Highway Committee Seeks $1 Million For Co. L Project At the Wednesday, June 3, meeting of the Marinette County Highway Commission, Commissioner Mark Desotell outlined a proposal to request $1 million from Marinette County to improve and reconstruct County Trunk L from US 141 west to Pike Plains Road.
Desotell said all of the carefully designed grant applications have been denied. The need for improving this road is based on traffic count and several 90 degree curves in the existing road. The Northlands Mission, Inc. statement of the Northland Baptist Bible College on its economic impact on the community relates they have a campus of 689 acres in the Town of Dunbar, of which only 80 acres are tax exempt. There are 110 full-time faculty and an additional 100 part time staff employed throughout the school year. In addition they have 150 full time camp staff over the summers.
There are 700 full and part time students each semester, and 4500 campers for various special events over the summer, athletic events, family and friends visiting students, graduation, and fine arts events.
Many of these people frequent area restaurants, hotels and retail establishments, it continued.
Northland has an $8 million budget, which funds a full service Bible College, camp and conference center.
They also cite many and varied local suppliers and vendors, such as food service, maintenance, technology such as phones and computers, utilities, vehicle usage and campus services such as cleaning of buildings.
The employees come from Dunbar, Beecher, Pembine, Amberg, Niagara and Goodman, as well as other communities.
Desotell noted the asphalt plant is now located north of Pembine, a critical advantage in road construction costs.
Russ Bauer spoke up against the proposal, saying, “We are not creating more jobs benefiting our taxpayers by doing this.” Desotell recalled the jurisdictional transfer of the former Beecher Lake Road to county ownership back in 2003. “This warrants resurfacing investment the same as any other county highway.”
Bauer continued his opposition, saying, “We have two roads to county parks badly in need of repair, County I is in bad shape.”
Mike Cassidy responded, “I hear you, Russ, regarding County I, but County L has safety and economic factors. The traffic count on I is maybe 20 per hour. Co. L goes as high as 1000 per hour.”
“County L was already in our plan for 1009”, Desotell added.
“I can’t vote for this. It is not creating any more jobs if we do this. One entity, over one million! Will it need bonding?”
Chairman Russ Bousley, who represents Dunbar, said bonding will not be needed.
Mel Sharpe then moved to recommend the proposal to the County Board for the June meeting, with a second from Al Greason. Only Bauer voted “nay”.
Desotell distributed a memo on the ongoing discussion about shared cost when a county highway goes through municipalities - how to share construction costs of such features as curb and gutter, sidewalks, parking lanes, and utilities. He asked members to look it over and come back with responses at the next meeting.
The next item was a tough one; requesting municipalities needing the department to plow snow in winter to provide enough summer work to keep the crews and equipment busy. “It will be harder and harder for us to provide winter maintenance only”, he said.
Sharpe asked, “Are we close to laying off in summer?”
“No, but some attention has lessened that probability”, Desotell answered.
“If we have reduced need to plow the towns, we may have layoffs even in winter”, Sharpe suggested.
Desotell talked about complicated ratios of percentages of costs per mile that might be furnished to the towns. A motion by Sharpe to ask the towns to pledge $500 per mile for summer work then passed unanimously. Steve Dill noted the towns also get free engineering services from Desotell into the bargain.
After a long discussion, the committee passed a motion to rent a badly needed bulldozer with an option to buy.
Desotell reviewed the history of project constructions on county roads, the current five year plan, and the recent spring road tour.
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