Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

This is real

Q: How many [insert your preferable Christian denomination here] does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: Change?

Change can be good...

Hopefully by now you've noticed that some new signage has gone up on Highway SS heading north to Rice Lake. On April 18 the County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to increase the speed limit on SS from 25 mph to 35 mph between the curve by the Chain of Lakes Motel and where the speed limit increases to 45 mph. Yes, Chetek's famous “speed trap” has officially been dismantled and there is much joy in town because of it. The new signs went up last week. Thanks to Barron County Highway

This is the kind of change that people like

Commissioner Mark Servi and the members of the commission to hearing our plea for the change and endorsing it. Of course, now that it's 35 mph most of us will naturally be driving faster on that stretch of road. If you get pulled over for driving 45 mph the mayor is not available to hear your complaint about a new and improved speed trap. Please drive carefully.

This will be a south-bound one-way for local traffic only

Change can be frustrating...

The Mill (i.e., “the old feed mill”) is soon to open and in preparation for that Buddy & Nancy Helms, the owners, have painted parking lines on Dixon Street. The Conditional Use Permit they have with the city allowed them to do that. This past December the recommendation of the Street Committee to the City Council was that Dixon remain open as a two-way street but the Helms were allowed to close the road between Center and Stout streets when they were hosting events. However, once they chose to paint lines on the street that narrow road – which, in reality, is an alley that somewhere along the way was paved – has become a traffic hazard. In fact, according to Director of Public Works Dan Knapp the day the guys were painting traffic continued to barrel through there like it often does and so for their safety he took it upon himself to close the road. I have been asked by several individuals since then when will it be open again. I'm sorry to inform you that it won't be like it once was. Dixon will now be a one-way south between Center and Stout. Entry onto Banks Street will only be for local residents. In fact, look for a “Dead End” sign to be placed around 6^th and Banks sometime soon. All of us who used to zig-zag our way through between Roselawn and the HS/MS are going to have to find a new short-cut and frankly, there really isn't any good one. Unless you go by train.

Buddy & Nancy Helms

If you're not sure what all the fuss is about drive to the corner of Center and Dixon (usually called Eighth) and take a look for yourself. I think you'll see that by changing the road we're saving lives. For the neighbors of The Mill, their quiet neighborhood is sure to get a lot noisier if the place is going to be as busy as the Helms say it will be. Yes, more out-of-town customers who will stay in our hotels and frequent our eateries but more traffic, more trash, and more noise. For their part the Helms promise to stay on top of these issues and here's hoping they will. But as they old saying goes, “There goes the neighborhood.”

Change can be hard...

There's no easy way to tell you this: there's more bad news about Central States, the pension plan of the Teamsters which our local public works guys belong to. A few weeks ago the Chetek Alert reported that Central States was going bankrupt and that Congress had elected to do nothing about it. Within 9 years it will be insolvent. At last month's council meeting, the council decided to retain the services of Charles P. Stevens, a lawyer from Milwaukee who specializes in the narrow field of law concerning pensions, unions and the like. In a phone conversation that City Clerk Carmen Newman and myself had with Mr. Stevens just last week he informed us that, in fact, matters are worse. Insolvency is closer than a decade out. It's more like five years away. If we do nothing but essentially go down with the ship our slice of the pie of liability will only radically increase. His counsel to us: “Get out. Today if you can.” But, of course, you can't just inform the union that we're calling it quits. We have to buy our way out (as UPS did). According to Mr. Stevens, if we were to inform the union today that we were "decertifying" from the union this is what would happen: we would receive a bill for approximately $2 million dollars with a note in fine print: “Please remit in 30 days. Thank you.” Honestly.

He'll be on hand to break it all down for us on May 9

Mr. Stevens will be at the May 9 council meeting to explain all of this to us. He is hopeful that we can negotiate the bill down to say,  $1.1 million. If you want to hear it from the horse's mouth, I urge you to come and listen to what he has to say. There are no real good options for the city other than pay a lot now – or wait, and pay way more later. It's a leak in the dike that can't be easily plugged.

What will it mean for us? It means that for some time to come we'll be paying double retirement for our guys: paying on a loan for our own local “bail-out” of Central States and paying benefits with a new retirement program. Like I said, there is no easy fix for this. Where are we going to come up with a million dollars? Well, let's just say we're working on it.

City Public Works Foreman Tim Berning officially retires at the end of the month. Actually, he's already out the door and presently using up all his accrued vacation time. But he's agreed to show up at May's council meeting so that we may properly toast him for thirty plus years of service to our community. As grim as the news I just shared with you is it's still important to remind ourselves that this too will pass, that we'll get through this somehow and that good and faithful service is always something to be celebrated.

More often than not this was his ride while he worked for us

It's a dog's life (when you live in town)

It's a dog's life.

something that you say which means that life is hard and unpleasant I've got to go to the supermarket, then cook a meal, then pick Dave up from the station - it's a dog's life! 

the Free Dictionary.com

Having lived in these parts for two and half decades (and counting) I have come to the realization that there are basically two kinds of people who live around here: There are country folk and there are townies. Country folk live in the country (obviously) and are accustomed to country life. That maybe doesn't include the “wide open spaces” described by the Dixie Chicks in their song of the same name but they like their space and their ability to live as they please without prying neighbors. Townies (people like us) live in town and because we do we have to abide by certain constraints which are called “ordinances.” And there are many. In fact, the book of ordinances sitting in Carmen's office at City Hall is bigger than the traditional family Bible! But there's a reason for that.

Unlike Holy Writ this canon is still being added to

He was a great dog but he
liked to run and frequently did

In a perfect world, neighbors would respect each others property and not (for example) blow snow onto their neighbor's lawn (yes, there's an ordinance against that because there were a few folks in town who were doing just that). In a perfect world, neighbors would think carefully about how the junk in their yard affects the property values of those who live near to them. In a perfect world, neighbors would not just let their dogs run loose on the streets (as they do in many developing countries) and would pick up after them after they did their business. But...we don't live in a perfect world and so municipalities like ours develop codes and ordinances that govern things like how long your grass gets, how many pets you can have, how many cars you can keep on your property and when you might want to put a coat of paint on your house (to name just a few). If these measures sound “draconian” and overbearing then townies should be reminded that this is the sort of thing that comes with living in town.

You may not care in the least whether or not we get new sidewalks in the downtown area (we may yet!), you may not even notice that the long bridge has been without lights since last summer when one of them fell over (but gratefully no one got hurt), but a dog doing what dogs do in your front yard gets you on the phone speaking with your alderman or the mayor pronto. This is where the rubber meets the road when it comes to townie-life. In this week's Chetek Alert the City posted a friendly reminder to all of us townies about things like the disposal of yard waste, how long are grass may get before we are reminded to cut it and rules that apply to the dogs among us. In case you don't subscribe to the Chetek Alert (and you should) here's how it reads (in case you can't read the fine print on the image):

Read all about it

Animals: Animals are not allowed to run at large within the City limits and must be leashed when walking. The owner or person in charge of the animal shall not permit solid fecal matter to be deposited on any street, alley or other public or private property, unless immediately removed. Animals on property must be tied or enclosed in a proper enclosure to keep the animal from interfering with passing public or neighbors. No more than 2 dogs or cats may be kept on any residential lot within the City of Chetek without council permission. Annual licenses for dogs are now overdue – unless your dog is new or a puppy 5 months or younger. Call city hall for more information – 715-924-4838.

Barking Dogs or Crying cats: It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly keep or harbor any dog which habitually barks, howls or yelps, or any cat which habitually cries or howls to the discomfort of the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Such dogs and cats are hereby considered to be a public nuisance. A dog or a cat is considered to be in violation of City Ordinances when two (2) complaints are filed with the Chetek Police Department within a four (4) week period. Such violations are subject to penalties under Section 1-16. Contact the Chetek Police Department regarding violations – 715-924-3686.

It's pretty common-sensical: When you walk your dog (or dogs), make sure they're on a leash and make sure you pick up after them. You can't run a shelter for wayward dogs or cats in the middle of your neighborhood no matter how much you love animals. And if your dog has a nasty habit of barking every time the wind blows, maybe you need to invest in a shock collar to curb its enthusiasm. All of these matters are covered in our Code of Ordinances (which contrary to the Code of the Brethren of Pirates of the Caribbean fame are not guidelines but, in fact, laws that come with fines attached to them) in Chapter 18 (which is all about animals). You can go to the City's website and see for yourself in the drop down box under “Government” specifically Sections 25, 29, 31, and 32.

But what if your neighbor acts like they live in the country and won't keep their dog or dogs quiet or allows them to wander the neighborhood depositing their poop wherever they feel the need to do so? What then? Well, if you ask me, the first thing you should not do is call your alderman or the mayor. Rather, the best thing to do is see first if you and your neighbor can work it out. They may not be aware that there dog is getting out of their kennel during the day or night. Better to believe the best about them and see if the matter can be amicably resolved. We used to own a dog that

He became what's referred to as a nuisance pet

became unpredictable and twice in a three month period threatened two of our neighbors as they were either biking by our house or when one of their kids came to shoot buckets with our daughter in the driveway. Both of them were very gracious to us when I offered my sincere apologies. We loved Jack, pain that he often could be, but eventually we had to put him down for the benefit of our neighbors and ourselves.

Wouldn't it be great?

Presently we have a neighbor who has an old dog who frequently wanders into our yard, digs through our compost pile and does his duty where I least expect it - until I step in it. Let me suggest if one of your neighbors comes to you with a complaint about your beloved Bowser that you listen to them. He may be old and hard of hearing but if he's guilty of the misdemeanor courtesy demands you apologize and offer to go pick

Gross, right? But if you don't like it
you might want to consider moving
to the country

up your dog's business. That's just being neighborly. We also have a neighbor who puts their dog on a chain early in the morning who then proceeds to act like a rooster at dawn alerting the neighborhood that he's on guard. Last summer it was annoying as this was a daily thing. Since that time it's gotten a lot better – or I've grown tone-deaf to its barking! Of course, a citizen has the right to call their alderman or mayor or even the police to file an official complaint but it's still better if you can work it out between you. I'd like to think that's not yet pie-in-the-sky by-and-by.

I've hardly read a page or two from the Code of Ordinances (has anybody read them all other than, say, Randy Osberg, our city attorney?) but I think that the entire tome could probably be summed up with the Golden Rule: “Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Jesus in Luke 6:31, NIV) or “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31, Jesus citing Leviticus 19). That's it in a nutshell. Be a good neighbor and don't be that neighbor that everybody else around you can't wait until you move out.  

There goes the neighborhood: The Mill, Dixon and Banks Street

The new reality

Once a month I sit down with a number of residents at Atrium Post Acute Care of Chetek for coffee and conversation. They call it “Coffee with the Mayor”, an opportunity to talk with the “big cheese” about what's going on around town. This month's discussion was all about The Mill (as in, “the old feed mill”). The Mill is soon to open and as the renovations have gone forward more and more people are paying attention and wanting to know, “Just what is going on there?” The folks at Atrium aren't the only ones who want to know that. I'll grant you it's not as big of news as, say, Mary shutting down her Friday Night Fish Fry (now there's news!), but it's up there with it. So, how did we get here? Well, in case you're wondering the same thing here's something of a time line from there to here.

Summer 2016

April 2016. Last spring, Buddy and Nancy Helms bought the old mill and at one of my first official meetings as mayor approached the Plan Commission with a request to use the small parcel of land owned by the city between the mill and Glass on Silk. The commission kicked the idea around for a bit and then voted to recommend the council grant the Helms an easement for ten years.

Remember when?

June 2016. Two months later, the Helms were on the agenda of June's City Council meeting requesting that easement from the City to use the land between the mill and Glass on Silk's building for parking. They also informed the council at that time that they were considering asking the City to vacate the right of way area that is being used as a road between Center Street and Stout Street. [Here's a little factoid for you: the road between Center and Stout is, essentially, an alley that somewhere along the way was paved. Legally speaking, if it looks like a road, is used as a road and maintained like a road whatever else it may be, it's a road.] At that time they were advised that they were getting a little ahead of the process. First things first: they had to address the zoning limitations their business was facing. Get that squared away (they were told) and then they could go through the steps required to get the roadway vacated.

Two nights later they were at the Plan Commission meeting to update the committee on the progress of their project. They also came with a request that a text amendment to the existing ordinance regarding the uses of a business zoned light industrial be made that would allow them to proceed with their plans to open an event center at their location. After some discussion the commission voted to recommend to the city council that the text in the ordinance be so amended with the legal fees involved in doing so be assessed to the Helms.

Under new ownership

July 2016. The first public hearing regarding the mill was held. In order to have a public hearing about anything a few things always happen: the meeting is noted in the Chetek Alert in a timely matter, an announcement is posted on the notice board outside of City Hall and everyone within 300 feet of the affected property receive a legal notice by mail. Of the twenty-two surrounding neighbors, only Bryan Howard, who lives right across the street from the mill, showed up to express his concerns, and they were many: noise (for starters), people parking in front of his house, drinking and basically the whole “party vibe” (that's a quote from the official minutes) the mill will bring to the neighborhood. As someone who works nights and weekends the last thing he wants to deal with is lots of people and loud music when he's trying to unwind at home. He had talked to several of his neighbors and although they weren't present they had the same reservations he had. The Helms replied that their plan was to have events wrap up by 10 pm and encourage “after parties” at other local businesses if their customers so chose. What's more they were emphatic about the fact that they themselves were not seeking a liquor license as it would be those who rented their venue who would dispense alcohol to their guests.

At the City Council meeting held on the very same night following the public hearing, the recommendation of the Plan Commission for the amendment to the text regulation regarding the old feed mill was officially approved by the council. The Helms' had cleared the next hurdle in this lengthy and often cumbersome process.

August 2016. The second public hearing was held. Now that the ordinance had been amended the Helms appeared before the Plan Commission once again but this time to apply for a Conditional Use Permit that would allow them to renovate the old mill into an event center. Once again, the meeting was noted and letters went out to the twenty-two affected neighbors. This time only two of the neighbors appeared in person, Bryan Howard and Joe Nelson (who lives next door to Bryan). Both Bryan and Joe, each fathers of young children, expressed their concerns about noise level, parking, traffic, late night events, potentially inebriated customers and the like. I think it's fair to say they essentially said, “If this goes through there goes the neighborhood.” In the Helms' defense, they tried to address their concerns assuring the guys that their desire was not only to run a successful business but also be good neighbors.

Following the conclusion of the public hearing, the Plan Commission discussed the Helms' request and approved that their Conditional Use Permit be granted. The conditions attached to it were simple:

1. That they operate their business in the way the Helms' were requesting to use it (i.e., for events and such).
2. That their business comply with all applicable City ordinances like noise limits, parking and the like.
3. That their permit was good for one year from the date it is issued. If during that year a significant number of complaints are received, the Plan Commission has the right to call a hearing to consider revoking or terminating the Conditional Use Permit. However, if no complaints are received, the Conditional Use Permit will automatically be renewed for one successive year period unless the Planning Commission directs a longer period be set. (In other words, so long as there are no major issues that arise, the Mill's conditional use permit will most likely be renewed in successive years to follow.)

These were the street urchins in the neighborhood back then

September 2016. Once again the Helms were on the agenda of the Plan Commission meeting to talk about parking at the Mill. For the first time the suggestion to make Dixon Street between Center and Stout one way was discussed. It was the recommendation of the commission that the city council get public input about angle parking on Dixon between Center and Banks and about closing (technically speaking, vacating) the road altogether. What's more, they recommended that this plan be sent to the heads of the Fire and Police Departments as well as the ambulance service to solicit their opinion about this plan.

The following week at the September city council meeting, the Helms were back requesting that the council authorize City Inspector Joe Atwood issue them a temporary use permit in order that they could move forward with their plans without installing a pricey sprinkler system. They informed the council that the State was still developing appropriate regulations for the remodeling of old agricultural buildings and it wasn't clear yet whether they would need a sprinkler system or not. At a later date if the State ruled that, in fact, they needed one they would put one in - but only if they had to. What I recall about that meeting that night, however, is that the lion's share of discussion was about parking and what was to be done about the road between Center and Stout. As far as Public Works Director Dan Knapp was concerned making the intersection of Stout and Dixon into a cul-de-sac was not feasible because the right of way is simply not wide enough. The best option was, in his opinion, was to make Dixon a one way street from Center Street to Banks Street and then make the road from Banks Street to Stout Street a private drive. Given that the fire department, police department and ambulance service had no significant concerns about enacting such a change, this plan was adopted by the council and, at the same meeting, the Helms' request for a Conditional Use Permit for 646 Banks Street (i.e., The Mill) was approved.

On September 29, all parties signed on the dotted and officially their Temporary Use Agreement was enacted. Included in this document is the stated understanding that The Mill will comply with all applicable city, state and federal laws, keep the place presentable and, when it snows, plow the street in front of it. Attached to their lease were two diagrams that illustrated what the council had approved earlier in September – mainly, Dixon Street as a one-way between Center and Banks and angled parking on the same stretch of road.

Diagram 1: Making Dixon a one-way between Center and Stout

Diagram 2: Angled parking on Dixon between Center and Banks

November 2016. Bear in mind with this time line I'm laying out that during the entire process multiple conversations were happening between the Helms and Joe Atwood and Dan Knapp, between Dan Knapp and the neighbors, between the Helms and City Clerk and Treasurer Carmen Newman, between myself, the Helms and the neighbors. Understandably, the neighbors were very much not in favor of the changes going on in their neighborhood. Having lived in that same neighborhood all but 10 months of our 25 ½ year tenure in Chetek I can attest that there are a lot of little kids around again, riding their bikes up and down the street, doing what kids love to do. So there was push-back from the neighbors when they learned of the City's decision to make Dixon a one-way. They were so persuasive in presenting their concerns, in fact, that at the City Council meeting that month the council officially rescinded the motion to make Dixon a one-way between Center and Banks and a private drive between Banks and Stout that had been approved the month before. Call it flip-flopping if you will but essentially we changed our mind. But at the same time we also ordered that the Street Committee take this up at their very next meeting with the hope that a solution agreeable to all parties involved could be found.

December 2016. Notices went out to all twenty-two affected neighbors and to the Helms inviting everyone to the Street Committee meeting that was held right before December's council meeting. Almost everyone who lives on that end of Banks Street closest to The Mill were present (regrettably, the Helms could not be present for health reasons) to vent their spleen. Not only were they concerned with the traffic various events will generate but also the potential safety hazard of The Mill's clients, not familiar with the neighborhood, exiting down Banks Street unaware that little children might be at play. They asked if perhaps Banks could be closed off with a permanent barrier that would prevent anyone from leaving The Mill by that route. After further discussion it was the recommendation of the Street Committee that the council allow the following things:

1. That The Mill be allowed to close Dixon Street between Center and Stout temporarily while events were going on to accommodate both parking and traffic. Each time an event will occur it will be their responsibility to put up barricades and notices where Dixon intersects Center, Banks and Stout.
2. And that The Mill be allowed to paint angled parking lines on Dixon between Center and Banks as outlined in the Conditional Use Permit.

At the council meeting that followed this recommendation was so approved: No permanent one-way on Dixon heading south but the Helms had the green light to paint lines on Dixon if they so chose at their expense.

January-April 2017. Renovations both inside and out of The Mill proceed transforming a fairly dilapidated old structure that had become the abode of pigeons and other critters into a beautiful, inviting new facility.

This just happened

April 2017. The Helms contracted with a firm to paint lines on Dixon Street. The lines, which were painted with Dan Knapp's oversight, stretch to where they are legally allowed. Now Dixon Street essentially has become a single lane road making it hazardous for any traffic flow. For the painters' safety as well as everyone else's, Dan closed off Dixon between Center and Stout and then met with Interim Police Chief Ambrozaitis and myself to figure out Plan B. So long as The Mill had chose not to paint lines things pretty much could have remained status quo. But now that they have a true safety hazard has been created. Here's what we decided: a concrete barrier, much like what was placed by the Post Office when Knapp Street east was turned into a one-way, will be placed at Center and Dixon and Center and Stout. This will allow one-way south moving traffic which will accommodate guests of The Mill and Glass on Silk's deliveries. For the time being Banks will remain open to accommodate local residents and the Chetek Marina which moves boats back and forth up Banks Street to their detailing shop (also across the road from The Mill). The Helms will still be responsible for closing Banks with temporary barriers when they are hosting events. All that's left to make this official are the posting of the appropriate signage and the placing of those concrete barriers.

So there you go. It may seem a long walk around the block but that's how we got here. A couple wants to make a go of a traffic-heavy business right at the edge of a residential neighborhood. They see potential success for them and the community. The neighbors, who have to live there, see something very different. There's enough kindling here to make a real good fire. Indeed, there goes the neighborhood. The hope is it all works out but my guess is that during The Mill's first six months of operation everyone on that end of the street is going to have to grin and bear it. Or at least bear it. 

There will be more issues to come. For starters, there will be a lot more cars parking on Banks Street when The Mill is in operation. But like all the people who live close to Camp Randall in Madison know how congested their streets become on Game Day we're going to have to get used to it (Hint: with no curb, cars have the right to park a couple of feet onto anyone's lawn. Just saying). Center Street and Sixth Street, natural connectors to Roselawn Elementary and ABC, will see more traffic flow, too. And it's just going to be a heck of a lot noisier on this part of town. That's a lot of change to digest for people like ourselves who live in a small town for quality-of-life reasons like these.

Every mayor of any small community wants to see new businesses come and thrive here. But at the same time, he or she is also sensitive how people's lives are affected by the changes a new business may bring. I can only hope that all parties involved will do their best to adjust to each other. Certainly there are going to be challenges along the way that spring up overnight like dandelions. It doesn't necessarily mean we have to resort to dumping a gallon of Round-Up on it, however. A few weeks ago when talking with the residents at Atrium about all things concerning The Mill, Dixon Street and going forward from here I think Adelle summed it up best when, after taking a sip of her coffee, simply said: “Well, it will be interesting.” There's an understatement for you but I couldn't agree more.

Stay tuned for more developments

One year later (Looking back on my first year in office)

This past week I completed my rookie year as mayor. While technically I wasn't sworn in officially until about ten days later, my first year of my two-year term is now in the books and it has been educational, to say the least.

Aging but still able

During the past twelve months I've chaired twelve city council meetings, at least that many Plan Commission meetings and several public hearings as well as attended other regular gatherings of the various committees that the city has a stake in – The Center, the EMS service, Chetek Area Fire Department, Lone Oak to name several. I've toured CORE Products and ABC Truss and been given my own personal tour of the Chetek Area Museum, our Waste Water Treatment plant and the Barron County Waste-to-Energy Facility (a.k.a the “Barron County Incinerator”).

I've met with a local girl scout troop, had lunch with a bunch of movers and shakers from around the county when they visited our community in January and every month have sat down with a group of wonderful seniors at Atrium for coffee and cookies. I got to personally welcome Governor Scott Walker when he visited CWHS & MS last month and Rep. Romaine Quinn just a few weeks ago when he held a listening session at city hall. And I even had the honor to emcee the first-ever Chetek PTO Family Bingo night just last week.

This was pretty cool

Got to ride in the cool red car

Are we lucky to have him there

Along the way I've met a lot of people I didn't really know before but who share the same love I have for the town we all call home. Like Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator Mike McGinnis who likes to quip “the fence around the plant is to keep me in” but are we glad that he's on the job. Or Arthur and all the folks who serve at the Friday Soup and Salad Bar at The Center and who always make me feel so welcome when I join them for lunch. Then there's the city employees – Interim Chief of Police Ron Ambrozaitis and those who serve with him on the force, Public

It was his birthday
and he wouldn't sit down

Works Director Dan Knapp and the crew who even allow me to join them now and again for their 9 a.m. coffee break. Last, but certainly not least, the ladies at City Hall - Karen, Cassandra and especially City Clerk and Treasurer, Carmen Newman. When it comes to all things city ordinances and city practices she really is better than Google. I'm pretty sure every mayor who has ever served with her feels their job is easier because she's just an office away. I know I sure do.

I'm grateful for her help and expertise

Talk about a kick in the head

Someone asked me recently what I felt was my greatest accomplishment in the past year. Well, contrary to what some might chuckle at (for good reason) it was not casting the deciding vote in approving Kwik Trip for a Class A liquor license back in November (a minister approves the sale of more booze in town?) And come April 18 when the County Board meets and presumably approves the recommendation of the Highway Commission to increase the speed limit on Highway SS north from 25 mph to 35 mph it won't

Perhaps by May 1 this
sign will be replaced

be for that either. During the past year on account of budget constraints we lowered the police force by one full-time officer and bid former Chief of Police Mark Petersen farewell as he retired after 35 years of service to our city. We bought the former Jost Law Office that sits next to The Center in hopes to one day to raze that building and put in a much needed parking lot. But like so much of city business these things I've been part of but not necessarily responsible for. Honestly, the thing I am most proud about is that I have really tried to make city hall accessible to everybody who wants to know about what's going on “downtown.” For that, I'm grateful to The Chetek Alert who every month gives me free column space to share my thoughts and for

Look, Mom, I'm on the radio!

Amber Gonske at WJMC who every month puts me on the radio for one of her “Morning Discussion” slots. My on-line presence helps too via the mayor's Facebook page and my blog (The Mayor's Mind, or at least a piece of it) which sees a lot of activity. I've just tried to keep the discussion active and for the most part I think we have been successful at that and for that I'm grateful.

When people stop me on the street or in a restaurant they usually ask the same question, “How's the mayoring-thing going?” I appreciate the question because it reflects the real thing they want to know: “Is this job getting to you? Are you sick of the complaining yet? Will you run again?” I'm happy to tell them that by and large things are going well and I'm having a lot of fun serving this city in the ways I'm finding that I can as mayor. Some think at first that I'm being sarcastic. I'm not. I really am having a lot of fun and welcome the challenge to continue to serve this town that I love.

The father of one of my son's roommates in college is the City Administrator for Lindstrom, Minnesota. Right after the election last April when we were standing on the sidelines watching our sons compete in a track meet somewhere he gave me some good advice: “In towns like ours the mayor sets the tone and the City Administrator – or, in our case, the City Clerk – gets it done.” It's really true. So as I move into my second year my plan is to stay on point, keeping all of you informed the best I can, and hoping for the best for this city we all call home.  

You probably heard...(stuff that's been in the news lately)

...about shelving the Sheriff's proposal to contract services with the County?

This is old news but at the March 9^th Council meeting, the council officially went on record 4-0 to politely decline Sheriff Fitzgerald's proposal for the city to contract police services with the county. If you read the article in last week's Alert, the gist of the council's reasons is the feedback they received from people in their particular wards and the fear that what looks like a deal now a few years hence may not look so good. “If ain't broke, don't fix it” essentially.

At that February 9^th Council meeting when the sheriff made his proposal, the local folks that spoke out were heartily in favor of Chetek P.D. But during the ensuing weeks I also had conversations with different business owners and citizens who encouraged me to not be afraid to listen to what the sheriff had to say. That being said at the present time I'm of the opinion that to contract our police services out would be, for lack of a better phrase, “the nuclear option.” Meaning, we have no other choice but to do so. And once we cross the Rubicon there is no easy way back – certainly no affordable way back: you get rid of your building, your cars, and your equipment. If that's so, then you better be dang sure that there are no other viable options. As far as I'm concerned, we're not at that juncture yet. It seems there's enough public trust in our current police force to maintain the status quo. What the future holds is anybody's guess. Rising health care costs for our city employees was a factor in reducing our police force by one full-time officer at the end of 2016. Hopefully we'll secure better rates when we go through the budget process again at the end of this year. Let's all keep our fingers crossed.

That infamous stretch of road

...about the possibility of changing the speed limit on Highway SS?

Last week, Interim Chief Ron Ambrozaitis and I attended the Traffic Safety Commission meeting at the Justice Center. This quarterly meeting brings together Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, Barron County Highway Commissioner Mark Servi, representatives from the DOT and the State Patrol, and all the police chiefs (or their designees) from Barron County municipalities to address traffic and safety matters throughout the county. At the February 9^th council meeting, Sheriff Fitzgerald informed me that we had been put on the agenda to discuss the speed limit on Highway SS north out of Chetek. I accompanied Chief Ambrozaitis to appeal to the powers that be about:

1. Increasing the speed limit on Highway SS north of Chetek to 35 mph from the current 25 mph from Heritage Credit Union to Pinewood Avenue (where it becomes 45 mph).
2. Decreasing the speed limit on Highway D west to 25 mph from the current 35 mph from Railroad Avenue out to the city limits.

The conversation that followed was educational, to say the least, and the long and short of it is I have good news and I have bad news. First the good news.

But if we do this it's 35 mph all the way out of town

Increasing the speed on SS north is, surprisingly, a relatively easy fix. However, it comes with a caveat: if we formally ask to go through with the change the speed limit would become 35 mph from Heritage Credit Union all the way out of town. That is, where it becomes 45 mph around Pinewood it would be reduced to 35 mph. Why? It's a DOT ordinance that essentially regulates speed based on 85% of the vehicles traveling on that section of road. So, we either leave as it is now or we increase it to 35 mph but, again, it would be 35 mph all the way to the former Snug Harbor Resort (which are the city limits). Interim Chief Ambrozaitis has already signed off onto it if we were to pursue this.

Highway D driving east into town

And the bad news? There is no easy way to reduce the speed limit on Highway D heading west out of town. What's more, if we were to pay for a DOT speed study in Commissioner Servi's carefully worded phrase, “it's a two-edged sword”: they may determine that the speed limit should be actually increased instead of decreased. His advice to us was, in so many words, maybe it would be better to let sleeping dogs lie.

Why change it at all? Well, here's my concern: after you cross through Railroad Avenue it becomes 35 mph and between Railroad Avenue and the city limits there are numerous households, the entryway to Faith Baptist Church and Parker Drive. What's more, if you're coming east into Chetek on Highway D everybody knows that a lot of vehicles are coming in “hot” as they come down from the overpass over Highway 53. But what if those DOT guys come, do their speed study and determine that, gee whiz, you really should increase the limit to 45 mph? Then we have a bigger problem. When I asked Mr. Servi just how much a speed study costs he matter-of-factly replied, “You probably can get one done for under 10, maybe even for under 5” (yeah, you need to add three zeroes after both those figures.) Given that I have had zero complaints from anybody affected on that stretch of road, I think it's better to leave it alone and hope people practice safe driving habits and watch out for those little kids playing in their front yard.

Highway SS south

And what about the speed limit on SS south heading toward New Auburn? Even Mr. Servi has no clue when that empty stretch between Second Street and the Brass Rail (at which point SS becomes 50 mph) became 25 mph. For what possible reason could it be posted 25 mph when there are no dwellings, no businesses, nothing but scenery in that half mile stretch of county road is anybody's guess. But now the Chetek Food Shelf is moving forward with plans to build a new facility on land that the city donated to them on the north side of SS. When that's completed, there will be steady traffic pulling in and out of the Food Shelf on the days they are open for business. At least we'll have a reason now to drive slower on that end of town.

We are on the agenda for the next Highway Commission meeting that is tentatively set for Thursday, April 6. At that time we will formally appeal for the change on SS heading north. It is not a “done deal” yet, so I would appreciate any thoughts or concerns you may have prior to this meeting.

...of the fiasco with the Central States Pension plan?

If you subscribe to The Chetek Alert, the front page article in this week's edition is all about the difficult place the city shop guys are in. With the exception of Director of Public Works Dan Knapp and City Inspector Joe Atwood, the rest of the crew all belong to the Teamsters Union whose pension plan – Central States – is going broke.

This week's headline news

That was a tragedy...and so will this be if things
go on as they are now

Part of it is beyond their control. According to their own numbers in 1980 there was one retiree for every four active employees; in 2016 there are now five retirees for each active employee. Also, in 1980 there were 12,000 employers compared to 1,500 employers in 2016. The math is enough to sink this boat entire. But add to it other market factors and – who knows? - bad fund management and it's like the Titanic hitting the iceberg: it's just a matter of time.

As the Alert accurately reported, the City is obligated to pay Central States a total of $48,000 year for our guys' retirement fund. Last May we received notification from the federal government that they plan to do nothing - i.e., there will be no bail-out like the government did in 2008 with the auto industry. By their estimate Central States will be out of money by 2026. However, it doesn't take someone with special skills to read the tea leaves: it will be insolvent way before that as older guys retire sooner than later in hopes they can collect some of their promised pension other than none at all. And what about our younger guys who are decades away from retirement? As it stands now they will be out. Squat. Nadda. But in the meantime we must keep sending in our check or pay them about $1.2 million to “get out” of the plan. We crunched some numbers and assuming 3.5% interest, we could secure some kind of loan and then be paying that back for the next 25 years. That's a cold bowl of soup to swallow!

The letter we received last May

So, what's the plan? Well, we're working on it and we have good reasons to do so. First, we want to do what we can for Tim, Mike and Joe who in the not-so-distant future will be turning in their yellow vests. Second, we also want to take care of Rod, "Tank" and Aaron who are going be with us, we presume, for some time. Thirdly, how does Dan adequately recruit qualified people to fill the positions soon to be vacated by Tim, Mike and Joe when he can't promise them that their position will come with retirement benefits? It puts him behind the 8-ball to say the least.

We're grateful for this crew (missing: Tim Berning)

I don't have a lot of answers I can share with you yet. And even our best solution won't be a slam-dunk. At most, it'll be some shots in the paint that may be heavily defended by the union. But we feel we have to try for the sake of the guys we have now and the guys – or gals – we hope to hire in the future. As soon as I can I'll let you know what we come up with.