Ohly expansion feasibility study Village to study possible wastewater treatment facility enlargement
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BOYCEVILLE—The Village Board approved hiring the firm of MSA to do a report on the possible expansion of the village’s wastewater treatment facility.
At question is the possible expansion of Ohly within the Village of Boyceville, and the need is for a larger treatment facility to handle Ohly’s future industrial discharge.
The Village Board listened to a Zoom report from Pat Morrow, the Wastewater Team Leader from MSA. He explained that the Village had asked MSA to assist with negotiations and questions from Ohly Americas to evaluate the feasibility of wastewater treatment upgrades to the Village’s facility to accommodate the proposed expansion of Ohly and the increase of wastewater from Ohly that is received into the Village’s facility.
The board spent some time talking about the program and several board members noted that the board had not yet received all the information from Ohly about their needs. Village President Luke Montgomery who indicated that Ohly had not got back to the village on their needs for gas and electric. The board also mentioned that there is a possibility that the flow from the new facility may require the treatment of some 450,000 gallons daily. Discussion also centered on that the new treatment facility could convert waste into energy.
Montgomery also noted to the other members of the board about the increased revenue that the village could receive from this project would allow them to develop new lots on the village owned property in the Anderson Hills area and they could see a growth of several hundred people in Boyceville, the village president indicated.
All members of the board voted to approve the new agreement with MSA with an estimated cost of $70,000. The report should be completed by the end of this year. The village also has MSA doing the study of the wastewater collection system within the village.
Village’s Housing Needs Assessment
The village board listened to a report from Susan Badtke of the West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission. She told the board that the “they had great results in the village’s housing survey.” She indicated that the study showed that the village needs more housing for smaller households.
Badtke told members of the board that the “Village should to address the need for additional smaller, starter homes, in the $150,000 to $200,000 range.”
A summary of her report noted that the 2020 rental and owner vacancy rates with the Village are estimated to have been below the health standard, pointing to an immediate need for additional housing. Her report indicated that “there were very few housing units for sale in 2020 and this extremely low level remains today,” the Executive Summary pointed out.
Rent in the village has increased some 88 percent in the last three years from $394 in 2020 to $741 now. In 2020 the median renter annual income in the Village was $25,250, and now the estimated median renter income is $35,781.
Badtke report told that the village has 84 subsidized/income-qualified rental units within the village. But she noted that 16 of these are in a 30-year program that will expire next year. These could change and not be subsidized units after next year she indicated.
One of the goals for the village would be to address the Village’s unmet housing demand, overcrowding, and vacancy rates.
Lions Club donations
Dawn Breland, a member of the Boyceville Lions Club presented a report to the village board on a donation that the club and others have made to the community including the club’s effort at Pafko Park.
It started back on November 30, 2011 when club member pointed out that both Wheeler and Knapp had better playground equipment at their parks than Boyceville did at Pafko Park. “Something needs to be done,” the report stated.
Her report dated back to 2014 and showed a total investment of $90,082.52 at Pafko Park in the last nine years. Those funds were broken down, with $31,000 coming from grants, $42,442.30 from donations and another $16,640.22 from the Lions Club and the club also furnished some 7500 man-hours of work at the park.
Breland also presented a check of $7613.00 from the Lions Club to the Village Clerk/Treasurer, Brittany Halvorson for the final payment.
The Village Board learned from Halvorson that they received a $500 safety grant and a $1,000 donation for the Friendship Garden.
Finally, the board approved all applications for Alcohol, Coin and Tobacco licenses ending on June 30, 2024. They also approved transferring a couple of six-year old computers that the police department is not using to the Elk Mound Police Department.
