The Town of Thorp town hall will be bustling with activity in the coming weeks. An open house on March 29 is scheduled at the current town hall located at W10202 County Road X, giving interested parties the opportunity to tour the town hall and submit an offer on the building with the minimum bid set at $125,000. The April 1 election will take place at the current town hall, as the move to the new town hall has not yet been completed. Following that, an auction will take place on April 5 at the same town hall. The next regular board meeting is set for April 9, with hopes to convene at the new town hall, located at W10368 Center Road in Thorp.
At the March 12 board meeting, the board approved the temporary hiring of Wayne Petranovich and Chuck Boehlke as part-time town employees until a full-time town employee is hired. Chairman Michael Boehlke explained that both men have experience working for other townships and plan to work evenings and weekends grading roads for the Town of Thorp.
“We have to have something,” Supervisor Bob Kodl remarked. Boehlke recommended a pay rate of $25 per hour for the men “being that they’re experienced.” Supervisor Andy Slowiak inquired if the men were familiar with the township’s grader style, to which Boehlke confirmed, “They both are.” Boehlke also noted that the two men could be used to train a future employee in road grading, should the new hire be unfamiliar with the process.
“I talked to Wayne. He’s willing to do that too,” Boehlke added.
With no applications received for the town employee position, Chairman Boehlke suggested revising the job ad in the Shopper “to try to draw someone in.”
“I don’t know of anyone who will apply if they don’t see a dollar amount,” he remarked, as the board approved a starting wage of $23-$25 per hour.
K&S Logistics & Carriers, LLC, based in Greenwood, requested a special permit from the Township to allow their trucks to travel on Center Road following discussions with their drivers. Previously, the board had approved their trucks using Tieman Road. The company stated that safety was the driving force behind their request to use Center Road. “Turning off and on highway 29 causes an increased risk of accidents,” they explained.
“They want to run the blacktop from (Highway) 73 to the dairy,” Kodl remarked. However, he expressed concerns about the road bans currently in effect, which limit weight to 20,000 pounds, while the trucks carry up to 80,000 pounds. “They’re coming in with 80,000 pounds That’s four times the limit,” he noted, adding, “That’s really pushing it too. If they break that road up, who’s going to spend the $400,000 to put new blacktop on there?”
Boehlke raised a similar concern, asking, “Are they going to agree to pay for the road when it’s wrecked?”
“We’re going to eat that,” Kodl responded, reemphasizing that the permit currently allows 20,000 pounds, but their trucks are carrying 80,000. “I mean that’s our road; the taxpayers pay for it. That’s a lot of weight on there, 80,000 pounds coming down that blacktop.”
As the town board discussed favorable solutions for all parties involved, they eventually motioned to approve the trucks traveling from Highway 29 north on Tieman Road to Center Road and then back the same way, in an effort to keep the town roads safe from potential damage.