Elmwood Board Report for September 2013

                                            “Elmwood Village considering cutting down Historical Tree”

Submitted by Rick A. Talford
Citizen Journalist

ELMWOOD, WI- The Elmwood Board met on Monday September 9, 2013 in the Village Auditorium. The meeting began at 6:55 PM. Trustee Delorse Radtke was absent from this month’s meeting. In Public Input, Keith and Linda Bernhardt spoke to the board in regards of the huge “White Pine” that sits in the roadway at the intersection of Scott and May Ave., near the school. Upon contacting the village clerk about the possible demolition of this tree that has been under attack, numerous times in the past sixty-plus years, I was sent an email back that stated “Village Public Works Director (Jamie Reitz) has determined that this tree is in serious decline and it needs to be looked more closely and probably removed. This meeting was properly and correctly posted but there was not one person from the public who attended this meeting to express any concerns. It has mushrooms growing from the tree not on the tree that it indicative of decay/disease and Jamie has a suspicion the base is hollow. Jamie is worried that this tree will do more damage if left to further decay and possibly injure life and property. We need to look at all angles of this tree not just some people’s personal feelings about this tree. Unfortunately we are in a position with this tree that will make no one happy, we are either upsetting the people who feel this tree is a landmark and needs to be preserved or will be held responsible/condemned if this tree is left to further decay and then causes injuries or God forbid a death when it comes down in a storm or unexpectedly!! Also it should be noted that this tree is in the ROW (Right of Way) and our responsible to maintain or remove if necessary. (Note- The agenda for this meeting did not specifically list this tree as a problem being looked into.) ” Mr. Bernhardt explained to the Board, that he has requested a second opinion in writing to them, and was wondering if that has been received. Village Clerk Amy Wayne stated “None has been found yet, so we are in limbo.” Village President Bill Stewart agreed with Mr. Bernhardt that if the historic tree is ok (healthy), then it would be saved, as it has been a few times in recent years. Stewart added, “It would be neat if we could do something, and it’s on hold.” Trustee Brian Buck then stated “You can check the minutes to see if anything has been done.” Stewart then spoke to Bernhardt, stating “I am compelled to tell you that it’s in the roadway, and we can do what we want with it. There are safety and liability reasons.” Bernhardt listened to what was being stated, and replied that he would, as the property owner, at least like to be contacted if anything was going to be done. He was never informed about this action, and felt the Village could have at least gave him a courtesy call, when they started the talk about it being removed. Stewart agreed, “A courtesy call could have been made.” If the tree is diseased or failing in a way that it needs to be removed, Bernhardt has no argument about it, but would like the chance at getting the wood, being he has been paying the taxes for the property that it stands on. If the tree is healthy however, he would ask that the village leave it standing, as it does have an historical value to the community. (Note- you can read up on this tree in the 2005 Centennial Book that was created and released “Life in the Valley, Elmwood’s First 100 years” by the Elmwood Historical Book Committee. There has been talk of a petition being started to save the tree from destruction, just like in the past when the village targeted the tree with the same claims back in 1986. At that time, the tree was listed by the DNR as the 10th Largest tree in Wisconsin, in an article by the Milwaukee Journal. In the centennial book, it adds that a recent book through the DNR still listed the “Famous” tree as a “Champion”, in a book called Wisconsin’s Champion Trees, by Bruce Allison. This information was submitted by Joanne Baier of Elmwood, for the book.

The board then approved the Elmwood Rod and Gun Picnic License request, as well as their temporary Operator’s License for an event being held on September 21, 2013. They then moved onto the changes that have been made with the Personnel Policy. Trustee Susan Dzubay stated “We cleaned up the policy, as there was language that was contradictory and for liability reasons, we wanted to make the changes. Spring Valley sent their policy over to us, so we could use theirs as a guide. The bottom line for the board is, we can do whatever we want.” (Note: upon asking for some clarity on exactly what changes were made, I was responded to by email. “There were numerous and various changes, additions and deletions regarding the policy, too many to list. Like Susan Dzubay stated it really was just cleaning up and tailoring the policy to fit the Village of Elmwood.” A couple of Operator’s licenses were then approved for the Cenex.

Next on the agenda, were the possible talks of opening an ATV Trail through the Village. Greg Olson from the Wilson Club, and the Director for the NW Region, spoke to the Board. Larry Johnson from the Pierce County ATV Association was in attendance as well. They attended the meeting, to bring forward information on assisting the village in getting a trail through the community, as they would provide all signage required for the trail. Trustee Brian Buck spoke to everyone, stating that a meeting was held in regards to this subject, and they have considered opening up the talks with the board, as a committee. The possible roads to enter the village are 110th and 50th on the north side of the village. They are also looking at County Road P, near the quarry on the south end of the village. “This would be for the Eau Galle Club,” he added. Other streets that may be looked at opening for ATV travel would be, Winter Ave., Clark St. and Omaha Ave. Buck believes that this will bring more people to the community. Greg Olson then told the board they should look at ATV and side by side UTV’s. His belief is that the majority of riders that use the trails are local residents. He also provided information on new changes to rider laws. There is a “Grandparents Law” now that forces any riders 12-16 years in age, to have an adult with them while riding, they can no longer ride alone. Larry Johnson then provided some contacts on where the village could obtain liability issue information. The ability for riders to get food and fuel is the main areas for this planned trail. There are a few areas, that the trail could be much harder to get approval on, as with any roads that may be State or County Highways. The approval must be received from them before a trail can be completed. Johnson then told the board they could go to the ATV Association website to get ordinance suggestions for the Village. Stewart then stated, “We will get community input on this.”

The Resolution 2013-07 was then discussed. Authorizing Signature on the Safe Deposit Box was then discussed, and newly hired Office Assistant Angie Fisher has had her name added to the list.

Committee and Board Reports followed on the agenda, with Trustee Dzubay speaking on behalf of the Parks and Buildings Committee first. There is a need for repairs in the women’s bathroom, as some plaster has started falling off. The lathe will need to be removed and repairs completed to the area. She then brought up the roof repairs, which are scheduled for September yet. Village Clerk Amy Wayne then added, “We are still waiting on White City Glass to get the door fixed, then we can contact Nevins to complete the linoleum repairs that are needed.” Trustee Buck then spoke for the Personnel and Finance Committee, stating “We received information from the Insurance manager, and he believes we are looking at Wisconsin rates going way up. WI Dept. of Insurers, as of 2014 will no longer take in claims data. They will be using your age, gender and where you live to figure out your costs. We are looking at anywhere from 30-40 percent increases. We had a 23 percent increase last year. That is over 50 percent in two years, which is criminal in my mind. Our employee’s have not even hit their deductible limits.” Buck then spoke on behalf of the Police Committee for Trustee Radtke. “We sold the old squad car for $1,700 and we purchased some items that were wanted for the Police Dept. A new brush guard and spot light have been purchased for the truck. We have also purchased a new vest for the officer to wear, instead of holding all the equipment on a belt as in the past. He will also be wearing a body camera for his safety now. A grant is also getting approved to upgrade the computer system. This will be completely funded by the grant. There was approximately $400 left from the sale of the car, that was placed into the maintenance budget for the truck.

At this meeting, I was able to see the Hi-backed Executive style chairs the Village paid $2,000 on, for the first time. The UFO Days Community Club did not receive any funds for a fireworks display at the end of the event, yet this tax payer money was used to buy these extravagant chairs, for meetings that take an average of a half-hour a month. This is one area that I believe the tax payers could have provided some serious input, on whether this was a real need for the community.

The payment of bills was then discussed, as Clerk Wayne explained that the Cenex bills had not been received, and it was figured they would be near $500 as was the range usually. The meeting then adjourned at 7:35 PM.