The Iola Village Board met on Tuesday, Jan. 9, in the Iola Village Hall at 5:30 p.m.
Members present included Jennifer Schustek, Jim Rasmussen, Dave Harper, Rick Meyers, Mark McCoy, and Pamela Parks. Others present were Laura J. Krogwold, Village Clerk/Treasurer; Missy Fenn, Village of Iola Deputy Clerk/Treasurer; Paul Zierler, Village of Iola Police Chief; Rick Ertl, Laura Berkley, and Kellen Burkley.
Motion made by S. Dane to accept the Dec. 8, 2023, Revitalization Committee meeting with changes: Holly Neuman moved to “other members present”, and the verbiage to the third and fourth paragraph be changed to the following: “Shannon started the discussion off by stating she wants to get a game plan regarding garbage cans and benches. She did some research and found metal benches that could be personalized for $1,600 and plain for $1,100. We could buy the benches and then have businesses or people sponsor the rest of the cost to have personalized. Car Show is working with Waupaca Foundry on making a prototype for them at little to no cost. Joe is unable to give us a delivery date at this time. Joe shared pictures of the garbage cans they are looking at. Basic metal barrel and a metal top screwed on. He suggested a red or black color can.” Motion seconded by M. McCoy. Motion passed.
Motion made by D. Harper to thank Our Saviors Lutheran Church for their generous $2,000.00 donation to Riverwalk repairs. Motion seconded by J. Rasmussen. Motion passed.
Motion made by P. Parks to thank the Krause Foundation for their generous donation for $5,000.00 donation toward the ongoing maintenance of the Chester L. Krause Legacy Park, $20,000 toward repairs of the Riverwalk, and $7,500.00 toward the revitalization projects in the village. Seconded by S. Dane. Motion passed.
Motion made by D. Harper to thank an anonymous donor for $10,000 donation toward the covered bridge project on the Riverwalk. Motion seconded by R. Meyers. Motion passed.
Status check of property at 119 S. Main Street, Village of Iola was asked for. Property owner said he had been doing some painting and cleaning. The dumpster was filled. J. Rasmussen asked the property owner if he needed a permit prior to clean-up. Property owner stated that he was in contact with the building inspector, and he said he did not need one.
Resolution read by J. Schustek. Discussion was to amend the end date of the no parking time frame from March 31st to April 1st. Motion made by R. Meyers to ratify Resolution NO. 2024-1: Be it resolved by the Iola Village Board of Trustees: There will be no residential parking on Village of Iola streets from 12:00 AM (midnight) to 7:00 AM from November 1st to April 1st. To facilitate street clean-up from a winter weather event (snow and/or ice), residential parking is prohibited on all Village streets from 12:00 AM (midnight) the day prior to the start of a winter weather event thru 24 hours following the conclusion of the winter weather event. Seconded by M. McCoy. Roll call vote taken by L. Krogwold, Clerk: 7 members present, 7-Yes, 0-No, 0-Abstained. Motion passed.
Committee Reports
Library: Circulation reports for December 2023 were shared with the village board: Circulation: Circulation 1,677, Renewals 531, Total Circulation 2,208; Interlibrary Loan: Total Loaned 955, Total Borrowed 963, Net -8; WISCAT ILL – Requested 37, Sent 25; Overdrive: E-Book 128, Audio Books 92, Magazines 148, Hoopla 128; MY PC: Total Minutes 11,122, Total Sessions 129, Wireless Unique Devices 229, Avg Devices Connected Per Day 23; Items Checked in: 3,070; Monthly Patron Count: 1,433; Programming: Total Programs 11 with a total attendance of 204, 1 Adult Program with Attendance of 13, 4 Children’s Programs Story Hour with Attendance of 48 Children and 26 Adults, 4 Family Programs/STEAM with Attendance of 58 Children and 50 Adults; 2 Passive/Drop In with attendance of 9 Adults and 0 Children; Make & Take Bags 165; Curbside 0; New Patrons 7.
Protection of Persons and Property: Motion made by P. Parks, seconded by D. Harper to accept the December 2023 Iola Police Department call for service summary submitted by Chief Zierler. There were 129 Total calls handled by the department: 1-911 Misdials; 6-Animal Problem; 1-Alarm, 1Alcohol Offense, 13-Assist other Agency (8 EMS); 13-Building Checks; 11-Citizens/Motorist Assist; 54-Designated Patrol; 1-Fraud; 2-Hit and Run; 1-Juvenile Problem; 1-Lockouts; 1-Lost Property; 1Mental Health; 1-Motor Vehicle Crashes; 2-Noise Complaint; 3-Ordinance Violations; 1-Overdose; 1Parking Problem; 3-Suspicious Circumstances; 2-Traffic Control; 9-Traffic Enforcement; 1-Welfare Check. No discussion. Motion passed.
Public Works (Public Property, Streets, Sewer, Water): M. McCoy stated that the Public Works department is switching over to brine to treat the roads in the village because there is a cost savings from salt.
Park & Garden: R. Meyers said the Rosie Paw dog park has received a $2000 Grant from the Rotary Club of Waupaca. A formal board thank you will follow next month.
Finance: The members of the Finance Committee found the bills to be in order. Motion made by D. Harper, seconded by J. Rassmussen to approve the bills. No discussion. Motion passed.
Motion made by D. Harper to approve the December 2023 financial report. Seconded by R. Meyers. Motion passed.
Revitalization: S. Dane reported that there are a lot of ideas coming out of the revitalization committee. They will start with new garbage cans. There is consideration to survey residents to see what they would like to see. Also, have a contest to design a logo for the village.
Other Business
A complaint letter was received on Dec. 14, 2023, from Jeremy VanHulle regarding Abandoned buildings and highway signage. Motion made by D. Harper to send a letter acknowledging the letter was received and brought before the Iola Village Board of Trustees. Second by R. Meyers. Motion passed.
A thank you note from Ben & Tiffany Strojny was presented to the board members.