Looking back on ‘Quotes of the Week’ from the past 12 months “T

They said it:

his organization started out as a few people and through the years it has grown to more than 20 people along with 16 trained search and rescue dogs.”

— Northstar Search & Rescue Diane Stefanick

want to know if it is viable to present a scaled back option.”

— County board supervisor Ray Soper in reaction to the estimates for the new Rib Lake highway shop coming in much higher than previously projected.

’ve known most of you for the last 25 years, and I agree that you are all great parents because you are here advocating for your kids.”

— Rick Cardey to a group of parents at the recent Rib Lake school board meeting.

e just keep beating this thing again and again and again.”

— School board member Steve Deml about the COVID-19 protocols being brought up on the agenda every month.

eople forgot we had to face the same hardships they faced too.”

— Patty Krug about the impact of COVID-19 on public health workers.

f I could put it in my backyard I would.”

— Joshua Kohl, pastor of River of Hope Church speaking in support of issuing a conditional use permit for a homeless shelter.

ow do we set a percentage of what we don’t really get informed about?”

— Law enforcement committee chairman Lester Lewis about how the county’s portion of the ambulance service operation costs are calculated.

’m talking about walk-in clients who have been walking in to other offices wondering why the door is locked. That was the basis of the complaint, it didn’t come from the HR department or anything like that.”

— Ray Soper, chairman of theVeterans Service Committee to those questioning the committee’s motives.

e respect your service to the country and we respect you and we want the same in return.”

— Veterans Service Committee chairman Lester Lewis to those attending Friday’s meeting cautioning them to remain civil.

hen you’re 17, happiness is Medford in the rear view mirror. When you’re 84, happiness is Medford in the windshield.”

— Robert (Bob) A Zawacki, Ph.D during his statements about being inducted into the Medford Area Senior High School Academic Hall of Fame.

hey are glorified driveways and it is a struggle to get in.”

— Medford Fire Chief Mike Filas on the challenge of getting equipment to rural properties on private roads.

he job of a prosecutor is to do justice.”

— Judge Ann Knox-Bauer in reviewing the plea agreement for a sexual assault case.

f you’re new to bluegrass, it’s just such a cool genre of music. It’s so relaxing and it touches on everything from country, to gospel, to folk.”

— Marilyn Frank, owner of Marilyn’s Fire Station located in Downtown Medford and one of the organizers of Grass on the Black

think we have a great thing going.”

— Rick Cardey giving his final administrator’s report to the Rib Lake School Board at the June 9 meeting.

See QUOTES on page 9

here is too big of a spread, something is going on.”

— Forestry committee member Rollie Thums voting against awarding three timber sale bids to one company.

here are also significant opportunities for innovation as worldwide demand for processed cheese continues to grow.”

— Gilman Cheese Corporation president David Delgado announcing the merger with Dairyfood USA of Madison.

ext time you better have your ducks in a row.”

— Medford school board member Kurt Werner to representatives of the Medford Youth Football program as the group withdrew their request for the school to take the program over after the school board approved it.

he eyes of the world are on your personnel committee.”

— Wood County Veterans Service Officer Rock Larson to members of the Taylor County Finance and Personnel Committee

am thinking ‘Man what a great summer in Medford,’” — Alderman Mike Bub about the number of new and expanding events scheduled for this summer.

was happy to have gotten home in one piece. I had a lot of friends who didn’t make it.”

— Richard Gilge, a Rib Lake Vietnam War Veteran of his time in the service.

he people don’t trust us,” — Medford School Board Member Brian Hallgren about why voters rejected a referendum to renovate and expand the high school.

f I didn’t think he was capable of doing the job and doing it well, I wouldn’t bring him back.”

— Sheriff Larry Woebbeking about plans to have Deputy Steve Bowers return to active service after being on paid administrative leave for five years.

know I have saved lives.”

— Veterans Service Officer Shellie Shaw about the help she has been able to get for local veterans.

he perfect score was a pleasant surprise.”

— Medford Area Senior High School student Saskatoon Damm about making history as being the first Medford student to receive a perfect score on their ACT.

would like to see the projects get done right and not take any short- cuts because of a shortage of funding.”

— City Council member Mike Bub calling for the city to provide additional funding for the band shell and downtown park shelter projects.

t seems to me we are trying to talk ourselves into staying with WCA.”

— County board member Scott Mildbrand calling for the county to make a switch from their current provider to a more narrow network as a cost saving measure.

hat is a lot.”

— County board member Lori Floyd about a projected $300,000 jump from the prior year in county’s cost to operate the ambulance service.

can tell people from Rib Lake by how nice they are.”

— Rib Lake School Administrator Travis Grubbs about the reception he has received from the community.

f you feel sick, check yourself out.”

— School board member Don Everhard about COVID guidelines starting the school year.

hy would we want to go to court without knowing what their comparables are?”

— Alderman Mike Bub opposing waiving Walmart’s property tax assessment reduction into circuit court.

hat lake is an asset to this town and if I’m going to spend that kind of money on a machine, I want to see it being used, not getting rusty on the shore.”

— Dan Hoffman to members of the Rib Lake Inland Lakes Board about why a weed cutter he donated was not being used.

here is a fork in the road here.”

— County forest administrator Jake Walcisak about how to handle ATV trail maintenance with fewer volunteers

hey’ve put up their own fencing, and have tried other deterrents and nothing has worked. They have invested a lot of time and energy into this.”

— Wildlife specialist Seth Zesiger supporting a fencing project at the Zuleger farm.

don’t think the director of buildings and grounds did his homework.”

— County board supervisor Rollie Thums objecting to the need to spend over $200,000 to replace boat landings at Miller Dam.

ith all due respect to the disrespect, I don’t feel spending foolishly was the intent.”

— County buildings and grounds director Joe Svejda in response to criticism from county board members about seeking an engineering study for a boat landing.

don’t think [Fire Chief] Mike Filas would be very happy to drive his ladder truck back there.”

— Medford City Planner Bob Christensen about a request from a landowner to subdivide a parcel to create a residential lot that had 20 feet of road frontage but was several hundred feet deep.

y husband has been my rock through all my trials and tribulations. He is one to be rewarded as much or not more than me.”

— Tawnie Matyka who is competing for a chance to be on the cover of Maxim Magazine.

hen you cut, you do less with less, you are not doing more with less.”

— County board member Greg Knight objecting to cutting staff to solve what he says is a revenue problem.

am not going to make that motion.”

— County board member Scott Mildbrand after rejecting a motion to change the health insurance recommendation. He was the only one present at the meeting who had voted in favor of the change.

he electronic world has changed a lot of how things are done in our office.”

— Rose Thums who will be retiring as Taylor County Clerk of Circuit Court at the end of her term.

o we need it?”

— Council member Dave Brandner questioning if an income- based workforce housing apartment complex is still needed in the city.

o you have a plan B in place?”

— Forestry committee chairman Scott Mildbrand about the potential for dam bids to come in higher than projected.

y real goal is to have more restaurants downtown.”

— Lake 11 Brewing owner Luke Gasek when asked if his new craft brew pub will serve food.

e are way too much in the weeds.”

— Medford School Board member Brian Hallgren during a lengthy discussion getting into details about the potential use of a proposed storm shelter building. The district is seeking a federal grant for the structure.

hope to help these veterans the best way that I can.”

— Dan Judnic who recently was hired as the new Taylor County Veterans Service Officer.

t is still a mess out there, we are trying to figure out a way to remedy it.”

— Daniel Gellert, Taylor County emergency management coordinator, about a heating fuel oil spill that occurred at an area home last month.

t only takes 1 bid to sell a sale.”

— County forest administrator Jake Walcisak reporting the county received eight bids for three timber sales.

f I could go back in time, it should have come here first,”

— District administrator Pat Sullivan apologizing to the board about implementing a scanner system for lunch lines before bringing it to the school board.