If you didn’t have a mask this past Tuesday June 9 at 7:00 p.m., you weren’t getting in to the Wilson Town Hall meeting for June. Even as many questioned (or else question) the current need for respiratory etiquette with the rising summer heat, the elected officials of Wilson township weren’t taking any chances, even before Eau Claire County registered 124 COVID cases as of Wednesday June 10, with southeastern Chippewa County and northwestern Clark County registering their own viral infections, per census tract data mapped at the State of Wisconsin Health Department website at www.dhs.wisconsin.gov. That being said, there was in truth of fact no members of the public present at the Wilson town meeting for June 2020. All board members were present, however. Among the topics for discussion for June were new operator licenses and the renewal of some Class B beer and liquor selling licenses. The Clerk said she had yet to publish a notice in the Leader Telegram, but as usual this time of year there were also granite and gravel bids to open and consider.

“I guess we have some gravel and granite bids,” Chairman Daniel Meyer announced several minutes into the meeting as Clerk Danielle Barka opened and read out the bid numbers. Two companies had submitted bids for supplying rock to the township, Ladick and Haas. Barka read out the bid from Ladick first.

“We will supply and deliver any amount of screen. We can post granite anywhere in the town for the price of $15.84 per cubic yard, varies of twenty twenty-two,” she read from Ladick’s bid.

“$15.80?” Meyer asked. “15.84,” Barka corrected. Meyer next answered a question from Supervisor Aaron Vizier about “screen” by saying that it was rock pumped through a screen rather than being “regular crushed” rock. Barka then went on to the bid from Haas.

“3/4 inch blue granite, price per cubic yard is $12.50. 3/4 inch as base, price per cubic yard is $10.90,” she read. Meyer took the piece of paper and read further on. “Ok, so town residents who wish to purchase…can do so at the town price with delivery scheduled to coincide with the town delivery, and residents will be required to pay upon delivery; either cash, check, or by calling the office to pay with their credit card,” he said of the Haas rock bid, ending with the stipulation “of 5 1/2 percent sales tax.”

“Were those the only bids?” Meyer asked the Clerk.

“Yes, those were the two received,” Barka said. Vizier said that there weren’t a lot of choices this year, while Meyer said that “the only choice is if you want blue granite,” instructing that if anyone called wanting rock from the town to “just make a list.” From there Meyer passed around a tentative list of town road projects that would be needed in the next few years, “I guess I didn’t note it on here, but Gilbertson, we share that with Ludington,” Meyer said of the next town over in Eau Claire County. Gilbertson Road runs south from D, then turn west and south again to connect with Stoney Lonesome. Meanwhile, Town Supervisor Ed Shilts had some road input of his own during culvert discussion.

“I’d say one is kind of bad by Dave…and the other one isn’t that bad to the south Monte’s. “If we’re going to do them, we could probably do them both,” he offered his assessment of the drainage tunnels preventing road failure. One danger of leaving culverts to sit too long was being rotted out, while Meyer reported that the grater operator for Ludington had asked if some gravel could be put on the south end of Crossdale as water had reportedly come over the road there. As popular and common as road talk is at a town board meeting come Spring though—(not just in Wilson)—the town board did manage to touch on other business, like township tire collection. With $138 reported from tire collection the previous month, there was a reported surcharge if less than 50 tires needed pick up. Chairman Meyer said he went through and counted them to make sure there were at least 50 to avoid the surcharge.

Along with tire collection it was reported that roadside ditch cutting would soon be taking place on select roads to improve visibility, and there were also road sign takers to contend with. Meyer had told a town worker to go through and make a list of missing identifiers. Before long, the fun was at an end, and it was time to set the next meeting date. “Everyone going to be here?” Meyer asked of the July meeting. “Anyone going on vacation?”

“Staycation,” Supervisor Vizier said. With that, the next Wilson town board meeting was set in stone for July 14th at 7:00 p.m., taking place just west of the intersection of Highways G and MM. Best bring along a mask, just in case. No knowing what the future might hold for Eau Claire County.

Staff photo.