Several projects in store for the Rib Lake community

“The possibilities are endless with this project,” Laura Deuso said about a new band shell being proposed on the Ice Age Pavilion grounds.

Deuso approached the Rib Lake Village Board on Aug. 10 with a new project that could bring another form of entertainment to Rib Lake.

Deuso grew up in Rib Lake moved to Oshkosh, and eventually moved back to her hometown where she found herself missing the live music events that Oshkosh had to offer.

Deuso’s excitement for the project was heightened once she made contact with Shelby Kosmer, the Phillips’ city clerk, and was told of how much their new band shell and splash pad has done for their community growth and quality of life.

Community Fundraising efforts and working with the local Lions Club could help fund this project. She has mentioned it to the Lions Club once or twice, and hopes that they will be just as excited about the project as she is.

Deuso added, “I’ve also talked with Dylan Phillips, the shop teacher at the high school and he said it would be a great project for the students to design and build.”

The concerts would be free to the public; they would have to bring their own chairs, food, and beverages.

Concerts would not be the only thing that the band shell could be used for; it could be rented out along with the Pavilion for weddings, memorial services, church services and anything to draw people into renting the pavilion or band shell.

Deuso also offered to start a summer concert series where local bands would be able to showcase their talent every week of the summer. Funds from renting out the shelters would go towards the summer concert series. This could also give local businesses the opportunity to showcase their businesses by sponsoring a concert.

Deuso is hoping to get a small committee together that would be in charge of booking shows. Once the word gets out, she hopes that participation of the committee will grow.

Kristin Lueck, Rib Lake Clerk, stated, “If the Lions Club is going to be included, they might want to be responsible for booking the shows and help organizing everything.”

Deuso agreed with Lueck saying that could be a possibility, she just wanted to make sure she had the board’s approval on the project before she went ahead and asked any other clubs and the community for their support.

The board supported this project with hopes that it would generate local interest in the community.

Friends of Rib Lake event

Friends of Rib Lake are a new community organization that is just getting their feet on the ground. To kick of the group Jessica Mudgett proposed a ribbon cutting on McComb Ave on Friday Oct 7, which is also Rib Lake’s Homecoming. Other festivities would include a 5K, craft vendors, bounce house, and the possibility of having a scarecrow contest among local businesses. Mudgett would like to invite ambassadors from the Medford Area Chamber of Commerce to come support the ribbon cutting.

In the future the group could get involved in putting up Christmas decorations in town.

Mudgett added, “New members are always welcome.”

Professional Service Agreement by MSA

Jeff Seamandel, of Mid-State Associates (MSA) brought to the board’s attention what the village would have to do to be applicable for a Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) for the Second, Third, and Church Streets.

The application is due in May 2023. The grant can provide 67% match funds up to $1,000,000 for utility rehabilitation. This includes sanitary sewer and water main replacement. This project is not considered community wide, which means the households located adjacent to the project will need to be surveyed to determine if 51% or more of the households are considered low to moderate income. If the income results show that more than 51% of the households are considered low to moderate income, the Village will be able to apply for the grant.

20-30 surveys will have to be sent out, completed, and returned by the homeowners or the village staff will need to go door to door and assist the homeowners in completing the survey. All of the surveys are anonymous and must be completed to be eligible for the grant. The total estimate for this project would be $1,170,069.46.

If the village is unable to receive the grant this year, the data that they collect from the surveys is good for five years. The village can apply again in the next five years and use the same income data as used previously.

President Bill Schreiner stated “Third Street has one of the original water and sewer lines and there have been several water main breaks in the past few years.”

History Display

Bob Rusch came to the board asking for permission to add two text plaques to the historic display in the municipal building. Rusch explained that there were two railroad services in Rib Lake at one point. The Sioux Line railroad, which was a passenger service, and the Rib Lake Lumber Co. that transported lumber to the world. Rib Lake had its own line, which operated until 1948, making it the longest running railroad in Wisconsin. There are railroad wheels from the original railroad service that went through Rib Lake that need identification plaques so people looking at the memorabilia would know what they were used for. Jack Buksa would like to make an addition to this display by donating a Pike Pole that he had for years, which would include another text plaque. Rusch would take care of what the objects are and the significance of the artifacts.

Rusch added, “When this display is done, I think it is going to be the most knock your socks off display in a municipal building you have ever seen. I would like to suggest that we would do a ribbon cutting in the future to highlight this display.”

In other business:

• A new steel roof will replace the current roof on the shelter at the Lions Park. The estimated cost of this project is $4,473.72. Along with replacing the roof, reinforcing the structure to make it sounder. The registration booth will also get an upgrade and should take 4-6 weeks to complete. Improvements of the basketball hoop and the installation of a gaga ball pit were also discussed for future projects.

• Temporary operator licenses were approved.

• A memorial bench in memory of George Zondlo will be put in place in front of his barbershop that he had owned. This will be a permanent metal bench that will be bronze in color to match the new light poles on Main St.

• The Hwy 102 entrance for the new Forward Bank building will be permanently closed off from the highway, making Pearl St. the primary entrance for the establishment. The driveway will be widened to accommodate for traffic.

• The fire hydrant that was previously damaged on Fayette can now be replaced due to availability.