Environmental Survey Finds No Issues With Schauer Road Reroute

The Department of Natural Resources did not find anything in environmental and archaeological surveys to prevent the creation of a new 45-foot-wide right-of-way for rerouting Schauer Road, the Sevastopol Town Board learned on Dec. 18. The town and County of Door split the cost of the surveys for about $2,250 apiece.

If the project proceeds, the town and county would divide the costs of creating the new roadway through woodlands rather than the current, curvy lakeside route that’s often congested by Cave Point visitors. The new route would bypass Cave Point County Park, and the county has proposed closing a portion of the existing Schauer Road to motor vehicles near the county park while using movable bollards to allow emergency access.

Town Board Chair Dan Woelfel said the town would seek grants for its $8,250 half of the engineering. He said the town would need additional grants and resources to fund any construction, as it would never be able to afford such a project from its road fund. 

“If it’s our project, it’s never going to happen,” Woelfel said. “It would consume most of our budget.”

Stantec engineers will perform more engineering for road design, construction quantities and a project estimate, and the county highway committee will digest those to determine the course of action, said Thad Ash, Door County Highway Commissioner.

Town supervisors – who on Dec. 18 approved paying a $7,000 annual fee in 2024 for planning and grant-writing assistance through Bay-Lake Regional Planning Commission (BLRPC) – asked BLRPC Executive Director Brandon Robinson to look for grants to help the town afford its half of a Schauer Road project that could start in 2025 at the earliest.

Board members agreed to stay with BLRPC for another year, but questioned the organization’s practice of basing its fee on taxable property values that have risen significantly. Robinson said he would look at other possible formulas.

Also, since 12 out of 19 municipalities in Door County have been contracting with BLRPC, the board asked Robinson to lobby the county to contract with the organization. Robinson said if the county contracted with his firm in 2024, they would get their membership fee back.