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Letter to the Editor: Pay Attention to Your Community

Now that the 2020 election is behind us and many of us have been taking a break from politics, I recently discovered that’s not a good idea. You may think your local elected officials care about you, your community and your safety, but if you aren’t paying attention, you may find out the hard way that they are not.

Recently it was brought to our attention that Sturgeon Bay was considering expanding ATV routes throughout the city. This is in the minutes of the Oct. 26, 2020, Parking and Traffic Committee meeting. The “test route” was planned to start with North Duluth Avenue, which is the second segment of the Ice Age Trail and the dead-end road that leads to the footpath to Potawatomi State Park and Waterfront Mary’s Resort and Bar. 

Some residents of Sturgeon Bay and Nasewaupee believe an ATV route to Bullhead Point and Waterfront Mary’s is essential. However, a passionate and vocal majority of property owners on North Duluth have voiced their concerns against changing their curvy, hilly waterfront road into an ATV route. 

The chair of Nasewaupee and two alderpersons on the Sturgeon Bay Parking and Traffic Committee disagreed with the property owners’ concerns for safety, unnecessary additional traffic, noise and Sturgeon Bay’s responsibility as an Ice Age Trail community.

If you think your elected officials are representing you and your vision for Sturgeon Bay and Door County, you might find out the hard way that many of them are looking out for a small number of like-minded constituents. 

If ATV routes continue to expand throughout Sturgeon Bay and Door County, and ATV routes throughout our county don’t reflect your vision for our county’s future, this isn’t the best time for you to take your break from politics. Think globally. Act locally!

D’Ann Jackson

Town of Nasewaupee, Wisconsin