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will be configured from a current conference room. Steps and a ramp will be added to provide access to what is currently the teller’s area over the drive-through.

Deferred maintenance will be completed, such as fixing the leaking roof.

Nelson laid out what village board members called “an aggressive plan” and timeline for completion. Ideally, bid documents would be issued Aug. 20, with bids due by Sept. 8. Construction would take about 4.5 months, finishing up in mid-to-late January, so move-in can take place at the end of January. Nelson said she feels this is doable, since the building is basically being remodeled, not completely rebuilt. Trustee Scott Feuerhelm requested a more detailed project schedule. He also asked that the village be updated every two weeks on the project’s progress, to make sure it stays on budget and no surprises pop up.

“It’s extremely aggressive for materials and quality of work to be done,” Feuerhelm said. “To be honest, I don’t see it happening.”

Nelson assured the board that the project timeline as laid out is indeed feasible, and that Ayres will provide a project manager and “punch list” through its construction administration services.

“It’s not like this is happening out in a silo and we don’t know what’s going on,” Village President Becky Beissel said.

The project is slated to cost about $1.4 million, with the village borrowing $500,000 to go toward the project. The library is contributing $595,000, and donations and fundraising efforts by the Friends of the Library are making up the rest.

Library Director Tiffany Meyer said fundraising is going well, and the library just received a $100,000 grant from the Hugh J. Andersen Foundation. To follow the library’s fundraising progress, check out the thermometer sign outside of 388 W. Main St.

Sale of bonds

The board approved a resolution to award the sale of $1,230,000 in general obligation corporate purpose bonds. According to Ehlers representative Josh Low, when the village gave Ehlers the green light to go ahead and secure financing, the results were favorable. Five competitive bids were received, all within $16,000 of each other. The low bid came in at a 2.03 percent interest rate for the 20year bond issuance.

Bonds are a way for the village to secure financing for street improvements, the library project, and refinancing a 2019 state trust fund loan (which was for $450,000 at 4 percent interest). The bond is for the same term, same time, but is exchanging a higher interest rate for a lower one, saving about $90,000 over 20 years.

The principal note, which had been projected to be $1.23 million, actually came back at $1.19 million, Low said, which is great news.

The impact on the mil rate is about $20 for a $100,000 property.

The next step will be closing on the bid on Aug. 9, at which time the funds will become available for the village’s use.

Comprehensive plan

The board voted to begin working with UW-River Falls Assistant Professor of Conservation and Environmental Planning Christopher Holtkamp on updating the village’s comprehensive plan. Holtkamp. who came to UWRF in 2018, worked previously as an urban planner; he still consults in that area. He and his team are currently working with the village of Pepin on its comprehensive plan.

Beissel said the village is required by the state to update its plan every 10 years; the village’s plan was due in 2020. A comprehensive plan is a framework for decision-making that helps municipalities realize visions for what the community can be.

The cost will be roughly $11,000; a private consultant would cost anywhere between $70,000 and $80,000, so the savings of working with the university is significant, Holtkamp said.

His job is to bring expertise and facilitation to the process, while working with a village steering committee. After he and two students complete a demographic analysis of the community, extensive public participation will begin, including interviews, focus groups, surveys and public meetings. Holtkamp said he makes sure to reach out to marginalized populations that are sometimes overlooked, such as low-income families or seniors.

A “windshield survey,” where he and his team literally drive around town taking notes, will help him get to know Ellsworth, while making a map of non-conforming properties and conducting a housing assessment.

After the data-gathering and public engagement is complete, the writing of the plan begins. The plan is goal and action-oriented with clear steps outlined, Holtkamp said.

“We saw from Design Ellsworth that the community was very eager and wanting to be involved,” Beissel said.

The board will vote on a more formal proposal once its drafted. Trustee Dale Hines directed Administrator Clerk/Treasurer Nicole Stewart to look into any possible state funding, since the plan is state-mandated. Once the process begins, it should take about eight months to complete.

Plan Commission

The board approved the following based on Plan Commission’s positive recommendations: •A certified survey map for James and Vicki Langer in the town of Trimbelle, which falls in the village’s Extraterritorial Subdivision and Platting Boundary.

•A certified survey map for Mary Oneil and Ryan Oneil at N5070 County Road C, town of Ellsworth. Ryan Oneil is sectioning off a parcel of the home farm to build a house.

•A conditional use permit for Michael Wilson, 176 W. Cope St., for building a second unattached garage.

Other business

•The board authorized Stewart to rename the credit card accounts to more general terms: Public Works, etc.

•The board approved the annual transfer of 2 percent of fire dues to the Ellsworth Fire Service Association. This covers items such as fire inspections , etc.

•The board approved a property assessment revaluation for the 2022 assessment year. The revaluation is staterequired. The cost, which is about $58,000, will be spread over two to three years.

•A street dance license and permit were approved for Jason Marks, East Wall Street, 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. Aug. 20-21.

•The board voted to amend a section of the village’s municipal code that has to do with collecting charges from owners of razed buildings. The change allows the village to collect the debt from the owner personally, not just as a lien on the property or a special tax charge.

•The board sent a work proposal for a WEDC Grant back to the Finance Committee. The proposal is for fuel tank environmental work at the current library building at 312 W. Main.

•The board approved amending a resolution from 2019 that created the Community Development Authority. The language and bylaws were updated to tailor them more to the village. The intent of the CDA was not changed.

•The board approved water quality trading agreements between the village and Matthew Bekkum and Thomas and Theresa Springett. This pertains to rip rap work done on the stream banks near Bekkum’s and the Springetts’ properties to reduce phospho- Pazdernik and the Ellsworth Lion’s Club for planting and caring for the circle flower beds at the village entrances.

•Public Works Director Mike Huppert reported trails have been brush cut and mowed through the Cairns Woods.

This conceptual design map by Ayres Associations shows how the new Ellsworth Public Library space will be laid out at 388 W. Main St. The plan is to be moved into the new space by the end of January 2022. Map courtesy of Ayres Associates