More on Defining ‘Township’

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

• A special reminder that the dedication of the Grand View Park will be this Saturday, June 23 at 4 pm during Olde Ellison Bay Days. The Door County Land Trust will officially turn the 15-acre plus parcel that it acquired through grants and donations to the Town of Liberty Grove. Volunteers and the town crew have been working this spring preparing the park. Trees have been planted along the west boundary line and a split rail fence has been installed. Hanson Lane is scheduled for paving and once that is completed the town crew will remove the asphalt driveway and parking area that served the Grandview Condominiums. Access and parking for the new park will be on the Liberty Grove Historical Society property.

• A Special Town Board meeting on June 14 discussed the practice of having town employees serving on committees. State statutes and opinions from the WTA legal office and town attorney Jack Bruce indicate that law allows the practice. This was the fourth time this question has been considered by the Town Board in the past two years. On a 3-2 vote the issue was tabled until the completion of the Isle View Road project and Heritage Road Program. Supervisors Goss, Schumway and Chair Lowry voted in favor. Supervisors Forket and Tidball voted nay.

• Baudhuin Engineering has indicated to Administrator Kalms they have completed the design work for Isle View Road. It is being reviewed by Fedderly Consulting. Once that is completed they will present the plan to a combined meeting of the Town Board and Highway Committee. It is anticipated the road layout will be staked prior to the meeting for interested parties to view.

• A follow-up on the term Township. In Wisconsin we do have what are called Survey Townships. When Wisconsin was surveyed by the federal government between 1833 and 1866 the basic units were six-mile square townships. Similarly the township was divided into one-mile square sections. Within each six-mile township are 36 one-mile square sections. A Survey Township is also known as a congressional township since it was Congress that originally ordered the survey. Civil Townships, i.e. Town of Liberty Grove, often share the boundaries of a Survey Township but they can be smaller or larger areas.