Spencer residents receive updates on village projects, annual police report

By Cheyenne Thomas Spencer Village Administrator Chris Helgestad and Spencer Police Chief Shawn Bauer spoke to residents in the “What’s Happening in Spencer?” meeting held at the Spencer Public Library on April 23. Residents were given an annual update on projects in the village and work done by the Spencer Police Department in 2024, as well as a look at what to expect for the summer for projects.

Police Bauer provided residents with information about the police department’s work in the past year, including a list of the top 10 calls that the department responded to in 2024. In total, Bauer said the department issued 1,850 citations. The top call received by the department was for traffic stops at 569 calls in 2024. Medical emergency calls were the second-most common call with 145 calls. Service Miscellaneous was third with 129 phone calls. Criminal miscellaneous had 108 calls, 911 hang-up calls happened 99 times in 2024, extra patrols were requested 89 times to place sixth, follow-up investigations was seventh with 73 calls, parking miscellaneous was eighth with 57 calls, animal complaints (dog) had 48 calls last year, and nuisance properties was in the 10th spot with 47 calls.

After his report from 2024, Bauer told residents about a few things they could expect in the coming months. The first would be the purchase of a new squad car to replace the 2017 model they currently are using for their work. The new car is expected to be put into service in July. He also spoke about the department’s intention to have junk properties in the village cleaned up this year. There are a few that have become a noticeable eyesore in the village, and he said the department is taking a different approach this year to try to get those places cleaned up.

“There are several that are a concern,” he said. “It is one of our focuses this year. There is one individual we issued two citations for last year. Nothing has happened, so we’re trying a new protocol this year. We are going to issue an ordinance to clean up the property. They will have 30 days to comply. After that, we will be issuing a new citation every day for violating the ordinance for the next 30 days. If they still have not complied, we will have to try to apply for a search warrant to get that property cleaned up. There are four other properties in addition to this one that we are looking at right now as a concern.”

Village projects After the police report, Helgestad gave residents an update on some of the completed and ongoing projects in the village. Currently, the largest project still ongoing in Spencer is the well house and water treatment plant construction project. Workers have been building Well House 7 along Roberts Street, with the project finally beginning work above ground.

“The well will go online in October,” he said. “It’s not quite double the gallons per minute as the other two wells we have, but we will have three functioning wells.”

With the completion of this well and the new treatment plant — which cost approximately $7 million to build — Helgestad said he expects the village will not have to hunt for water for the next 10 years. The project will also be a first for Spencer, as Well House 7 will be the first well constructed on the west side of the village. Helgestad said he expects that in the future, the village will have to look westward to find new wells to supply residents with water, and the projects done now will help make treatment of any water they find much easier down the road.

“I expect we will be looking on the west side to get water in the future whenever we begin looking for our fourth well,” he said. “Because the problem is finding a well that can be deep enough for regulations. So having this new treatment plant on the west side will make it easier to treat any new wells instead of trying to pump the water to the east side of the village to be treated before it can be used.”

Helgestad also talked about some of the current additions being made to the Lions Park, with new swings and a zipline being added to the park that will be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The new bandshell has also received repairs that will take into account any expansion or shrinkage in the wooden structure. The second phase of the project to add a sitting space in front of the bandshell and bathrooms is entering the fundraising phase.

To better communicate with residents, Helgestad also said the village will be launching a new website that will allow the public to sign up for updates and alerts, including emergency weather alerts when the school dome would be opened as an emergency shelter. The website will also include a police department page where monthly reports are planned to be posted, along with a question and answer section for residents on common issues. Any resident who wants to receive notifications from the village is encouraged to sign up after the website launches later on this year.