PRESCOTT – The Prescott City Council didn’t waste any time approving a detour for the upcoming Prescott Daze at the council meeting on Monday, May 22. To deter residents from driving through the residential center of town, the Council approved a detour redirecting residents from State Highway 35 for Sept. 9 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.  

“So, it is more out of the way, but not significantly,” Alderperson Dar Hintz said. “This newly proposed detour would have it going farther out but it’s for the one day. We are just trying to deter this detour from going through a residential area.”

 “Will we close the boat launch as well on that day?” Alderperson Maureen Otwell questioned. As discussions began regarding closure of the launch Alderperson Bailey Ruona spoke up about the fishing contest scheduled for Sept. 9.  

“It would be hard to have a fishing contest without a boat launch open,” she reminded the council.

“Overall, since Prescott Daze has a fishing contest, we’ve always left it open and left it available to access,” answered City Administrator Matt Wolf, as it was decided to leave the boat launch open.

Verizon contract

With Alderperson John Peterson excused from the meeting, a motion was made and carried to approve the Prescott Daze detour for the State Highway traffic.

The council also approved a water tower lease agreement between the city and Cellco Partnership doing business as Verizon Wireless. The City of Prescott has been working for the past few years with Verizon Wireless to put up an antenna to improve communication for users in the city. A lease agreement will be put on Water Tower #2 at 769 Dexter St. for an initial term of five years with four additional five-year extensions, making it a 25-year lease. The rental rate starts at $32,945 with a 3% annual escalator. The funds from this water tower lease along with the others, will be put into the water fund which is then used to maintain the city’s water towers, per the DNR’s requirements of cleaning, painting, and coating on the inside.

“I’m just very glad. I was, as a Verizon customer myself, very frustrated,” said Hintz.

Otwell questioned if this would bring service downtown.

Citing the elevation of where it’s at, Wolf answered, “It should be a marked improvement compared to what is currently being offered.”

Police officers

In other news, two positions remain open for police officers. Police Chief Eric Michaels and City Administrator Matt Wolf further discussed the law enforcement reimbursement agreement up for council approval that they feel would help bring candidates to the department. Individuals qualified in all areas besides the training program would be able to apply. They would then complete their training and receive reimbursement from the city over the course of 36 months.  If a candidate decided to end the agreement without completing it, the candidate would have to reimburse the city.

Concerned that candidates would be left with large bills if they chose to leave, Ruona asked for an option of a payment plan after looking at the reimbursement rights and timeline payment. “That’s a chunk of change for a young kid,” she mentioned.

Michaels recommended further discussions and negotiations on that issue as the situation arises. The council approved the agreement.