The race definitely does not go to the swiftest (updates and recent developments)

After weeks of building toward the big event, suddenly we are on the back side of Liberty Fest. Granted there's still plenty of good weather ahead of us for boating, water-skiing, fishing, golfing and general lying around on our backyard chaise lounges but for families with kids in high school sports, very soon we will be gearing up for fall. Don't blink!

Just to bring you up to speed on what's going on around town, here's a few talking points for you to ponder:

• 
  At June's council meeting, two sealed bids were opened to purchase 110 Moore Street (the former Jost Law Office) right next door to The Center. Originally, the city had purchased the building from the Josts in 2016 thinking to raze it and use the space for a parking lot. Our experience with the expense of tearing down the old Chetek Cafe cured us of that notion, especially given that we might have realized only seven parking spots for all our trouble. In May, someone approached us about purchasing the building and the decision was made to go public with our intention to sell. Travis Turner of Black Bear Properties was awarded the bid for $110,000. Given that we had bought the property from the Josts for $70K and gained a moderate rental stream annually, we did all right. I don't know what Mr. Turner's intentions are with the property but I know he has given notice to his renters to vacate and for the Chamber to remove the various items they have been storing there since the city took ownership in 2016.

• 
  If you have heard a rumor that the city intends to put in a 28-spot parking lot behind Chetek Hometown Pharmacy (formerly Ohde's Drug) you have heard rightly. We purchased the empty lot back in 2017 thinking to use it as an expansion to Main Street Park. After a few years of pondering, we've decided to convert the lot for parking purposes given how challenging it is to find adequate parking on Second Street during the busy days of summer. The fact that it's right across the street from The Center will be a boon to attendees on Salad Bar Fridays or whenever an event is going on there. Right now we're just waiting on Jerry's Tree Service to take the trees away. Public Works will put the lot in which will run us approximately $17,000.

• 
  Not only will we be putting in a new Waste Water Treatment
  Plant (construction to begin sometime in 2023) but we are also moving ahead on erecting a new water tower. Technically speaking what we have now atop city hill is referred to as a water stand, a giant tank that holds approximately 425,000 gallons of water (our daily needs are a little more than half that). What's more, to prevent it from freezing solid in the winter time Public Works Director Dan Knapp has to open a few hydrants in town to keep adequate water flow. And several companies in the north industrial park require extra pumps on account of inadequate water pressure. These are reasons enough to pursue building a new tower to say nothing of the needs of the new housing development that is still in the works. We applied for a grant for the tower to pay for half of it last year (the thing will cost us a little more than $2 million dollars) and didn't make the cut. This fall we plan to apply again but either way a new tower will be built (should we win the grant it can be applied to reimburse ourselves if the money doesn't come in until after the project is complete).

• 

  This is what it looks like

  Speaking of the new waste water treatment plant, by now you should have received notification that sewer rates will be going up approximately 23% this fall. You should notice the change come your October water bill. If you feel your bill is high now you may have to ask yourself, “Have I been watering my lawn during this dry spell we've been in?” If so, that may be your culprit. If you haven't already installed a water deduct meter and you like your lawn to be looking lush and fresh the whole summer long, it would be worth the investment. Call City Hall for how to go about getting one of these meters installed at your home.

• 

  Moving soon

  To make room for the new waste water treatment plant, this past spring the city put the house across from Whiskey Way (the former Brass Rail) up for sale. The new owner puchased the house for just under $12K and as soon as all the permits go through it should make its slow crawl to a lot over by Bailey Lake sometime later this month.

• 
  Carol Burnham, Calhoun Memorial Library's Director, is
  retiring come fall which means we are in search of a new director. Interviews will begin this week for the position that Carol has filled since the early 2000s.

• 

  One day there will be homes here
  instead of hayfields

  And finally, I get asked from time to time if “Area 51”, the 39 acres we purchased from Jenny O's back in 2018, will ever be developed. The short answer is “yes!” When we began to put together what's referred to as an RFP (request for proposal) we needed to do a Phase 1 (a history of the property) and just to be safe a Phase 2 (take soil samples looking for bones [i.e., Native American burial grounds] or contaminants. With the exception of a some roofing materials that were located in the basement of the former manager's house, we came out “good to go.” S.C. Swiderski, with whom we have had serious conversations about developing the property, is currently doing what is referred to as their “due diligence”. If there is nothing discovered in this phase that would give them pause the next thing to follow is agreeing on a site plan. So we are taking steps toward seeing homes where there are currently fields and trees albeit slow, baby ones.

That's the long and short of it. Like so many things in the governmental world the pace is agonizingly slow at times but, as a kid who once upon a time ran cross country for Chetek High School used to tell his coach before a meet, “Slow and steady wins the race, Coach!” That's really not true in cross or track but when it comes to municipal business I'll take “steady and slow” over motionless any old day.