Transfer site signs reflect new hours

By MITCH MAERSCH

Ozaukee Press staff

Changes are coming to a nearby town dump.

New signs were recently installed at the gate to the Town of Belgium’s transfer site and on the compactors letting residents know of the hours and instructions.

“The sign’s up. It looks nice,” Supr. Tom Bichler said on Dec. 5.

One of the signs on the compactors is in Spanish since some town residents don’t speak English, and site supervisor Ron Swihart doesn’t speak Spanish.

The hours beginning Jan. 1 will be 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturdays throughout the year and from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesdays from May through September.

The Town Board approved the new schedule in August. The new hours make it easier for residents and makes Belgium’s schedule comparable to those in other towns.

The new hours, Supr. Bill Janeshek said, won’t impact Ozaukee County’s snow plowing schedule.

“It will be better because now it’s paved,” he said.

The hours are one of a few changes the drop-off site has undergone in the past year.

In fall 2021, about a 36-foot square portion was paved with a five-inch binder and overlay near the compactors.

It was something Town Chairman Tom Winker said he felt strongly about getting done. It got put on the town’s list of projects during every annual road tour each spring.

“That’s something I’ve been hearing from the constituents,” Winker said.

Janeshek said he wants to add a salt barrel at the dump so Swihart can address ice on the newly paved portion. A bucket of sand was already there.

The site was started in the 1940s and that area hasn’t been paved.

“It’s hard to imagine it’s almost been 80 years since that’s been blacktopped,” Bichler said.

The paving cost $41,000. The Ozaukee County Highway Department did the work.

In summer, the driveway was paved for $35,000, and it has earned rave reviews.

“I just couldn’t be prouder of what we did down there. You can go there with a nice vehicle and not get all muddy and dusty and everything else,” Winker said.

The paved portion is wider than a standard road to allow people to easily pass each other at the entrance, Janeshek said.

The dump plays host to the town and village of Belgium’s E-cycle day, which was changed from an annual event to every other year.

The next event is in 2024.