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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.”
This is the inside look of the first picture
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.)
It's all part of the big plan
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.
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.
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| 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 |
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