Abby adds two wells, bringing total to 28
By Kevin O’Brien
Two new wells have been established near Abbotsford, bringing the total number of municipal wells up to 28, according to city administrator Josh Soyk.
At the city council’s Aug. 21 meeting, Soyk said one of the new wells is expected to produce up to 40 gallons per minute, while the other will have a range of 15 to 20 gpm. The average production of the city’s wells is about 20 gpm, so the new two wells should be a good addition to Abbotsford’s expansive system, Soyk said.
Abbotsford started looking for more groundwater last year, drilling six test wells east of the city near the Eau Pleine Water Treatment Plant, but only two of those wells had enough capacity to justify permanent casings.
The total cost of adding the wells, including test drilling, is $1.5 million, which will be covered by a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and a 50/50 loan and grant from the Wisconsin DNR’s Safe Drinking Water Loan program.
Soyk said the search for more wells was started after the amount of water coming out of the existing wells near the Eau Pleine plant start dropping, which also led the city to rehabilitate several of those wells to increase capacity.
With the addition of the new two wells, Soyk said Abbotsford now has the same number of wells as the combined total of Colby (7), Dorchester (2), Edgar (2 active), Stratford (5), Spencer (3 active), Marathon (3) and Wausau (6).
Other business
■ ■ The council approved a new five-year streets plan that puts new curb and storm sewer on North Fifth Street, from Maple to Oak, as the city’s number one priority for upcoming projects. Other projects within the top five include an overhaul of First Street (Main), from Spruce to East Pine; resurfacing the city garage parking lot; and a mill and overlay of Linden Street, from Galvin to Seventh.
Ald. Mason Rachu asked about North Third Avenue, which is “getting bad” even though it is listed as number eight on the project list. Soyk said the council could choose to move the project further up the list, but DPW Craig Stuttgen noted it will require some outside money to complete.
“That’ll be another big one, though,” he said. “That’s going to need grant funding.”
■ ■ Stuttgen said the sewer main was recently replaced in the alley between Second and Third Street, and the public works crew finished replacing all the water valves on Elm Street. He said they found a lot of bolts rusted off, causing the gaskets to leak, so they’re going to include valve replacements in all future bid tabulations.
■ ■ Soyk said he has been asked about adding a second volleyball court at Red Arrow Park due to the popularity of a league that started playing games there. He said the council should also consider putting in two volleyball courts at Shortner Park instead, since the cost could be covered by donations to the Shortner Trust Fund. The council will ultimately get to decide if it wants to include funding for new volleyball courts as part the 2025 budget process.
Ald. Jeremiah Zeiset said he’s seen people playing at the one Red Arrow court nearly every day.
“For some reason, volleyball has been very popular this year,” he said.
■ ■ The council approved a variance for Jim Colby to build a garage within the front yard setback limit at 204 S. Fourth Ave. (STH 13). Soyk said none of the neighboring property owners objected to the plan, and the city’s board of appeals recommended approval. At Stuttgen’s recommendation, the approval was contingent on the city not being responsible for any future stormwater drainage issues on the property.
“As long as they’re all happy, I don’t care,” Stuttgen said about Colby and his neighbors. “It’s just not going to be a city problem when it’s done.”
■ ■ The council approved a permit for Michael Yutzy to put in a second entrance to his driveway at 1001 Linden Ave., allowing him to create a horseshoe driveway so he can park a semi truck on the property.
■ ■ Due to the Labor Day holiday, the council agreed to have only one meeting next month, on Monday, Sept. 16, at 6 p.m.
■ Stuttgen told the council that the city posted its old grader on the Wisconsin Surplus Online Auction website, hoping to get close to $25,000 for it, but the bidding stopped at $6,000, so the vehicle will be kept around for at least another year to help with plowing snow.
■ ■ Class A beer and liquor licenses were transferred to “Harry 2,” the new owner of the Amoco gas station on STH 13. A tobacco and vaping license was also transferred.
SAYING THANK YOU- Abbotsford resident Pat Bargenquast was presented with a plaque during last Wednesday’s city council meeting, declaring her the city’s “Undisputed Baking Champion.” DPW Craig Stuttgen presented her with the honor in appreciation for all of the times she has brought homemade baked goods to city employees picking up brush. “Her bars and cookies are secondto- none,” Stuttgen said.
SUBMITTED PHOTO
