Edgar police chief takes top job in Marathon

Edgar Police Chief Tyler Geske will be moving about eight miles east for his next job in law enforcement – as the newly chosen police chief of Marathon City.

At their monthly meeting on May 3, village officials in Marathon introduced Geske as the replacement for retiring Chief Kory Gertschen, whose last day on the job will be June 16. Geske has accepted a job offer, which is contingent on him passing a background check, psychological evaluation and drug test.

If all goes as planned, Geske will start working in Marathon fulltime on or about June 12, which will give him about a week of overlap with Gertschen. Village administrator Andy Kurtz said Geske will continue his administrative work in Edgar on an interim basis while the neighboring village seeks his replacement.

“We will work with them on the transition,” Kurtz said.

Geske was hired as the chief of the Edgar Police Department in May of 2020. Prior to that, he worked in Fall Creek, Thorp and other small communities.

“He’s very community-oriented in his approach to law enforcement, which matches what we’ve had historically,” Kurtz said. “So, he was a good fit.”

Under the conditional job offer, Geske’s starting annual salary will be $67,500. He had been earning $62,004 in Edgar. Gertschen’s salary is $77,000.

The village received four applications for the chief’s position and officials interviewed the top three candidates, eventually settling on Geske as the preferred choice.

Other business

Jeff Rachu presented a $1,633 donation to the village, with $600 designated for ATV route signs and $1,033 for the Marathon Police Department’s body cameras. The money was raised locally, with collection spots at village taverns and gas stations.

Village president Kurt Handrick suggested the board allow village residents to speak during public comment about issues not on the agenda – as was done in the past – but Kurtz and several trustees said limiting the topic of conversation helps keep the meetings on task.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing it going back to a more open forum,” Handrick said, noting that several village residents had talked to him about the issue.

Kurtz said the board started limiting public comments to topics on the agenda after several people, including many non-residents, misused the opportunity to speak at length, needlessly prolonging meetings. He said residents can still approach village officials about getting an item on the agenda if they wish to speak.

The board approved a motion to seek bids for the village’s new baseball/ softball complex, which has a budget of $2.2 million from grants and donations. Last year, the board decided to scale back the project, divide it into phases and have the village serve as its own general contractor. The first phase will not require the village to redevelop Veterans Park, as was previously planned. Work is slated to start this year with the goal of having playable fields ready by next spring.

The board awarded a $276,143 contract to American Asphalt for paving Second Street, from Pine Street all the way to East Street. American Asphalt submitted the only bid for the project and came in substantially lower than the project estimate.

The board approved a motion to seek bids for paving three additional blocks of road, including portions of Washington and Chestnut Streets, and patching a spot on Fourth Street. The total cost of the work is estimated to be about $69,198.

To pay for both the Second Street project and the other paving work, Kurtz said the village will be borrowing $346,245 this year.

The board approved an amended municipal court agreement with the villages of Rothschild and Edgar, which recently joined the court. The agreement spells out Rothschild’s responsibilities as the host site and states that Rothschild will retain a portion of fines needed to prosecute Marathon cases.

Trustees reviewed applications for liquor licenses, cigarette licenses and the mobile home park license, which all expire on June 30.

Trustees approved a project on Sonnetag Road to address drainage issues on the gravel roadway and improve the shoulders from Pine Street to the village limits. The project will involve grading, clearing the north ditch, and potentially installing a culvert crossing. A few trees will also be removed to accommodate a snowmobile trail. The project is estimated to cost $5,500.

The board approved an alcohol operator’s license for Mechezznie Breese at the R-Store.