Stratford hears snowplowing complaint

By Kevin O’Brien

After a Stratford resident complained to the village board last week about the lack of timely snowplowing after recent storms, the public works director said anyone with an issue should call him directly.

“Not one person called my shop complaining about it, so all these people all over town who have a problem with it, tell them to call down to the shop,” said DPW Scott Dennee. “We’ll discuss it, OK?”

Dennee was responding to concerns raised by resident Jodi Wenzel during the village board’s monthly meeting on Feb. 10. Wenzel said her street, Trailview Street, was not plowed until after 1 p.m. following the snowstorms on Saturday, Feb. 8, and Monday, Feb. 3.

While she understands that removing snow from all of the village streets is a “big job,” Wenzel said she’s heard “many, many complaints” from co-workers and parents at the school district and others who live in the village.

“Not only is this a major inconvenience for anyone who needs to leave their household for work or other obligations, but it can also be seen as a safety issue too,” she said.

Last summer, she said someone in her family had to be transported to the hospital in an ambulance, and she wondered what would have happened if it was during a snowstorm.

“Despite us living three blocks away from the fire station, if the roads aren’t plowed, there’s no way the ambulance could get to us or anyone else in the village without getting stuck,” she said. “It would be a struggle to get them to the hospital safely and efficiently.”

Wenzel urged village officials to rethink the way snow removal is done in the village, perhaps by starting plowing operations earlier or having more people on-call to do the work.

“I ask you to make it a priority at the appropriate time to discuss the plowing and see if it may make sense to amend the current snow removal plan,” she said.

Dennee, however, said it’s not always possible to start plowing earlier, since snow can start falling at any time of day or night.

“You can’t plow snow before it hits the ground,” he said.

The snow started falling at 4 a.m. on Feb. 3, he noted, just a few hours before school starts.

“It don’t pay to plow when you’ve got five hours of snow coming in,” he said.

On Feb. 8, Dennee said his crew was out plowing by 9:30 a.m. and finished up at 3:30 p.m. in the industrial park. When he asked trustee Ken Meyer, who works in the industrial park, how much snow was on the streets when he got there Monday morning, Meyer said “pretty minimal.”

“People that complain about it don’t even know what time it starts in the middle of the night when I’m checking at 2 o’clock, and 3 o’clock,” Dennee said. “On Saturday, it started snowing at 4 in the morning. So, there you go.”

Other business

■ Village president Keith Grell said the Stratford Economic Development Corporation met on Jan. 21 to discuss a developer’s agreement with a business in the industrial park that’s looking to expand and is trying to resolve some elevation issues.

■ Trustee Troy Wiesman, who sits on the local fire commission, said the department has decided to move forward with a second ambulance after doing some research.

■ The board approved the purchase of a 2025 Chevrolet Silverado 1400 4WD Crew Cab truck for $43,266, to be used as a public works truck.

■ The board approved a permit application for village residents and employees who want to use downed trees in the Klemme Reserve for firewood. The permits will cost $15 and expire on Aug. 1.

■ Trustee Damon Engelbretson asked what the protocol is when repairs or maintenance is needed at the police department, pointing to leaks in the doors as an example. Trustee Dale Heil, chair of the Public Works committee, said the committee will be working on a flowchart to make it clear who is responsible for what items and how approval should be obtained.

■ The board approved a motion to pay $437 to The Locksmith Shoppe of Schofield to rekey three doors at the police department in order to provide greater security. Right now, police officer Sydney Nussbaum said anyone with a key to village hall can also access the police department and they would like to limit that access.

■ The board accepted the resignation of public works employee Robert Aune, whose last day will be Feb. 21.

■ The board renewed the village’s insurance policies through the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, at a cost of $54,882, an increase of 1.7% over last year. The policies include liability, auto, vehicle and workman’s comp, among other areas.