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+-- Category: My Price County (https://www.mynorthernwisconsin.com/news/forum-5.html)
+--- Category: News: Phillips, Kennan, and Catawba (https://www.mynorthernwisconsin.com/news/forum-9.html)
+--- Topic: SIDEWALKS UPDATE: REASON FOR DELAY, EASEMENTS ISSUE, CHANGES TO STAMPING AND COLOR (/thread-726.html)
SIDEWALKS UPDATE: REASON FOR DELAY, EASEMENTS ISSUE, CHANGES TO STAMPING AND COLOR - My Northern Wisconsin - 10-12-2025
Business owners and residents have been contacting My Price County regarding the terrace and sidewalk installation in Phillips. My Price County reached out to council members with some questions and also attended the Tuesday, October 7 Committee of the Whole meeting to get additional answers.
The sidewalk project was supposed to be in its third week on Monday, October 6. However, the concrete company had another job they had to finish that took longer than anticipated, so the crew was pulled from Phillips to complete that job. The sidewalk project is expected to resume during the week of Monday, October 13 on the east side of the street.
On the west side of the street, the city is aware there were some issues during installation. Since there were issues, Ayres Associates asked the council for an amendment to the contract, asking for $9,300 more (but not to exceed $69,550 total for Ayres Associates' portion of the sidewalk project) to have additional site visits for the east side given "there are concerns with the quality of work done in some spots [on the west side]," according to Justin Schuenemann from Ayres Associates, and the amendment also includes some other worksite items and additional administrative work. The amendment would add "another layer to ensure that this is being done per plan, per the specs, and that the city is getting a good end product. So, just having a few trips during that other side to ensure that its being installed at the correct grades, and everything is being done accordingly so that we're not having to come back after the fact and replace and fix things and try to catch things in the moment, so it goes smoother," Justin explained the reasoning for the additional cost. The mayor mentioned there are cracks on the west side, and Justin said it will sit through the winter, and the city has a year warranty period and then the company will come in and fix everything at once near the end of that timeframe. Clerk Shelby Kosmer and Mayor Charles Peterson both stated that the $7,800 cost that would have been paid to Ayres Associates to apply for the grant that the business owners wanted them to apply for was essentially now being switched to pay for the $9,300 amendment for administrative costs and more site work/visits. The Committee of the Whole voted unanimously to pay the extra money to Ayres Associates.
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According to Alderman Bill Elliott, the business owners voted on a color, but when a sample was poured on Friday, September 26, Aldermen John Klimowski and Richard Heitkemper, along with Mayor Charles Peterson, Project Manager Justin Schuenemann, and Director of the Department of Public Works Jim Heizler, decided there was not enough distinction between the chosen color and the sidewalk color. The five of them chose a darker color, which was not one of the four colors voted on by the business owners.
The stone pattern that the business owners voted for was also not used, because the concrete company did not have that particular stamp, so the company used a different stamp that they had available.
One of the concrete company personnel told My Price County that he expressed to a city official that stamping the concrete will make it more slippery. However, Bill Elliott said he was told this stamping pattern will hold in the heat to help with snow and ice. The concrete worker also stated he has not been on a job where the State of Wisconsin DOT came through and fixed the highway but not the sidewalks.
Many residents thought the double curb was going to be eliminated except by the bait shop given there was not enough space by the bait shop to get rid of the double curb. A different design, for greater handicapped accessibility, was possible if the bait shop had their door swing the opposite direction, but the bait shop owner did not want to change the door. According to the Committee of the Whole at the October 7 meeting, there were some issues that were handled in the area of the bait shop when the design plan was not seeming to be followed by the concrete contractor, and the contractor had to tear it out and redo it. Justin said the city will not have to pay for the contractor's mistake.
As for the rest of the double curb, residents, including business owners, questioned why the new terrace meets up with the sidewalk and slants in front of some buildings, and in front of other buildings there is a step that varies in height, along with a slanted terrace. In an interview with My Price County, Bill Elliott said, "Where they could, they got rid of the double curb, but with height of the highway and the height of the buildings, it was not feasible."
However, some confusion may have come into play at the August 5, 2025 meeting when Justin from Ayres Associates showed the sidewalk diagrams.
Lynne Bohn, a building owner, said, "I can look at the diagram better after the meeting, but we're still going to have a step?....Like we're going to have the curb and then we're going to have this colored area [terrace] and then we're gonna have the sidewalk up higher or is there slanting?...."
Alderman Bill Elliott, who was chairing the meeting in the absence of Mayor Chuck Peterson who was in Canada, said, "It will be sloped....An 8% slope in the area where we can do it."
Lynne said, "One of those pictures I looked at it looked like we are going to have two levels?"
Bill replied, "We're only talking about two blocks [with the original double curb]. Other than that, they can't do it [eliminate the double curb by the bait shop]."
Justin from Ayres Associates was present at the meeting but did not state there would be two levels when Lynne posed the question.
Regarding easements, after the meeting when the terrace was first mentioned, business owners addressed their concerns about easements because the terrace would cause the sidewalk to go over the 6-foot right of way. These concerns were addressed with various city officials via e-mail, phone, and at meetings, including during public comment at the July 8, 2025 Common Council meeting where, according to the meeting minutes, questions were raised "about easements and project timelines as well as the terrace and businesses having sidewalk sales and how this would affect them if it [is] implemented. Some have expressed concerns about the terrace being unsafe, slippery...." For clarity, before the new sidewalk project, there was one foot of concrete next to the curb and then a five-foot sidewalk, all in the six-foot right of way. The remaining concrete that went to the businesses is private property. Now that a three-foot terrace has been implemented, the terrace and the five-foot sidewalk take up eight feet, which means two feet of city sidewalk is now on the private property of the business owners who have a terrace in front of their buildings. Furthermore, there was not a double curb on the south half of the block between Maple Street and Chestnut Street, so a terrace was not needed there, but one has now been implemented, causing an easement issue. Some business owners did not want easements, as they did not want to lose any property, and wanted the city to wait to get a different plan and apply for grants (possibly also adding a bike trail behind businesses in the same grant), and proceeding methodically, but the terrace plan stayed in place even with the issue of easements. After the west side's terrace and sidewalk were installed, at the October 7 meeting, Justin agreed that two feet of the sidewalk is now on private property, and he said the city, city attorney, and business owners will have to work that out.
The sidewalks should be completed on the east side within the next two weeks, finishing near the end of October 2025.
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Are you looking for a new career? Circulation assistant and librarian adult services/front desk are two positions available at the Phillips Public Library, become a part-time van driver, or view one of the other jobs listed by BW Papersystems and other employers in our Employment Opportunities (Help Wanted) Section.