City approves being pass-through for youth center grant

Area youth and seniors will gain an additional place to socialize, remain active and learn new skills with the creation of a new Youth Center in the former business incubator building located behind the Medford Veterinary Clinic.

At Tuesday’s city council meeting, council members approved being a pass through entity for a Community Development Initiative (CDI) grant. Adam Rodman applied for the grant for a planned youth center which will be called the REC Center. REC stands for respect, empower and community. Under the grant, Rodman would get reimbursed with a one to one match for funds that he spent on the project.

Rodman, who owns Stronger Version Fitness, plans to move his fitness center to the facility while at the same time expanding to include two pickleball courts, a walking track and an area for youth to gather and socialize.

According to Jen Meyer, a board member for the center, they have found a need for a positive space for youth to be able to gather and take part in activities and physical fitness. She noted that the area has seen a number of suicides among young people and the REC Center effort is in partnership with group and community efforts to provide positive outlets for area youth.

Meyer said the center would primarily be youth in the after school time. However, it would be available during other times for seniors citizens and others for programs.

She explained that they are looking at various programs such as Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCAs and Silver Sneaker efforts in planning programs for the facility. The gym membership aspect will provide the long-term sustainability for the center. It is anticipated that there will be a modest annual fee for youth to use the center, but the hope is to be able to arrange scholarships to ensure that the cost is not a barrier to youth being served by it.

Billie Hartwig from the Medford Area Chamber of Commerce, who is assisting with the grant project, noted this was the same grant program used by Doug Gasek and Dale Baumann for their downtown improvement projects. As with those projects, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) grant funds would be awarded to the city and then passed through to the developer.

The city would not be responsible for any additional funds for the project.

She noted that because Taylor County is classified as being “distressed” by the WEDC, they are able to get a higher reimbursement for grant projects as well as being able to do two grant applications in a fiscal year rather than the typical one grant application.

Council members unanimously approved the city serving as a pass-through for the grant funds.

In other business, council members:

 Approved setting $55 per day rates for rental of the bandshell and of the RCU Pavilion. This is the same rate as charged for other shelters in the parks. As part of the action, neither the Kiwanis Music Series events or Chamber of Commerce will be charged for use of the bandshell. In addition for the RCU Pavilion the Chamber of Commerce will not be charged for use and neither will the weekly farmers markets at the site. As part of the naming rights agreement, RCU will also get one free use of the shelter each year with the condition they must schedule it with the city to prevent double-booking.

 Approved changing the agent for the liquor license for the Simek Center to Eric Cychosz.

 Approved a class A retail liquor license for CAPL Retail LLC, doing business as Express Lane with Kimberly Krawczyk as agent.

 Accepted the materials and labor bids for the public works department. Materials bids were in line with prior years as far as cost without significant increase. In keeping with past practice, the city accepted all bids for backhoe and dump trucks and operators allowing the flexibility of hiring local firms as needed for tasks such as snow removal.

 Approved hiring Jensen and Sons Chip and Seal Coating for street striping at a cost of $11,900. They were the low bidder for the work with the other bid of $24,925 from Fahrner Asphalt.

 Approved increasing the mayor’s salary from $10,000 per year to $12,500 per year effective with the start of the new term on April 16. As part of the action, council members approved a review of the mayor’s salary every two years and the council members compensation every three years.

 Approved the annual ordinance formally enacting and adopting the supplement to the city’s code of ordinances for the ordinances and resolutions passed in the past year.

 Approved changes to the city’s wastewater treatment plant engineering agreement to include odor reduction processes using wood chips as a biological filter for exhaust from the plant. Other changes include direct piping chemicals from bulk tanks, repiping to allow greater flexibility in taking treatment cells out of service for maintenance and replacing aging PVC pipes which are becoming fragile due to chemicals used at the plant.