Weekly News Blast – Town of Grant, Portage Co

Weekly Blast!: The F3 tornado that severely damaged the City of Menasha last week has been devastating to that community. Have you ever wondered what the Town of Grant would do in case of a similar disaster? Recently Portage County Emergency Managers Bob Weinert and Tanner Arnold, T. Grant First Responders Jim Yetter and Keith Kardash, and Clerk Stefanie Schlapa and I met to work on a Local Emergency Response Guide. All Portage County municipalities are required to have this document available, but it needs to be reviewed and updated every so often. Case in point…Menasha. So, what does this Response Guide entail? We must identify where could residents go if their structures were in danger or uninhabitable, and who we the Town could call on to supply three critical items: food, water, and power. Emergency contact names and their numbers are included in the Guide. Questions including if there are critical infrastructures that could be impacted, for example chemical, commercial, communications, emergency services, energy, transportation, etc. In the next few weeks, we’ll be reconvening to make updates to our Guide. Do you have large equipment or a skill set that might be helpful to us in case of a disaster? If so, let Clerk Stefanie Schlapa at 715-213-7370 or me at 715-213-1717 know so we can add your name to the list of contacts. It’s important that we work together if disaster strikes. Have a good weekend. Perhaps rain may fall, Sharon

Posted on January 17, 2025, Edited January 18, 2025 by webmaster

Weekly News Blast

There are two issues of note this week. The Plan Commission met and reviewed a PowerPoint presentation regarding revisions to the Town of Grant Zoning Ordinance. Our thanks are extended to Secretary Kathy Lee who put together a very comprehensive PPoint which will be presented on Wednesday January 22 at the Public Hearing beginning at 6:30pm. You can preview the UPDATED PowerPoint Presentation if interested.

Yesterday the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Wisconsin signed and served their final decision on the Vista Sands Solar project. If you are inclined to read the 70+ page document you can do that also (click for document). Jon Baker, representative for VSS gave a brief update to the Plan Commission on Wednesday indicating that construction may begin in 2026 and anticipated that it will take two years to construct. Like many decisions there are those that will agree and others that will disagree with the PSC. Regardless of where you stand there is no disagreement that it will change the Town of Grant landscape for a least a generation.

Enjoy the warm days while they last and be prepared for the Artic blast pending. Stay safe, Sharon