Capital fund started

Marathon City seeks sports complex private donations

The Marathon City Village Board last week Wednesday established a capital fund for people to donate towards a proposed $3.6 million sports complex.

The board established the fund after administrator Andy Kurtz announced receipt of $510,000 in grants towards the project, not including a $45,000 matching grant. Local donations, Kurtz said, would supply matching dollars for the grant. He said $10,000 had already been donated by a local citizen towards that match. Here is a breakdown of grants awarded for the sports complex, a four diamond softball and baseball facility on the village’s far-east side that will feature two pavilions for community events:

_ The Community Foundation, $50,000.

_ Judd S. Alexander Foundation, $50,000.

_ Dwight and Linda Davis Foundation, $50,000.

_ The B.A. Esther Greenheck Foundation, $100,000.

_ The Marathon County Parks Foundation, $10,000.

_ The Goldbach Foundation, $250,000.

After the meeting, Kurtz said the grants would help fund the sports complex, but that further funding was needed. “We are very fortunate to have received the financial support we have to this point,” he said. “We are optimistic that we will secure the remaining funds and support for the project in the coming months.”

Kurtz said the village planned to receive $1 million from the sale of Veterans Park and a smaller softball diamond off of Chestnut Street.

He also announced receipt of a $1 million cash donation from an anonymous individual. More information about this donation will be released at the appropriate time, Kurtz said.

The administrator said the current funding gap for the project stood at $763,000.

“We feel pretty confident we will be able to do that,” he said. “We feel the project is well supported.”

Kurtz said raising the $35,000 locally from citizens to receive the matching grant was “certainly doable.”

In the past, village board members have said no tax levy should be used to fund the sports complex.

In related news, the village board took several other actions to move the sports complex project forward. It agreed to annex property recently purchased by St. Matthew’s Evangelical Lutheran Church into the village. The church plans to erect a day care center that would share a parking lot with the sports complex. The church will sell needed property to the village for the sports facility. Under state law, the town of Marathon will receive taxes from the annexed property for five years. Kurtz announced the payment would be $105. He said the newly annexed property would be zoned for community facilities.

In a second action, the board agreed to vacate unpaved alleys located in village properties already sold to Marathon Cheese Corp. for an expansion project. The alleys were located on East Street (a portion has been abandoned) and through the Chestnut Street softball diamond.

In other village board business:

_ Administrator Kurtz announced McDonald and People’s State Bank have received building permits for major remodeling projects.

_ Board members named Roger Grell as a Fifth and East streets crossing guard to replace long-time crossing guard Brenda Kaiser.

_ Board members directed administrator Kurtz to get more information on replacing a malfunctioning motor on a village snowblower for $4,000. The administrator announced a recently ordered F-350 pick-up truck would be delivered in February.

_ Administrator Kurtz said he planned to ask trustees in February to approve a raze order at 600,606 and 608 Main Street because the properties fail to meet minimum health and safety standards. Kurtz said he has tried to get the owner of the properties to address shortcomings since fall 2019, but, to date, the properties remain substandard.

_ Board members voted to appoint Mike Telford to fill the seat of utility commission member Ted Knoeck. It was announced Mike Seliger has also resigned from the commission. Administrator Kurtz said Joe Westfall declined an invitation to be a member of the commission.

_ The board agreed to extend an emergency declaration for COVID-19.

_ Administrator Kurtz announced he has been named to the League of Wisconsin Municipalities Advisory Committee on Legislation.