Village roads and the Driftless Area Art Festival accounted for most of the discussion at the Soldiers Grove Village Board meeting on Thursday, Sept. 4.
Liz Quebe was present to give a report on the upcoming art festival to be held in the Soldiers Grove park on September 20-21.
“We accepted 85 artists, expecting a few artists to cancel, which didn’t happen,” Quebe reported. “So, we’ll be a little larger than usual.”
With the event coming together as planned, Quebe shared a new feature planned for the festival.
“Instead of the tourism tent, we will have the Edible Artisans tent,” Quebe explained.
The tent will showcase culinary artists who will exhibit their wares, offer samples, and sell their creations.
“Will Driftless Brewing company be part of it (Edible Artisans tent)?”, asked trustee Jim Helgerson.
“They will be selling their beer at the Soldiers Grove Lions tent,” confirmed Quebe.
Quebe invited the village board members to the artists’ reception which will take place from 5:30 to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 20. She also asked Soldiers Grove Village President Jerry Moran to say a few words at the event.
Village workers are in the process of installing some new street signs.
After discussing the history and changes in use for the intersection of Dull Road and North Clayton Road, the board decided to leave the yield sign as is on Dull Road.
“There are 25 mile-per-hour signs already installed on Tavern Road, so we should be all right there,” said Brian Copus, the Director of Public Works.
Copus said he would need to do some checking before he could answer questions over handicap signage at park raised by trustee Bob Froiseth.
Trustee Paul Nicholson noted that the shoulders on Dull Road needed to be repaired, raising the issue of street repairs in the village.
“We were approved to have Dull Road resurfaced, and using the former LRIP Grant funds, but we don’t have the money budgeted to cover the village share,” said village president Jerry Moran.
The LRIP grant would supply $9,730, leaving the village to pay $34,800. The budget for street repairs is $20,000.
Copus asked the board if it was feasible to delay the repair this week and roll over the budgeted funds to next year when it could be matched by another $20,000.
“If we put off taking care of repairs, we may end up making them cost more,” Nicholson noted.
“If it wasn’t for the grant, the funds we have would cover wedging the shoulders,” said trustee Shayne Chapman.
Soldiers Grove Village Clerk Tammy Kepler was instructed to contact Denny Pelock in regard to the LRIP Grant timeline. Jerry Moran, Brian Copus and Shayne Chapman agreed to meet Saturday morning to tour the village and look at streets needing to be resurfaced or repaired.
The Soldiers Grove Fire Department Open House was scheduled this Saturday, Sept. 6, from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., reported Copus, as the Assistant Fire Chief.
“We would like the board members to make an appearance,” said Copus.
The fire department is still working on getting the ‘I Am Responding’ Program up and running. The vendor has given the department an extra six months for free, since it is taking so long. The village paid for two years of service.
In other business, the Soldiers Grove Village Board:
• approved payment of the bills as follows: General Fund-$11,669.16; Water Fund-$1,624.53; Fire Dept. Fund-$358.11; Sewer Fund-$2,841.69 and the Library-$5,492.53;
• approved allowing Elizabeth Moran-Fortney, to put up a wooden box by the bench between the Village Library and People’s State Bank, for the ‘Take a Book/Leave a Book’ Program;
• received an update from Liz Quebe on the new village website;
• agreed to have Moran talk to North Crawford Athletic Director Dave Bergum to find out on which pole he wants the new scoreboard placed so the village can have an electrician inspect it;
• discussed property condition complaints, with two letters sent and one responded to;
• present - Shayne Chapman, Bob Froiseth, Jim Helgerson, Jerry Moran and Paul Nicholson; absent - Vicki Campbell and Roy Davidson.
