Canines took center stage at last night’s Minocqua Town Board meeting. Not only was the police department’s new K9 officer announced by the police chief, a Minocqua Area Chamber of Commerce official unveiled plans for a DockDogs competition next summer.
Supervisors reacted favorable to Chamber Executive Director Krystal Westfahl’s proposal to host a DockDogs competition on Father’s Day weekend at Torpy Park. During the event, dogs compete for distance and height honors as they jump from a dock into a pool of water. There are pro and amateur divisions and the event is open to all.
“The locals will be able to participate. So it’s sort of a win-win for everybody,” Westfahl said. “It’s going to be a huge tourist attraction,” she continued. “The dogs are jumping all the time.”
She described the event as “kid-friendly,” as they can crowd around the pool and watch the pooches close up. It will cost the chamber upwards of $7,500 to bring the event to the Island of Minocqua. She expects sponsorships will cover the cost, with a net dollar impact alone from the 20-30 dogs and their handlers from out of the area at about $10,000. She did not ask the town for funding, however, just their support.
In addition to using the parking lot at Torpy Park, she requested that the DockDogs group be allowed to tap into a hydrant to fill the pool that will be set up there. The chamber official says they hope to “grow” the event, with a possibility that sometime in the future Minocqua could be the site of a national DockDogs event. In an unrelated community event, the board approved a picnic license and gave permission to sponsors of the annual Ice Cold Beer Fest to set up their tent in Torpy Park for their January event. A representative said they had already sold 450 of the 600 available tickets. Proceeds will benefit Dr. Kate Hospice.
In other canine news, Minocqua Police Chief David Jaeger says he has selected patrolman Matt Tate as his K9 officer. Tate has been with the department since April of 2013. One other officer had applied for the position. Tate will spend about six weeks, mid-January through the end of February, training with the dog at Southern Police Canine, Inc. That North Carolina facility is also supplying the dog, which will be trained for search and rescue operations and narcotic detection. Public and business donations and fundraisers greatly surpassed the $82,000 minimum that the town board set before it would authorize a K9 unit for the department. The police chief said the more than $112,000 raised so far would cover all expenses. Some $60,000 will cover the cost of a squad car that will be used by the dog handler. The dog itself will cost about $15,000. Tate will receive a half-hour pay each day for taking care of the dog at home. The team will train monthly to maintain high proficiency, the chief has said.
In other matters, the board approved amending the contract with MSA for design of the new fire station south of the Island of Minocqua. While it won’t threaten the $3.4 million ceiling that the electorates set at a special town meeting, it will increase the share of funding to MSA Professional Services by an additional $69,000. Also, $12,000 would be needed for MSA design services if three alternate projects are undertaken. Earlier estimates had calculated MSA’s payment at a set percentage of a $2 million fire station. Since then, the actual structure grew in cost to $2.97 million. Construction bids are to be let in January. Supervisor Billy Fried cast the only “no” vote, saying he was not comfortable with the verbal description of those costs.
Director of Public Works Mark Pertile said he would outline the change in writing and e-mail it to supervisors. Supervisors also recommended to the county that it issue a conditional use permit (CUP) to Adam Alesaukas, who plans to buy the former Unique Floors & Interiors building on Highway 70 West. He wants to turn the building into a multi-tenant structure and provide outdoor storage for Lakeside Docks, his adjacent business. The CUP would be for the outdoor storage; future building use would require either an administrative review permit or a CUP. Bonnie Jennings, whose late husband and town supervisor Bryan Jennings was killed by a lightning strike last fall, currently owns the building.
Finally, a routine matter turned not so routine at the meeting. The board issued a Class B liquor license for The Cove, Susan Dodds, agent. However, Dennis C. Schulze, whose liquor license for the same premises was revoked earlier by the board, strongly objected to the issuance, alleging that liquor was served illegally after his rental lease was cancelled by the owners. Despite being directed by the police chief to leave, Schulze continued to berate the board and other town officials. The chief then called a patrolman to the community center and had him issue Schulze a town citation for disorderly conduct. “Dennis (Schulze) conducted himself in a loud, boisterous and profane manner causing a disturbance,” the chief said later.
