By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
SUAMICO – The Suamico village board voted last month to direct staff to coordinate with business and property owners along Riverside Drive in the Historic Downtown Suamico area to develop a reconstruction plan.
Village Administrator Alex Kaker said $75 million was available through the state’s Multimodal Local Supplement program with more than 1,600 applications submitted requesting a total of more than $1.4 billion when the village submitted a grant application last year.
“Needless to say, we were not successful in obtaining money for that project, though the Lineville (Road) expansion project did receive a $1 million award, and that project is slated to be completed by 2025,” he said.
Kaker said the village could continue to pursue the Riverside Drive reconstruction project, but would have to use Tax Incremental Financing District (TID) funds to add sidewalk, lighting, curb and gutter.
“The latest cost estimate for this project was about $660,000,” he said. “Assuming that the final cost is such, TID No. 2 is expected to close in 2026 with a positive balance of just over $1 million.”
Upon the village moving forward with the project, Kaker said he expects it would take the remainder of 2020 to work out the details with business owners and then bid out the work in December with construction taking place in early 2021.
“I think they would like something more decorative, but that’s more expensive,” he said. “This is a good compromise just to add sidewalk on one side of (Riverside), add curb and gutter and crosswalk…”
Kaker said any leftover funds in the TID when it is closed out would be returned to the taxing entities which make up the district, with the percentages returned based on the mill rate and the village’s share accounting for about 20 percent.
“If there was a $1 million balance, the village is going to get $200,000 in their general fund,” he said. “But the idea of a TID is to increase the area and advance the economic development.”
Trustee Sky Van Rossum said the redevelopment of that portion of Riverside Drive between Velp Avenue and Side Street would enhance the area.
“As long as I’ve been on this board, we’ve always talked about making an investment in that district,” Van Rossum said. “We’ve done a lot of good things in that district, and I think we need to continue.”
Village President Laura Nelson said she also supported the reconstruction project.
“We have to honor the needs and wishes of the stakeholders there, and they’ve already told us they want something done,” Nelson said. “So I think we have to flush out exactly what they want, and as long as the funds are there and no other projects are anticipated, I think we have to proceed in that fashion.”
Trustee Michelle Eckert said she favored a reconstruction project that wasn’t “too extravagant or high maintenance.”
Kaker said the plan would include curb and gutter on both sides of the road with sidewalk on south side.
Because no new projects can be initiated less than five years before a TID closes, Kaker said the reconstruction work on Riverside Drive would have begin before August 2021.
If the project is done after the TID closes, Public Works Director Andy Smits said the road reconstruction would have come out of the village’s general fund.
Bay Port addition
In other action, the board approved a site plan for building an addition to the weight room on the southeast corner of Bay Port High School.
The addition will be built on property zoned Public Lands & Institutions located at the north end of Rockwell Lane, one-eighth of a mile north of Lineville Road.
Property sale
After meeting in closed session, the board directed staff to request proposals for selling .324 acres of village-owned property at 552 Resort Road.
Kaker said the village is seeking offers to purchase, but won’t require prospective buyers to indicate their reasons for wanting to buy the land.