2025 was the year to get stuff done

 

As we come to the close of the calendar year, we Chetek residents have a lot to be thankful for. As far as municipal projects go, 2025 has been the year to get things done.

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  Photo credit: Mark Peterson

  The new Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP), begun in 2024, had its ceremonial “first flush” in May. It was a wet and rainy day but for a couple of hours the new plant was open for tours. If you came you know you got free cookies to go with your education.

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  Photo credit Matt Hutzler

  In February, the crew from Maguire showed up and began assembling our new water tower. They put the “cherry” on top in mid-April and were laying down the base coat by the end of May.

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  Ground was broke at the Sports Complex at Gotham Pioneer Park on Memorial Day weekend and by Labor Day citizens were playing on the newly made pickleball and basketball courts. Through the efforts of the Chetek Pickleball Club over $220K was raised for this project. And if you've been out that way or by it you know its a beautiful addition to our city's small park system.

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  Photo credit: SC Swiderski

  At the end of August ground was broke for the new housing development on Knapp Street. This was a project nearly seven years in the planning and while SC Swiderski took way more trees than we ever thought they would, when it's done perhaps as many as five hundred more people will call Chetek home.

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  Kleve Street project

  This past fall over on Kleve Street the city's water line was moved from the north side of the street to the south side. At the same time, the old lift station at the beach – the oldest in our system – was replaced and upgraded.

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  The old WWTP (or what's left)

  The old WWTP, except for the big blue silo which will go out in
  the spring, was dismantled and just last week the city old stand pipe (i.e., the old water tower) came down in a day. You hardly can tell that it ever was there.

Frankly, that is A LOT of stuff to get done and represents A LOT of meetings and conversations and, at times, headaches for various department heads and council members. But stuff got done all the same. We can check these things off the list.

During the same calendar year we bid farewell to Public Works Director Dan Knapp who had faithfully served the city for twenty-eight years. We misfired on his successor but a few months ago we course-corrected and after a three-month try-out, Justin Hutzler was promoted from Interim Director to the new Director of Public Works. As a bonus, Dan agreed to come back out of retirement and serve as Justin's “flunkie” in the short term helping him become familiar with the job.

Justin Hutzler is working out just fine

Long term First Wardman Scott Bachowski was unseated by former Second Wardman Earl Grover in the Spring Election. Earl had moved into the First Ward earlier in the year vacating his Second Ward post. Fortunate for all of us Second Ward resident Trevor Dysland agreed to complete Earl's term. He has served capably there and has pulled papers to run in next Spring's election.

Photo credit: Matt Hutzler

Not to be overlooked or forgotten, after twenty-five or more years of talking about it, the Airport Committee, chaired by Trevor, voted to move off NPIAS (i.e., the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems administered by the federal government) and remain under the State's jurisdiction. And for the first time ever, we have an Airport Manager – Matt Hutzler – who in fiscal year 2026 will receive a small stipend for his efforts to help make the airport work for all parties involved.

I've served the City as mayor for nearly a decade now and frankly, by municipal standards, that is A LOT to get done in a calendar year. Our city is fortunate to be served by City Clerk Mark Eby (who in 2025 was officially sworn in as 2nd Vice President of the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks Association [WMCA] during the organization’s annual conference held in August), City Administrator-Treasurer Laura Stelzner and Deputy Treasurer Kim Bruns to navigate all the business-end of things of personnel and projects. 

l to r: Kim Bruns, Laura Stelzner and Mark Eby

Finally, I want to thank those elected officials who attend lots of meetings and are part of lots of conversations just so that the city's business can get done and get done well: Earl Grover (1^st Ward), Trevor Dysland (2^nd Ward), Terry Hight (3^rd Ward) and Thea Hemple (4^th Ward). The small monthly stipend they receive is merely an atta boy and girl for their careful and diligent work which they do because they love the place we all call home.

December 2025 Council meeting

Undeveloped trail
along the Chetek River
below the dam

2026 is a few weeks away and there's more to come. Like what? The new development on Knapp Street will continue to slowly take shape. Conversations will continue about the need to replace our aging pavilion at the beach, what to do with the new green space we now have at the site of the old WWTP, a new walking path at Gotham Park as well as along the Chetek River, and who knows? - the need to annex land surrounding our city's boundaries for all kinds of reasons yet to be hashed out – or disregarded altogether. There's always something going on and I enjoy the ongoing opportunity to be a part of it.

I'll do my best to keep you in the loop. Merry Christmas and may God bless all of us who live in and around the City of Lakes.