Edgar requests bids for street projects
Board also discusses vacating streets, police chief hiring
The village of Edgar will be going to bid for several street projects with the hopes of having them completed this year.
During the Edgar Village Board’s meeting on Monday, trustees discussed four resurfacing projects as well as asphalt and sidewalk replacement for the village hall’s parking lot. The proposed resurfacing areas are West Beech Street from 4th Avenue to 5th Street; East Lutz Street from 2nd Avenue to Oak Street; 1st Street from Birch Street to Elm Street and Oak Street from 1st Avenue to Kaiser Avenue.
According to Village Administrator Jennifer Lopez, each project would be over $25,000, making it necessary for the village to put them out to bid. Lopez said the village budgets around $235,000 each year for street work.
The board approved publishing bid requests within the next week with the goal of having the bids opened at its July 10 meeting. At that time trustees will review numbers and make any changes to how the projects will be prioritized if necessary. In other business:
The board voted to pursue the next steps in order to vacate an alley and multiple street sections in the village. The areas in question would become part of nearby homeowners’ properties.
According to Lopez, the process takes about three months, with the first step being to gather legal descriptions of each area, costing the village between $200 and $300 per section. The proposed areas include an alley off of West Maple Street and portions of West Street, Charles Street, Thomas Street and West Freeman Street.
Homeowners affected by the proposed vacations will be notified and there will be a public hearing on the matter in the coming months.
Trustees voted not to pursue the purchase of a tax delinquent property in the village after being notified by Marathon County that it will be going to auction. The small piece of property lies near the intersection of North 5th Avenue and West Elm Street.
According to Lopez, the property was owned by the Edgar Land Company, which was a lumber company that was around during the establishment of the village. When the company left the village shortly after the turn of the century, it deeded the land it owned to various entities. Lopez said for some unknown reason, the parcel in question “resurfaced” in 2009 and started having taxes assessed to it. When she started at the village in 2018, she began researching it as it didn’t have an address on the tax bill, making it impossible to collect the taxes.
Based on online tax records, the overdue taxes add up to $8,873. Lopez said there are nearby property owners who are interested in purchasing the parcel. The lot is only 60 feet wide and would not be fit for building on.
The Marathon County Sheriff’s Department has assigned Lieutenant Samuel Wellhoefer to help out in Edgar in the interim while the village searches for its next police chief. Wellhoefer will be stopping by the village office weekly for administrative duties and will begin attending board meetings next month.
The board met in closed session on Monday to discuss police chief applications. According to Lopez, trustees decided to extend the application deadline to July 7. She said officials are hopeful they will be reviewing applications at the July 10 board meeting.
