The Argyle Village Board met on Wednesday, July 8 where they approved some temporary sidewalk fixes and soil evaluations for wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) land applications.
A resident spray painted an uneven portion of sidewalk on Broad Street. The board did pass a motion to either lift the sidewalk with foam or grind down the uneven portion, whichever is the best temporary solution. They then discussed what other portions of sidewalk throughout the village need addressing.
Village president Joe Schutte stated that he has spoken with Town and Country Engineering about possibly having portions of sidewalk that will be within the WIS 78/81 Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) road project also redone. Portions of S. Broad Street down to Monroe Street and all of the road that will be covered under the DOT road project could be redone by the DOT but the cost would be covered by the Village. The road project is anticipated to take place in 2028. Nothing has been decided and more information will need to be gathered before anything is approved.
The cost of fixing the current sidewalk issue will be split between the resident in which the sidewalk is in front of and the village. A special assessment will be added onto the resident’s tax bill and they will have three years to pay for their portion.
Downtown parking
The village ordinance states that E. Milwaukee to River Street and S. State straight onto N. State from about Monroe Street to Grant Street is all two hour parking between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Because the ordinance is not posted, it is not enforceable. Schutte suggested that the village post signs stating the ordinance to make it enforceable. He commented on the issues he has seen when they shut down the road to have the Farmer’s Market on Saturday mornings.
Monahan was concerned about ordinance and posting it due to The Legacy building and not wanting to turn away business to that business. It was suggested the village could cover those signs during certain events that could be happening at The Legacy or even during the parade so cones and signs don’t have to be posted.
“I don’t want to have such a restriction that doesn’t allow businesses to function,” Monahan said.
Schutte mentioned the village can also change the ordinance to whatever is best for the village. Since nothing is posted, nothing can be done about the parking on the major intersection in the village.
Businesses like Hometown Haven and Central 52 have complained that there are limited parking spaces for their customers as the spots are taken over by residents to apartments within the area. If the parking was limited, it would allow those spaces to be open and available for customers.
Schutte also mentioned the winter parking issue where vehicles will not move off of the street to allow snowplows to clear the roads. Vehicles are not allowed on the road between 2 a.m. – 6 a.m. during winter time to allow the snowplows to clear the street. That is also not posted.
Monahan wanted to make sure the signs the village does put up are enforced fully and not enforced every now and then. Police Chief Hayley Saalsaa brought up the issue of being only one person and not being able to catch every violation. Lafayette County Sheriff’s Deputies will not enforce parking violations within villages. The topic of having a parking attendant, like that of a weed commissioner, for the village.
The signs cost around $30 each. The cost for a parking violation is $30 so those who violate the ordinance would help pay for the signs. Chief Saalsaa commented that if people don’t pay that amount, it increases each week. If it still doesn’t get paid, the Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) puts a hold on their registration until the ticket is paid.
The topic was tabled until the next meeting for more discussion.
Land application
Water/WWTP Superintendent Jared Johnson informed the board that he was having a hard time trying to find land in which he can discharge the village’s excess waste on. This is liquid that is not able to be cleaned and discharged back into the river. The village has exceeded the limits on the land they were using. Johnson was able to find two farms that were willing to have the liquid spread but the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources stated the village was not able to do so until they have soil scientists do an evaluation on the land.
The cost for the soil evaluation was $9,750. In order to dig the soil sample holes, the village will be using their own equipment. This evaluation was not a guarantee that the village would be able to use the land. The reasoning for the soil evaluation testing is the DNR is concerned about the depth to bedrock on the lands.
Johnson stated that it is up to the village to find the land. Bytec hauls the waste for the village. There is no incentive for farms to take on the waste. The farms just get free fertilizer for their fields.
Colton Ploessl made the motion with Penny Monahan seconding.
Phosphorus removal
Johnson spoke with Ben Heidemann from Town and Country Engineering about the WWTP chemical addition for phosphors removal the board discussed a couple months ago. Heidemann received not the official approval from the DNR but an okay to test out their idea for chemical addition at the WWTP. They estimated that it would be $5,000-$10,000 in engineering costs to draw up the plans for the chemical storage and implementation into the WWTP. Monahan made the motion to spend up to $10,000 with Helfvogt seconding.
Action items
Johnson told the board that the village is in need of a newer lawn mower. The village current has a Dixie Chopper and a Bad Boy. The Dixie has quite a few hours but the village recently purchased replacement parts for the Bad Boy. They received eight quotes for different mowers and found a Hustler mower for the cheapest price. A motion was made to purchase the Hustler mower and sell the Dixie Chopper at Wisconsin Surplus.
The village was informed of buildings at the park needing new siding. Park Coordinator Kevin Slater asked for quotes and received one quote back from Ericksons Siding to repair siding on the softball siding and post for $1,500, new vinyl siding to the baseball concession stand for $1,400, and siding on the Beaver shed for $800 for a total of $3,700. The work will be paid out of the Park Fund and the Park and Rec account.
Other items
The new playground equipment should be delivered on August 10-11. Prep for the new playground will take place starting August 2. The community build will happen August 12-13. Park Palooza will be August 10. Concrete sidewalks won’t be done until after Park Palooza. The old playground is slowly being dismantled with the biggest days for removal taking place on Fridays and Saturdays this month. The playground will be completely done before school starts September 1.
The plane painting crew won’t have the plane painted until after Park Palooza as the weather has hindered their work in Stoughton on their plane.
Furnishings have been ordered for the new community center. They are hoping things are delivered by September. Renovations are taking place. There is some discussion about removing carpet in some of the rooms to help fill in spots in other parts of the building.
Committee meetings will be scheduled on the last Wednesday of the month each month with Electric, Buildings, Recycling, Water/Sewer, and Park all meeting on the same day. The first committees meeting will be July 29 starting at 6 p.m.
The Farmer’s Market has been drastically lower in attendance and vendors compared to last year. Schutte stated that if another weekend performs poorly, there is a possibility that it will be canceled for the rest of the year. He has made suggestions to move the market to a week night to see if more vendors and people can attend. The biggest struggle is trying to get vendors who sell produce to the market.