Road panel determines its purpose

More than 75 minutes of discussion yielded a chairman and a purpose for the Village of Belgium’s Silver Beach Road Committee this month.

The committee was appointed in spring to study paving Silver Beach Road, an issue that has been discussed for years. Members include Public Works Director Dan Birenbaum, Town Chairman and Ozaukee County Board member Tom Winker, former village trustee Ron Weyker and business owner Brady Ingels.

The committee, which acts in an advisory role to the Village Board, will explore funding options to present to the village.

A separate ad hoc committee last December encouraged the village to pave the road, which leads into the village’s industrial park. The Belgium Area Chamber of Commerce said the road’s gravel surface is a barrier to business growth.

The village in 2015 delayed paving the road, an estimated $3.2 million project, until Main Street was redone. That project has since been completed.

Engineering work has already been done, but committee members wondered if the five-year-old cost could be updated.

A portion of the project involves stormwater work, which may require the village to buy land. When it tried to buy property years ago, one land owner didn’t want to sell.

Without a grant, Anzia said, he expects the road won’t be paved for at least five or six years. Village Treasurer Vickie Boehnlein concurred.

Weyker asked what the road would cost each taxpayer per $100,000 of property value. Boehnlein said she could get a loose estimate.

The portion of Silver Beach to be paved is in the Town of Belgium. Winker said he has no problem with the village annexing the road but the town won’t help pay for the project.

Winker, who agreed to be chairman, suggested bringing in Rep. Glenn Grothman, Ozaukee County Economic Development Executive Director Kathleen Cady Schilling and Ozaukee County Director of Planning and Parks Andrew Struck.

“He’s doing something right. They’re getting several millions of dollars of grants,” Winker said of Struck.

The next committee meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4.