In case you hadn't noticed: some of the changes going on around town

It's been awhile since I posted anything so here's a long overdue installment of a few of the things that have been going on around town.

We are now in the cemetery business

If you recall, last year the Lake View Cemetery Association's membership voted to dissolve. Once their decision became official both the City and the Town of Chetek received a cemetery under our mutual tree last Christmas. According to State ordinance, an “abandoned” cemetery ultimately becomes the responsibility of the municipality in which it is found. Since we both have a stake in it (they own 3/5 of it and we own 2/5) we could have agreed to do nothing. It's only after five years that the State can order a municipality to “adopt” an orphaned graveyard. But there's no way we – or them – would allow that much time to elapse before taking ownership. So like it or lump it now we've got it.

This past spring a joint agreement was written up where essentially we will go “halfsies” with the Town on both the maintenance and the upkeep of Lake View as well as the hiring of a sexton. In this arrangement, the Town will mow the grass and bill us. Meanwhile Town of Chetek Board President Mark Carlson and I interviewed a handful of applicants for the sexton's position and decided to offer Donna Bachowski the job. Donna, who is also the Director of The Center, has both good organizational skills and is great with people. Unlike previous sextons she will not have to deal with any kind of maintenance or mowing schedules. Her sole responsibility will be sales and locating. She has a designated phone for this (715-642-0052). In the future our hope is to digitize the records so that those who call for genealogical purposes can find their information through a link on our website. This season is a bit of a trial run for all of us. Between the two municipalities she will be paid $200/month throughout the year. Come fall we'll reevaluate to see if that is realistic or needs to be altered. But it's for real: we are in the cemetery business.

Previous sexton Robert Lund and his crew
did a great job of improving the look of Lake View

The new dock is in!

Last year the council voted unanimously to initiate a boat launch fee ($5/daily and $25/seasonal) for city dock. While the Resort Owners Association expressed their disapproval of this decision for fear it would scare people off the council decided to move forward on it all the same. Municipalities like ours are always looking for more revenue streams as a way to spread the love around. We don't mind if people launch from our dock. We also don't think most people will mind contributing to its upkeep and improvement. In our inaugural season over $3,200 was collected at the unmonitored box at the top of the hill. All of that went to the Parks Department and with additional outlay funds a brand new handicapped-accessible dock was purchased and installed just a week ago.

Carmen tells me that as of last week already $2,300 has been collected this season (and its only mid-June!) This money will be funneled right back to the boat dock for its ongoing upkeep as well as the improvement of the site. We think this modest fee has been successful in helping us provide a quality dock for both residents and visitors to our lakes.

The new look of Main Street Park

Improvements to Main Street Park

If I've learned anything while serving as mayor these last three years is that when you change something or move something people get nervous. This past spring Main Street Park underwent some serious renovations. The eagle totem sculpture was removed for safety purposes on account of its deteriorating condition. The flowering crab was removed (all that was left of the original shrubs that were planted there in 2001) and in order to make room for the new stamped concrete that was laid down the rocks with the memorial plaques upon them were moved to the side. Both Jeremy Gesler of Gesler Concrete and the mayor got an earful from a few local citizens who took issue with those rocks being tossed away. Of course, they weren't tossed away – they were just moved to the side until the concrete work was completed. The pavilion (which still needs a new roof) got power-washed and a fresh coat of stain

Natalie Turner

(courtesy of Scott and Donna Bachowski and city inspector Joe Atwood) and the rocks were carefully reinstalled in a new location along Ohde's south wall. A local citizen who wishes to remain anonymous donated new flower boxes and standing pots and monies given in memory of Natalie Turner, the 17-year-old C-W HS student who was tragically killed in 2017, helped us purchase the new sunflower benches.

Local artist Dylan Martinson
has been enjoying the courtyard on Saturday mornings

There's more to come just probably not this year. We spent $1,500 to move a power supply that allowed Taste of Chetek to be held on the grounds of the new edition to Main Street Park. We'd like to add things like a privacy fence between the park and the private

Taste of Chetek was held on the grounds
of the new edition this year

residence to the immediate east, a concrete border on either side of the edition to allow vehicles to access the park if, for example, a farmer's market were ever to return to the city, as well keep adequate green space in the middle. One of the big ticket items on our dream list are public restroom facilities for the park as well. All of these things, of course, cost money – way more than we have outlay funds for. So we're always on the look-out for creative partnerships between the city and local citizens. If you think you could help with that please let us know.

Credit Donna Bachowski for her leadership on the Parks Committee for helping bring about many of these changes. If you've been keeping count this is the third time I've mentioned her name in this article for not only is Donna the director of The Center and the new sexton of Lake View Cemetery but she is also the chairperson of the Parks Committee. We should all be grateful that she works for us and does such a capable job of it.

Donna with husband, Scott, who also serves
as the current President of the Chetek Common Council

There's more going on around town but that will have to keep until next time. I don't need to tell you that our summer residents and visitors are back. Even though this is the season of No-Left-Turns-Onto-Second-Street it sure feels good to have the town humming with activity again. It makes me hope it will be a prodigious summer for both those who visit here and for those who live here too.

"What are you thinking?": Some thoughts on the purchase and demo of the old Chetek Cafe

All good things...

If you live around here then you know that the old Chetek Cafe building came down this week. On a frigid Monday morning the big rig from Stout Construction stuck its big claw into the west side of the building around 8 am and by 10 am the structure that began its life as part of the old Chetek school “way back in the day” before going through various phases of cafes and eateries has now gone the way of the dinosaur. As they say, all good things come to an end.

Courtesy of  Dahlhouse Enterprises

Later the next day

The city purchased the building back in May as part economic development and part municipal planning. We had a business owner who needed a buyer and another business owner who needed to expand. The city just greased the skids a bit, as it were, because we were interested in the location. At the time of the purchase our thinking was two-fold: if the Alano Club were interested in selling their building then perhaps we could look at both properties (as well as the one where City Hall now stands) as part of a future multi-governmental building hosting, say, City Hall and the Police Department. Or, if Alano preferred to stay put than market the lot as prime commercial property on Second Street.

Since the purchase, as you can imagine, many conversations have been taking place both at City Hall and all over town that run the gambit from the merely curious - “So, what will be going there in its place?” - to the clearly dumbfounded - “What was the city thinking when you did this?” I've heard several variations of either, I can assure you. I'm sure you have too. There are folks who think its a sign of progress and there are others who feel we just blew nearly a quarter of a million dollars for a whole lot of nothing (as well as a few more who are saddened that we were so eager to tip over one of the vintage structures in our community). Even among the council members – who voted unanimously for the purchase – sticker-shock began to set in as the estimates for abatement (the testing for and removal of asbestos) and demolition became evident. Who could blame them? It cost us $170,000 for the property, $2,100 to test for asbestos, $13,700 for removal of it and then $35,000 for demoltion. Do the math and that comes out to just shy of $221K for ultimately a vacant lot. What are we thinking?

Clearly opinions vary...

Not everybody thinks its a great idea

We purchased Cafe sight unseen. We didn't have a walk-through prior to purchase and the negotiating process was not that involved. We just wanted that property and the fact that it would help Norbert and Patty expand was a bonus. Once we took ownership of it and got a look-see it was clear that the stone structure in the back had serious foundation issues (as in a river runs through it). Initially, a few local business-owners approached us about the idea of renting

It was time

the building. But we were unwilling to put any money into it especially if we were going to raze it. And then once we got the estimates on abatement and demolition it became more worth to us as a vacant lot than an old, deteriorating structure that many considered an eye-sore. Otherwise, you're asking a future perspective business owner to pay $50K as well as the price of the lot before they've even turned over one bucket load worth of dirt. To us (that is, the Plan Commission and the Council) that seemed like a non-starter. Admittedly, none us anticipated the price tag for leveling the property to be so pricey but in for a penny, in for a pound. We had to see it through.

The sky wasn't falling
but the front end of the
building was!

“Think what the city could have done with that money?” someone asked me a few weeks ago. It's true. We could have spent the money differently – or not at all. If the Alano Club is not interested in moving then let's market the property as commercial real estate and see what we can see. If, however, they would be interested in selling their building then we should pause before we rush to sell. If you recall, last fall the front entrance of City Hall was temporarily closed as the cement facade above the doors is deteriorating. To repair it will cost us $30,000. Everything falls apart. If you're a homeowner you know this maxim to be true. Nothing stays the same. In recent years the current City Hall building twice has had to undergo significant improvements to address ongoing mold issues. Sooner or later, we're gonna need a new place to call home.

The future site of a new subdivision in our community

Since the purchase of the old Cafe as well as the old Jennie-O's breeder farm on the far west end of town, the Property Committee has been reestablished. Made up entirely of volunteers it will be their task to weigh the pros and cons of any future property purchases of the city and either recommend or pass on it. If they believe a piece of property should be acquired or a currently held property improved upon, they will pass their recommendation onto the Plan Commission who will also examine the matter and issue their opinion before it ends up on a council agenda item.

For example, we purchased the old Jost Law Office in 2016 with the intent of razing that structure for a future parking lot for The Center. It will now be the Property Committee's job to weigh that idea and determine if, indeed, that is the best use of that property. It may slow up the process but it also is a way to vette it. If they recommend demo and creation of a parking lot that decision will involve creating a new entrance for The Center on that side of the building. So several things need to be weighed before we go forward. And the two individuals who currently rent from us will also have to vacate. Like we are wont to say these days there are a lot of moving parts.

Time will only tell if the purchase of the cafe and the demolition of it was the best use of the taxpayers money. But speaking only for myself I believe we are investing in confidence – confidence in the future of our town. There is no free lunch. We all should know this by now. We can't have something for nothing (because even grant money comes from taxpayers). We all want to see Chetek continue to develop and grow. That requires a little faith, a little hope and a lot of love for the town we all call home.

Everything falls apart: streets, sidewalks and light poles on the Long Bridge

Douglas Street looking toward Second

“everything falls apart
then I get to try to put it back together
yeah, it falls apart
you can count on that, 
count on that
now whether it can”

“Everything Falls Apart” by Dog's Eye View

“The Second Law of Thermodynamics is about the quality of energy. It states that as energy is transferred or transformed, more and more of it is wasted. The Second Law also states that there is a natural tendency of any isolated system to degenerate into a more disordered state.” livescience.com

The way we were in 1993

In 1993, a week before our son Ed was born, we closed on our home on Fifth Street. That was an exciting moment in our lives: we were about to become parents for the third time and we were about to take ownership of our first – and to date – only home. In retrospect, it hadn't been an overly complicated process. We had met with a mortgage broker who had looked over our budget and had essentially set our price range. We could buy anything we wanted so long as we stayed within those parameters and at the time there were only two homes in Chetek that we could afford. So, we looked at both of them and chose Door Number 1. It was far older than the other house but it came with a double lot and a couple of extra (albeit small) rooms. For the grand total of $29,000, then, we closed on a five bedroom one hundred-year-old house that has been our home now for over twenty-three years.

Then

Taken a few years ago but pretty much how it looks now

Day 1 of Phase 1

Shortly after moving in – and taking a little time-out to have the baby – we began to realize that a little bit more than TLC was needed on our aging bungalow. In fact, a lot more. There was no insulation in the walls. There was no carpet on the floor. The windows were all single pane. The wiring, while still code, made you nervous just looking at it. As I recall, we were only going to do a “little” remodeling but as we have since learned you never do a little remodeling because in a house everything is connected together. If you're going to open up a wall – a plaster wall that is so brittle that it is beyond saving – in order to install fiberglass insulation then you might as well replace the wiring. And why not install new windows while you're at it? No sense tearing the walls open yet again? And thus it began, Phase 1 of many, many phases that have since followed.

The same spot looks a little
different today

In twenty-three years of ownership, we have remodeled every room in our home – and some of them, twice! Front room, kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms, staircase – the lot. With the help of generous donations from both sets of parents as well as taking advantage of the Community Development loan from the city, slowly but surely our now 120-year-old house has been transformed into the simple beauty that she is – or, at least, we think she is.

Not too many years ago

But you never really finish with a house, do you? I mean, truly – like the Second Law of Thermodynamics clearly states – everything falls apart. If you have kids running around, as we once did, things get nicked, dented, broke, scraped. Throw in some pets and new carpet gets stained or collects hair like a magnet collects metal fragments. Wood glue

dries and those beautiful rosettes you paid to jazz up your trim

The same corner this morning

display fall off the wall. Walls get smudged with dirt and grease. A seal comes loose in your upstairs bathroom tub causing water to pour like rain onto your brand new kitchen ceiling that has just been installed. (Yes, this happened to us). Again, everything falls apart. To own a home is to commit to a labor of love that never really ends until you sell it to the next owner.

Kleve Street by Chetek Veterinary Clinic

Now here's where I'm going with all this reminiscing: just like with our home or yours, our city property is always in a constant state of falling into disrepair. That's why municipalities have outlay accounts setting aside money to replace vehicles that will break down, equipment that will need maintenance and, ultimately, upgrade and facilities that will need to be remodeled or built anew. It is the way of things – everything falls apart – and like the song goes, “you can count on that.”

City Park Drive

Just last week the grinder came through and tore up a number of streets in Chetek – City Park Drive, Douglas Street between 2^nd and 4^th, Kleve Street between 2^nd and Tainter, and 15^th Street along Bailey Lake. It's part of the street maintenance schedule that is followed every year in order to ensure that Chetek remains a town with good roads. Instead of a patch here or there relatively long stretches of pavement are resurfaced for its aesthetic value. Plus, you get a better price that way. Next year another set of streets will resurfaced because as everybody knows the extreme temperatures we endure during the winter months contribute to our roads splitting, cracking and falling into a state of disrepair.

Currently we are a pole short out on the bridge

Right before Liberty Fest one of the light poles on the Long Bridge fell over. It wasn't run into by a vehicle. Straight line winds weren't the culprit. No, it just fell over. The pole, installed back in the 70's when the new bridge was built, just rusted out. Fortunately nobody was hurt. But when Public Works Director Dan Knapp informed

Thank God the pole fell on an empty road

Excel Energy about the matter he was informed that forty years ago when the poles went up they became city property. While the State handles any improvements the bridge may need, the poles are our worry. Who knew? And the pole that fell is not the only one in need of replacement. Yeah, everything falls apart.

This is the pipe outside of Ohde's front door

For those of you who do any walking in our downtown area you know that there are stretches of pedestrian pavement that vividly demonstrate the Second Law of Thermodynamics in action. There are sections in serious need of replacement. In front of Ohde's and the Flor building across from Gordy's there are city water pipes sticking up above the sidewalk creating a potential hazard to walkers and runners alike. A few years ago we were

This is in front of the Flor building

fortunate to tie into a grant that brought new sidewalks to the entire stretch of the south side of Dallas Street as part of the Safe Routes to School program. I don't think First and Second Streets would qualify for the same. So what's a municipality to do? You could encourage businesses and home-owners to replace the walk in front of their property but they will either have to pick up the entire tab or a part of it (with the city picking up the other part). Or you could do it the way Barron does it – spread the expense over the tax rolls under the premise that a safer and more attractive downtown area benefits everybody. Personally, I like that approach. Reality is most people are going to avoid an extra expense if they can help it. And if we leave it up to the individual there's a good chance we'll end up with a hodge-podge of new and old sidewalks strung together. That's why I opine that as long as we have a street schedule why don't we add to it a sidewalk-one? Because – yes, I'm going to say it once again like another beat of the drum – everything falls apart.

Which one is next?

I didn't run for legendary Chetek High School Cross Country Coach Dan Conway but I have it on good authority that among the plethora of witticisms and anecdotes he would share with his runners at practice was the old story about the king of a certain country who wanted all the wisdom of the ages gathered at his fingertips (obviously, this was way before Google) so he could pass it on to his posterity. So this regent commissioned certain advisers in his kingdom to go forth and collect every sage saying and wise counsel that could be known. They returned a year later with their work gathered into twelve volumes of comprehensive wisdom. The king was aghast. “This is way too large. People will never read it. Condense it further!” he thundered and then sent them out of the throne room. They returned six months later with three enormous volumes to present to their king. Once again he was disappointed with their efforts. “This is still too large. Condense it further!” This time the delegation returned a month later with the project now reduced to one behemoth book. Not surprisingly, the king disapproved of this solution as well and sent them out charging them to reduce the size of the volume once again. They returned 15 minutes later with a slip of paper and ceremoniously handed it to their liege. Upon it was a single five word sentence that in their estimation was the sum total of the wisdom of the ages that the king could pass on to future generations: There is no free lunch.

Coach Conway would share that story with his runners as a reminder that there are no short-cuts to success, that it's just you diligently applying yourself to your craft and learning from your mistakes. You can't get something for nothing. What's true in running and other matters in life also applies to those of us who own a home or call this city our home – if we want to continue to ensure our town remains a thriving, beautiful community we're going to have to invest in it on a regular basis so that our roads remain drivable and our sidewalks help us get from here to there without twisting our ankle or falling on our chin or backside.