) or approximately $100/year doesn't sound like a lot to ask from our residents for ongoing water and garbage services, the city is very much aware that 65% of our population is on Social Security. Even the slightest increase in cost for services puts more pressure on households already trying keep their heads above water. One of the reasons we are pursuing the current housing development on Knapp Street is to increase the number of taxable units in the city. More tax revenue means the love, as it were, gets spread even further. Of course, nothing is going to change on that end for at least another year or so but your council is busy seeking to grow our town and attract more residents to our community.

City Clerk Carmen Newman, Deputy City Clerk Cassandra Larson and Water Utility Clerk Mark Eby stand ready to answer your calls and field the questions this post may have raised for you. Please call 715-924-4838 Monday thru Friday between 8 am -4 pm.