Dollar General proposal tops busy village agenda

By DAN BENSON

Ozaukee Press staff

Plans for a Dollar General store at the former day care center site at the village’s east end will go before the Fredonia Plan Commission when it meets next week.

It’s one of several important actions to be taken in the month of November, highlighted by the potential approval of additions to the south-side business park, the hiring of a public works superintendent, reorganizing village committees and staffing and approval of the 2023 budget.

Plans call for tearing down the dilapidated building at the southwest corner of Highways 57 and H at 111 Fredonia Ave.

The property has been vacant for several years and has been the object of complaints from residents and village officials, who have called it an eyesore.

Village Administrator Christophe Jenkins said the existing building is likely to be torn down.

“Every development is a big deal, but this is a huge piece toward reviving the community. It’s in a prominent place,” Jenkins said. “And it will add to the village’s net new construction”  valuation, which can be applied toward the village’s spending limit.

In previous years, the site has served as a private residence, restaurant and tavern as well as a day care center.

Dollar General is a chain convenience store that sells items, including some groceries, at a lower price compared to other chain retailers, but — despite its name — is not a dollar store.

The closest Dollar General is in Port Washington, at 1101 N. Wisconsin St., where the company transformed the old Shopko store.

The only other convenience store in town is Casey’s, a chain gas station and convenience store combination.

The Plan Commission will review the project’s site plan. The engineering review of the project has been completed.

If the commission approves the plan when it meets at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 7, ground can be broken on the site, Jenkins said.

After several months of closed-session meetings with prospective business park tenants, Jenkins said the village also is likely to come to agreements with three businesses by the end of the month.

“We’re hoping by end of November we’ll be closing on three deals,” he said. “As soon as those are public, we’ll be shouting it from the roof tops.”

State law allows municipalities to meet in closed session out of the public eye to negotiate the sale or transfer of property.

But the sale or transfer have to be approved in open session.

The village also has three candidates to replace Roger Strohm as the public works superintendent, Jenkins said.

The candidates will be presented to the Village Board at 7 p.m. Thursday. Strohm left the village to take an engineering job with the City of Port Washington.

The village also will be hiring another laborer for the Public Works Department and consider restructuring the village office, Jenkins said.

“We’re exploring hiring a deputy clerk” to assist Clerk Treasurer Melissa Depies. “Or we may split up the clerk treasurer duties into two positions a clerk and a treasurer,” Jenkins said. “If approved, we would search to fill one of those two roles.”

Jenkins said he will recommend splitting Depies’ duties into two positions.

“Melissa has taken on a lot. It’s only fair for her to get assistance. She deserves it,” he said.

Jenkins said both positions would likely be 32 hours a week, although it might be more at first.

With those changes, “We’re hoping to be fully staffed by the beginning of next year,” he said.

Jenkins also said he will propose at the end of the month that the Village Board’s committees be restructured since some have become superfluous since his hiring earlier this fall.

“The Personnel Committee, for instance, isn’t really necessary since I’m handling those matters,” he said.

Jenkins said the 2023 budget is also set to be approved at the Nov. 17 Village Board meeting.

“The Nov. 17 meeting agenda will have a lot of stuff on it,” he said.