Egg Harbor Will Bury Utilities

Power lines will soon be a thing of the past in downtown Egg Harbor. Photo by Myles Dannhausen Jr.

The sight lines in Egg Harbor will be a little cleaner in the years ahead.

The village board of trustees voted unanimously Monday to bury utilities through the village core at an estimated cost of $2.3 million. The work will be done as part of the Highway 42 resurfacing and streetscape renovations, which are scheduled to begin in the fall of 2022 and be completed in the spring of 2024. 

The board had three options: It could have kept the utilities on wooden poles with guy wires as they are now, with no additional cost. It could have spent $2.12 million to switch to taller, black, fiberglass poles with no guy wires; or it could bury the lines. 

Burying the lines will require installing green utility boxes on some properties throughout the village, and widening sidewalks to 10 feet on both sides of the road will encroach on some properties and buildings. 

People who own property along Highway 42 who are affected by the changes are encouraged to send questions and concerns to the Parks and Public Works Committee in the coming weeks. 

“We have time to discuss accommodations we can make,” said Village President John Heller. 

The village expects to get bids for the highway project in July or August of 2022.

Solar Panels Coming to Kress

The installation of solar panels at the Kress Pavilion is underway, with the panels going up Aug. 23. Discover Wisconsin will be on-site to film the installation as part of an upcoming episode of the pay-for-play television program. 

Shipwrecked Hearing Set for Aug. 23

The public hearing for the latest proposal from the owners of Shipwrecked for a conditional use permit and special development district relief will be held Aug. 23, 4 pm, at the Kress Pavilion. Shipwrecked is seeking approval to add a beer garden and seating on the former Christine’s property immediately south of the restaurant. 

The board also approved a Plan Commission recommendation to limit conditional use applications to two conditional use permit applications in a 12-month period for the same project on the same parcel. 

“Since Act 67 was enacted, the amount of legal fees and time that gets wrapped up in these has increased dramatically,” said Plan Commission Chair Cambria Mueller.