Village Board

P.O. Box 338 - 314 E Forest St. - Lone Rock WI 53556 - (608) 583-0088 2025-08-12 Village Board Meeting Meeting minutes Roll Call President Dan Quinn called the Village of Lone Rock Board meeting to order. Present were Dan Quinn, Mary Litviak, Brad Wilson, Brandon Bindl, Adam Reno, Corey Ewers, and Brad Seymour. Also in attendance: Elizabeth Gieck, Chris Conner, Cameron Quinn, Peggy Adank, C. Catherine Dion, Paul Halberg, Pat Christianson, Sandra Creasey, Jen Merrison, Betty Ruhland, Steve Morgensen, Bart Nies and Ted Greenheck. ZOOM: Linda Schwanke (Independent Star News), Valley Sentinels AI Notetaker. Approve Agenda Motion to approve the agenda was made by Adam Reno, seconded by Brad Wilson, and carried unanimously. Approval of 07/08/25 Meeting Minutes Motion to approve July 8, 2025, meeting minutes as presented was made by Brad Seymour, seconded by Brandon Bindl, and carried unanimously. Lift Station #2 Project – Bart Nies, Delta 3 Bart Nies from Delta 3 presented information about the Lift Station #2 project. He explained that the project was already bid out and construction is scheduled to begin after Labor Day. Nies stated that the DNR would not fund Lift Station #2 in the previous application because it was collection system related rather than treatment plant related. The DNR had funded the full sewer plant and force main, but not the lift station. Nies presented paperwork to apply for funding specifically for the lift station project. He explained that the budget was set at $750,000, though the actual cost might be lower as it included items such as $25,000 for interim interest that would not be fully utilized. He emphasized that it was important to request all potential costs upfront as they could not be added later. Approve submittal of Clean Water Fund Application Motion to submit the Clean Water Fund Application was made by Adam Reno, seconded by Brad Wilson, and carried unanimously. Approve Authorized Representative Resolution #2025-04 - Clean Water Fund Program Nies explained that this resolution was like what was done for the sewer plant project last year. The resolution would authorize the Village President as the authorized representative for the Lift Station #2 replacement project. Motion to approve Authorized Representative Resolution 2025-04 Adam Reno, seconded by Brad Wilson, and carried unanimously. Approve Reimbursement Resolution #2025-05 - Clean Water Fund Program Nies referred to this as the "November resolution" and explained that without passing this resolution, any funds used from village accounts would not be eligible for reimbursement by the DNR under IRS rules. The resolution allows the village to reimburse its own accounts if funds are used from the sewer account to pay toward the project before funding is available. Motion to approve the Reimbursement Resolution was made by Brad Wilson, seconded Mary Litviak, and carried unanimously. Proposed Sidewalk – State Trunk Highway '130'/Wisconsin DOT TAP Grant – Engineering Contract Bart Nies continued with information about the sidewalk improvements project along Highway 130/133. He explained that the village had received a DOT Transportation Alternatives Program grant of approximately $280,000 for the project. The engineering contract presented would formalize the engineering services, some of which had already been completed. Nies explained this was necessary to make those expenses eligible for the grant funding. The project is scheduled for 2026 to coincide with highway construction, and the village has until the end of June 2028 to complete the project. The sidewalk would extend from Dr. B. Reynolds Street to Highway 14, covering approximately 1,700 feet. Nies confirmed that the engineering fees presented were consistent with what was included in the 2023 grant application, and that about $8,500 of the engineering work had already been paid for. Motion to approve the engineering terms and contract for the proposed sidewalk improvements for Highway 130/133 was made by Brad Seymour, seconded by Mary Litviak, the motion carried unanimously. Fair Housing – Village Proclamation Bart Nies presented a Fair Housing proclamation, which he explained was a requirement of the CDBG grant (the million-dollar grant for the sewer plant project). He stated that CDBG requires three fair housing tasks, and this proclamation was one of the tasks selected as it did not cost the village any money. President Quinn read the proclamation, which designated the week of August 11-15, 2025, as Fair Housing Week in the Village of Lone Rock and encouraged housing providers to support and affirm their commitment to fair housing. Motion to approve the Fair Housing proclamation was made by Adam Reno, seconded by Brad Seymour, and carried unanimously. Pay Application #3 – Ewers Contracting, Inc. Bart Nies provided an update on the wastewater facility project. He reported that Ewers Contracting, which has Contract 2 for installing the force main and water main from Lift Station 1 to the sewer plant, is 98% complete with their work. Some landscaping and punch list items remain, and they will need to make the connection at Lift Station 1 when the sewer plant is ready. Regarding Contract 1 with MZ Construction, Nies reported that they were supposed to start desludging this week but had sent an email indicating they would not be on site until after Labor Day. He noted that recent heavy rains in Milwaukee, where they have another project, would further delay their arrival in Lone Rock. Nies mentioned that there is a slight chance they might be there by August 25th, and that he and Jordan are contacting them weekly to encourage them to start work. Nies also reported that the contractor for the lift station work is expected to begin in early September. Motion to approve Pay Application #3 for Ewers Contracting in the amount of $151,330 was made by Adam Reno, seconded by Brandon Bindl, and carried unanimously. Corey Ewers excused himself. Naming TID Project – (School Lots) recommending Lone Rock Estates Ted explained that he needed to get the final plat together and submitted it to the state, and one requirement was naming the subdivision. After some discussion, the board agreed that including "Lone Rock" in the name was important. Motion to name the lots "Lone Rock Estates" was made by Adam Reno, seconded by Brad Wilson, and carried unanimously. During this discussion, Ted also confirmed that the lots would be zoned R-1 (single family residential), though he noted that someone could request to change the zoning in the future if needed. Lot prices on Commercial Street and School Property The board discussed the pricing lot for the TID project. There was discussion about the Commercial Street property, with Ted explaining that as a realtor, he gets inquiries about this property about once a year from parties interested in commercial development. The property has potential commercial value due to its location and railroad spur access. The board discussed whether to market the Commercial Street property primarily for commercial use, noting that it might be valued between $75,000-$150,000 depending on what a buyer would bring to the village in terms of employment opportunities. Motion to list the Commercial Street property with the Driftless Area Group at the realtor's discretion on pricing was made by Adam Reno, seconded by Brad Seymour, and carried unanimously. Paul Halberg, WI Properties – Lot behind LR Mart - Zoned B-1 – What can he do with it? Paul Halberg from WI Properties asked for clarification on the zoning of the lot behind Lone Rock Mart, which he believed was zoned B-1. He explained that he had purchased the lot separately from the bank building and was interested in selling it to someone who wanted to put storage units there. Brad Seymour confirmed that the property is zoned B-1 (retail business) and explained that storage units are not allowed use in B- 1 zoning, either as permitted use or conditional use. Seymour noted that the new zoning code being developed would be more liberal with permitted uses in that area, but storage units would still not be allowed. Halberg asked if he could apply for a variance, and Seymour confirmed he could but suggested the committee might not look favorably on it. Seymour also mentioned that setback requirements would need to be considered for any development on the quarter-acre lot. Halberg confirmed he was just seeking consensus from the board about the property's zoning status and options, which he received. Ordinance Committee recommends adopting Fee Schedule Title 1- Title 12 Brad Seymour presented information on the fee schedule recommended by the Ordinance Committee. He explained that the committee had met for three hours to review all the required fees from Chapter 2 through Chapter 11 that had never been formally adopted by the board. The committee reviewed a document from the village attorney, Alan Harvey, which listed recommended fees, and adjusted it based on current village practices. Seymour noted that the committee also reviewed fees for the new Chapter 13, but those would be brought to the board for approval when the new Chapter 13 is adopted. Motion to approve the fees contained in Ordinance 1-3-1, sections 2 through 11, as presented was made by Brad Seymour, seconded by Corey Ewers, and carried unanimously. Proposed 2025 Infrastructure Improvements from previous meeting (informational only) The board briefly discussed the proposed infrastructure improvements, noting that the costs were substantial. It was mentioned that the TID project was still going through the assessment procedure, so updated figures were not yet available. The board discussed the possibility of breaking the infrastructure improvements into phases, with East Fourth Street potentially being the first phase. It was noted that making all the improvements at once would be too much for the village to manage, and doing one section at a time would be more manageable. Termination of WisVote Contract by County Staff – effective 01/01/2026 The clerk informed the board that the Richland County Clerk’s Office would no longer be providing WisVote services for elections effective January 1, 2026. This means the village clerk will now be responsible for all election data that was previously managed by the county. The clerk explained that this will require additional training and work, including 8 hours of training and attending several meetings in Richland Center. The clerk will be required to manage all election data entry and submit information by 4:00 PM the day after an election, which may require closing the office on those days. The change will save the village $400 per year but will add more responsibilities to the clerk's workload. New Holland Tractor lease - Terminates 11/10/2025. The board discussed the upcoming termination of the New Holland tractor lease on November 10, 2025. Chris from Public Works indicated he would like to continue with the same tractor model as it works well for their needs. The board has agreed to have Chris continue securing a new lease for the same equipment. Temporary Liquor license for 8/23/2025 to LR Fire Department: Car Show Motion to approve the temporary liquor license for August 23, 2025, Lone Rock Fire Department car show at Outdoor Express was made by Mary Litviak, seconded by Corey Ewers, and carried unanimously. Bartenders' (Operators') license – Lone Rock Mart: Brenda Kirschstein Motion to approve the operator's license for Lone Rock Mart, Brenda Kirschstein was made by Brad Seymour, seconded by Brad Wilson, and carried unanimously. Batting cage installation at Fireman's Park – Adam Reno Adam Reno requested that the village pay for the concrete for a batting cage installation at Fireman's Park. He explained that they have funds to purchase the batting cage equipment and would manage that portion but would like the village to cover the concrete costs, estimated at $2,500. Reno noted that they plan to purchase the cage equipment soon but would not assemble it until spring, though they would like to pour the concrete this fall. Volunteers would do the work. Motion to approve payment for the concrete for the batting cages at Fireman's Park was made by Brad Wilson, seconded by Brad Seymour, and carried unanimously. Zoning Administrator Report Brad Seymour reported that the Chapter 13 zoning ordinance revisions were still not complete, as the attorney had not provided the requested revisions. Seymour was continuing to get the revisions completed for board approval. Seymour reported that he had issued two zoning approval permits: ● To Bruce Creasey at 326 East Union Street for a 10' x 20' storage accessory building in an area zoned R-1 single-family residential. ● To Kenneth Shanahan for an addition to a storage building at 920 North Prairie Street. Preliminary approval was granted to construct a 40' x 50' addition to the existing building, which is zoned M-1 industrial. A variance was granted due to an encroachment into the required setback. Seymour also reported that he was working on various zoning code violations on South Maple and West Richland streets and was looking into an issue regarding parking of recreational vehicles on some Oak Street properties. Zoning (B. Seymour) and/or Building (D. Butteris) Permit(s): ● Storage building at 326 East Union Street (Bruce Creasey) ● Addition to the storage building at 920 North Prairie (Kenneth Shanahan) ● Electric work at 33773 Highway 14 (Paul/Cheryl Haas) ● Carport at 805 South Pine Street (Sara Carstensen) ● Electric work at 224 West Commercial Avenue (Theresa Jensen) ● Deck at 223 West Buck Run Road (Bradley Wilson) ● Electric work at 212 West Commercial Street (Jared Roberts) Motion to approve zoning and building permits by Brad Seymour, seconded by Corey Ewers, and carried unanimously. Fire District No report was provided. EMS Jen Merrison reported 20 patient contacts for July. They are ordering banners to help recruit more EMRs and EMTs. Merrison proposed a sign-on bonus program to attract new members: $200 for completing EMR training and an additional $300 for completing EMT training. Participants would need to sign a 2-year contract, commit to at least 8 calls per month, and attend all meetings and training courses. The EMS would pay for books and classes. There was discussion about enforcement of the agreement if people do not fulfill their commitments, with one board member noting that previous similar programs had some participants who did not follow through. It was agreed that any agreement would need to be reviewed by the village attorney. Motion to approve the Lone Rock EMS proposal to give sign-on bonuses to people who have successfully completed the EMR and EMT training was made by Brad Seymour, seconded by Brad Wilson, and carried unanimously. Police For the month of July, the police department managed 31 calls for service and issued 1 citation in the village. From June 29 to August 2, they worked 84 hours at a cost of $4,668. Library Seymour reported 150 visitors to the library in June, 117 checkouts and 85 on Libby app. The program on bugs and snakes drew the biggest crowd of the summer. Three more summer reading programs were scheduled. Public Works Department – Chris Conner & Cameron Quinn No report was provided. Public Input The clerk reported that the new owners of Town & Country waste collection were considering changing garbage pickup from Mondays to Fridays, potentially starting in October. There was discussion about late pickups causing residents to think their garbage had been missed. The clerk noted that the company would attend a future board meeting if they decide to pursue the change. Upcoming Meetings ● Thursday, August 21st – Open Book – 9:00 AM–5:00 PM – Village Office ● Tuesday, September 16th – Board of Review – 5:00 PM-7:00 PM - Village Office ● Next Board Meeting – September 9, 2025 - 7:00 PM at the Village Office Review Check Register/Bills The board reviewed the check register and bills. Adjourn The meeting was adjourned at 8:19 PM. Respectfully submitted: Tammy Christianson, Clerk