Candidate Q&A: Sister Bay Village Board

Denise Bhirdo

Bio: Graduated from Gibraltar High School. Co-owner of Bhirdo’s gas station and Second Hand Sue’s Consignment. My family settled here in the 1800’s, and my great grandfather Edward Koessl was a Trustee on the first Village Board in 1912.

Why do you want to serve on the village board and what expertise will you bring to it?

After taking a three-year hiatus, I am ready to become a member of the village board once again. I have always had a passion for my community, and enjoyed being a part of the vision and decision making process. I would like the opportunity to again serve the citizens of Sister Bay.

My expertise comes from being a Trustee for 3 years, and then Village President for 15 years. In that time, I served on almost every committee, thus bringing institutional knowledge to the board.

What do you see as the biggest improvement needed in the village?

There are two issues that come to mind. The first, now that infrastructure construction is almost completed our village roads need to be repaired. The second, attracting new businesses to fill in the empty spaces.

The village has undergone a good deal of change and development recently. Is there a limit to expansion?

Change is the one constant, whether we like it or not. Without controlled growth and development our community will become stagnant. That is why our Planning Commission, zoning code, and smart growth plan are so very important. These tools guide us through the issues and projects so that Sister Bay can continue to offer us the character and lifestyle we value.

What innovations would you like to see the village undertake for the benefit of its citizens and visitors?

The one thing missing in Sister Bay is affordable workforce housing. Therefore, I believe the village should create a Community Land Trust. It is a very flexible concept, that can be tailored to each communities’ individual needs. Whether it is a dormitory for seasonal workers, apartments, homes, or a combination of all three is all up to the wants and needs of the stakeholders. On a much smaller scale, village wide Wi-Fi, a Sister Bay app, and a dark skies ordinance would be useful.

What would you like to see happen with the quarry property?

After the reclamation plan is fulfilled, I would like to see the village sell the property and recoup their investment of 650,000. The current tax bill of the quarry shows that the property is almost 5.5 acres with a fair market value of 160,000. I don’t know if the village would be able to sell it for what they paid for it. Therefore, I would propose to turn that property into a Community Land Trust for workforce housing.

Patrick Duffy

Why do you want to serve on the village board and what expertise will you bring to it?

I have had the pleasure of serving on our village board since 2009. During this time I have participated in many committees including: Bayshore Oversight (Hwy 42 reconstruction), Door County Economic Development, Finance, Fire, Historical Society, Marina, Plan, Personnel, Utilities and Waterfront Development. This has afforded an opportunity to understand the needs and desires of our residents, business owners and visitors. I feel this insight provides me important knowledge to help shape the future of our community while preserving key qualities that make our residents and business owners proud to call Sister Bay home.

What do you see as the biggest improvement needed in the village?

With the completion of several major projects in our downtown/waterfront our focus should shift to economic development. We should promote our new and expanded infrastructure and amenities to spur developers and perspective new business owners to grow our economic engine and create new jobs.

The village has undergone a good deal of change and development recently. Is there a limit to expansion?

The village certainly has undergone a good deal of change and development recently. We have accomplished many of the goals laid out in our 20 year comprehensive plan in less than 10. We have not only preserved the natural beauty created by views of the lake, trees, bluffs, parks and vistas(as laid out in our comprehensive plan), but enhanced them through expanding village owned waterfront property and burying our utility lines. I believe the focus should shift to capitalizing on our enhanced infrastructure and amenities.

What innovations would you like to see the village undertake for the benefit of its citizens and visitors?

Fiscal prudence. We have spent a lot of money lately. I feel all the work we have done to enhance and preserve our waterfront and downtown areas provides benefit not only to our citizens and visitors, but existing and perspective business owners as well. Now we should focus on how best to repay our debts while holding property taxes below cost of living increases.

What would you like to see happen with the quarry property?

I would like to see surveys sent out and public input meetings held so we can gather ideas from neighbors, citizens throughout the village and perspective developers. This will afford us the insight necessary to develop a community-centric plan for the property.

Kathy Enquist

Why do you want to serve on the village board and what expertise will you bring to it?

As a current trustee, appointed to a vacant position in 2014, I have served this community with enthusiasm and have come to understand the challenges facing the village. As a small business owner I have a strong understanding of the needs of people throughout the community. Despite many recent successes I feel that there are many major projects still underway, and that is why I would like to continue my service on the village board. I believe that I bring the voice of small business owners and women to this board. With great respect to the long serving board members and appreciation for the willingness of new candidates, I  bring fresh perspective and have become intimately familiar with the situations facing the village.

What do you see as the biggest improvement needed in the village?

I would love to see Sister Bay continue with its trend of creating beautiful, publicly accessible spaces. The beachfront rehabilitation and road rebuild,  projects completed during my current term, will prove to be  great successes, as well as the rec and dog parks. Now it is time to make sure as many people as possible have easy, safe access to them. I advocate that walking paths be expanded and improved to connect some of the less central parts of the village to these lovely areas. For example, walking paths and/or cycling lanes along Country Walk Drive would enable people to safely traverse  the village, connecting public spaces to local businesses more while possibly reducing car congestion.

The village has undergone a good deal of change and development recently. Is there a limit to expansion?

The board is working hard to divest itself from multiple properties that the village has owned for quite a while. We are resolving the quarry dilemma and eliminating the non-conforming business that has been  a long term problem . I believe that this should be one of the final development projects that the village needs to be directly involved in for quite some time. This resolution came about due to a very vocal public outcry and the board worked tirelessly to make sure constituent concerns were met. By discontinuing our investment in properties the board can redirect the time and resources needed to navigate these complicated  projects.

What innovations would you like to see the village undertake for the benefit of its citizens and visitors?

In addition to the aforementioned paths, I’d  like to see the village adopt more dog friendly practices, welcoming pets in some of our wonderful existing public spaces such as the waterfront and  ball park, while encouraging responsible ownership with leash laws and dog sanitation stations. Pets are an integral part of  many Northern Door County Residents families, as well as the countless people who visit our wonderful town. Dog friendly practices really allow for an entire family to spend time together!

What would you like to see happen with the quarry property?

I have been an advocate for the end of active quarrying on the property and reclamation of the property before it is transferred back to the village to be developed for residential use. While we want continued renewal and property use, the resolution of the quarry issue should be the last major obstacle, along with the Braun development, that the board has to solve in terms of property development. The board needs to continue our efforts to divest ourselves of property, as we have been doing, and continue to promote orderly development that serves and fits into our community.

Mike Termini

Why do you want to serve on the village board and what expertise will you bring to it?

I’m passionate about this community and want to make it a greater place to live and work. I’d like my friends to be able to make a living and see a future for themselves here that offers something more than the annual boom and bust of our seasonal economy. I’ve worked hard in several industries throughout my entire life, striving to make a life here, and feel there is more that our local governments can do to help young people do that and stay here.

This is an exciting, pivotal time in Sister Bay. This village has invested a lot of money in public improvements, and now we need to turn that into private investment. Serving on the board would give me a chance to put ideas into action and guide that process. The board needs the voice and perspective of the younger generation trying to make a living here, to put their needs and desires on the table.

What do you see as the biggest improvement needed in the village?

Amazing improvements have been made by the village in recent years, but there’s always room to improve. More than anything, we need to find ways to help individuals and families succeed and improve the quality of life here. That comes with year round employment and affordable housing. By being proactive and creative, our village government can help facilitate solutions to those two huge issues, and help businesses fill gaps.

The village has undergone a good deal of change and development recently. Is there a limit to expansion?

There is always a limit to expansion. Unique places like Sister Bay require even closer monitoring of those limitations in order to preserve what makes our village so special. That said, expansion shouldn’t be limited simply because it’s expansion, or because it’s new or different. We need an open mind, need to get creative.

Imagine if Winky Larson sought the approval of our former village president before putting a goat on Al’s roof. It’s interesting to think what Sister Bay would be today had that not taken place. Sometimes a good idea is simply a good idea. The Garage at Husby’s never would’ve happened had they asked before they acted. The next time you drive past the location on a nice summer day I’d encourage you to remember that a few years ago it was a vacant shack. With the same white gloves mentality we use to prohibit things that may take away from the integrity of our village, we need to apply to new ideas which have the potential to transcend current boundaries in order to help Sister Bay reach it’s full potential.

What innovations would you like to see the village undertake for the benefit of its citizens and visitors?

I’m sure many innovations exist that would improve the way of life for residents and visitors. First and foremost, we need to find ways, as a village board, to help businesses expand and improve services and offerings. Take a grocery store, a vital component of every day life in any town. The Piggly Wiggly has floated expansion plans multiple times over the years, plans that would make better an experience that every resident has several days a week. What can we as a board do to make that happen, to help them offer longer hours, something that will in turn make this a place more people want to live in?

Today’s visitors also need the ability to access their smartphones during their vacations. The gaps in our cell coverage prevent people from coming here more often, staying longer when they do, or returning a second time. Sister Bay, and Door County in general, needs to find a way to fix this.

What would you like to see happen with the quarry property?

I would like to see whatever occupies that property bring year round visitors. I would welcome all suggestions, even if they seem to be out of left field. For instance, travelers plan vacations around areas that house national museums. Even the National SPAM Museum in Austin, MN brings in 100,000 visitors (I think we can do better than this). What about a quirky landmark, like the worlds largest cherry? Wall Drug draws 2 million annual visitors and brings in over $10 million a year to a remote town in South Dakota. Another place people like to visit, especially in the 9 months we consider our offseason, are indoor waterparks. The addition of any of these options, when done tastefully and combined with the beauty of the natural landscape of Sister Bay, would make it more of a must stop location than it currently is.