Grant to help county buy hot mix plant land

Ozaukee County supervisors recently voted to accept a state grant to purchase the 40-acre former Payne & Dolan hot mix pit in the Town of Saukville, laying the groundwork for a potential future park that officials hope could include a nearby lake.

The Natural Resources Committee members voted on Feb. 5 to recommend to the County Board that they accept a $112,500 state Knowles-Nelson Stewardship grant to acquire the property on Lakeland Road next to 80 acres of former quarry land in the Town of Saukville that includes a man-made lake.

The county and the town have for some time discussed combining the properties, along with other private landholdings to create a county park.

Using the grant to buy the property will require a one-to-one match from the county, which county Planning and Parks Director Andrew Struck said will come from an already-awarded Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District grant and the county’s capital project fund for a total cost of $235,000, depending on a certified appraisal of the property.

Last year, the town and county were divided on the valuation of the 40-acre Payne and Dolan site.

Town Chairman Kevin Kimmes argued the land could be subdivided into residential lots with private access to the water-filled quarry, greatly increasing their value, perhaps as much as $1.5 million.

Struck has expressed skepticism about that valuation in the past. Neither he nor Kimmes responded to requests for comment for this story.

One way the county could pay for the town’s 40 acres with lake access would be to accept road work performed by the county on town roads in lieu of payment.

The combined 80 acres could be part of a much larger nature preserve or park since both are located within the 623-acre Riveredge and Cedarburg Bog Natural Area, 249 acres of which are owned by the county.