Lake Holcombe Town Board; Speeding becoming a real hazard on Main Street

Those present at the Lake Holcombe Town Board meeting April 8, talked about how bids on road work are determined, after sealed bids were accepted for a project. Photo by Ginna Young

By Ginna Young

It’s been noted by many in Holcombe, that there is a problem with speeding and reckless driving on Main Street. To address those concerns, supervisor Doug Olson brought up the matter during the public comment portion of the regular Lake Holcombe Town Board meeting April 8.

Olson says someone from Cookie’s Holcombe Inn on that thoroughfare, was one of the latest to complain of speeding. Others have also mentioned that the intersection near the laundromat is a dangerous section, as many don’t stop at the stop signs.

To help figure out a solution, at least to part of the issue, Olson asked if anyone had considered changing the angle parking to parallel parking. Supervisor David Staudacher said Chippewa County mentioned years ago, that it might be a good idea to put in lines for angle parking.

“Which it really wasn’t much of a solution for what the problem is,” said Staudacher.

Olson says when a car or truck parks in front of Cookie’s, it sticks out, making it difficult for cars to pass.

“It’s so narrow there,” he said.

Larry Becker, town resident, asked if parallel parking would change the number of cars able to park in front of the bar, which Olson said it definitely would. Staudacker mentioned he has seen a state patrol car parked in that area a few times, which might help cut down on the speeding.

“Would there be any opportunity to borrow or rent the City of Cornell’s speed radar?” asked Olson.

Chairman Brian Guthman said he will look into it and reach out to the Chippewa County Sheriff’s Department, to see if they have a mobile unit available. It was suggested that the town look into applying for a grant, as a radar unit with a trailer, could be between $4,000-$7,000.

Guthman said it would be nice to have that, so it could be moved around and placed near the Wayside Park when swimming lessons are in progress.

“I think the grant is a good idea,” said Becker.

“We could definitely use it,” agreed treasurer Jim Mataczynski.

Becker also asked if anything can be done about the intersection on County Hwy. M, near the Cenex station. Becker said there are many incidents there, where people don’t pay enough attention to people turning and says he wondered if the county could paint some lines on the highway, letting travelers know there are cars potentially turning ahead.

Olson said he has already talked to the WisDOT about that and that they only stress turn lanes by the number of incidents that occur.

“We had that on 178, when there were no guard rails,” said Mataczynski, who added that many lost their lives before the rails were installed.

“It’s a tough thing, Larry,” said Olson.

During the meeting, the board also opened and accepted bids as part of the Local Roads Improvement Program (LRIP) road project. Because each company that submitted bids had differing amounts of what materials/square footage they deemed was needed, the board added the complete bids from each company and determined what was the lowest.

When the figures were tallied, Senn Blacktop came in with a bid of $43,746.96; Monarch Paving bid $43,734.79; and Chippewa County submitted a bid for $40,931.12. Since the project is LRIP funding, it means bids cannot be broken down and awarded separately.

Also, any bid from the county has to be 10 percent below the next lowest bid, so the project was awarded to Monarch.

Internet was also discussed for not only the town hall, but also the shop.

“We really need internet at the town shop, for all the things that Ben (Jordan, town roadman) does, for all the things going on down there,” said Guthman. “If we have internet there, maybe we can beam it this way (town hall).”

Tracey Larson, clerk, says she has the application for the internet, but does not know the cost yet. She also asked if they want to switch over the shop phone from CenturyLink, as that bill runs about $60 each month.

The board agreed for her to look into bundling the phone and internet with Ntera.

Guthman also reported about the addition to the top of the shop door to allow better equipment access, previously talked about.

“Well, unfortunately, we can’t just add one panel in the door,” he said, stating that they would have to replace the door completely for $9,600. “I don’t know about you guys, but I think that we could probably spend $9,600 better somewhere else, than do that.”

“As long it’s functional and we can work around it, we’re probably better off to spend it elsewhere,” said Staudacher.

Guthman also says the humped culvert just past the Fisher River Bridge that is shared with the Town of Estella, is slated for repair in 2023, through the Chippewa County Bridge and Culvert Fund.

“That’s as soon as we could get it in,” said Guthman, adding that Jordan is going to try to put a band-aid on the culvert. “If you’ve been that way, it actually resolved itself some. It’s not quite as bad as it was.”

Larson also mentioned that the town’s liquor license fees don’t match up with what is on the ordinance books. Each time a license is applied for, she runs a background check and publishes a notice in the paper.

“Do we pay for a background check when we do one?” asked Olson.

Larson said the businesses that apply, pay a publication fee, in addition to the license fee. She said she wanted to see what the board wants to do about the fees not matching the ordinance.

“I never thought to look at it until now,” said Larson.

Members asked her to find out what other townships charge, and Larson reminded them there is a state mandate that the town can’t charge over a certain amount. The board said they understand and just want the fees to be correct.

“It’d be nice if we can be consistent,” said Olson.