Baileys Harbor Forming Committee to Study Fire Station

The Town of Baileys Harbor is looking for people to serve on a new ad hoc committee to find direction for the town fire station.

The idea came from Supervisor Barbara Anschutz at the town board’s Jan. 14 meeting regarding an agenda item to consider a proposal submitted by the plan/design/build firm Keller for a new fire station.

“In my opinion we’re kind of putting the cart before the horse,” Anschutz said. “We don’t even know where we’re going to put the fire station.”

She pointed out that the board has talked about keeping the station at its present Park Street location or moving it to town-owned property on Summit Road, but she said there are other options.

“We have seven acres on County EE designated for cemetery,” she said. “The cemetery started in 1878, and it’s not full yet. We could take three and a half acres from the cemetery for the fire station.”

She suggested the formation of a committee with town board members, fire department members and residents to “discuss everything line by line and look at options.”

Anyone who would like to serve on the committee should contact Town Clerk Haley Adams at 920.839.9509 or [email protected].

The board also discussed a proposed ordinance that would allow vacationing or absent board members to participate in meetings remotely. Two residents showed up to voice objections to the vagueness of the ordinance as written.

Bryan Nelson said he is against remote meeting participation because it “interferes with the quality of the debate in the room,” and he urged the board to reject the ordinance as written and add some “good, common sense restrictions” to it.

Michael Meulemans also urged the board to reject the vague ordinance and had researched other communities that have dealt with the issue.

Resident Bill Becker asked who requested the ordinance.

“Our chairman [Don Sitte],” said acting chair Robert Schultz. “He leaves on vacation and wants to listen and vote on the issues.”

The board decided to table the ordinance, along with a number of other items that Sitte wanted to participate in.