Documenters: Residents sound off on leash laws, Margaret Street project at Rothschild board meeting

By Owen Reissmann for Wausau Pilot and Review

This month’s Rothschild Village Board meeting began with public address from three residents.

The first was Jane Clark. She and her husband Rodney have lived on Margaret St for 50 and 70 years, respectively. She shared that their property will be strongly affected by the Margaret Street project. They will be losing many trees by cutting, as well as subsequent trees via trauma. She says with this project the wetlands will be invaded and the couple’s privacy will be compromised. She recently walked the planned project with an official. She says that plans on paper mean little. Looking from the street offers a very different perspective. She urged any board members who have not yet to do so. She voiced concern that there were other options that were not considered. She says there are 18 driveways on the side of the street that will be affected, while there are only 6 on the opposite side. She described the project as extreme, citing the intended 10-foot wide path.

A second resident complained about the lack of leash laws at Gaska Park. He asked that the board review the policy and recommended fully leashing or even banning dogs due to the vast number of incidents that occur there.

A third resident, Nicki Bessette, spoke on the issue as well. She shared that she has kids and dogs and is a runner and a biker. She has experienced many incidents with unrestrained dogs. Bessette said she has even seen dogs running loose on various occasions, seemingly just left outside for the day.

An applicant for a taxi service license spoke to the board about a recent change in policy that could impact her business, which is based in Mosinee. The new policy change would have forced her to set up a dispatch location in Rothschild. But village Attorney Lee Turonie assured her he would sort out what is actually required and get back to her about it next week.

The board spoke about amending policy to specify that the sale of marijuana by new businesses not be allowed without board approval.

Editor’s note: The Wausau Pilot and Review Documenters program is made possible through individual donations and grants from several organizations including the Community Foundation of North Central Wisconsin. The program aims to democratize news and information at the local level through a group of local contributors who attend meetings and document their observations.