MINOCQUA – Minocqua will make the last $600,00 payment on a debt consolidation loan this October, and the town board wants to keep that debt service amount intact in order to embark on an ambitious road repair and blacktopping program.
The town has another loan (for the new fire station) that requires an annual payment of $315,600. That would leave $284,000 for the annual payment on a $2 million loan for road repair and blacktop replacement, town chairman Mark Hartzheim said, adding that it would not increase the property tax levy for debt service. Paying off the loan and closing it out would mean the town would have to go to referendum to borrow another large sum of money.
Town clerk Roben Haggart presented preliminary quotes from two local banks and the state trust loan on what the interest rate would be for a $2 million loan for 10 years. They ranged from 3.99% to 4.25%. The board directed her to get quotes from additional lenders. Public works director Mark Pertile said the $2 million would “definitely be beneficial” to the department as they catch up on needed roadwork. The town has 160 miles of paved roads. Pertile says it costs $180,000 to blacktop a mile of town road. He will help develop a list of roads for the board to prioritize for funding. In an unrelated road matter, the board agreed with Pertile to prohibit parking on all town roads from 3-6 a.m. during winter. Snowplow operators say parked cars on streets make their job more difficult. The measure expands certain previously listed roads to all town roads.
In another action, the Minocqua and Woodruff boat patrols will be cruising the lakes in a new boat this summer. The officers are on the lakes to look for unsafe recreational operators, including those who violate slow-no wake zones. They also assist boaters when they have motor problems or run out of gas, usually towing them back to a dock. The supervisors approved the bid of Plowman Marine, of Arbor Vitae, to furnish a 2017 18-foot Lund boat with a same year 150-hp Mercury 4-stroke outboard motor and trailer. Plowman’s bid was $28,115, with a trade-in of the former boat and motor at $2,115. That brought the final cost to the two towns to $26,000. Jerry’s Sports Service, of Beloit, bid $27,760 for the same boat and trailer, but with a 150-hp Evinrude E-TEC 2-stroke motor. Its trade-in offer of $3,500 brought the price down to $24,260. After a short discussion, the board went with the 4-stroke motor over the 2-stroke motor, which requires a mixture of oil with gasoline. The Woodruff town board will have to sign off on the purchase, which is expected. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources will reimburse the towns for most of the boat cost over a 5-year depreciation schedule. Supervisor Bill Fried thought the trade-in dollars “seems low.” But supervisor Bill Stengl, owner of a local boat dealership, said the town was getting a good price on the total package. (Stengl Marine did not submit a bid.) He also said a 4-stroke is better for commercial work. The current boat, which has been dinged up somewhat, has some 1,250 hours on its 2009 115-hp motor.
