Season extended

County OKs tubing hill staying open through March based on snow

Taylor County residents and visitors will get a few more weeks to enjoy tubing at the Perkinstown Winter Sports Area.

Members of the Taylor County buildings and grounds committee on Wednesday approved giving the manager of the tubing hill the discretion to remain open through the month of March depending on hill and trail conditions.

In the past, the county had set the first weekend of March as the final weekend to be open. In years where there is adequate snow base, manager Sara Matyka said the early close time did not make sense.

“We have good snow,” she said, noting that they haven’t had to close the hill based on snow conditions yet this year.

She said the area has had a phenomenal year with 4,800 guests paying to use it including visitors from 28 states and See COUNTY on page 4 eight countries. She noted that they have a doctor from the Dominican Republic at the tubing hill last weekend.

She said that while some of the foreign visitors are exchange students in the area, others are in the area on vacation.

“They have taken valuable time from their visits to come to the tubing hill,” Matyka said. “It is a really neat impact.”

By committee action, the Winter Sports Area opens December 26 through the first weekend in March. Matyka said she was fine with the December 26 start time, conditions permitting, noting that it would be difficult to get workers and that in many years there is not enough snow at that point. However, she asked the committee if the ending date could be changed to give her the discretion to keep it open if the conditions warranted and there was enough attendance.

She said the attendance has continued to be strong, noting there were 175 tubers on the hill last Sunday. She said they are averaging between 150 to 200 people each day.

She said the attendance numbers don’t reflect the 300 to 500 additional children under the age of 3 who don’t get charged to use the hill. “We have had so many little kids it is unreal,” she said. She said they have also seen usage among all age groups with a 92-year-old and 93-year-old on the hill last weekend tubing with their great grandchildren.

“The hill conditions are awesome. It would be a dirty shame to have it sit there and not be utilized,” she said. Committee members agreed and voted to give her the discretion to keep the hill open through the end of March depending on conditions.

Committee chair Diane Albrecht noted that this has been a spectacular year for snow and cautioned that with the Winter Sports Area, you have to look at snow conditions year by year rather than comparing one year to another.

“It has everything to do with the snow,” Albrecht said.

Horse camp

Horse camping is coming to the Winter Sports Area this summer.

Committee members approved a request from members of the Horsin Around Saddle Club to use the upper parking lot at the Winter Sports Area for horse camping this summer.

Club president Roy Osness explained that the club has been around for about 40 years and that they currently use about 30 miles of trails in the Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest that runs through the area adjacent to the Winter Sports Area. He said they have been using a space at the corner of Forest Road 55 and Sawyer Ave. for camping, however they have outgrown that space. He explained that it was developed in the 1960s when most horse trailers were much smaller.

“We have a very small open area that is not flat and a loop that is tight for larger trailers,” Osness said. The upper parking area at the Winter Sports Area is several times larger than their current location and has the advantage of being flat. He asked that the gate on the lot be open to allow them to use the area for horse camps throughout the week.

He said there are groups of horse riders throughout the state who like to travel and ride in different areas. He noted their club travels to about 20 different places around the state.

Taylor County already has a dedicated horse camp in the county forest off of Hwy 102 near Rib Lake. Osness said they have helped do improvements at that facility in the past. He anticipated if the county opened the Winter Sports Area to horse camping they would have people there all summer long.

Osness said the bigger rigs that come in are self-contained with their own toilet facilities and that they have toilets they bring in for their weekend events. As far as manure, Osness said at their current location they scoop up the manure and throw it in the woods near the camp. “It is gone by the next year,” he said.

He noted that with the lot only used for winter parking when it was snow covered it would not be an issue.

He said in the future it would be nice to put up a picket line to be able to tie the horses to and to get a water spigot in the area, but he said they are things to work toward in the future. “We are used to being in primitive areas,” he said, noting they currently bring in water with them.

“All we want is to be able to use it,” Osness said, adding that they would also like the county to put up a sign and have a place they could have the trail maps displayed. He said they may need to have a culvert installed to improve access to the nearby trail, but said the club would pay for the culvert.

“From my viewpoint, I think it is a great thing,” said Joe Svejda, county buildings and ground director. He said because it is something new he would want to have some trial and error. “If something is not working we can correct or tweak it,” he said.

Committee member Jim Gebauer agreed, noting that if the club were to wreck something they would have to fix it.

Svejda also noted that they need to remember the sole purpose of that parking lot is because of the tubing hill.

“I don’t see any problem with trying it for a year,” Gebauer said.

With committee approval to use the parking lot for a horse camp in the off season, Svejda said he would be talking with the county’s attorney about a usage agreement to make sure the county is protected. In other business, committee members:

  Approved moving ahead with starting the hiring process for two custodian positions. Svejda reported that he has had two resign recently one for personal reasons and the other to pursue a different job. He noted that he has one custodian out on medical leave currently, but that the remaining staff are working to get things covered.

  Approved having Svejda seek bids from local dealers for any available pickup trucks that can be purchased for the department. Svejda said they have two trucks that are out of service. At the direction of the committee he had a mechanic look over them to see what is needed. The first is a 2000 Dodge Ram 1500 that they estimated would need $5,762 in repairs to get roadworthy. Svedja said it has an estimated Blue Book value of about $6,000. The other is a 2009 F150 that needs $9,978 in repairs versus a Blue Book value of between $4,000 and $6,000. Buildings and grounds has traditionally gotten hand-me-down vehicles from other county departments as they are replaced in those areas. Svejda said they are currently in a waiting game as forestry and law enforcement are both waiting for new vehicles before they can pass one on to buildings and grounds. Svejda said he felt the department budget has enough to cover the cost of a new truck as well as getting the used truck from the forestry department if that becomes available in the fall.

Club president Roy Osness of Horsin Around Saddle Club spoke to members of the Taylor County Buildings and Grounds committee on Wednesday seeking permission to use the upper parking lot at the Winter Sports Area as a horse camp this coming summer. The group says they have outgrown their current location which was developed in the 1960s when trailers were typically much smaller. Committee members approved granting the group permission for one year to see how it goes.Brian Wilson/THe Star News