Letter to the Editor: Spend Money to Get the Money

The Aug. 5-12 issue of the Peninsula Pulse contained another article about the STR [short-term-rental] ordinance in Nasewaupee [“Nasewaupee Struggling with Enforcement of STR Ordinance”]. This article referenced the lack of resources needed to actually follow up on letters sent to property owners who are found to be out of compliance with the ordinance.

Now, we all know that tourism is a key contributor to the Door County economy, with STRs being an important element of that, but if we want more tourists in Door County, we need to face the fact that this requires expanding infrastructure and resources to accommodate the additional visitors. 

The situation in Nasewaupee is another example of trying to have our cake and eat it, too: We want more tourists – or at least their money – but we won’t spend the money needed to get the money. Expanding tourism without considering infrastructure and resources will produce a Door County that’s very different from what we have all come to love and cherish. 

Mark Polczynski

Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin