Possibility of allowing UTVs on Lincoln Street a hot topic for city council

An agenda item for discussion and action to allow utility task vehicles (UTVs) on Lincoln Street made for some definite differences of opinion in Monday’s meeting of the Rhinelander Common Council.

There was also discussion regarding all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).

“It was brought up by one of the aldermen, as well as myself, about exploring Lincoln Street from a UTV point of view,” mayor Kris Hanus prefaced the 15-minute discussion, and had Rhinelander police chief Josh Chiamulera comment next.

“I’m not opposed to the idea,” said Chiamulera. “I don’t know if this year itself is an appropriate time, with the road construction and the detour coming through town. I would like to have a little bit more discussion on it from everyone, I guess.”

Concerns were raised by some alderpersons. Among them, Steven Jopek saw a need for research into “what the state is dealing with in general” concerning UTV use in towns. 

“There’s loopholes that various sheriffs have kind of pointed out that they’re concerned about,” he said, “on top of the fact that these are made for off-road means, not for city driving. Like, you can, but just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

“One of the reasons why we brought it up now is if it takes a month or two to have discussion, do research, if you guys did want to add it, the recommendation would be to add it the first of the year,” said Hanus. “That way it still gives those (UTV) clubs some time to remap it and get the word out. So with the traffic, you won’t have to bypass additional traffic on that street (because construction will be finished).”

“... Quite frankly, before I make any decision or vote aye to any kind of change, I’d like to see the studies on UTVs being designed for collisions with vehicles going 35 to 40 miles an hour in town,” said Jopek. “UTVs are designed for an off-road experience, and while they can drive on the road, I don’t think they’re built to do that, and I don’t think they’re designed to be in a head-on collision with, you know, an F-150 going 40 miles an hour.”

“Seems like we’ve discussed this periodically, including within the last year,” pointed out Gerald Anderson, “and felt that it was too dangerous on arguably the most heavily traveled street in the city, to have these vehicles, and I’m not aware of anything that’s changed that would make it any safer.”

“The last discussion we had was ATV and UTV,” Hanus responded. “ … In my mind, when I think of ATV, I think of a four-wheeler where there’s no roll cage, there’s no protective covering around you. When I think of a UTV, I’m thinking of a $40,000 piece of equipment that’s got the surroundings, some of them have heat and covers and that kind of stuff … That’s one of the reasons why it was more brought up as a discussion for just UTVs was, it’s a bigger item that is more secure and larger than a four-wheeler.”

“I’m coming late to the party, so I have questions,” said new alderperson Linnaea Newman. “My biggest question is the safety of people walking on the street in bike lanes. And I’m guessing we’re not getting extra police officers to patrol UTVs on the roadway, so I really hope we do have more extended time to discuss the safety issues involved with that.”

“There’s no time restraints on this,” said Hanus. “I mean, this is just something that was requested to bring it back, it was brought back to have the discussion.”

“To address some of those concerns,” said alderperson Bob Lueder, “one of the things that we need to keep in mind is that we’ve already approved the use of UTVs on every road in town, except for that one-mile stretch of Lincoln Street. In fact, you can actually ride your UTV on the stretch there between Highway 17 and Eisenhower Parkway. 

“ … The other thing I would point out is that the top speed for a UTV legally is 35. Regardless of what speed other vehicles are going on Lincoln Street, that is not the issue here. A UTV is built with a roll cage. It has seat belts. If you’re using it on the road, you have to have your headlights on. It has turn signals and brake lights, everything that a regular vehicle has that, say, a four-wheeler does not have, which is the reason why we originally suggested that this be limited to UTVs.”

Council president Carrie Mikalauski also shared her views. “We have a lot of people coming into our city from various places because of the new amenities that we have, with hotels and stuff like that,” she said. “And I know coming to the hotels, if they want to dine anywhere on Lincoln Street, there is no way for them if they’re on UTVs to get to any place on Lincoln Street. The trails don’t go through there, and even the backsides of them don’t link up to those restaurants and such.

“I think the safety aspect of it, in my opinion, with the roll cages, the five-point harnesses, you’re pretty secure in UTVs, and you’re going at most 35 miles an hour. So I don’t really see what the difference is. I understand not having ATVs on there because there are no safety features other than a helmet. But with a UTV, it’s basically a car without panels, in my opinion.”

Jopek asked when the ordinance allowing UTVs on all but Lincoln Street had been created. That ordinance is 4.02.20 All-Terrain/Utility Terrain Vehicle Use, and some quick research by city clerk Austyn Zarda found the last two times it was either created or last edited was December 2020 and June 2019.

With UTV on Rhinelander roads some six-and-a-half years already, Hanus noted that data regarding accidents involving a vehicle and a UTV would be useful to have, as well a map of Lincoln Street parcels that UTVs aren’t legally able to reach.The discussion was tabled until, as he phrased it, “administration has the appropriate information to bring back to the body.”

Big concert in the works

Earlier on the agenda, the council approved Resolution 2026-33, approving a Memorandum of Understanding with Dazzle’s Demons Inc., for a benefit concert event at Hodag Park on July 25. 

According to the resolution, the concert will be a fundraising event to support organizations serving terminally ill adults and adults with cancer in northern Wisconsin and upper Michigan. 

Reagan reported that local organizer Jesse Robinson has lined up “a pretty big name … I believe it is country… I think they’re expecting 1,000 to 1,200 people, so a pretty large thing ... Staff will be working with him going up towards the event and helping to make this thing go off without a hitch as much as we possibly can. He’s got a lot of bases covered, he’s got a lot of insight. We’re expecting something big from Mr. Robinson.”

Civilian appointments

The council approved 7-1 (with Gerald Anderson voting against) Hanus’ appointments or reappointments of civilians  to various committees, commissions and boards:

Rhinelander Public Art Commission: Chris Frederickson - 3-year term (2026-29), Nate Sheppard - 2-year term (2026-28), Virginia Roberts - 2-year term (2026-28), Emily McNeil - 1-year term (2026-27)

Zoning Board of Appeals: Steven Schreier - 3-year term (2026-29), Dustin Chronister - 3-year term (2026-29)

Historic Preservation Commission: Steven Schreier - 3-year term (2026-29), Gerald Anderson - 3-year term (2026-29), Emily McNeil - 2-year term (2026-28), Kathy Cutforth - 2-year term (2026-28), Laurie Lenten - 1-year term (2026-27)

Urban Forestry Tree Board: Tom Jerow - City Forester - 3-year term (2026-29), Ceely Will - 3-year term (2026-29), Christy Schneider - 3-year term (2026-29), Keith McCaffery - 3-year term (2026-29)

Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Committee: Ceely Will - 3-year term (2026-29)

Sex Offender Residency Appeal Board: Susan Anderson - 4-year term (2026-2030)

Board of Review: Dustin Chronister - 2-year term (2026-28)

Rhinelander Housing Authority: Nancy Van Deurzen - Tenant Board Member per HUD - 5-year term (2026-31), Connor Showalter - 5-year term (2026-31)

Joint District Library Board: Eileen Daniel - 3-year term (2026-29)

Other items

Among other highlights of the meeting, the council:

– Approved Resolution 2026-29, approving an amendment to the approved Phase II Developer’s Agreement with T&H Holdings, LLC, for the development on Navajo Street. “Phase I of this was the Holiday Inn Express, Phase II is all the surrounding lots,” Rhinelander city administrator Patrick Reagan said. “This just clarifies the language in the developer’s agreement.”  “All it really does is cleans up some language in the original developer’s agreement that we thought he was going to develop and he isn’t going to develop,” said city attorney Steve Sorensen. “So it’s a lot better now than it was.”

– Approved Resolution 2026-30, approving a “Safe Routes to School” plan for the City of Rhinelander. In a pre-meeting memo to the council prefacing the business that would be covered, Reagan explained, “Fred Heider, from the North Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission, has been working with both the school district and city staff to put together a ‘Safe Routes to School Plan’ for the City … A Safe Routes to School Plan formally recognizes the need for pedestrian movement to and from a school zone. As importantly, a Safe Routes to School Plan opens the city to the possibility for increased funding opportunities when incorporating the needs for sidewalks and non-motorized trails.” The SDR school board formally adopted the plan at their meeting April 20.

– Approved Resolution 2026-31, approving the proposal from Truck Country of Wausau for the purchase of a Freightliner SD 114 Snowplow for $126,364. Reagan spelled out the situation in his pre-meeting memo, writing, “As you may recall, Council adopted a resolution at the April 13, 2026 meeting to purchase a snowplow. The city’s public works director, Tom Roeser, noted that due to the cost of the first unit being much lower than what was set aside in borrowing, the City could use the remaining funds to replace a 2005 single-axel plow truck. Truck Country of Wausau has a unit available immediately, and for the same price. The funds to be appropriated for this purchase will all come from the 2025 Capital Borrowing, utilizing the funds remaining from the purchase of the first truck as well as funds remaining from savings in the two other Streets portion of that borrowing. The price of these trucks will likely never decrease so if we have the opportunity to purchase one at this moment, it is likely a very pragmatic move to purchase one now.” The 2005 plow truck will be kept and utilized as an emergency spare plow truck and to tow a woodchopper, according to Street Department foreman Justin Ernst.

– Approved Resolution 2026-32, approving the proposal from Hoeft and Sons, LLC, for concrete for new pavilion/bathrooms at Hodag Park for $15,502. This cement slab is the first step in the building process for the city to construct new bathrooms at Hodag Park. 

– Approved Resolution 2026-34, approving the proposal from Great Lakes Roofing for a roof replacement at Northwood Golf Club for $32,000. Keith Staron, Northwood’s general manager, was on hand to address the council. “Our roof is over 30 years old. It’s falling apart,” he said. “We’re missing shingles; they’re blown off in the wind. I’m leaking water into the kitchen, which the health department really does not like at this moment. It’s coming through light fixtures, and it’s going to cause a problem, so we’re just looking to get a replacement.”

– Heard that the city is proclaiming April 27, 2026, as Arbor Day.

The next regular meeting of the Rhinelander Common Council will be on Monday, May 11, at 6 p.m. at Rhinelander city hall.

Ardith Carlton may be reached at [email protected].