Colfax grants another street use permit for Timber Tech

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX  — The Colfax Village Board has granted another street use permit for Timber Technologies to use Cedar Street to reach the facility’s loading area by the railroad tracks on Legion Drive.

The village board approved a street use permit last year set to expire December 13, 2017, said Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer, at the village board’s April 23 meeting.

After the approval last year, the village board wanted to evaluate the use of the street, she said.

Under the permit, semi trucks employed by Timber Technologies use Cedar Street to reach the loading area purchased by Timber Tech next to the Canadian National railroad tracks on Legion Drive. The trucks load lumber off the rail cars and then proceed to state Highway 40 and back to the Timber Technologies facility. 

Mark Halpin, village trustee, wondered if temporary signs were put up letting residents and Morgen’s Auto Body know the semi trucks would be using Cedar Street. 

“That was not something discussed last year, (although) it is something we could do,” said Tom Niska, co-owner of Timber Technologies.

The signage talked about last year was to let the drivers know the route. The problem is getting permission from the Wisconsin Department of Transportation to put up more signs, Niggemann said.

Niska wondered what kind of signage the village board had in mind, and Halpin said he wanted something pertaining to truck traffic.

A semi truck in the area knocked down a stop sign on a corner and was at least 12 feet into his lawn, Halpin said. 

When Niska asked if the truck was “one of his,” Halpin said he did not believe it was a Timber Tech truck.

Village board members should give it some thought about what to do, said Gary Stene, village president. 

The issue of signs should go to the streets committee, Niggemann said.

Hauling with trucks “is a fluid situation,” Niska said, noting truck drivers will tell him on short notice they have a couple of hours available. 

Street usage signs would have to be “something we could put up on the fly and take down again,” Niska said.

The village does not want Cedar Street to be a dedicated truck route, although the village wants Timber Tech to have access to their lumber to haul it back to the facility,  Niggemann said. 

Niska said there was more flexibility to leave it as a permit, and if the village board would approve the permit, then he would look into what he could use for temporary signage regarding semi trucks hauling for Timber Technologies. 

A motion to approve a street use permit for Timber Technologies with the understanding Niska would look into temporary signage was approved unanimously.

The new street use permit for Timber Tech is in effect from April 2, 2018, to April 2, 2019.

Other business 

In other business, the Colfax Village Board:

• Approved a six-month Class “B”/ “Class B” retailers license for the Colfax Softball Association from May 1, 2018, to October 31, 2018. The softball association will provide a list of events for this year so the village has the information on file, Niggemann said.  The six-month picnic license allows the softball association to set their schedule and operate the concession stand without dealing with whether they have gotten the application in on time to the village so the village board can act on granting the license prior to the next event, Stene said. 

• Approved a donation of $50 toward sponsoring the Twister Run held the morning of the Colfax Firefighters’  Ball in September.

• Approved paying a $210 deposit to Myers Septic Service, Elk Mound, for porta-potties at the Colfax Free Fair. In past years, the village alternated between Myers and Sundstrom’s Pit Pumping, Colfax, Niggemann said. The village has turned over the process of contracting for the service to the Colfax Fair