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DOT Construction Scheduled for Fish Creek in 2016

• Cold weather delayed construction in downtown Sister Bay, according to Tammy Kuehlmann, project manager for Donahue & Associates engineering firm.

“Originally we thought this was what the contractor was going to do, be out there in December, then take off January and February and come back,” she said. “It’s just when they provide a more aggressive schedule it’s easy for everyone to get excited that we’re not going to see them after Christmastime, then unfortunately we had a really cold dose of reality of construction in Wisconsin in the winter.”

The project is part of the village’s efforts to update its sewer and water pipes downtown in preparation for the Department of Transportation’s work scheduled for fall 2015.

Dorner Inc., the Luxemburg construction company chosen to do the project, had expected to be done with the work before Dec. 25. Instead, crews will spend the next week patching up the sidewalks and roads with gravel, testing pipes and moving equipment.

“When it’s zero, or close to zero, it’s near to impossible to work, especially when you’re doing water mains,” Kuehlmann said. “The frost is much deeper in the ground than it normally would be… This is weather that’s more typical of January and February, not December.”

Dorner crews will return in spring to finish the work, which they’re contracted to have finished before the 2014 Memorial Day weekend.

More information on graveled areas and the placement of orange barrels will be available after the Department of Transportation reviews the plans.

• Ephraim’s Community Protection Committee will discuss continuing the village’s use of its rescue boat at its next meeting. The village board members asked the committee to put together a presentation on the history of the boat, the services it provides, the need for the boat and the cost of owning and running it. The meeting date hasn’t been set but is expected for the end of January.

• The Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Hwy. 42 construction in Fish Creek is scheduled to start in fall 2016 and finish in spring 2017. The project was delayed for one year following delays in the Sister Bay Hwy. 42 construction.

Jeremy Ashauer, project manager for the DOT, said the project will include resurfacing Hwy. 42 from the three-way stop intersection with Maple Street, fixing up downtown storm sewers and adding a sidewalk from downtown to Gibraltar School.

The town of Gibraltar is looking for additional funding to add a sidewalk on the other side of Hwy. 42 from downtown to the YMCA.

Resurfacing on Hwy. 57 from County Road Q to Sister Bay is also scheduled for fall 2016.

• The Sevastopol School District is offering a variety of classes for adults through its community fund (Fund 80). Courses range from fitness to technology to arts and crafts, such as the Creative Writing Fun! Class that begins Jan. 9, or I Got an E-Reader for Christmas – Now What?, a technology class that runs for Kindle owners on Jan. 8 and Nook owners on Jan. 15. There is no cost beyond whatever supplies may be needed for a particular class. For a complete list of classes and to register, visit the district’s website at sevastopol.k12.wi.us or call the office at 743.6282, ext. 4.