That really increased our sidewalk and furnishing zone to 14-feet. That’s really providing you a nice benefit in terms of giving you a wider sidewalk for businesses to do some things.”

Cedar Corp’s Russ Kiviniemi

ELLSWORTH — The Ellsworth Village Board selected from three designs to move forward on the N Broadway Street reconstruction project Aug. 4.
Cedar Corporation presented the designs to the Street and Sidewalk Committee on July 24, with the committee recommending the street remains a one-way, switching to parallel parking on each side of the street rather than angled and 14-foot sidewalks on each side.
The redesign is a part of the village’s East End Redevelopment Plan in motion, eyeing streetscaping and redesign to bring more traffic and new businesses to the area.
Although straying from angled parking sacrifices about a dozen spaces, some will be gained back with some new parking on E Wall St.
“That really increased our sidewalk and furnishing zone to 14-feet,” Cedar Corp’s Russ Kiviniemi said. “That’s really providing you a nice benefit in terms of giving you a wider sidewalk for businesses to do some things.”
The other two options included one to keep the angled parking, remain a one way and having seven feet of sidewalk space with a 14-foot driving lane, and an option to move to two-way traffic, having parallel parking with 10-foot sidewalks and an 11-foot driving lane. Kiviniemi said he would also recommend the approved option.
“I just think in a busy business area like this, it would be more beneficial to have the wider sidewalk and furnishing area,” Kiviniemi said.
A few members of the board asked what would happen when businesses need semi-trucks to pull up for deliveries.
“We can’t really be planning for a business that is there now, because it might not be there,” Village President Becky Beissel said. “Do we want to be planning for businesses in a very pedestrian-friendly area to be driving semis down there? In my opinion, I don’t think so.”
Some shared concerns that this may prevent businesses like restaurants, which many residents have expressed interest in having in the area, from doing so. The driving lane in the second option of the proposal is 14-feet.
Trustee Jarod Traynor said in his experience in the restaurant industry, some delivery drivers could navigate the lane with ease, and others will have problems. Kiviniemi said the best way to address the concern would be to designate a loading and unloading zone.
The recommended design was unanimously approved by the board.

Floodplain Delineation
After the item was tabled at the July meeting to gather more information and nail down a cost, the board approved a $16,000 cap for a floodplain study for 17 acres of the East End Industrial Park. The area off of County Road C has a listed price of $11,000 per acre, but until a study is done to determine what land is developable, the land cannot be developed.
Roy said at the previous meeting that he would expect some of the land to be ruled flood fringe, allowing for development with some preventative measures taken.
Roy said a pair of businesses have already expressed interest if the land becomes available, including Kaufhold’s Kurds, whose CEO spoke at the meeting. Anthony Drummond, the CEO, presented the business’ history in Ellsworth, making a major jump in 2017 to increase the size of their operation. They worked closely with the village to find a space to make that happen, and now they are seeking a larger space again.
“We’re getting to a point within our current plant, which I guess is a good thing, a good problem to have… you start to fall short on cold storage, on freezer storage, on production space. Basically everything that one needs to continue this operation,” Drummond said.
Drummond said they would like to expand into many different fried appetizers.
“We are true and blue to cheese curds, but we want to be a more well-rounded appetizer company,” Drummond said.
Drummond said they have looked at land the village owns, as well as land to the south and east of them that the village does not own, but have not yet found success. They are prioritizing an expansion connected to the current plant; however, are willing to put in another building nearby if that’s what it comes down to.
“We would love to break ground in 2026 to make that happen,” Drummond said.
While Drummond estimated they are after about five acres, he mentioned it depends on the viability of the land.
The board added the nearby village plant to the study, which increased the original $12,000 quote.

Other Business
● Approved a $60,639 change order for the Grant and Piety project for a geo-grid and an additional breaker lift due to poor soil near West Grove Street.
● Approved an exemption from county library tax. The tax goes to municipalities with libraries, but because the village helps to fund the library over the required threshold, they can file for exemption.
● Adopted the Pierce County Multi-Hazards Mitigation Plan. The plan is to meet FEMA’s mitigation plan, making the village eligible for federal hazard mitigation grants.
● Approved a lift station replacement of $34,940 on Crest Lane. The other option for the board was an $18,000 repair, but they ruled a full replacement would be a better investment.