Multi-tenant Building Planned in City’s

Industrial Park

by KEVIN BONESKE kevin@ppulse.com

AGreen Bay–based company is planning to add a 50,000-square-foot building and space for about five tenants to the Industrial Park.

The Sturgeon Bay Common Council voted unanimously Feb.

7 to approve a memorandum of understanding (MOU), effective through the end of this year, between the city and Howard Immel, Inc. The company would design and construct the building, and in return, the city would provide the vacant, city-owned former Zak property along South Neenah Avenue and some level of financial incentives for construction.

The structure would be known as the Sawyer Business Center and could be flexible for use by different tenants based on their individual needs. The building could also be expanded to 100,000 square feet.

Community development director Marty Olejniczak said the project at that site would be a good candidate for the creation of a new tax increment district (TID), which would help cover the costs of infrastructure to expand industrial development and any needed financial incentives.

“That’s how we got most of the development in the Industrial Park that we have now, is through tax increment financing, which paid for streets and electrical lines and sewer and water and stuff,” he said.

Olejniczak said TID # 1, which was used to develop the current Industrial Park, will be closing this year and free up capacity to create additional TIDs, although the MOU doesn’t bind the city to any level of financial incentives or a specific development agreement.

“If there’s a plan that’s fully ready to go and there’s a developer for it –Immel is hoping to find a developer – then we would come back with a formal development agreement,” he said. “At that point, you [council members] can decide if this is a good deal for the city or not.”

Carol Karls, director of preconstruction and client services for Immel, told the Finance/ Purchasing and Building Committee on Jan. 31 that the project concept calls for constructing a “fairly typical pre-engineered building.”

“It’s just a matter of building it up to a certain point to allow the flexibility of whether it’s going to be manufacturing space, and what their needs are, versus how much office

[space] somebody might need, or warehouse space or whatever their needs are,” she said.

Karls said Immel will get to a point where it will turn the project over to a developer the company would select.

“Ultimately, Immel will not own the building,” she said. “It will be a developer who typically owns industrial properties that will be the owner of it.”

Door County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) executive director Michelle Lawrie said the project would provide space for developing companies to leave DCEDC’s business incubator.

“[The business incubator is] supposed to incubate companies to come in at below market rates, stay for up to five years and then grow out of it – that’s the whole point, so we can get new companies to come in and start their space,” she said.

“What has ended up happening is that there hasn’t been any space for them to grow and move into. This is going to help some of these businesses that need to grow and have more space to actually do that.” The MOU calls for Immel to work with DCEDC and city staff to identify potential anchor tenants for the facility.

STURGEON BAY City Assessing Need for More Streetlights

by KEVIN BONESKE kevin@ppulse.com

Aft er the number of streetlights in Sturgeon Bay was reduced several years ago as a cost-saving measure, the city’s Community Protection and Services Committee is considering whether to add lights where dark areas could pose a safety hazard.

“We have recently received some concerns from citizens, as well as from some public-safety folks, that have said they almost hit people in some of the dark spots,” said committee chair and District 3 alderman Dan Williams.

He asked law enforcement, as well as the fire department and street department to see whether there were “any hazard areas that would benefit from a streetlight.”

Williams asked that an assessment of streetlights in the city be done during February to discuss at the committee’s next meeting, when a

STURGEON BAY

“After waiting months and through several offers where we were out-bid, your patience, expert guidance humor were shining examples of why we wanted to work with you. Now, looking at the fire and drinking cider during a snowstorm in our new Door County home, we cannot tell you enough that this was absolutely worth the wait. Thank justification could be made about adding lights in areas of the city.

Police Chief Clint Henry told the committee he is aware of one incident a year or two ago when a pedestrian was hit at night on a dark street in a residential area on South Lansing Avenue. Wherever streets have sidewalks, he said pedestrians should use those instead of walking on roads.

Williams said dark areas where he was advised to look included Michigan Street, where sidewalks were under repair and pedestrians were walking on the street, as well as where 3rd Avenue turns into Memorial Drive.

Fire Chief Tim Dietman said the only places the fire department has identified as dark areas are where there is a long stretch of roadway with very little lighting.

“I think we have a few of those on both sides of town where we have extended blocks and there’s just not as much lighting,” he said.

Williams said people who delay shoveling the sidewalks in front of their houses can contribute to pedestrians walking on the streets in dark areas.

Committee member and District 7 alderwoman Kirsten Reeths said a lack of street lighting was an issue when she ran for office, particularly in the block on 8th Avenue heading north off of Michigan Street.

Sturgeon Bay Utilities’ general manager, Jim Stawicki, said the number of streetlights in the city was reduced in 2009 and 2013. Except for some ornamental lights, all the streetlights are now the LED variety.

“I know the city’s total cost is about $145,000 a year, between our decorative lights, as well as our streetlights,” he said. “That lights up the entire city.”

Stawicki said Sturgeon Bay Utilities will install a streetlight at the direction of the city, which pays for it. He said utility customers are also offered the opportunity to pay for their own streetlight at $110-$120 a year, provided there is a nearby energy source to power it.

Common Council to Decide on Highway Driveway for Kwik Trip

by KEVIN BONESKE kevin@ppulse.com

Aft er two deadlocked decisions Monday, Sturgeon Bay’s Aesthetic Design and Site Plan Review Board passed a motion to have the city’s Common Council decide whether to allow a new Kwik Trip that’s being planned on the city’s west side to have a driveway connecting with Highway 42/57.

Last December, the board approved the project’s building and site design, but it included a condition that the entrance/exit along Highway 42/57 would need to come back before the board if the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) required a change to that driveway or a raised median on the highway in that area due to the Kwik Trip.

Community development director Marty Olejniczak said WisDOT informed the city that the median would need to be raised from the existing end of the median at Duluth Avenue to the raised median at Ashland Avenue, eliminating the two-way left-turn lane that currently exists for that stretch of the highway.

Representatives of Sturgeon Bay Metal Products, which is located on the other side of the highway from where the Kwik Trip would be built, objected to adding a raised median, which would prevent trucks from turning left into the business.

Child-Find GIBRALTAR EARLY CHILDHOOD SCREENING

When:

March 17, 2023

Early Childhood screening is offered to residents of Gibraltar School District at no cost to provide parents an informed estimation of their child’s thinking, language, and motor skill development. To assist in accurate screening, specialists will be available to answer any questions you may have regarding your child’s development.

For those of you interested and have a child who will be at least 2 1/2 years of age by March 17, 2023 please contact Allison Prescott to set up an appointment by email at aprescott@gibraltar.k12.wi.us or call 920-868-3284, ext. 271.

Your participation in this screening is the first vital step in your child’s education.

The project as designed includes three entrances/exits, with the other two also having two-way traffic located along Duluth Avenue (County S).

The board has the discretion to make a final decision on site plans before it, unless its ruling is appealed to the council by one of the affected parties. But the board’s two motions to approve the project – one with a driveway on Highway 42/57 and the other without – deadlocked on 2-2 votes, with three board members absent. It was then that the board referred the matter to the council, where it could have ended up anyway had one of the affected parties appealed one of the motions, had it passed.

Sturgeon Bay School District

4-YEAR-OLD KINDERGARTEN SCREENING

A free screening for children who reside in the Sturgeon Bay School District and who will be four years old on or before September 1, 2023, will be held on Friday, March 3, at Sawyer School.

A developmental screening by district specialists will be part of this scheduled appointment. This screening is available regardless of where your child will attend 4K. If you have a child eligible for this program, please call Sawyer School at 920-746-1825.

If you have concerns about a child who is under 3 years old, please call the Birth to Three Program at 920-746-7155.

Supreme Court Candidates

In addition to the primary elections for four local municipalities, the Feb. 21 primary election includes the race for Wisconsin Supreme Court justice for all Door County voters. Shown (from left) are the candidates: Dane County Circuit Court Judge Everett Mitchell, Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Jennifer Dorow, Milwaukee County Circuit Court Judge Janet Protasiewicz and former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Daniel Kelly. Mitchell and Protasiewicz are left-wing candidates, Dorow and Kelly rightwing. To read about each of these candidates, go to “Meet the Candidates for Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice” at doorcountypulse.com. All photos submitted.

Primary Election Race

continued from page 1

Town of Gardner

Three seats are up for election on the five-member Gardner Town Board, and all three have a race. One of those – the Supervisor 2 seat – drew two candidates to challenge the incumbent, triggering the need for a primary election. The top two vote-getters will advance to the April 4 ballot.

Mike Marchant, a third candidate, did not respond to the Peninsula Pulse’s request to participate in the questionnaire.

Mark Lentz, 67, incumbent Supervisor 2, is a retired municipal public-works director. He has a B.S. in civil engineering from Michigan Technological University. He and wife, Connie, have no children.

Why are you running? I am running for a second term as Town Supervisor

2. Additionally, I have chaired the Town Plan Commission for six years. I enjoy using my professional local-government experience to help guide the town and assist its residents. During my time serving the town, I have administered contract bids and specifications, helped write ordinances and coordinated the update to the 20-year Comprehensive Plan.

Gary Schaeffer, 72, is retired. He has 11 years of high school and firefighter training. He’s married to Cecilia, and they have one adult child.

Why are you running? They want to see change, and I was asked to run for the board again. When I was on the board in the early 2000s for 10 years, we did accomplish quite a few things in the town. We’re here for what the people want, not what the supervisors want. So I’m giving it a try again.

Updated Designs

Coming continued from page 1 of County G, another north of that at White Cliff Road and a southbound lane dedicated to the driveway of the Main Street Shops.

However, all three of those turn lanes are now off the table in favor of a twolane, continuous left-turn lane from south of County G to just north of the Main Street Shops.

Simon said that WisDOT reconsidered the plans and had safety and access concerns about the three left-turn lanes, and was uncomfortable that one of those led into the private Main Street Shops driveway.

“Their latest direction is this [the continuous two-lane] has to go in,” Simon said.

Simon said the design is a throwback to one his company had originally designed in 2019 but didn’t go with when objections arose over the 17-foot road width. The new design would be 16 feet (12-foot lane, three-foot paved shoulder, one-foot gutter).

“There are advantages to [the continuous turn lane], and they felt it was more appropriate for this situation,” Simon said.

Another design change that could be coming is reintroducing parking spaces to the core. Though there would be a net gain of parking throughout the entire project area, all the on-street parking had been removed from the core area from Greens N Grains north to Parador.

Simon said there are “no promises,” but he and Heller discussed ways to return that parking.

“Our discussion involved cutting down the terrace so we could put

Town of Gibraltar

Five people are running for two supervisor seats, triggering the need for a primary to eliminate one of the five. The race contains three newcomers and two incumbents.

One of the incumbents, Karl Stubenvoll, has been on the town board in the past, but for his current term, the town supervisors appointed him to the seat in October 2022 to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of former board member Tim Luettgen. Stubenvoll was among the six candidates who had vied for that appointment. (Only half of those six are officially running for the seat: Stubenvoll, plus Tom Birmingham and John Selenica.)

Thomas M. Birmingham, 71, is the owner of Great Northern Construction. He has three years of college at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, is married to Linda and has three adult children. Why are you running? Having lived here all my life and witnessed how it’s changed, I’m alarmed by initiatives the board has taken, the direction they’re headed and their side-stepping of the state revenue limit with a fee. It’s time for change, and I can lead. If elected, I will work to stop the Traffic Utility Fee and further fee funding of common services, curtail growth of town government, effect downtown municipal improvement without impervious surface increase, and preserve rural character.

Vinni Chomeau, 46, is the Friends of Gibraltar project coordinator. She has a B.S. in environmentalexperiential education from Northland College, an M.S. in environmental science and policy from the University of WisconsinGreen Bay, and an environmental education certification from Hamline

Project Costs

The Highway 42 Project through the Village of egg Harbor is estimated to cost $3,540,000 for the south and north portions, and $3,080,000 for the core downtown area. Including trees, landscaping, stormwater management, and bertschinger Community Center parking lot improvements, the total project cost is estimated at $9,460,000, including borrowing that the village did in 2021 for the project’s first phase for engineering costs and property acquisitions. Due to some shared costs on the County e portion of the project and grants the village received – $1,382,000 through the Transportation alternative parking all the way from Parador to White Cliff Road on the left [west] side of the street,” Heller said. “That’s what Mike [Simon] is investigating. They are going to come up with what that would take and what it would cost.”

The village had held a public meeting on the project and took feedback for a week after. It received more than 80 written comments, with the most common objections being the removal of parking in the core and the southbound turn lane into the Main Street Shops.

“We were elected by the people to listen to our people, and there’s been 39 people that commented on the lack of parking,” said trustee Angela Lensch. For that reason, and for the “year-round businesses and aging population,” she suggested they eliminate the turn lanes entirely, restore all the core parking, and reroute visitors with signage down Market Street to Church Street to access the Main Street Shops.

University. She is married to Jay Chomeau and has one child. Why are you running? I am running for local office to find creative solutions that enhance the aesthetics and unique character of the town while promoting environmental health, success of local businesses and quality of life for residents. I would like to apply the experience I have gained from townlevel planning, from being on the Door County Board of Supervisors and from having served on various county committees, including the Door County Resource Planning Committee that deals with zoning. I am also interested in saving some trees in town.

Brian Merkel, incumbent, is the owner of Nor Door Sport and Cyclery. He is married to Melissa Merkel and has one son. He did not respond to requests to tell us his age or about his education or to send a photo.

Why are you running? Reason to rerun is to continue the smart growth of our township while maintaining and improving the quality of life here while keeping the inviting, small-town charm that our community is known for.

John Selenica, 60, is retired. He has a B.S. in technical management from DeVry University. He is married to Jody Selenica, and they have one child living at home. Why are you running? I am invested in Gibraltar and would like to contribute my experience in growing it into a vibrant community. I have 35 years’ experience in the public utilities and have assisted municipalities with public-improvement projects. I volunteer at Door Community Auditorium, Northern Sky Theater and Gibraltar Fire & Rescue. I feel I could be a strong and diverse advocate for the community, given my current commitment to Gibraltar and my prior experience with municipal infrastructure.

Karl Stubenvoll, 69, incumbent, owns Gallery of Gold. He has a B.S. in geological engineering and a B.S. in civil engineering, both from Michigan Tech. He is married to Nancy Stubenvoll, and they have two adult children.

Why are you running? I am happy to be a resident of Gibraltar and am proud to be able to serve the town. In addition to previous terms on the town board, I have led the building committee as chairman since it was reestablished several years ago. Our job has been to monitor all of the buildings owned by the town in order to keep up with any maintenance issues. I have also served on the board and as president of the Fish Creek Civic Association (now Visit Fish Creek) and have been very active in volunteering for Fish Creek’s Winterfest and previous events.

Project grant program in 2021 for the north and south portions, and a Congestion Mitigation and air Quality Improvement Program grant this year for $1,740,480 for the core area – the village’s estimated cost at this time for the remainder of the project is $6,251,760.

Total costs include property acquisitions. Megan Sawyer, village administrator, said they are acquiring approximately 80 temporary limited easements with an average size of 1,700 square feet and approximately 20 permanent limited easements, most for utility-box locations, with an average size of 300 square feet.

The village will borrow money to pay for its portion of the project, with the total amount to be determined.

“I would like to see our engineers attempt to look at something like that,” she said. “We would still mitigate congestion and so still have the grant, and just educate our visitors to move around more.”

Simon said they would have to install medians to prevent left turns, and they’d also have to sell the new design to WisDOT. But he said it would reduce congestion.

“I don’t see it as a bad idea,” he said.

Trustee Lisa VanLaanen said she thought it was “late in the game” to be making changes like that. Village administrator Megan Sawyer suggested they first start with the idea of restoring parking in the core area and go from there. New design concepts and project costs will be considered during upcoming meetings.

Door County Municipalities

Those municipalities that publish their legal notices with us are indicated below with LEGALS.”

COUNTY OF DOOR, POP. 28,650- LEGALS co.door.wi.gov

920.746.2200 County Board meets 4th Tuesday of month

Cty Clerk: Jill Lau jlau@co.door.wi.us

TOWN OF BAILEYS HARBOR, POP. 1,069 - LEGALS baileysharborwi.org

920.839.9509

Town Board meets 2nd Monday of month

Clerk: Haley Adams admin@townofbaileysharborwi.org

TOWN OF BRUSSELS, POP. 1,129 - LEGALS townofbrussels.com

920.825.7618

Town Board meets 2nd Wednesday of month

Clerk: JoAnn Neinas jonein789@centurytel.net

TOWN OF CLAY BANKS, POP. 392 tn.claybanks.wi.gov

920.493.7383

Town Board meets 2nd Monday of month

Clerk: Jessica Bongle townofclaybanks@gmail.com

TOWN OF EGG HARBOR, POP. 1,404 townofeggharbor.org 920.743.6141

Town Board meets 3rd Monday of month

Clerk: Pam Krauel clerk@townofeggharbor.org

VILLAGE OF EGG HARBOR, POP, 207 - LEGALS villageofeggharbor.org

920.868.3334

Village Board meets 2nd Monday of month

Clerk: Lynn Ohnesorge lohnesorge@villageofeggharbor.org

VILLAGE OF EPHRAIM, POP. 288 - LEGALS ephraim-wisconsin.com

920.854.5501

Village board meets 2nd Tuesday of month

Clerk/Treasurer: Andrea Collak acollak@ephraim-wisconsin.com

TOWN OF FORESTVILLE, POP. 1,109 - LEGALS forestvilletown.com

920.856.6551

1364 Mill Road, Sturgeon Bay, WI 54235

Town board meets 3rd Monday of month

Clerk: Ruth Kerscher clerk@forestvilletown.com

VILLAGE OF FORESTVILLE, POP. 427 villageofforestville.com

920.536.3181

Village board meets 3rd Monday of month

Clerk: Tiffany Dufek villageclerk@centurylink.net

TOWN OF GARDNER, POP. 1,228 - LEGALS townofgardner.org

920.825.1137

Town board meets 2nd Wednesday of month

Clerk: Amy Sacotte togclerk@townofgardner.org

TOWN OF GIBRALTAR, POP. 1,057 - LEGALS gibraltarwi.gov 920.868.1714

Town board meets 1st Wednesday of month

Clerk: Kelly Murre clerk@townofgibraltar.us

TOWN OF JACKSONPORT, POP. 727 - LEGALS jacksonport.org 920.823.8136

Town board meets 4th Tuesday of month

Clerk/Treasurer: Colleen Huberty jtownclerk@jportfd.com

TOWN OF LIBERTY GROVE, POP. 1,783 - LEGALS libertygrove.org 920.854.2934

Town board meetings 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of month

Clerk/Treasurer: Anastasia Bell tlibertygrove@gmail.com TOWN OF NASEWAUPEE, POP. 2,114 - LEGALS townofnasewaupee.com

920.854.4118

Village board meets 3rd Tuesday of month

Clerk: Heidi Teich info@sisterbaywi.gov

CITY OF STURGEON BAY, POP. 9,467 - LEGALS sturgeonbaywi.org 920.746.2900

Common Council meets 1st & 3rd Tuesday of month

Clerk: Stephanie Reinhardt info@sturgeonbaywi.org

TOWN OF STURGEON BAY, POP. 826 - LEGALS townofsturgeonbay.us 920.743.3908

Town board meets 1st Monday of month

Clerk: Nancy Anschutz nlanschutz@yahoo.com

TOWN OF UNION, POP. 995 - LEGALS https://townofuniondoorwi.gov/

920.493.9559

Town board meets 2nd Wednesday of month

Clerk: Beth Hanson clerk@townofuniondoorwi.gov

TOWN OF WASHINGTON, POP. 719 washingtonisland-wi.gov

Town board meets 3rd Wednesday of month

Clerk/Treasurer: Alexandria McDonald townoffice@washingtonisland-wi.gov