Pelican board makes enhanced wake boat ordinance official, opens road project bids

A round of applause from a near-roomful of residents rewarded the Pelican town board at its meeting on May 4.

There, the board completed what it had begun at its Feb. 9 meeting, when it had agreed to take the first step toward enacting an ordinance to prevent enhanced wake boating on the town’s 59-acre Buck Lake, 71-acre Fish Lake, 58-acre Hixon Lake, 443-acre Lake George and 401-acre Lake Thompson by submitting a draft ordinance and condition report to local government recreation administrator-conservation warden Robert Kneeland.

With more than 60 days having passed since the DNR received the materials for review, the board voted to enact the ordinance as it was presented, delighting the gathered crowd.

Area resorts and lake associations will help forestall the need for enforcement with education.

“Thank you for taking the issue up,” resort owner Dan Brekke told the board. “Thank you for taking it seriously. I know over the past couple meetings a few things were said on the lake association level, like stuff we had agreed to do ... we're certainly ready to hold up our end of the bargain.”

Also on the agenda was the opening of bids for Pelican road projects. Four were received, and the board voted to approve the lowest, $149,727.06 from Northeast Asphalt.

The board also heard updates from town chairman Nick Scholtes on the Haymeadow Road Bridge, for which Pelican is awaiting an answer on its request for additional funding through the DOT. 

“The last I have heard … is that it’s still in the secretary’s office, so if that’s the case, it doesn’t mean no. It doesn’t mean yes, either,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean no.” 

Scholtes said preliminary project plans for road construction at Fosse Lake Road intersection hadn’t been received from MSA Professional Services.

“I wish I had more to give you right now, but I just don’t,” he said. “A little disappointed with some of the response time I’m getting right now.”

Among other highlights of the meeting, the board:

• Approved a conditional use permit for PE-1001.

• Approved a quitclaim deed to transfer the town’s portion off of Driscoll Road to the city of Rhinelander.

• Decided to repair and then sell the fire department’s old brush truck.

• Tabled a proposal to purchase a new heater for the fire department.

The next meeting of the Pelican town board will be May 18 at 4 p.m. at Pelican Town Hall.

Ardith Carlton may be reached at [email protected].