Stratford seeks more action at STH 97/153 intersection

Stratford wants to see more action from the state of Wisconsin to address a dispute over right-hand turns at the intersection of Highways 97 and 153.

Despite an effort earlier this year by the Department of Transportation to remove the white shoulder lines on STH 97 that have caused confusion over the proper turning protocols, village officials noted last week that the lines are still partially visible.

“It was done really poorly,” said police chief Tom Koontz in response to a question from village president Keith Grell. “I was going to bring it up at a Public Safety meeting, but I think they should just stripe it like we’ve talked about. This grinding thing they did just makes it look like it’s faded and the line is still there.”

In July, the DOT paid Langlade County to grind off the white shoulder lines on STH 97 near the intersection with STH 153 – with the hopes of clearing up a dispute between Chief Koontz and local driver’s ed instructor Travis Hauke over motorists using the outside edge of the road to turn right. The white line along STH 97 delineates where the shoulder is, and Koontz noted that it’s illegal to use the shoulder as a right-turn lane.

Hauke, however, said state law makes it clear that right turns “shall be made as closely as practicable to the right-hand edge or curb of the road,” which to him means they should use the area between the white line and the curb.

Tony Kemnitz, traffic safety engineer at the DOT, said in July that the DOT has previously looked at establishing a left-hand turn lane or a right-turn lane at the intersection, but there’s not enough space to do that, so the agency decided to remove the white line instead.

“It’s just one lane. That’s all it was ever intended to be,” he said in July. “It seems like that white line caused some confusion.”

At the village board’s Sept. 9 meeting, Chief Koontz said the DOT’s attempt at a quick fix did not work as intended.

“It didn’t solve any problems,” he said. “It just made the road look like crap.”

If the area between the white line and curb were to be diagonally striped instead, Koontz said it would be clear to drivers that the outside edge cannot be used for turning.

Following last week’s meeting, Koontz said his officers may still pull drivers over if they attempt to use the shoulder as a turning lane, but only to issue warnings for educational purposes.

Grell said he will present a resolution to the village board at its next meeting, with the goal of notifying the DOT that the village is not satisfied with the grinding job and wants to see further action or a study of the intersection.

“There’s no way those guys (at the DOT) have laid eyes on what Langlade County did,” he said. “Langlade County said ‘it’s done,’ and they just took their word for it.”

Grell said he does not expect the state agency to do something right away.

“If this were done by June of next year, I’d be happy,” he said.

Other business

■ The board approved an amendment to the village ordinance dealing with accessory buildings, making it clear that storage containers shall not be permitted for “any residential use.” The ordinance had previously banned such containers in any residential zone, but trustees wanted to address one particular residential parcel in a commercial zone with a storage container in the yard.

A permit was recently renewed for the storage container in question after the owner followed through with a pledge to paint it a color that matches the house on the property. Grell wanted to know why trustees were now looking to change the ordinance after granting the permit.

“Now we’re completely reversing course,” he said. “You know how that looks to the residents?”

In response, trustee Damon Englebretson made a motion to approve the change, but with an exemption for any existing structures used for residential purposes.

“I don’t feel it would be appropriate to go and ask him to remove it when he’s done everything we’ve asked,” he said.

Trustee Belter said he would like the village to revisit the permit for the storage container on the residential property if the property ever changes hands.

“It just doesn’t leave a good image as you drive through Stratford,” he said.

■ The board approved a quote of $13,843 from MWP Recreation to install new playground equipment at Klemme Park.

■ The board approved new water quality trade agreements with Maple Ridge Dairy, which has agreed to maintain vegetative cover on portions of its field in order to prevent phosphorus from running into local waterways. In exchange, the village will pay a total of $13,350 per year to obtain the credits and avoid having to install costly equipment at its sewer plant needed to meet ultra-low phosphorus limits set by the DNR.

■ The board voted to renew the village’s health insurance plan through United Healthcare, with a 9 percent increase over last year. With the village covering 70 percent of the premium costs for six employees, it will pay $86,700 for insurance between Oct 1, 2025 and Sept. 30, 2026.

“This was the best option for our employers and for the village dollars,” Grell said.

■ The board approved a series of increases to the village’s fee schedule in order to keep up with its expenses for issuing permits and providing services. Building permits will now cost a minimum of $25 with an extra $10 for each $5,000 in construction value (compared to the previous $10 base fee plus $3 per each $1,000 increment in value). A minimum late fee of $200 was also added for those who start a construction project before getting a permit.

Applications for rezoning and variance requests, along with conditional-use permits, were increased from $150 to $350, while the charges for weed control and snow and ice removal were upped from $75 to $125 per hour.

“In the past, we were losing several hundred dollars on each request that was coming through,” Belter said. “These updates basically get us back to break-even, excluding staff time.”

■ Chief Koontz introduced the police department’s newest police officer, Adam Dvorak, and said he is continuing to interview applications for a second part-time officer.

“We’re getting more applications than I expected, which is a good problem to have,” he said.

■ The board voted to set trick-or-treating hours from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 31.