Court Orders Owner to Demolish Old Railroad Buildings By May 15

The long-pending issue of a Town of Wagner ruling calling for demolition of the old railroad depot structures at N10070 Old Rail Road was settled in Marinette County Circuit Court on Tuesday, March 14. Judge James Morrison ruled that owners of the property must complete removal of all structures by Tuesday, May 15, or the town can arrange for the demolition and bill costs to the property owner.

At the March 14 court proceedings, former owner Jerry Ledger informed the court that he had sold the property on March 8 and was no longer the owner.

On June 9, 2022 the town had petitioned the court for an order for Ledger to remove the structure, which had been found by Building Inspector Jane Meissner to be a public nuisance and beyond repair, and the March 14 court decision upheld this determination. The town was represented in court by Atty. Kim Coggins.

At the monthly Board meeting on Wednesday, March 8, Wagner Town Chair Steve Renikow Sr. stated that he received a letter from an investor who said they were interested in purchasing N10070 Old Rail Road from the Town. However, he said the town does not own this property. One of the members of the public stated he had received the same letter. It was decided that no action was needed from the town.

Present for the 6:30 p.m. March 8 Board meeting in addition to Chair Renikow were Supervisors Ed Delfosse and Mollie Arthur, Clerk Tina Davis, Treasurer Margo Renikow and 11 members of the public.

Chair Renikow said the Town had received the new yearly contract from UES for computer/IT services, and it will be signed and returned.

He also said the town road spring weight restrictions began on Friday, March 3. He invited anyone who needs a deviation to those restrictions to reach out to him.

During financial reports it was noted that the board had approved a transfer of $435,000 for the February settlement, but the transfer was inadvertently remitted twice. The Treasurer will transfer the excess funds back into the Money Market account.

Mike Caylor reported that the Fire Department had one Mabas call to Carney, Michigan since the last meeting. Maintenance and training hours were 57. The Fire Department took some ice rescue gear to Dam-A-Rama just in case it would be needed. Caylor said no one took any big trucks out on the ice and all went well. The Meat Raffles are going well. The last Meat Raffle of the season will be held at The Heritage on Saturday, March 25, from 12 noon to 3 p.m.

Mr. Caylor also stated that people need to be aware that once all of the snow is gone, the public will be required to get burning permits before doing outdoor burning. The permits can be requested online and it’s an easy process, he said. Also, the public needs to be aware of the burning hours once a permit is received.

In his Public Works update, Chair Renikow said the town roads have been plowed but, barring a really substantial snow fall, there will be no more plowing, as the gravel is extremely soft.

Animal Control Officer Gerard Micksch reported no issues during the past month.

At the board meeting Supervisor Arthur noted that the court hearing on demolition of the Old Depot was scheduled for March 14, and said she, Chair Renikow and Supervisor DelFosse would attend. Supervisor Arthur said she would provide pictures of the depot to show the court that the structure is still in nuisance status. Attorney Coggins had asked Building Inspector Jane Meissner to also attend the hearing, which she did, to testify that the cost to repair the depot would exceed 50% of the assessed value.

Chair Renikow read a letter from Coleman Engineering in regard to the Cottage Lane Project. In summary, it stated that a portion of the existing culverts are not located on the deeded right-of-way through the reverse curve and the goal is to relocate the roadway and place the new culverts so they are entirely within the identified deeded right-of-way.

Discussions with the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) in regard to this project have been initiated. The next step is to conduct a field visit in the spring to identify possible wetland disturbance. They have been in touch with Brightspeed about possible utility conflicts and/or relocations at the culvert crossing. Lastly, they are currently putting together the 30% plan set. This will be utilized for further DNR, utility, and Army Corps of Engineers coordination, Renikow said.

Future agenda items include discussion and possible consideration of the Old Depot demolition legal action and an update on the Cottage Lane project.

The Annual Town Meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on  Wednesday, April 12, with the monthly town board meeting to follow.

The Spring Election is to be held on Tuesday, April 4, and there are no candidates seeking to fill the terms of Chair Renikow, Clerk Davis or Supervisor Arthur when they expire later in April. Only Supervisor Ed Delfosse and Treasurer Margo Renikow filed as candidates for return to office, and their names will be on the April 4 ballot without opposition. The town chair, supervisor and clerk positions apparently will be filled by write-in votes, but so far there are no announced write-in candidates.