In two key votes held just days apart, the Stanley City Council advanced the long-anticipated Stanley Community Trail Phase 2 project. On May 19, the Council approved a three-party Design Engineering Services Contract with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation and MSA Professional Services, totaling $162,945.73. Then, following a full and emotionally charged public hearing, the Council approved the updated bike path design at a special council meeting on May 23. The hearing drew a large and vocal crowd, with residents expressing a wide range of views—some showing support for the project, while others raised concerns. The approval of the updated bike route calls for parking restrictions with no parking on Fourth Avenue from North Franklin to Mackenzie Street, no parking along Chapman Lake from the entrance of Fandry Park to the entrance of Chapman Park, and no parking on a portion of West 1st Avenue from Barber to McKnight Street.
Stanley resident Anne Diers inquired about the term “RRFB location” shown in the updated map. City Administrator Nicole Pilgrim clarified that “RRFB” stands for Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon, a traffic safety feature designed to enhance pedestrian visibility at crossings.
Alderperson Mark Fitzsimmons elaborated on the city’s plans, stating, “We are installing beacons at that intersection for crossing.” He specified that the proposed beacons would be located at the intersection of Fourth Avenue and North Franklin. “These beacons are intended to warn traffic that pedestrians are crossing,” he added, noting their effectiveness in Eau Claire. Fitzsimmons explained that the Stanley-Boyd School conducted a Safe Routes to School study, which identified the installation of crossing beacons as a beneficial safety measure for walking and biking in the area.
Resident Garth Johnson raised a question about converting the intersection into a four-way stop. Fitzsimmons responded that the City wasn’t going to do that. “It is a County Highway, and the City has no jurisdiction over it.”
Johnson expressed concern about the intersection, stating, “That intersection is such a dangerous intersection, we need to make it a four-way stop,” citing issues with speeding vehicles and children crossing the street.
Alderperson Mark Fitzsimmons responded, explaining that the city had applied for a grant to install a bike trail connecting the school to Chapman Park.
“At the given point, we received the grant, and then we have to receive permission to put a route to get from the school to the park,” he said. He further clarified the route planning, stating that they tried to get as much off-road as they possibly could, but they don’t control all the properties. “First Avenue was looked at as a possibility, but the railroad owns the land on the south side of First Avenue and they won’t give variance to it,” Fitzsimmons explained. “Unless someone is willing to purchase it, we can’t manage that side of it,” he added.
Concluding, Fitzsimmons emphasized the chosen route’s practicality, saying, “This is the most straightforward route that we could come up with that would get us that connection from the school to the park.”
Resident Tom Clarke questioned the exclusion of the north side of First Avenue for the proposed bike trail route, asking, “Why wasn’t First Avenue considered on the north side of the street?”
Alderperson Mark Fitzsimmons explained the decision, stating, “Because they already have sidewalk there and according to the grant it’s already pedestrian sidewalk and the street isn’t wide enough.”
Clarke further inquired about the width difference between First Avenue and Fourth Avenue. Fitzsimmons responded, “I can’t answer that.”
Johnson expressed opposition to the proposed no-parking restrictions, acknowledging the inconvenience this would cause to residents on Fourth Avenue. He added, “Not one bike has gone by Fourth Avenue today. I was out there all day long. Not one bike went up Franklin all day long.”
Johnson further questioned the rationale behind the trail’s installation, asking, “I would like to know why we are putting this trail in here in the first place.”
Fitzsimmons responded by emphasizing that the current phase of the trail is a preliminary segment aimed at securing additional funding for future off-road trails. He clarified that the trail is not intended to remain on the road permanently and that completing this phase of approval is crucial. “If we do not complete this, the project is done, it’s dead.”
Johnson questioned the board members and designers about their involvement in the proposed bike trail route, asking, “How many people here, that support this in the board, the designers how many of you live on the route?”
Alderperson Mark Fitzsimmons responded, saying, “Can’t move my house.”
Another Stanley resident further questioned the decision to place the bike trail along the same route as school buses. Fitzsimmons explained, “This was a study done by the Safe Routes to School and we are following the study that was done by the state.”
She expressed concerns about vehicles frequently violating traffic laws on this road, including excessive speeding and the affected resale values of their homes. She added, “You are giving us who live on Fourth Avenue, no place to park. I have my children that come over, if you have construction done on your house, there’s no place for them to park. It’s not feasible.”
Fitzsimmons acknowledged these concerns but emphasized that the current project is an initial step. He reiterated, “Again, with the project as it moves forward, this is not a lifetime setup as far as trail is concerned. It’s a start.”
Another resident questioned the necessity of the bike path, asking, “Why do you need a bike path if nobody is using it?” He noted that more people are walking and jogging than riding bikes. Fitzsimmons responded, explaining that the crossing beacons could also be utilized by pedestrians.
Clarke inquired about the possibility of implementing shared parking from Franklin Street to Jefferson Street. Fitzsimmons responded, “We haven’t discussed that. I’m not sure if that could be adjusted or adapted for that.”
Fitzsimmons further explained that the state initially proposed no parking along all of Fourth Avenue. He continued, “We asked them if we could do from Franklin to Emery, and they accepted that.” He added, “To be perfectly honest, we never looked at Jefferson to Franklin.”
Fitzsimmons acknowledged the suggestion and stated, “We can look to see if there can be a variation, say from Jefferson up.” However, he expressed uncertainty about the feasibility, noting that he wasn’t sure if they would have the timeframe to ask for it moving forward.
Fitzsimmons reiterated that the primary goal of the trail is to provide more off-road biking options, allowing riders to avoid traffic. He emphasized that this approval marks just the initial step in a longer process. “We already have plans in place for alternate sections, but again, the way the grant was written—according to Safe Routes to School—it has to connect the school to the park,” Fitzsimmons explained.
Clarke asked whether, in the future, residents could obtain special permits for parking on the road during holiday gatherings, moves, or other events.
“It’s up to our jurisdiction to police those kinds of things,” Fitzsimmons replied. “We haven’t discussed that yet, but I don’t think there would be an issue with that. We’re learning the rules as we go along here, because again, they are state rules that we follow.”
“It’s a long-term project,” Fitzsimmons added, noting that it could take up to 25 years to fully complete. He said the trail likely won’t be constructed until 2026, as it must “go through the system” first. The grant funding the project amounts to approximately $689,000, which will cover the trail’s design, engineering, and construction costs.
One Stanley resident who lives across from Stanley-Boyd School voiced her support for the bike trail project, saying, “I really do support what you are doing here, I think it’s good for the community. I see a lot of bikes coming through by the school; my kids bike a lot, their friends bike a lot.” While acknowledging her concern about children riding along the busy and potentially dangerous Fourth Avenue, she reaffirmed her backing of the initiative, adding, “I just want to say I support what you are doing with this bike trail.”
At the subsequent special council meeting, members debated whether to approve or reject the Bike Trail proposal.
“I have mixed emotions on that,” admitted Alderperson Laurie Foster.
“Personally, no. I think we should take a step back and take another approach to this. I can’t approve,” said Alderperson Aaron Dickson, before inviting others to share their opinions.
Alderperson Jason Meyer added that he would vote no due to previous concerns about parking restrictions and the opinions of his constituents.
Foster also voiced her objections, saying, “With the parking taking people’s rights away from parking, I disagree with that so my opinion would be no.”
Dickson then motioned to disapprove the trail, but Wald, Fitzsimmons, and Samuelson opposed the motion. Meyer, Foster, and Dickson voted in favor of disapproval. Mayor Mike Henke cast the tie-breaking vote against disapproval.
Following this, a motion to approve the updated bike route was made, resulting in another tie. Wald, Fitzsimmons, and Samuelson voted to approve, while Meyer, Foster, and Dickson voted against it. Once again, Mayor Henke broke the tie—this time voting to approve the updated bike route.