The Village of Boyd Board met Monday, May 11 at 7 p.m. in the village hall. Prominent on the nights’ agenda including swearing-in of trustees Josh Walters and Eric Pilgrim, each taking the oath of office, with Walters followed by Pilgrim.
Following trustee oaths, the board heard from three residents on the Patten Street reconstruction project, with speakers asking if certain tree removals could be reconsidered. The residents asked the board to reconsider their trees as further from the street, a plea the board listened to but ultimately rejected as the question of precedent was at issue. If they showed favoritism to some residents they would have to show favor to all.
“Any tree in the village right-of-way is getting removed,” Village President Bob Geist said. Trustee Michael Eslinger added the decision had already been made during prior project discussions. “That was the decision that was made for the project that’s going to be happening on Patten Street,” he said.
The residents meanwhile pushed back, asking why trees not currently affecting utilities or pavement needed to come down. “I don’t see where there’s going to be any conflict pushing up a curb or anything in the future,” one resident said. Project engineer Brian Lambert from Ayres Associates said the village’s original approach was intended to avoid future inconsistencies from project to project.
“The original plan was essentially setting a precedent of if we don’t remove trees on this project, the next project, what does that look like?” he said.
Later in the meeting, board members revisited the issue while discussing the reconstruction report. Geist noted the board had already reviewed the topic multiple times during project planning. “The discussion then was, it’s in the right-of-way, it’s going,” he said. Trustee Josh Walters noted the board had previously chosen an “all or nothing” approach because members anticipated complaints regardless of how many trees were spared. “We made the decision,” he said. It was either stick with it or face pushback.
As such, the board ultimately decided not to hold a special meeting on the tree issue and instead continue with the existing project plan.
“I don’t think we need to hold a special meeting on that,” Eslinger said of tree removal.
The Patten Street reconstruction project meanwhile is expected to begin next week, a project website maintained at www.ayresassociates.com/patten-street-reconstruction/ and accessible via the village website.
Back at village board, it was reported that the estimated project cost remains approximately $3.5 million and will be funded through a combination of DNR Clean Water Fund and Safe Drinking Water loans, principal forgiveness, a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding and village contributions. Lambert of Ayres Associates said milling work is expected to begin later this week, with mobilization beginning Monday, May 18.
Also from Monday at Boyd meanwhile, the board approved street project disbursement requests so the village can seek reimbursement from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources for engineering and grant-writing costs already paid. “These are all invoices that you’ve paid so far,” Lambert told the board. “We paid this. We want to get those back.”
In other action from Monday, the board approved Resolution 2026-02, the village’s Compliance Maintenance Annual Report for wastewater operations, and also approved a $10,863 actuator purchase for the wastewater treatment plant, with $7,863 for the actuator and $3,000 for installing it. Public Works Director Bob LaMarche said the replacement actuator had previously been discussed by the board and included installation costs.
The board also approved picnic licenses and street use permits for the annual Ringelspiel Days celebration sponsored by the Boyd Chamber and scheduled for May 22-24, including the parade and street closure request for the Lotz Park area.
During department reports, LaMarche informed the board a longtime landowner may discontinue allowing the village to spread wastewater sludge on his farmland after more than 30 years. “They’ve been taking it ever since I’ve been here,” he said. “So 32 years.” With time still out, possible alternatives include village-owned land near the fire station, though DNR restrictions could limit where sludge could be applied. Trustee Dale Isaacs said he hadn’t heard any updates from the Stanley Police Department but that a new officer was being trained, while Trustee Eric Pilgrim had some park news.
“Parks open,” he said. Ringelspiel arrives Friday, May 22.