Category: Municipal News
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Sturgeon Bay Talks 2021 Budget
Next up: Budget workshop Monday, Oct. 5 Budget talks got underway on Monday in Sturgeon Bay during the first of two workshops scheduled for city alderpeople and staff. The Common Council will render a final verdict Nov. 2 on how much it will spend in 2021, and what that means for property taxes. As it […]
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Judge Declares Gibraltar Food Truck Ban Unconstitutional
Ruling says town board used its power to stifle restaurant competition Door County Circuit Court Judge D. Todd Ehlers ruled that the Town of Gibraltar’s ordinance prohibiting food trucks was unconstitutional and had been enacted as a way to protect restaurant owners from competition. The Sept. 3 decision wipes the 2018 ordinance and subsequent 2019 […]
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Firefighters’ Grievances Scheduled for Hearing
The Egg Harbor Joint Fire Commission has agreed to hear the formal grievances filed by two firefighters who were terminated last month by Egg Harbor Fire Chief Andy Staats. Dan Kiehnau and his son, Dustin Kiehnau, received emails notifying them that the Egg Harbor Joint Fire Commission would meet with them to hear their grievances […]
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Common Council to Select District 2 Alder
Replacement applications accepted until Oct. 8 The next person to lead District 2 on the Sturgeon Bay Common Council will be selected by the council itself. The vacancy was created when David Hayes tendered his resignation Sept. 11, effective Sept. 30. Hayes first took office in April 2018. Those interested in filling the seat should […]
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Height, Setback Variances Granted for Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding
Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay is preparing to upgrade its facilities at 605 N. 3rd Ave. in preparation for work on the U.S. Navy guided-missile frigate contract that was awarded to Fincantieri Marinette Marine in April. The company secured variances Tuesday from the Sturgeon Bay Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to encroach setbacks and […]
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Camp Zion Sues for Right to Expand Facilities in Ellison Bay
The operators of Camp Zion, a Christian retreat in Ellison Bay, have filed a complaint in federal court asking the court to decide where it may build an expanded dining room and conference center on the grounds. On July 14, the Door County Zoning Board of Adjustment rejected a request for a variance and conditional […]
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Ballistic Helmets, Visors Purchased
The Sturgeon Bay Common Council accepted a $7,274.03 donation from Door County Adopt a Soldier to purchase eight ballistic helmets and 23 nonballistic visors for the Sturgeon Bay Police Department. No discussion preceded the decision as it was approved with numerous other items on the consent agenda.
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West Waterfront Promenade Project Awarded
A working waterfront that provides public access will soon be more than just drawings on paper now that the Sturgeon Bay Common Council has selected a contractor to build the West Waterfront Promenade. The job went to Triple P, doing business in Green Bay as Peters Concrete Company, and its bid of $1,384,552. The cost […]
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Sturgeon Bay Borrowing $4.37 million
The City of Sturgeon Bay is poised to borrow $4.37 million by selling general obligation promissory notes to finance numerous projects over the next 10 years. The general obligation notes mean the city is pledging its ability to leverage taxes to pay the debt. The money would finance a list of 22 capital items and […]
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DNR Restates Intent to Demolish Potawatomi Tower
SBHSF calls for public support, and a meeting keeps hopes up Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Preston Cole sent two letters last week pertaining to the Potawatomi State Park tower. One went to Christie Weber, president of the Sturgeon Bay Historical Society Foundation (SBHSF). The other went to both state Rep. Joel Kitchens […]
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A Year Later, Praise for Ephraim’s New Look
The process to redesign the streetscape was not an easy one for the Village of Ephraim, but one year after the main portion of the project was completed, visitors, residents and business owners are reaping the rewards of a more pedestrian-friendly village. “It’s been nothing but positive,” said jeweler Russ Zabler, who has operated Zabler […]
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Egg Harbor Condo Plan Moves to Final Phase
The plan for a 14-unit condominium and retail complex in the center of Egg Harbor has one more hurdle to clear. The Egg Harbor Plan Commission instructed Administrator Ryan Heise, attorney James Kalny and staff to outline a set of detailed conditions for the commission to consider for approval during its next regularly scheduled meeting […]
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Baileys Harbor to Consider Short-term Rental Ordinance
The Town of Baileys Harbor will consider a new ordinance to regulate short-term rentals during its Aug. 10 meeting. The ordinance largely mirrors a similar measure enacted in the Village of Egg Harbor that requires those who operate short-term rental homes to obtain an annual rental license. The license would require that the owner or […]
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Plan Commission Denies Zoning Change for Fred and Fuzzy’s Property
One of Door County’s oldest resorts and most popular summer dining spots may not be in its final days after all. The Sister Bay Plan Commission denied a request for a change of use for the property that contains the waterfront portions of Little Sister Resort and Fred and Fuzzy’s Waterfront Bar and Grill. The […]
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Harvey Malzahn, Former Town and County Chair, Dies at 86
For Harvey Malzahn, community service was a way of life. The former chair of the Door County Board and Gibraltar Town Board died July 30 at age 86. Malzahn pushed hard to implement recycling programs as a member of municipal government and as a charter member of the Door County Environmental Council. He served on […]
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Supreme Court Decision Halts Local Transit Projects
A Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that bridled Gov. Tony Evers’ veto authority has also pressed the pause button on state grant dollars that had been awarded for critical transportation projects around the state, four within Door County. The issue pertains to the 2019-21 biennial budget bill that Evers signed July 3, 2019, with several vetoes. […]
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Baileys Harbor Town Chair Resigns
Baileys Harbor Town Chair Doug Smith resigned July 12 after serving 14 months of his two-year term. In a letter to the board, Smith cited “private matters” as the reason for his resignation. Vice Chair Barbara Anschutz will run the next regularly scheduled board meeting, during which the board will set a date for a […]
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Breaking Down Door County’s Mask Decision
At Friday’s Door County Board of Supervisors meeting, the board members voted by consensus not to pursue a countywide masking ordinance. Or did they? That question has been rumbling through conversations among observers and supervisors during the days since. When County Board Chair Dave Lienau asked the supervisors for a show of hands to gauge […]
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Parks Committee Discusses Hotel Parking, Pebble Beach
The Village of Sister Bay’s Parks and Properties Committee discussed parking for CHOP and the Dörr Hotel on June 29. Jaco Management, which owns the properties, requested that the public-parking signs for the parking lot behind CHOP come down after the hotel is completed. Plan Commission Chair Denise Bhirdo said it’s unclear, however, whether the […]
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All Municipalities Approve New Tax Deadline
The property-tax deadline of July 31 has been officially extended to Oct. 1 for all of Door County, according to Door County Treasurer Jay Zahn. The Door County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution in May that allowed the deadline extension, but all 19 municipalities then had to approve the extension. That was completed June […]