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Weekly Blast!: If you live on a hard-surfaced road you may have noticed it looks a little cleaner this week. Thanks are extended to Public Works employee Leo Krueger who used a motorized sweeper to push off the sand mix used this past winter. Others have recently noted bright yellow flowers blooming along our roadsides. It’s likely a plant called Yellow Mustard Seed or Wild Mustard (Latin name Sinapis arvensis) which is a common annual weed in our area. It looks rather attractive this time of year, but it can quickly outcompete other more desirable plants and is deemed an invasive species in Wisconsin. It’s particularly troublesome in farm fields. Three years ago, the Town Board approved mowing Best Management Practices (BMP) to help us address the problem of invasive plants. It’s our chosen way to manage this very real problem using a sensible mowing regiment rather than resorting to pesticide use. The latter is sometimes necessary, but we have not used it to date. I’ve attached the map and narrative here. Grant Road Side Mowing Best Management Practices for Roadside Mowing  If you have questions, just give me at call at 715-213-1717. Clerk Stefanie Schlapa, Supervisor Doug Steltenpohl and I met with the WDNR Electronic-Cycle Compliance Specialist Mallory Susdorf this week. She inspected our E-Waste storage trailer, noted our record-keeping, made suggestions for additional signage, and more. Overall, it was a very interesting and positive visit. Clerk Schlapa will be working on additional ideas for signage, and Supervisor Steltenpohl and I are looking at options to consider taking used anti-freeze; something that has been requested for some years. More to follow on these and other upcoming improvements... Perhaps the morning frosts are on their way out soon. I’m tired of wrapping and unwrapping my finicky rhododendron! Take care, Sharon

Weekly News Blast

Warm enough for everyone? Egad, it’s cold out there. But, nice to see some snow on the ground to start December off…

It was another busy week in the Town of Grant. Last evening we held our budget hearing which was well-attended by residents – nice! Our thanks to Clerk Stefanie Schlapa who prepared not only the required summary budget but also a detailed version so residents could see all suggested changes and their rationale. There were several questions about the budget but overall was acceptable. Once we are into 2026 there may be small changes per the suggestions.

Following the budget hearing there was a Town Meeting of the Electors where the levy was set. That determined how much everyone will pay on their tax bill per $1000 of valuation of property/improvements based on how your land is valued (for example, woodland vs. ag land, etc.). Last we held a Town Board meeting where the board members approved the 2026 budget.

There were also two formal presentations last evening. Jon Baker, VP for Development at Doral Renewables LLC gave an update on the Vista Sands Solar (VSS) project. He provided a preliminary map depicting the changes to the primary and alternative sitings following the settlement with the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation. Once a final map is available, we will post it on our website and have one available at the Town Hall. He anticipated that construction would begin by July 1, 2026 for Doral to qualify for 30% incentive from the Inflation Reduction Act on this 1-1.5-billion-dollar project.

Our last presenter of the evening was resident and recently hire Public Works employee Brian Kulmann and his daughter Sophie. They are proposing a pump bike track on the strip of land just west of the town hall between 90th Street S and the tall pines (proposal attached). There were several excellent questions about this idea. Please take a look and let me know what you think at chair@townofgrant.portage.wi.gov

 Enjoy the weekend and stay warm, Sharon