Wooded yard permit is needed
Edgar trustees say neighbors will vote on 43-year-old backyard
The Edgar Village Board on Monday said it had no objection to a decades old forested backyard at the Duane Kamenick residence, 618 Second Ave., but decided it would not sanction the miniwoods without the property owner applying for a “natural lawn” permit.
Kamenick told board members he has meticulously maintained his wooded backyard since 1977, when he purchased his building lot, but recently has been subject to “frivolous complaints” and “harassment” from neighbors who complain about his nonconformist parcel.
“There are no brush piles,” the property owner said. ”I have been picking up branches for 43 years.”
Kamenick’s daughter, Amy, produced a letter from Kelly Kearns, the invasive plant coordinator for the Wisconsin DNR. In the letter, Kearns says that an aerial image of Edgar on Google Maps shows there are many wooded properties in various parts of Edgar and that Kamenick’s property is in no way unique.
The DNR official states that mowing the Kamenick backyard would not get rid of noxious weeds but, because there are so many trees on the property, invite them.
“Due to the amount of shade in your wooded area, if you were to mow in the area, it is very unlikely that you would get a healthy stand of turf grass established,” she says. “Instead of native wildflowers you would likely get Creeping Charlie, chickweed, creeping bellflower and other highly invasive non-native weeds.”
Village administrator Jennifer Lopez said, based on advice from village legal consultant Allen Harvey, the village board could give Kamenick permission to keep his backyard, but, following village ordinances, it was preferable for the property owner to apply for a “natural lawn” permit.
Under the permit rules, Lopez said, property owners within 300 feet of Kamenick’s house will be able to object to the “natural lawn.” If more than half of the property owners object, the permit will be denied, said Lopez. In this case, she said, six out of 10 property owners need to object to void the permit request.
Board members Cathy Schueller and Mike Butt said they inspected Kamenick’s backyard and could find no problem with it.
Village president Terry Lepak agreed the backyard was not a nuisance, but he did not want the village board to simply okay the “natural lawn.”
“The issue is we have an ordinance,” he said. “We have to follow our own ordinance.”
Trustee Jon Streit told Kamenick he should follow the permit process and, after getting the permit, consider the neighborhood dispute over.
“For your own sake, once that is said and done, it’s done,” he said.
In other board business:
_ Board members voted after a closed session to purchase for $10,000 two lots from Wells Fargo Bank at the intersection of Third Ave. and Chesak Ave. The two parcels, located on the northwest and northeast corner of the intersection, measure .71 acres and .44 acres.
Administrator Lopez said Wells Fargo needed to sell the lots to comply with banking regulations. The taxable value of the lots adds up to nearly $31,000.
She said the bank wanted to sell the property to the village so it could claim a tax deduction for a donation. Lopez said the village plans to sell the lots.
_ The board voted to sell small pieces of “logging road” access near Minnow Ponds Park to Duane Werner for $2,205.
Werner, said administrator Lopez, will gate the past village property to keep trespassers out.
The board voted on the land sale after a closed session. In the session, Lopez told board members Werner complained about people damaging trees
on his property.
_ Board members voted to purchase a 9 millimeter handgun for Police Chief Tyler Geske. Trustees authorized the chief to begin hiring parttime officers. Geske said he planned to hire three officers.
_ Board members voted to hire Lakes Asphalt Maintenance, Medford, to provide up to $20,000 in sealcoating and chipsealing on village streets this summer.
_ The board tabled a vote on whether to hire First Weber, Inc. to market the village industrial park by listing parcels on the MLS and Loopnet websites, rebranding the park with a logo and slogan, getting an aerial photograph of the park and purchasing two signs for the park.
In discussion, Scott Lemmer, Edgar, said he wanted to sell lots in the park for $20,000 apiece as the village’s real estate agent, but board members said that was not practical, given that neighboring communities sell parcels for $1.
_ Board members agreed to extend 20 feet a no-parking spot on Third Ave. between Maple and Beech Streets.
_ The board agreed to have trustee Cathy Schueller and village workers landscape the Edgar Village Hall with new shrubs and other plants. The project may include bark around the hall.
