Village of Athens Board allows the police department to purchase needed equipment
The Athens Village Board voted unanimously on January 23 to allow the Athens Police Department to purchase a body warn camera system, ballistic helmet and Motorola radio.
Athens Police Department was awarded $14,569 in total grant money for the $20,295 cost for the body warn camera system. The village of Athens will pay for the remaining $5,726 needed for the body warn camera system.
Aaron Stencil, Athens police chief, said the Athens and Stratford police departments were a few of the only municipal police departments in Marathon County to not have a body warn camera system yet.
(Editor’s note: Tom Koontz, Stratford police chief, stated in his monthly police report on January 10 to the Stratford Village Board that his department will also be purchasing a body warn camera system.)
Police chief Stencil said the body warn camera system which provides an audiovisual record of police encounters not only protects citizens, but it also protects law enforcement officers who are wrongfully accused of misconduct.
The Village of Athens Board will also allow Athens Police Department to purchase a ballistic helmet for $563.50 and a Motorola radio for $6,232.65. In other Athens news:
John Welbes will be granted a onemonth extension onto a conditional use permit to give him more time to obtain permits needed to have a residence in his village of Athens business.
Village of Athens Board member Tracy Westfall asked village board member Christopher Guden, chairman of the parks and public welfare committee, to look into doing something about the dilapidated houses and businesses in the village of Athens. She told Guden the village board has discussed this issue in the past but nothing was ever done about it.
The village board has awarded next summer’s Schlegel and Elm streets construction project to Switlick & Sons of Athens for $576,985.50.
Village board members approved materials for the Schlegel and Elm streets construction project to be two inch copper and one inch poly service and ductile iron main at a total water cost of $100,469 for the project.
The village board tabled a decision on reviewing an updated sewer connection plan for 620 Kreutzer Street. The new plan would be to put a smaller holding tank on the northeast corner of the property with a grinder pump. The property owner will need to submit a plan including the holding tank size and grinder pump specifications to the village board’s water and sewer committee for approval.
Village board members approved to have the village of Athens send its final phosphorous compliance plan with the addition of a chemical to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
