NEW BREMEN – Acceptance of the donation of a new snowblower and action to vacate a street were the top items of the New Bremen Village Council at its Monday night meeting.
Jason Schrader, New Bremen Schools superintendent, requested council begin the procedure to vacate approximately 825 feet of Cardinal street, from state Route 274 and Kettler Road. Council agreed to hold a required public hearing on Monday, Oct. 22 from 6:15 to 6:30 p.m. in Council Chambers located at 214 N. Washington St.
This vacation is part of the planned construction of a new elementary school southeast of the current high school and will allow installation of a one-way drive in front of the school complex. Schrader said the one-way drive will allow drop off of students and is long enough to accommodate 68 vehicles. It was undecided whether the remaining part of Cardinal street will be ended in a cul-de-sac or attached to Kettler Drive.
Cardinal street residents Bill Lennartz and Steven Vonderhaar came to the meeting to support the installation of a cul-de-sac as a way to prevent through traffic where children are walking to school.
The property transfer from Crown Equipment to the school district is expected to be completed next week. The bids for construction of the new elementary are expected to be in at the end of January 2019. Drawings of the project can be seen at the school’s website http://www.newbremenschools.org/buildingproject.aspx.
In other action, council accepted the donation of a $29,450 SMI Standard Polecat snowblower from Diane Komminsk. Council’s park committee chair man Don Kuck said the equipment will be used to add snow to the village’s sledding hill this winter. It was agreed the machinery will only be operated during business hours when temperatures are below 28 degrees. Electricity will come from a village generator and water from a nearby hydrant.
Village Administrator Chris Dicke said the Eastmoor Drive/Front Street project was nearing completion, with the asphalt base being put down that day and the intermediate and final layers added next week. She said that although extra money needed to replace bad subgrade had added to the total anticipated construction costs, the project is still expected to be completed for around $1.6 million, much lower than the original estimate of $1.8 million.
Dicke also said that the Wierth Ditch project was nearing completion and the light poles and traffic poles repainting project was complete except for traffic signal poles. Work is also continuing on the new software purchased by the village to track activity and expenses. Finally, she said they are beginning planning for the next budget year.
Council also passed a third and final reading of an ordinance to raise water rates 10 percent in 2019, with an additional increase of 3 percent each year thereafter.
A second reading was approved to enter into a CRA agreement with Crown Equipment Corporation granting a 100 percent tax abatement for 10 years on new construction begin considered by the company.
A first reading was also approved to grant JD Gilberg a CRA tax abatement for the new brewery to be built at the village’s industrial park. Passed as as an emergency after a second reading was an ordinance to adjust pay scale classification of New Bremen patrolmen.
