At Peshtigo’s Request, Grover Will Consider Billboards On 41 Route Grover Town Board appeared to look favorably on a request from Peshtigo Mayor Tom Strouf that they consider allowing some billboards on Hwy. 41 so the city will not be “invisible” to travelers once the bypass is complete. The existing Grover zoning ordinance prohibits roadside signs except those on the site of the business they advertise. A public hearing to discuss possible change of the ordinance will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 23.
Mayor Strouf attended the regular monthly Grover Town Board meeting Monday, May 11 to present the billboard/sign request on behalf of Peshtigo Chamber of Commerce.
At the start of discussion on the billboard issue, Clerk Lisa Witak read a letter from Pastor David Zahn, president of Peshtigo Chamber of Commerce, asking Grover to consider allowing billboards along the route of the Hwy. 41 by-pass. Once the by-pass is completed the highway will go around the city instead of through it, and Zahn noted travelers will have no way of knowing what services are available nearby.
“I know everybody’s excited about this,” commented Supervisor Kim Kittredge. She recognized concerns about too many signs, but felt some should be allowed.
Witak said the prohibition against signs was put in the ordinance because no one wanted Grover to look like the stretch of Hwy. 41 between Marinette and Peshtigo. There was discussion on stringent state rules against signs along the highway, and the possibility a Marinette County moratorium on signs is still in effect. Signs along the highway will need to be on private property and will be well back from the road.
“I wouldn’t want billboards every 10 feet, but I do feel we should allow some,” commented Kittredge. Town Chair Wayne Staidl suggested they could allow billboards or other signs as conditional uses, with individual approval required for each one.
“Peshtigo has a big problem” Strouf told the board. He said because of Hwy. 41 construction the city had to take down their one big sign with all the business names. Now the Grover ordinance and state sign laws prevent them from replacing it and from putting up new ones. “As it is, no travelers going north would ever know what’s available in Peshtigo,” Strouf said. “We’d appreciate it if you would consider this.”
“Everybody talks about how the signs are good for business,” Buzz Davis commented, “But (without signs) the travelers are the ones who are losing!” He said without signs they have no way of knowing where they can eat or sleep or what interesting activities they might find. “We travel a lot and 80 percent of the things we stop to do are because of signs,” he declared.
After further brief and favorable discussion, the board voted unanimously to schedule the public hearing. Meanwhile, Kittredge will research state and county sign regulations. A public hearing on possible changes to the animal control ordinance to allow the town constable to charge a fee to owners of errant dogs for the care and capture of their pets will also be held on June 23.
Earlier in the meeting Constable Troy Van de Walle had told the board he had contracted with the Town of Porterfield for dog catching services. He learned they charge dog owners $5 a mile for his travel plus the cost of food for the dogs while they are in his care, and he is paid from that fee. He wondered if a similar plan could be used in Grover to save taxpayer dollars. The board welcomed the suggestion but took no formal action other than setting the date for the public hearing. An ordinance change is needed to put the plan into effect.
Town Chair Wayne Staidl appointed Supervisor Kim Kittredge as Zoning Administrator, with Bob Seefeldt as her assistant. This is a reversal of roles, as Kittredge formerly was the assistant, and Seefeldt was Zoning Administrator.
Prior to the official start of the meeting the board met to open bids for reconstruction of two miles of East County Line Road west from County Y. The five bids submitted were from the Marinette County Highway Department, Murphy Concrete Construction, Scott Construction, and Barrette Asphalt. There was a wide spread in prices. The board agreed to meet at 7 a.m. Monday, May 18 to award the bid. At that meeting the board will also consider a proposal from Fahrner Construction for asphalt sealing of Grover town roads. Staidl said Fahrner traveled each road to determine condition before preparing his price quote.
Marinette County Highway Department has asked towns to allocate specific percentages of their summer work to them in order to keep crews busy in summer so winter snowplowing can stay viable. There had been statements that the county would do no winter plowing for towns that did not give them enough summer work. Highway Commissioner Mark Desotell met with town officials at the Highway Shop in Peshtigo at 11 a.m. Wednesday, May 13 to discuss the proposals and options. Staidl and Supervisor Wayne Hoffman planned to attend.
In response to the county’s ultimatum, townspeople at the Grover Annual Meeting Tuesday, April 14, voted unanimously to have the board advertise for bids and assemble other information on winter road maintenance and then hold a special town meeting to decide which way to go. Another option being considered is to have the town buy equipment and do its own snow plowing in-house. Staidl said they will advertise in June for winter maintenance services. The county can bid, as well as private contractors.
Grover spent $62,290 on snowplowing so far in 2009, and Clerk/Treasurer Witak reported that they are already nearly $9,000 over budget for the entire year, with a distinct possibility winter road maintenance expenses in November and December will push that number even higher. Witak reported the contracted garbage hauler will again check out the possibility of at the driveway pickup for the four or five residences on Marquardt Road. It was previously believed there was no turnaround, but Witak has been told there is now a school bus turnaround there.
Kittredge reported four building permits, three driveway permits and two fire signs were issued since the last meeting. A zoning appeal from Schroeder Construction has been filed. She said the burned house that was the subject of discussion at the April meeting is grandfathered, so the lot remains buildable even if the house is completely destroyed.
Once again, need for a better fire sign system on River Run Road was discussed. Staidl felt in particular signs where the road splits should designate which numbers lie in each direction. Fire signs for all the homes there are now out on the main road, but fire department personnel have been concerned over the difficulty of deciding where to go if they or a rescue squad is called to one of those homes. The small signs that are there are often buried in snow in the winter. Staidl said a concern is whether or not they can get permission from residents to put up different signs, since it is a private road over which the town technically has no authority. Kittredge suggested they could at least put the group signs higher so they are visible in winter.
After brief discussion the board decided not to hire another roadwork employee. Staidl was concerned that mowing the cemetery has been added to the list of duties, but was assured by current employees Jack Clark and Davis that they can handle the work once the spring patching is done.
They said patching has been slowed because of cold, wet weather, and some of the potholes have been filled with water. Staidl asked them to please let him know if the jobs get to be too much.
Estelle Boehm urged that they advertise in order to give everyone an equal chance if they do decide to hire an additional person. Witak said there are still applications on file from last year.
Clark and Davis reported on their activities, including difficulty putting up road name signs along the new USH 41 route. The county may be asked to do those signs.
By unanimous vote the board awarded the propane contract for the year to County Style Propane at $1.33 per gallon. This price was 20 cents per gallon less than that of the next lowest bidder.
The board received a thank you letter from the Rescue Squad for their $250 allocation, and from Little League, for a $650 allocation they said helps them continue the program without having to charge participants.
Kittredge said she has spoken with DOT people regarding a state obligation to replace the road signs since they took them down, but to date she has not received an answer.
Problems with people stealing signs from along town roads continue. Staidl asked anyone who sees someone stealing a sign to notify a board member. “Replacing them gets expensive,” he declared.
Davis noted there are many faded and illegible signs in the town that should be replaced. Staidl asked him and Clark to make a list, and they will start replacing them as town finances allow. He said they cannot afford to do them all in one year and will have to prioritize.
The Board of Review, in order to comply with state law, will meet at 7 a.m. on Monday, June 1, but then will immediately adjourn to a later date that has not yet been set.
The next regular Town Board meeting will be on Monday, June 8.
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Yes
No
Undecided
