Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
By TOM LAVENTURE
MERCER, Wis. — The Mercer Board of Supervisors on Thursday agreed to check the status of an area boat landing in the spring.
The board 5-0 approved a request from the Lake of the Falls Association to inspect the landing in the spring after the water levels are back to normal. The association said the landing is in need of update and repair.
Jim Hannemann, a board member of Lake of the Falls Association, said the boat landing is considered township property. It was approved by the town board at the time it approved the addition of the Moose Creek Acres subdivision, he said.
Hannemann said the work of the association included installing a kiosk with regulatory information on fish and wildlife. A receptacle for disposing used fishing line and hooks was also installed and volunteers remove flotsam and gypsum in the spring.
The condition of the landing makes it difficult to load and unload boats without causing more damage to the gravel area that meets the black top.
“Without a four-wheel drive they dig horrendous holes and guess who has to rake it out?” Hannemann said. “As a minimum we would like to see more gravel in the water or to upgrade it with concrete in the water so that people can get further out without getting stuck in the gravel.”
Charles Schroepfer, town supervisor, said that city crews and association representatives could inspect the area together in the spring. They can determine a course of action and make a plan with approval of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
“It should be fairly simple,” Schroepfer said. “We worked on the boat landing at Mercer Lake and Grand Portage. There’s things that we can do to make it a little better.”
In the supervisor’s reports, Eric Snow said the Iron County Sheriff’s Department paid for a Mercer woman to stay in a hotel after learning she had been living without heat in 49 degree temperatures.
“This is one of our citizens,” Snow said.
Snow said he reached out to Iron County Human Services, but was told they would need to investigate but couldn’t do anything to help the same day. Another member of the household had previously refused help from human services which could have complicated things, said Opal Roberts, supervisor.
Snow asked Roberts and Sendra, who both serve on the Iron County Board to look into the matter.
The board approved a $7,891 bid for three 1,000 gallon propane tanks to include installation. The town maintenance foreman recommended the purchase versus renting to be able to bid out propane prices at lower cost.
The board said it would determine what would be considered an illegal parking area near Lake View Road where it intersects former railroad grade that is now a motorized trail. Residents have complained that uncontrolled parking has led to multiple snowmobiles blocking access and that signage is needed to designate no parking areas.
Items on the agenda that were moved to the next regular meeting included discussion on issues with the revised sign ordinance that requires signage to be removed within 90 days of a business closure. A request for snow shoveling enforcement was also moved to the next meeting.
After reading a letter from town attorney Fritz Schellgell, the board decided not to look further into the issue of regulating the use of large dumpsters in residential areas.
In other business, the board approved:
—The sale of lots nine and 10 in the town business park to John and Deb Schubitz, owners of S&S Sports, who plan to expand their business.
—Appointing Derek Kresser as the town garage mechanic.
—One renewal of a bartender license.
The next regular meeting of the Mercer Town Board of Supervisors will be held 5:30 p.m. Thursday, March 5, in the Haines building, 2657W Railroad St., Mercer.
