The Redgranite Village Board approved a change for their regular meeting time during their Apr. 19 meeting.
Ellen Caswell, village trustee, requested to change the date of regular meetings as the current schedule falls on the same day as the Waushara County Board Meeting (the third Tuesday of each month). The Redgranite Village Board meetings will now take place the fourth Wednesday of each month.
A number of community members attended the meeting to express their concerns regarding an agenda item for the Redgranite Quarry. A proposal was made to have the quarry only partially open for swimming, which brought concern to the local residents who were against the idea. Village residents provided input, with many pointing out that it would be impossible to only have swimming in certain spots of the quarry.
The future of the quarry has been a prominent discussion among the village following the sudden closure in 2020 due to safety concerns from the large crowds with an under-staffed police department. With COVID restrictions lifting and more recreational activities reopening, the board hopes that the crowds will not be an issue this year.
Village President Belinda Passarelli would like to see the quarry generate more family-friendly tourism. One resident stated “We have to make it impossible for people to cause trouble. By promoting and improving our tourist accommodations we can prevent misuse of the quarry. What we should be asking is what can we do to make it safer?”
Board members and village residents alike are now working to answer the question “What can we do as a community to help police the quarry?”
In other news, the board spoke with the Redgranite Quarry Committee regarding the clean-up date. Originally the quarry clean-up was approved for Apr. 23, but after further discussion the date was pushed back to allow for board and quarry committee members to walk through the park with police and fire officials. This will help give everyone an idea of what can be done for clean-up and what jobs volunteers should focus on.
Board members also approved the resignation of Ellen Caswell from the quarry committee and the appointment of Jim Erdmann as the village board representative. Shannon Henke was appointed to the role of Chairperson.
During the President report Passarelli shared news that the two assistant operators of the village, Brent Snow and Matt Rettler, have formerly passed their water testing and are certified with their water license. Both are currently working for their sewer certifications. “That is a lot of work in a short amount of time. I just thought they deserve to be called out,” Passarelli said. Redgranite utility employee Glen McCarty has been nominated as Operator of the Year. Belinda expressed her appreciation for all of his hard work, stating “Glen has been with us for only 10 months. That is how much work he has done with our sewer and water facilities, and training and operations to help bring us in line with the DNR. I truly appreciate his assistance and support.”
The board approved new playground equipment for the local parks that will be paid for with ARPA funds. A new Burke branded carousel, slide, and tire swing will be ordered through Lee Recreations for a total of $13,401. The carousel and slide will be placed in Veteran’s Park, with the current slide being transported to Eastside Park. The tire swing will replace the current one located in Willow Creek Park.
Redgranite Police Chief Kyle Tarr provided a brief report from the Redgranite Corrections Institution Community Relations Board meeting that took place on Apr. 5. As of Apr. 1, the mask mandate has been lifted at the prison. The prison’s goal is to prepare inmates for life once they leave the institution, which they have been doing through a variety of programs. One new program that inmates have been participating in is the training of service dogs. The dogs that are being trained will then be given to a community members.
Tarr also informed the board that the letter sent to Governor Evers regarding Assembly Bill 569 was denied. Tarr along with other police departments will continue to work with government officials to help pass the bill that would compensate for their services to a correctional institution.
Redgranite utility employee Glen McCarty has been identifying the streets that can be preserved and saved through chip sealing and crack filling road projects. This will allow the village to focus on larger road projects that will take a majority of the year’s street budget in the near future. The board went on to approve crack filling projects for Clark St., Division St., Dearborn St., Industrial Park Dr., Pine St., State St., Steger St., Sunset St., Oak St., Thackery St., Village Hall parking lot, and Willow St.
In other business the board approved:
•Resolution 2022-05, Resolution to Borrow $53,544 for New Public Works Truck Final Payment.
•Establishing Liquor, Beer, License, Tobacco and Publication Fees for 2022-23.
•The appointment of Ellen Caswell, Mark Juslen, Belinda Passarelli, and Angie Ralls as board members to the Board of Review and Becky Misiewicz as a citizen member.
•License agreement with Brazon Anania for a period of five years beginning June 1.
•Fire inspection ordin-ance, Section 3-2-11.
•Hiring We Clean to clean the village parks from Memorial Day to Labor Day at $150 per week.
•Planting the tree in memory of Jerry Sieg at East Side Park instead of Willow Creek.
•Adjustment of sewer charges for 419 Main St. due to water leak for $260.
•Inter-Agency Agree-ment with other local municipalities.
•Adding No-Fault Sewer Back Up Insurance for residents.
•Purchasing a new variable frequency drive (VFD) for the aerator/mixer - $2,000.
•Revising the on call pay schedule.
•Signing a memo of understanding with the DNR regarding inspection deficiency.
•Purchasing striper machine and selling current machine.
•Ditch cleaning = Brad Lind - $8,600.
•Work on four catch basins – Highway Department - $10,000.
•Cleaning catch basins on Highway 21 - $6,000.
•Purchasing a Leaf Vac.
•Operator’s License for Chenoa Peterson (Dollar General)
•Application for Tem-porary Class B Retailer’s License and a Temporary Operator’s License for Apryll Tomac and Ashley Wianecki for the Little Sprouts Discovery Center Summer Bash on July 22.
