Historic Day for Door County

Welcome to the Notes from the Grove, providing Liberty Grove residents and visitors tid bits of information about goings on in town government.

• June 23 marked a historic day for the Town of Liberty Grove, the community of Ellison Bay and Door County. The Door County Land Trust, before a standing room only crowd, officially dedicated the “Grand View” at the top of the Ellison Bay Hill. The 15-plus-acre parcel was obtained through grants, donations, hard work and perseverance to be preserved for generations. It is anticipated in the next few weeks the deed to the property will be turned over to the Town of Liberty Grove to be maintained as a scenic overlook park.

Access and parking for the park is through the Liberty Grove Historical Society property. A small parking area will be available off Hillside Drive as well. Work will continue to install an informational kiosk and observation platform. Paths are available to reach two small ponds located near the bottom of the hill. Park benches have been installed as well.

On behalf of the Town of Liberty Grove, I would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all those who have worked so long and hard to make this a reality. It is for residents and visitors alike a dream come true.

• The first meeting of July for the Town Board will be held on Thursday, July 5 since the regular meeting date falls on July 4.

• The 2012 Board of Review has been scheduled for August 29. It will begin at 1 pm in the Town Hall.

• A joint meeting of the Highway Committee and the Town Board will be held on July 26 to receive the engineering plan for Isle View Road. The meeting will be held at the Town Hall beginning at 7 pm. Baudhuin Inc. of Sturgeon Bay has developed the plan in consultation with Fedderly Consulting. It is anticipated the road will be staked prior to the meeting so interested parties may see the road layout.

• Scott Construction of Lake Delton has been awarded the contract for chip sealing Europe Bay Road. Chip sealing is done to extend the life expectancy of a road. It provides a durable and safe all-weather wearing surface. The ingredients of hot mix asphalt and chip seals are the same, i.e. liquid asphalt and aggregate. With hot mix asphalt the ingredients are mixed together, spread and compacted for a durable and comfortable road surface. With chip sealing a thin coating of hot asphalt liquid is spread on the existing road surface followed by small aggregates or chips. The chips are then compacted for maximum adherence to the surface. Excess stone is then swept away from the surface. Chip sealing is generally one-fourth the cost of an asphalt overlay. Chip sealing is done on lower traffic roads and will virtually eliminate the possibility of black ice. In hot weather chip seals tend to reseal cracks by flowing back together. It is estimated chip sealing can extend the life of a road surface from 7 – 10 years.