Wheezle Mayfield and his ilk (Complaints, Inc.)

“I wish I were taller.”

from the Seinfeld episode “The Cartoon”

Whine. We all do it at one time or another. We whine about the weather. We whine about traffic. In this town, we whine specifically about the traffic on the main drag during the summertime because we can't turn left onto Second Street because of all the tourists in town. We whine...well, you get it. Who hasn't heard this retort after we've gone on our little rant about whatever it is we're upset about, “Would you like a little cheese with that whine?” Yes, it is a time-honored tradition around here and my guess everywhere.

From time to time people ask me, “How's the mayor-ing job going? Are you tired of all the complaints?” to wit I'm happy to respond that by and large over the last three years I've really received more “attaboys” than any thorough tongue-lashings. Oh, sure from time to time I do get an ear-ful but with few exceptions they are expressed with no personal vendetta behind it (or at least, that which I perceive as personal).

But still, there are people that seem to me to be just contrary. You know the type: they are quick to point out what's wrong with an issue but never have any helpful suggestions as to how they think it should be fixed. And even if a matter that they're upset about gets addressed its not fixed the way they think it should have been if they were the ones calling the shots. Every town has got people like that.

The other day I asked the girls at City Hall what were common complaints they received and in no order in particular they rattled off five recurring issues:

1. Taxes are too high.
   
   
   

Okay, who hasn't griped about taxes? But too high compared to what? New York? Minneapolis? New Auburn? If you're going to live in a municipality and expect 24/7 police protection, garbage, sewer and water services, fire and ambulance coverage I guess we have to be prepared to pay for it. By the way, a little fun fact here: your 2019 city taxes went up just a skosh. If you're looking for a culprit as to why your taxes went up look again at your school and county taxes. We have no control over either one.

2. Recycling bins are always fill.

They are! They really are. In fact, if you don't get to the recycling bin at the dam early in the week during the summertime you are setting yourself up for frustration. We would argue that

at least one of the reasons that they are is that the Town of Chetek, unlike the Town of Prairie Lake, has no recycling site whatsoever. Therefore, Town of Chetek folk drop off their recycling at our locations which are designed for City residents. Just saying. This past winter Atrium informed the City that they wanted the recycling bin on their property moved. The plan is to relocate it behind City Hall. Expect that to happen soon.

3. Why isn't the brush site open longer?

   

   Be nice to Jack. He only
   enforces the rules on the books

The brush site will be opening again soon and once again Jack will resume his post at the entrance. For the last couple of seasons the brush site has been open on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. Inevitably, some folks are upset about that and wish it could be open longer and more frequently. Or how 'bout we go back to the day when it was just open all the time? Well, here's the thing with that: on May 1, 2013 the heavens opened up and dumped over a foot of snow over the area. Soon our brush site became Ground Zero for every clean-up crew in this part of the county. We had so much brush back there that ultimately we had, at city expense, to hire a grinder to come in to mulch it all up. The pile was just way to big to burn per DNR regulations. If you recall, in response to that in 2014 there was no municipal brush site. I believe in 2015 it was reopened but this time with someone on the city's payroll to monitor brush that was brought in (again, Town of Prairie Lake has a brush site while Town of Chetek does not). Jack's been our guy the last two seasons and it's his job to check everyone who brings brush and yard waste there to ensure they are city residents only. We only pay him minimum wage and we're happy to have such a competent and polite monitor. All this to say is that put it on your calendar to serve as a reminder that it is only open on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 3-6 pm and never when it's raining.

4. 

   They don't seem to get it

   Goose poop at the beach.

This is a common complaint in the summer time. Dan has tried all kinds of tricks to keep the geese out but they still do their business where our kids and us would like to go barefoot. Per Carmen the only real way to fix this problem is to invent a goose pooper-scooper and then hire someone to go down there – what, twice a week? - to scoop it up. I suppose we could find the money to pay that person but who wants that job? (Please do not suggest one of the guys at Public Works get delegated that task. I'm telling you now that's what they call a 'non-starter').

5. 
   City dock/Hydroflites

While not a fisherman myself I have it on good authority that the city dock can get quite busy in the summertime. Between fishing boats and the flotilla that makes up the Hydroflite fleet it can feel as crowded as Times Square at times (that is a definite exaggeration but you get what I'm saying). The Hydroflites are a long-lasting tradition in our community and we're grateful that they're here. At the same time, we want people to have access to the lake to fish. There will be some significant improvements coming to the city dock this summer which probably won't fix the traffic issue but it certainly will increase accessibility to the Chain especially for handicapped residents. At peak times (right before show time, for example) a little patience and a little grace are required by all parties involved.

I reached out to Public Works Director Dan Knapp and City Inspector Joe Atwood via email regarding the complaints they get and only Joe responded with a one-sentence email: “Property appearance and junk vehicles.” I do get it that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. What appears as 'junk' to one home-owner is a little diamond in the ruff that needs just a little TLC by another. We have no ordinance against how many vehicles you can store on your property. Last year I suggested we might consider such a regulation and immediately there was a general hue and cry about “government overstep”. We do have a requirement that every one of our vehicles has to have their registration up to date AND has to move on its own accord. Chief and his crew are generally pretty good about sending out a gentle reminder about this right about this time or risk citation.

I didn't get anything from Dan but I don't think it's rocket science to suggest that one of the frequent complaints he does get is about snow removal. Last Thursday's snow storm is a perfect case in point. The county was out in force but our guys were sight unseen. And then about mid-morning on Friday, Dan unleashed the hounds and the guys got to it. Snow removal in the late spring is one of those “Damned if you do”/ “Damned if you don't” kinda things. If you don't people complain – like this complaint that was lodged at our City of Chetek Facebook page. 

If you do then the complaints start coming in about how the city just filled in everyone's driveway. What's a Public Works Director to do? I don't tell Dan how to run his department. I don't know what formula he uses to determine when to send the plows out and when to keep them home. Personally, I think our guys do a darn good job and we should be thankful how helpful they frequently are.

For me, the few complaints I have received have to do with (no surprise to anyone who is paying attention to municipal activity in the last few years):

1. The Mill

You have a venue on the edge of a neighborhood full of little kids which is busiest on Friday and Saturday nights. What's more, 'quiet hours' begin at 10 pm (even for The Mill). Add in alcohol that is served at weddings and other celebrations and that spells loud and (sometimes) obnoxious behavior by a few of The Mill's patrons. It's my understanding that years ago there were many of the same issues with Red's as this is a tavern-restaurant right in the middle of a neighborhood as well. But the current owners of Red's police their patrons, erected privacy fences and as far as I know do a good job of being good neighbors. My hope remains that the Helms, the owners of The Mill, will work as hard as those guys who own Reds, to do the very same with their neighbors.

2. Purchasing the old Chetek Cafe

Since the building has come down I don't hear this as much but it's out there all the same. $175K seems like a lot of money for an empty lot that we'll never sell for the same price. If you're looking for a dollar-for-dollar return on your money I guess that's a fair criticism butI look at it as 'seed money'. We helped a business owner (the Wojkes of Chetek Cafe) expand and we gained acquisition of a prime piece of real estate in the heart of the business district. The old cafe was on its last leg and had we not spent the $50K to tear it down it would still be standing slowly falling apart. 'Sure we'll gladly sell you this old building but you'll not only have to buy the property but you'll also have to spend the money to tear it down'. Yeah, not a great marketing plan. So the city did the heavy-lifting, invested a little seed money and if in time a new business arises at that locale it will be a property back on the tax-rolls. Personally, I think it's gonna work out in time. But sure as shooting, if we did nothing whatsoever, there would be complaints about that to.

There's a lot going on in town right now. We just had soil samples taken out at the 40-acre addition at the end of Knapp Street. As soon as we get the results back we'll begin Phase 1 of the new development out there. Significant improvements to Main Street Park are in earnest. New roofs have already gone up on all the other park pavilions. 

Airport Park pavilion has a new roof

The newly re-formed Property Committee has toured all the city-owned facilities and will soon be producing some recommendations for the council to consider. Conversations have been taking place with a few other groups in town that could result in other significant changes to certain properties. But like so many things in municipal goings-on there are a lot of moving parts and nothing happens quickly. Which is a good thing in the overall scheme of things. 'Slow and steady wins the race,' right?

Harvey Potter's Balloon Farm by Jerdine Nolan is all about a man named Harvey Potter who, unlike his neighbors who grow corn, okra and tomatoes, grows balloons. One of his more contrary neighbors, a certain Wheezle Mayfield, was so upset about his peculiar farming practices that he called the government on Harvey and soon a group of government scientists in white coats and gloves descended on his farm to investigate. As the little girl who is the narrator tells us “They pulled and they pried and finally they pricked one of those plants with a pin. And what was supposed to

happen did – the balloon popped. Even they couldn't argue with that. So they gave Harvey Potter the right to grow balloons. He never asked them for it, mind you. But he took it anyway, just to be polite. Let me tell you, it made everybody happy. Well, almost everybody. Wheezle was sore.” 

Every town has a got a Wheezle Mayfield or two who are only happy when they're grousing or complaining about something. Which is too bad but some folks have trained themselves to be that way and nothing but the grace of God can help there.

There are constructive ways to work toward solutions about certain things. For starters, settle down before you pick up the phone to rant to someone at Public Works or City Hall. They're people, too, busy with their work and haven't been sitting idly by waiting for you to blast them with your Jeremiad. Ask questions. Show up at city council meetings and get educated. Call your alderperson or the mayor (or both) and ask for a sit-down to discuss the issues that concern you. Dialogue is always more helpful that lobbing vocal grenades at whomever you believe may be 'the enemy'.

Its warming up out there. The sun's out (okay, not today). Let's hope we're done with the snow. And hey, just remind yourself, it's gonna be a great day!

Passing go and collecting while we do

Recently I received an email from someone I consider a friend who wrote to express their opinion about some of the “wheeling and dealing” (not their words) the city has been engaging in over the last few years. Here's just a portion of that email:

I have a problem with city government owning very much real estate. It’s the taxpayers money that’s invested, I can’t understand why. My feeling is there’s little to no chance the money vested into the Chetek Café property will ever be fully recovered. Then the city owns the former Jost law office and the house on Hwy SS South amongst other properties. I understand some of these properties are creating revenue from renting them but when you figure in improvements, updates, maintenance they are likely losing money. These city owned properties generate no tax revenue.

It's true. Since 2016 the city does seem like it's been in the real estate business. We sold Knapp Haven Nursing Home in April 2016 and then by the end of the year had purchased the Jost Law Office building on Moore Street. The following spring we purchased the vacant lot next to Ohde's right across the street from the law office. As everyone knows we bought the old Chetek Cafe last spring and then went and knocked it down last month. Last summer we bought the old Jennie-Os Breeder Farm at the corner of Knapp and 15^th Street and with that purchase came the manager's house. That same house just was sold at February's common council meeting as was the city parking lot on Douglas Street. For the casual observer it may seem like we're playing Monopoly with the tax payer's money.

Well, to my friend's point, the city really doesn't want to be in the real estate business. We aren't trying to control the board. We just want to do what we can to help the city remain viable and continue to be a wonderful place to raise a family.

Going down the list of our presently held properties, here's what our current thinking is:

75 Hwy Blvd South: Located across from the Brass Rail the city purchased this home years ago. It sits right where our future Waste Water Treatment facility will go. The house came up for bid last month – and no one bid. There's a family currently living there. However, when it finally comes time to build the treatment facility they – and the house – will have to go. Until then, they pay the city rent. But my friend is correct: as a landlord when things go awry with a house we are responsible to make the necessary improvements. So while we may be getting regular rent payments when a garage door needs to be replaced (as it did last year), we have to pay for it. While the house is in good shape it's definitely not like owning Park Place.

The Jost Law Office Building (Moore Street). We didn't buy the Jost property just so we could be a landlord to the two gentlemen who presently live there. Our interest in the property is much more practical: for a future parking lot for the Center. While the Plan Commission has given the green light to raze the building presently the Property Committee is assessing whether or not that is the best use for that property. Until they make a recommendation to the council it is the sense of that group to continue to allow the two tenants to continue to live there. If we do go ahead on razing the structure those two individuals will have to relocate.

The Addition to Main Street Park (Moore Street). As for the vacant lot across the street from the Jost building that has become an addition to Main Street Park. We are currently working on plans to improve it and perhaps one day provide public restroom facilities there. Like a lot of things we do, we have high hopes and little cash but at the stage of the game dreaming is cheap.

Vacant lot for sale

The old Chetek Cafe lot (Second Street). We purchased the lot because we were interested in the property as the site of a future multi-purpose governmental building. That interest helped Chetek Cafe expand down the street helping a currently viable business remain prosperous. If the Alano Club prefers to remain in their present location (next to City Hall), the now vacant lot on Second Street becomes a piece of commercial real estate. My friend who sent the email is correct: we will not recoup the money that was spent to purchase and raze the old cafe building. That being said if a business is opened there we will garner something for the sale of the lot and in the long term it will be on the tax rolls. One of the challenges of that specific property is there is no parking lot that goes with it. A future business would have to have a conversation with the Alano Club about leasing space in their parking lot.

Dr. Sather is now the owner of this lot

Lots 16 and 17, Block 6, Second Addition, City of Chetek (118 Douglas Street). Sather Family Dental is planning on expanding. At January's common council meeting, Dr. Nik Sather approached the council asking if the city would be interested in selling the public parking lot that adjoins his present building. His plan is to build a 1,500 square foot addition to his present building which would allow him to hire an additional dentist. According to Dr. Sather, three dentists in the area have recently retired and he is preparing for the need that will arise from those retirements. The Plan Commission had already given the green light on his proposal. The city placed a notice in the Chetek Alert allowing for anyone else to bid on the property. No one did so his bid of $20,500 was accepted. We all feel good that Dr. Sather will remain in town but when that lot finally is closed to the public we are also expecting feedback about it. But like Cafe, we are helping a business not only remain viable but also expand.

Ken Schmidt bought this for $1

The manager's home of the former Jennie-O's Breeder Farm (Knapp Street). The city purchased the thirty-nine acres for one reason: affordable housing (“affordable” does not mean “low-income” housing). Since acquiring the property we have been having conversations with various developers on the best way to move forward on developing this property. One of the issues that has been raised is that any future developer of any section of that property might see the house, which is in otherwise good shape, as being “out of place” with whatever type of homes they would want to build and market. In other words, we need to move it – or raze it. So we put a notice out that we would be accepting bids on the purchase of this home contingent upon the fact that they would be responsible for moving it. Only one bid came in: Ken Schmidt of Schmidt Construction bid $1 for it – a bid that was accepted at the February common council meeting. If you think that's hardly a deal, it will cost Ken plenty to move the thing – money we would have had to spend otherwise. Once it's gone and the bore samples return we will be able to begin moving forward on creating some of the infrastructure we're going to need for this new development.

The property of the old City Shop (Ridgeway Street). These lots were sold in 2017 to Michael Miller of Whitehorse Construction. He is building “twinhomes” on Ridgeway. As I understand it, the difference between a twinhome and a duplex is this: a duplex has one owner who rents out one or both units. With a twinhome, you own three walls and the adjoining wall between the two you own as deep as the sheet rock. These kinds of structures attract both retirees and first-time buyers. He got the three lots for a song - $12,000 – but before he's done he will be also putting in a paved alley between Ridgeway and Tainter. One has already sold and three others remain up for sale. By what I can see he has room to construct two more twinhomes.

Did you know that the city owns the hillside on Ridgeway? Those lots, too, could be purchased and developed. We own a vacant lot on Tainter Street as well (I think it was connected to where the old city shop stood.) There's a vacant lot at the end of Hochmayr Drive (a part of the North Industrial Park). There's acreage in the South Industrial Park. And of course we own the current City Shop, the Police Department, Calhoun Memorial Library and City Hall. I've been told on good authority that when the new City Shop was built there were serious conversations about moving City Hall there – but at the time the consensus was to leave it where it now stands.

Nothing stays the same forever. Today I had lunch at the Center and had a conversation with Jim and Glenyss, a couple from town. Jim has lived in Chetek his entire life and while we were eating he took me down memory lane, as it were, to the days when Second Street was Highway 53, when the building which is Herman Optical today was once a grocery store as was the building which Indianhead Insurance and the Chetek Alert now share. Hope & Anchor was Nelson's Mobile Oil and Unified Body Therapies (next to Skyway Repair) was a gas station, too. Before it was Northlakes Drive In it was Denny's A&W. If my friend Jimmy, who was sitting at the next table, had sat with us he could have added to the litany of businesses that have come and gone in his 88 years of calling the City of Lakes home. And if former alderman Bill Waite had been with us I would have had to keep track of all the changes in our town that have gone on over the decades on pad of paper. Things change.

This is gone too

My friend who sent the email really loves this town and is concerned about its future. I think the people who are presently serving on the city council as well as our city clerk do as well. I prefer to see our purchases as investments in the future of our town. Whether they all pan out I guess we'll see in time. I'm certainly hoping that they do. But I believe that whether or not we agree on individual purchases our common objective remains the same: to continue to make Chetek a great place to live and collect as we continue to move around the board.

"Funny you should ask..." (recent questions that I have been asked)

Like everybody else I'm hoping for the best

As Mayor I get asked a lot of questions (the mayor is supposed to know things after all, right?) Some I can answer. Others I have to go looking for answers. And then there's the kind that really there are no good answers for. Here's a few I've been asked over the last month.

Question: “So, do you know what's going to happen to our Gordy's?”

Every month I sit down with the residents of Atrium and have coffee with them. We talk about the news around town and questions they'd like to have answers for. At January's “Coffee with the Mayor” session I was asked this one.

Honestly, at the moment, I didn't know what the person was referring to. Since I've seen the news like everyone else. For the second time in a year Gordy's is in receivership. Just how they're going to come up with $46 million dollars is anybody's guess. However, I did have an informal conversation with Scott, one of the managers of our local Gordy's and he had this to say on the matter: “I have no idea what will happen to Gordy's. They don't tell me anything. But I can assure you that after twenty years in the food service industry you will not lose your grocery store. Someone will buy it. Your location and all the summer tourists you get makes me confident that Chetek will have a grocery store. It may not be Gordy's but it will be here.”

That was reassuring to hear. I know that we can get our milk, eggs and bread at Kwik Trip. And there are items that we can pick-up at the Dollar Store but what a shame it would be to lose our grocery store. Same goes for Horton's Hardware. When you can you should buy local.

Have you seen these piles along the tracks?

Q: “Is there anything that can be done about the piles of old junk/scrap railroad ties in the right of way on the Wisconsin Northern Railroad line between Cameron-Chetek-New Auburn?” This question came to me via email from John, a resident of Chetek. Here's how his email reads:

Is there anything that can be done about the piles of old junk / scrap railroad ties on the right of way on the Wisconsin Northern Railroad line between Cameron - Chetek - New Auburn, WI? They are very unsightly and don't do a thing for tourists / travelers coming through our area using Highway SS. This is just plain unsightly and causes one to think that no one cares.

I have contacted Rep Romain Quinn about one year ago and he was told that the railroad's contractor was going to clean up the piles of ties last April 2018. Here we are almost the end of November 2018 with no results! Is there anything that the City of Chetek can do to convince Wisconsin Northern Railroad to get the ties picked up and contribute to the clean up of Chetek and the Highway SS corridor? 

When I first got this email I didn't know what John was speaking about so I drove out to the north end of town to take a look and then I saw exactly what he meant. Funny, I have driven past these piles of old ties lots of times and never really noticed them until John brought them to my attention.

Shortly after receiving this email I happened to run into someone who worked for Wisconsin Northern (WN) and he concurred with what John had mentioned – that this issue was supposed to have been addressed last summer. At the time of this conversation (early December), WN had furloughed a number of employees (my friend included) but he gave me the phone number of Jayme Bignell, head of operations.

Let's hope it happens this spring!

With one phone call I got a hold of Mr. Bignell and he assured me that this spring the old ties will be cleaned up and removed. Isn't that what he told Rep. Quinn last year? It is. So let's hope that answer is on the up and up. In the meantime is there anything the City can do about it? Not really except communicate to Mr. Bignell that we sure hope that the mess gets cleaned up when he says it will.

Q: “When is the old Jost Law building coming down?”

I was just asked this yesterday. The short answer is sometime this spring – I think. Why am I being so indefinite? Well, it's like this. The city purchased the building from the Josts at the end of 2016 with the intent to raze the structure to make room for a future parking lot for The Center. When the new sidewalks on Moore Street went in Joe Atwood instructed Apple Valley to put an approach in on the walk in front of the Jost building for just that eventuality.

At the end of 2018, however, the moth-balled Property Committee was begun afresh. While the Plan Commission has already given a thumb's up on demo of the property the Council wants the newly reformed Property Committee to discuss the matter first before we give the green light for demoltion. As we learned from the process of razing the old Chetek Cafe building, before the Jost building can be taken down the tenants have to be given ample time to relocate. Then a firm has to be hired to test for asbestos and, if found, abate it. Only then can the building come down.

Even though it's a stick building and smaller than the old cafe structure it's location between the Mosaic building and The Center will call for more precision-work as opposed to the use of the big claw. However it comes down the process is not cheap. And after its down, we're probably looking at a new west entrance to The Center. But that's a matter for both the Property Committee and the Plan Commission to address. So, “it's-hurry-up-and-wait” which I realize for the two gentlemen who are the City's tenants at Moore Street puts them in a difficult position. What if upon the recommendation of the Property Committee the Council decides to do nothing at this time? While that could happen I have yet to hear a better idea of how the property could be used. But that's only my opinion.

Q: “Do you still like your job?” and “Do you sleep at night?”

Ah, yes and yes. These were asked recently by two different individuals who seemed concerned for my welfare. Do I still enjoy serving as mayor? Absolutely! When I answered that way the first person laughed because they thought they detected sarcasm. But I assured them - and I'll assure all of you - I really do enjoy it. Since being elected in 2016 I have learned so much about how our community runs and the many people that make it run so well. Are there challenges facing Chetek? Yes! Are there differences about how those challenges should be met? Yes! But rather than take offense at those who either think the Council is doing a poor job or I am – or both – regardless of which side of the issue we may be we all care about the welfare of this community. And that's a good thing especially if we happen to be fired up about a certain issue.

As to the person who wondered if I slept at night I simply assured them that I slept fine. A mayor isn't a king. He doesn't wave his wand and things go away or happen. A mayor isn't a boss who can Trump-like declare “You're fired!” or “We're gonna win and win and win.” The mayor of Chetek fills a non-partisan position working with fellow community members to try and overcome challenges and address the needs of our town. He doesn't have a vote (unless, of course, the council is split on a matter which rarely happens) but he can speak his peace. So at the end of the day I hope to do the best I can and then put it away for the night. Should I decide to run again next year, the good folks of Chetek will either confirm that I'm doing an adequate job or they'll vote someone new in – which is how democracy works. Either way, I want to do well by the town I call home. And to that end I sincerely appreciate all of you who have given me an atta-boy from time to time. It sure helps keep the fun in it.

If you have a question for the mayor you can email me at pjsworld@chibardun.net, call me at 715-925-6078 or just stop and bend my ear a bit next time we cross paths.

"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.

Reading the fine print: understanding your property tax bill

It's just an illustration but already my eyes
are getting hazy

“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Benjamin Franklin

The property tax bills have been sent out and by now you've probably have yours in hand. I'm sure we all wish it didn't come so close to Christmas (you can almost hear Ebenezer Scrooge, cane in hand, heartily 'bahumbugging' carolers at the door as we open up our tax bill). Some of us pay our taxes bi-annually – one installment at the end of January and the other by the end of July – but if you're like us, part of our monthly mortgage bill includes money put in escrow for taxes. Our tax bill came a week or so ago and our escrow check was a little bit light. Good thing for us that years ago we began the habit of setting a little aside each week for just that eventuality.

In the two and a half years I have served as mayor, I really don't get a lot of complaints. Honestly, I get more “attaboys” than anything else. But certainly one of the categories of complaints I do get – when I get them - is how high our taxes are in our town. Who am I to disagree with anyone? I, too, feel sometimes I pay through the wazoo for taxes but is there anyone who doesn't? Actually I'm wondering for the kinds of services we do receive is it really better in other places? I mean for the size municipality we do live in to boast a 24/7 police force, a municipal court, weekly garbage pick-up, an aging but functioning water and sewer system, fire and ambulance services provided by a dedicated group of volunteers, a wonderful public library, a beautiful community center, a crack public works department, a city clerk and her staff second to none. And if you read the fine print of your most recent tax bill do you realize that our levy did not go up one dime since last year? You know the old saying, 'There is no free lunch'? Based on what we get for our dollar our lunch may not be free around here but we get it at bargain prices.

The following document is something Carmen Newman, our ever so capable City Clerk, made up to try and break down just where our tax dollars go. 

Want a copy of your own? If you stop in at City Hall I'm sure Carmen would only be too happy
to print it off for you

It's fairly self-explanatory but here's some things to point out just so you don't miss it:

• Everybody gets a piece of the “action”: the County, Chetek-Weyerhaeuser Area School district and WITC takes their cut as well as the city.

• The CWAD levy changes frequently: if you notice, while the

Once upon a time maybe...

city's levy remained the same as last year's, the school's went up $71,500 (more than any other revenue collector). Why? Carmen shared with me an email she had received last year from CWAD's Business Manager Tammy Lenbom who explained school levies this way:

School districts have a revenue limit that we can levy up to...it is not a set percentage and will vary based on the number of students and property valuation.

In our case, we are losing state aid at the rate of 15% per year (mainly due to high property values...lake property and sand plants). We are held harmless which means we cannot lose more than the 15% so we receive what is called special adjustment aid.

When we lose state aid it shifts the burden to the taxpayer resulting in a higher tax levy increase.

(November 2017)

I don't want to put words in Tammy's mouth but it sounds like if you want to know why the school's levy went up so much blame Madison. Otherwise, I guess it's the cost of doing business and the price of a good school.

• Your city portion of your tax bill has remained fairly conservative. Since 2014, the levy has increased modestly. This year it did not go up at all. Zero. Nada. Some criticism has been raised over recent purchases the city made (e.g., the old Chetek Cafe building and the former Jennie O Breeder farm). Remember: no one was billed for these purchases. Outlay money was used to acquire these properties. Same goes for the $100K worth of new sidewalks that have gone in over the last two budget cycles courtesy of your city council.

Every year between September and November's council meeting, various hearings are held to determine the budget for the upcoming year. Police, Public Works, Public Library, and The Center all bring their individual budgets to the table while Carmen and Cassandra crunch numbers calculating potential wage increases for our people as well as the price of insurance. Understandably, every department head lobbies for the things they feel they “gotta have” for the upcoming year. On the main, however, there really aren't a lot of negotiations. What “needs to be done” is usually pretty obvious. For example, last year Public Works Director Dan Knapp “bankrolled” the State aids we usually receive for improving our streets. That's why no roads were resurfaced in 2018. In 2019, however, we'll use that money and this year's amount because as far as the State is concerned if you don't use it you lose it. So, we're gonna use it. That's pretty obvious.

If you google anything on tax levies and mill rates you will find links to everything – and then some – on all the minutia of 'how it works' and 'where the money goes'. For the most part, it's pretty boring stuff if you ask me and it's almost impossible for short-and-to-the-point answers. For example, DPI tries to break down school spending but they lose me two-thirds down the page at “Tertiary Aid Tier” (“tertiary” is a word school administrators like to throw around; same goes for “pedagogical review”for that matter). But based on the chart Carmen has created it at least helps me understand what the fine print means and how we get those numbers. While we each still have to pay our tax bill maybe it helps knowing that that whatever is your bottom line wasn't conjured out of thin air. Nope. It's based on the value of your home and - this year - the rate of $25.87 per $1,000 of its value as well as a mindful city council who with a lot of help from Carmen generally stays on top of things. And that's a very good thing.

Unfinished business: a lot of moving parts

Old Cafe...

As we draw closer to the end of another year we have a lot of loose strings yet to tie up and hopefully in knots that won't slip. Among them:

The old Chetek Cafe building

Whether or not you agreed with the city purchasing this property, we feel it was a good investment in our community. A business owner who had his property up for sale for years (and years) was able to get out, another business owner whose business was expanding was able to move in and if nothing comes of the idea of a future governmental building at the corner of Stout and Second, at the very least we'll have a nice piece of real estate for a future business to locate to.

...and New

After we purchased the building, we were approached by a couple of local business owners about renting space to them until we had the structure razed. Admittedly, we were open to that possibility recognizing that the process of securing the grant money for demolishing an old structure might take some time. Until we inspected the place after Norbert and Patty had moved on down the street. The building was in worse shape than we could guess. There was no way the city was going to put so much as a dime into it to keep it viable for another season. So we informed the one tenant we inherited at purchase time that he had to vacate by October 1. After he moved out we had the place inspected for asbestos and given its age we were not surprised to learn that it was rife with it.

This past summer and fall, I had a few folks suggest to me that at the very least we paint the place given the eye sore that it was. But we're hoping it won't see the spring and that sometime this winter it will go the way of the dinosaur.

The old Jost Law Office building

Purchased in the fall of 2016, originally the idea of obtaining this piece of property was to raze this structure as well and create a parking lot for The Center. But due to its proximity to the Mosaic building and due to the fact that this old structure has been built upon several times over the years we have been unsuccessful (yet) in attracting anyone to tear it down. A year ago I reached out to Enosh Yoder, a local Amish man who has a knack for this sort of thing but the more he walked through the structure the bigger his eyes seemed to get. You have an old building with at least four roofs on it (shakes, two layers of shingles and metal sheeting to boot), interior walls that have been built out and ceilings that have been dropped down which all spell “buyer beware” to a prospective demolition man.

In the meantime, following some of the conversations that arose regarding property purchases in recent years the “Property Committee” was brought out of mothballs and re-started. While the council will still have the final word future purchases or major renovations will be vetted first by the Property Committee. So the thinking is before we tear down the old Jost building to make way for a future parking lot let's allow the Property Committee to weigh in on it. Of course, that slows the process down – or may gum it up entirely if the committee feels that the property would be better used in a different way. Personally, I still think The Center needs a parking lot but we'll wait and see what the others have to say about it. But just as it is with the old Cafe building, this propety, were we to tear it down, will have to be tested for abestos but we cannot do that until the two tenants presently renting there vacate. And of course we can't terminate their lease until we are in agreement that a parking lot is the best use for that piece of property. As they say, there's a lot of moving parts.

Sadly the eagle has landed...elsewhere (he just wore out)

Main Steet Park

Last year the city purchased the vacant lot on the east side of Ohde's from the Moulettes as an addition to Main Street Park. In the fall of 2017 our guys tore up the cement pavement that was buried under the grass, spread grass seed and kept the yard mowed this past year while the Parks Committee tried to hash out a re-design for the park. After the tragic loss of Natalie Turner last fall, originally the idea was to erect a small piece of artwork in her memory and build a low wall surrounding the small courtyard on Second Street. Some generous individuals from town contributed to this project or volunteered their labor when it was time to roll up our sleeves and begin the work. This past summer around Liberty Fest WEAU-TV 13 did a short interview with Parks Committee chair Donna Bachowski about these ideas. Unfortunately for reasons that were not communicated to me the major donor for this part of the renovations backed out. What's more, the school informed us that a memorial for Natalie was going to be erected somewhere on school grounds which made mute any further conversation about some kind of memorial to her at the park. In the meantime, the weather became colder and now we've pretty much lost our window for any kind of concrete work this year.

Before the crew dug up the old slab and planted grass seed

What of the $20,000 donated to the city this past September from the former tornado relief fund? It's still there and will be used for future improvements at Main Street Park. Hopefully over the winter the Parks Committee can pin down just where we want to start. The general schematics we're presently looking at keep the low retaining wall around the courtyard, involve pavers in the east yard and perhaps an elevated platform for future outdoor concerts and the like (the current pavilion cannot be added onto without endangering the integrity of the structure).

The old Jennie O's breeder farm purchase

The other major property the city acquired this past year was the 39 acres where the old Jennie O's Breeder Farm used to stand. The former manager's home, presently vacant, came with the purchase. One of things we are trying to come to grasp with is what Dave Armstrong, Barron County Economic Development Executive Director, says about our community: “You want people to move to Chetek but they have no place to move to.” We have a dearth of both rental property and affordable housing. Note: when we say “affordable housing” we do not mean “low income housing”. We feel Chetek has plenty of that. No, we're talking starter homes, duplexes, and “twindos” (two homes side by side that share a common wall). We have no interest in developing this ourselves. So we've been listening to some proposals from various companies who might be interested in developing this property. One of the barriers in moving forward with any development is going to be infrastructure, specifically roads, sewer and water. Due to its proximity to Bailey Lake, not one drop of water from this future development can empty into it. Those kinds of things – water and sewer systems – come with big price tags that tend to scare developers away. The good news is one of our Tax Increment Districts (we have three) will be paid off early next year. At November's council meeting the council will vote on extending it one additional year (allowed by law) and use the tax dollars netted in this district toward building the infrastructure we need.

The manager's former home comes with the 39 acres

Lake View Cemetery

While I just wrote on this matter last week (see We may have inherited a cemetery), suffice to say an official arrangement with the Town of Chetek has yet to be brokered. Our current position is we will contribute to the mowing expenses as well as to the salary of the sexton. However, since the front part (on city land) is already full, we feel the Township should be the lead partner on this since the majority of it resides on Township land. Any future full burials will be done in that part. The council will weigh in on this at our next meeting.

So that's a lot of things up in the air that have yet to land or take full shape. I'd like to see some of them get pinned down sooner than later but often municipal government matters move at the pace that military ones do (or so I'm told) and 'hurry up and wait' is our watchword for the time being.