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PROGRESS 2011

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2 � PROGRESS 2011 THE DAILY GLOBE

County D extensionon drawing board

By RALPH ANSAMIGlobe News Editor

HURLEY — The long-await-ed County Trunk D extensionproject in the Hurley-Kimballarea has been delayed, pendingwetland concerns.

The project will extendCounty D near Hurley, in thearea of the Eagle Bluff GolfCourse, for about a milethrough some undevelopedland to connect with the indus-trial park in Cary Location,along Wisconsin 77.

MSA Professional Servicesof Rhinelander, the city of Hur-ley’s engineering firm for theproject, indicated in its mostrecent project update that theDepartment of NaturalResources has not allowed theproject design to begin becauseof the wetlands concerns.

“It’s on the north side of thenew part of the road,” saidKelly Klein, coordinator of theIron County Development ZoneCouncil. “It’s not going along asquickly as we had hoped.”

The roadway alignmentmust be approved before theutility design can be completed.

New sewer and water linesalong the added mile of road-way are included.

It was initially anticipatedthat the design would be com-pleted for bidding in the winter,with construction to begin inMay.

Now, the next window willbe to have the alignmentapproved by May, with thedesign to ready for an Augustbid and construction in the fall,according to a report Jeff Sea-mandel of MSA prepared forthe Hurley City Council.

“It will be spring before weknow if that schedule is feasi-ble,” Seamandel said.

Klein said federal fundingfor the design and constructionphases, more than $2 million,has been included in federaland state budgets.

The design and constructionwill be funded by a combinationof Wisconsin Department ofTransportation, (federal) Sec-tion 154 and Department ofCommerce grants.

The plan to extend County Dhas been considered for morethan 20 years.

The project got off theground about four years agowhen then Gov. James Doyle

announced a$2 millionW i s c o n s i nDepartmentof Commercegrant for Hur-ley. Part of itwas designat-ed for a Coun-ty Trunk Df e a s i b i l i t ystudy.

The cityagreed tostudy theextension in what was original-ly referred to as a three- to five-year plan.

The extension will allowlarge trucks, including thoseoperated by loggers, to moreeasily haul loads to businessesin the industrial park.

Extending D will also pro-vide a second access point tothe Hurley K-12 school.

PARK HOLDING ITS OWNKlein said the businesses in

the Hurley Industrial Park areholding steady. The good newsis that no businesses have leftthe park in the past year dur-ing tough economic times.

Lots are available in thepark for new or expandingbusiness ventures, including aspec building.

Current industrial parkbusinesses include: Binz Broth-ers Well Drilling and PumpService, Custom Air and Heat-ing, George Nasi Construction,Midland Services, North StarBeverage, Northern Lakes Con-crete, Ofstad Repair, RossPeterson Construction, SnowCountry Hardwoods, SnowRidge, Snowbelt Hardwoods,U.S. Army Reserve, Brown-Wilbert Vault, Schilleman BusService and Repco of Jefferson.

COOPERATION WITH GCCThe ICDZ continues to work

with Gogebic Community Col-lege on the construction of ahouse in the city of Hurley’snew subdivision. The house isexpected to be completed bymid-May and it will then go upfor sale.

Klein said anyone interestedin purchasing the house couldlook at the partially construct-ed building now. “We’ll show itto them. They could have input.They haven’t done the floor onit yet,” he said last week.

Globe file photo

The Hurley Industrial Park is home to manufacturing and other businesses that employ many people.

KellyKlein

By RALPH [email protected]

HURLEY — The city ofHurley’s rebuild of its infra-structure will continue in thesummer, when five more blocksof sewer and construction workis planned.

It will be a continuation ofprojects over the past severalyears that have not only madethe streets smooth, but alsoupgraded sewer and water

services for city citizens.A March 16 bid opening is

scheduled for the summer proj-ect.

The project originally calledfor three blocks of construction,including Oak Street, fromFifth to Sixth avenues; PoplarStreet, from Second to Thirdavenues, and Maple Street,from Fourth to Fifth avenues.Added later was work on MapleStreet, from Fifth to Seventh

avenues.Then MSA Professional Ser-

vices, of Rhinelander, the engi-neering firm for the project,announced at the January citycouncil meeting that an addi-tional block of sanitary sewerin the alley between Sixth andSeventh avenues would beadded to the scope of the proj-ect.

Construction plans andspecifications were expected tobe available to contractors nearthe end of this month.

The project has beendesigned to include new sani-tary sewers, water mains,storm sewers, sidewalks,asphalt pavement, curbs andgutters.

A combination of U.S.Department of Commerce and(federal) Section 154 grantswill fund 100 percent of theproject.

MSA is working with theArmy Corps of Engineers onrights-of-way and environmen-tal report details for the proj-ect, according to MSA projectmanager Scott Martin.

Hurley plans more street work

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By DENNIS DEROSSOIron County Administrator/County Board Chairman

HURLEY — Issues in IronCounty over the past year havebeen numerous and very excit-ing.

We have seen the seating ofa new county board, and theretirement of some of our olderemployees, which in turn hasbrought a few younger peopleinto the workforce of IronCounty.

Our forestry department hascontinued to bring revenue intothe county, $2,422,790 in 2010,which helps tremendously withthe tax structure, along withcontinued employment in thearea.

Schomberg Park renova-tions, along with both bikingand snowshoeing trails, havebeen constructed, along with abeautiful new pavilion andother major improvements,including a new bathroom.

Total cost of that project was$519,618.

Improvements at SaxonHarbor continue.

Things that take a majoreffort and have an effect on avery large number of both resi-dents and non-residents arehappening in both ther humanservices and health depart-ments. These departments areseldom in the limelight, so to

speak, however their involve-ment within our county is anongoing, seldom recognizedservice to those in need.

These services are providedby a very competent, well-trained group of individualsand administrators who arecalled on to go the extra mile toprovide special care to those inneed.

The vast majority of our citi-zens are unaware of these peo-ple and the services they pro-vide.

NEW SHERIFF ELECTEDIron County elected a new

sheriff in 2010. Tony Furykassumed his new duties on Jan.3. Undersheriff Joy Kohegyiresigned her position in Decem-ber and accepted a road patrolposition with the Vilas CountySheriff ’s Department.

These changes created anopening for several newemployees within the depart-ment and these postions havebeen filled by local people whohave had the proper trainingand schooling required by statelaw to hold these deputy posi-tions.

We in Iron County are veryfortunate to have the workforcethat we currently have in place.From the highway workers,whom the public depends on forroad maintenance, to employ-

ees in the forestry department,who generate the income fromour county forests that we areso dependent on, to employeesin the courthouse, we have agroup of dedicated, devoted

people that we can be proud of.Yes, it is, at times, a bit

stressful when we are involvedin such things as contract nego-tiations, or an occasional disci-pline problem, however the end

result is what we as countyboard members must look at —what is right for the people werepresent.

I saved the largest issue forlast, but to me, is one of themost important issues to comenot only before the countyboard, but the entire citizenryof Iron County in many years,the proposed mining in thetown of Anderson (Upson) byGogebic Taconite.

Iron County has workedwith those involved and willcontinue to do whatever we canto make this become a reality.We welcome Gogebic TaconitePresident Bill Williams andchief engineer Tim Meyers intoour community. We hope thattheir stay is a long and produc-tive one.

Gogebic Taconite has estab-lished an office on Silver Streetin Hurley.

I believe that all of the itemsI have listed are provided asService with Style, and I amvery proud and honored to leadthis county in these interestedand eventful times.

Issues such as these makeour county Second to None.

THE DAILY GLOBE PROGRESS 2011 � 3

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Gogebic Taconite President Bill Williams, left, presents Iron County Board of Supervisors ChairmanDennis DeRosso with a check for $20,000 as Gogebic Taconite enters into an option to lease agree-ment with the county for surface rights on property west of Upson. Owned by Iron County and adjacentto the proposed mining site, the leased property will be used for construction of the mining facility. Theagreement calls for a payment of $20,000 for two years, with four renewable periods of two years each.

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Town of OmaTown of GurneyTown of ShermanCity of Montreal

By MARGARET [email protected]

MONTREAL, Wis. — Thecity of Montreal continues tomove forward.

Current buzzwords in themedia these days often take theform of “making do with less”because of to the economic con-ditions.

Montreal mayor Mitch Koskisays this philosophy is nothingnew to Montreal city fathers.

In the recent past, Montrealsuccessfully completed a sewerrehabilitation project andstreet reconstruction project,taking full advantage of theavailable funding opportuni-ties.

The sewer rehabilitationproject consisted of installingcured-in-place liners in 4,800lineal feet of sanitary sewers.The work was completed byMcCann’s Underground of Ore-gon, Wis.

The project also includedeight point repairs and a relayof a portion of the Gile inter-ceptor sewer, according toBecher-Hoppe Engineer KenLigman. This work was com-pleted by Ross Peterson Con-struction.

Becher-Hoppe Associates,Inc., designed the project,helped the city secure grantfinancing and provided con-struction observation.

Total project cost was$330,000 and grant funding of$247,000 was obtained fromthe federal governmentthrough the Section 154 (fournorthern Wisconsin counties)program of the ConsolidatedAppropriations Act of 2002, asamended.

According to Ligman, thecity will begin WisconsinDepartment of NaturalResources-mandated improve-ments at the wastewater treat-

ment facility in the near future.Koski, city clerk Sue Lesky

and Ligman have met withLance Ausing of the U.S,Department of Agriculture-Rural Development to beginfinancing considerations for theproject. Overall project cost isprojected at $2.3 million, Lig-man said. “The goal is to obtain75 percent grant funding.”

ROADWORKRoadwork throughout the

city will continue next summer.Koski recently met with Lig-

man and Brent Dahl to reviewthe local streets condition rat-ing program and to identifystreets for work next summer.

The amount of work that canbe done next summer will becontrolled by the availability ofgrants, Ligman noted.

Montreal reconstructed aportion of Division Street thisfall. Project cost was $36,310,with $9,575 in WDOT LocalRoad Improvement Programgrant funding.

The work was done by RossPeterson Construction of Hur-ley.

A portion of Park Street inthe Gile section of Montrealwas repaved last summer, withthe city absorbing the costs,Koski said.

OTHER PROJECTSThe city gave the west end

garage a face-lift last summer.The building was repainted.

The city also purchased aused wildland firefightingtruck for the Montreal FireDepartment at a cost of $4,100,Koski said.

City ordinances were alsoreviewed in 2010, with thecity’s blight ordinance updatedand an outdoor wood-burningordinance created.

Montreal continuesto move forward

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Mercer Schoolmakes many stepsforward this year

By ERIK D. TORKELSONAssistant District Administrator/Principal

MERCER, Wis. — With thehelp of a staff of dedicated pro-fessionals, we have been able toimplement new programsthroughout the building whichhave improved a variety of stu-dent programs this school year.

We have implemented a newstudent software system calledPowerSchool. This program isdesigned to allow parents andstudents real time access totheir grades, assignments,attendance, test scores, mealexpenses, as well as the schoolcalendar. In addition, parentsand teachers will be able tocontact each other via emailthrough the PowerSchool direc-tory.

We have successfully imple-

mented a modified block sched-ule in the high school, as wellas a silent bell system.

With the help of the MercerChamber of Commerce, MercerFire Department and the PawShop, we were able to constructa community ice skating rinklocated on the Mercer Schoolgrounds. It has been a tremen-dous success.

Our Food Service Depart-ment has successfully imple-mented a school-wide breakfastprogram which is currently at a68 percent participation rate.

To top it all off, the schooldistrict of Mercer was chosenas a Wisconsin School of Recog-nition for the third consecutiveyear which makes us eligible toreceive the Spotlight SchoolsGrant.

Mercer Schools photo

Mercer teacher Jerry Gross works one-on-one with seventh grade student Austin Mendenhall.

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By JON [email protected]

MERCER, Wis. — “Mercer ison the move,” according to Mer-cer Chamber of CommercePresident Vic Ouimette, and heintends for the chamber to keepright up with it.

With millions of dollars ininfrastructure improvementscoming to Mercer this year,Ouimette said the chamber iscontinuing and expanding itspromotion of Mercer through-out the Midwest.

Ouimette, along with Mercerchamber director Tina Brunelland others, attended the“America’s Outdoor Show,” inRosemont, Ill., last month, witha focus on highlighting Mer-cer’s extensive trail systems,including trails for motorizedand non-motorized use.

“Iron County has the largestnumber of ATV trails in thestate,” Ouimette said, addingMercer’s bike trails will soonreceive seven miles-worth ofexpansion thanks to a $630,000

Wisconsin Department ofTransportation grant connect-ing Mercer trails to ManitowishWaters’ and Boulder Junction’s.

Ouimette said Mercer alsohas aquatic appeal, with theTurtle-Flambeau Flowage themost prominent attraction.Ouimette said it’s the largestbody of water in Wisconsin.

The chamber has eventrademarked the phrase,“Home of the Turtle-FlambeauFlowage.”

Whether at the flowage orIron County’s other lakes,many with islands that havefree, state-operated campsites,Ouimette described the Mercerarea as offering something foreveryone.

“We’re quite a Mecca for alloutdoor activities,” Ouimettesaid.

As the chamber continuestraveling and promoting Mer-cer across the Midwest,Ouimette said the chamber is

also continuing to improve itsonline presence.

According to a chamberreport Ouimette filed last year,the chamber’s website, mercer-cc.com, continues to seeincreasing traffic, and Brunellsaid the website has a betterpresence on search engines andalso uses Facebook and Twitter.

Brunell said the website alsohas plenty of information aboutupcoming Mercer events, andpeople can register for chamberevents online.

Ouimette said the chamberis assisting other groups withvarious events during the win-ter months, and it will beginsponsoring events in thespring.

Some Mercer chamber-spon-sored events include Loon Day,the Memorial Day weekendand Pumpkin Run ATV the ral-lies, and the Iron CountyStormy Kramer Pursuit cross-country ski race.

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By WILL ANDRESENUW-Extension Office Community

Resource Development Agent

Beginning in 2004, the city ofHurley initiated a process tobecome one of three “Compre-hensive Communities” in thestate of Wisconsin.

The new program wasannounced by the Departmentof Commerce as a way to investin top priority community

development projects as identi-fied by the local community.

Hurley was successful inobtaining the designation,which came with $2,558,330 forfunding the city’s downtownstreetscaping project and com-munity-wide infrastructurework. Funding from this pro-gram will also go towards theextension of County D, once

Grant funds keyto area upgrades

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The Mercer Loons motorcycle club decorated the giant loon onU.S. 51 to prepare for the Green Bay Packers’ appearance in SuperBowl XLV.

(See GRANT — Page 7)

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By RALPH [email protected]

HURLEY — The WhiteCross Pharmacy in Hurley con-tinues to make improvementsto serve its long-time cus-tomers.

“We have some loyal cus-tomers here that we dearlyappreciate,” said head pharma-cist Erik Overby, who beganworking at the Hurley pharma-cy in October.

Overby works closely withDonn Rowe, the pharmacymanager who sold the store tothe Prohaska Group, of ParkFalls, about 16 months ago.

The Prohaska Group alsooperates the Park Pharmacy inPark Falls and the Huhn Phar-macy in Ashland.

Rowe has been associatedwith the Hurley pharmacy for30 years.

Overby lives in Washburnwith his wife, Maren, and theirfour children. He’s from theMinneapolis-area communityof Blaine and met his wife atcollege in Moorhead, Minn.After living in Minneapolis for10 years, they decided to returnto his wife’s hometown of Wash-burn.

Although he must make thelong commute to Hurley everywork day, Overby said his fami-ly enjoys life in the small townof Washburn.

“The kids can walk to schoolevery day and there are fewerworries than in the big city,” hesaid.

Overby said he’s pleased tohave many veteran employeeson the staff, like Lori Lorendo,

who make his job easier.He said one of his chief goals

at the store is to streamline theadministrative process.

Recent additions to the storehave included remodeling ofthe front, adding a counter andinstalling a robotic pill counterthat makes it easier for employ-ees to fill orders.

Staff member John Smith,who has worked at White Crossfor two years, notes the phar-macy has also installed a new

telephone and computer systemthat allows customers to call intheir prescription orders 24hours a day.

The pharmacy serves VillaMaria, Sky View and Westgatenursing homes. Pharmacyemployees prepare medicationsin blister packs that are deliv-ered to the facilities.

PROFESSIONAL FOOT CAREThe pharmacy provides

many products and servicesthat the general public mightnot be aware of, Overby notes.For example, a representative

of Doctor Comfort Shoes offersprofessional fittings weekly,usually on Wednesdays.

“This is especially importantfor people who have diabetesand need special foot care,” hesaid.

Appointments are necessaryto visit the foot specialist.

STORE HOURSWhite Cross Pharmacy (561-

5666) is open Mondays throughFridays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.and on Saturdays from 8 a.m.to 2 p.m. It is closed on Sundaysand major holidays.


Pharmacy serves community

Ralph Ansami/Daily Globe

The White Cross Pharmacy in Hurley staff includes, from left, Erik Overby, Lori Lorendo, John Smith,Amber Zanella and Donn Rowe. Also employed at the store are Justin Smith, Nancy Laverdure, AriannePellinen and Therese Kitzman.

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additional funding of the localmatch is obtained.

IN MERCERThe town of Mercer has gone

through a similar grant-writ-ing process to enhance its com-munity.

Beginning in 2003, theDowntown and CommunityDevelopment Group identifiedthe need to improve its down-town infrastructure in its veryfirst action plan.

Due to the excellent cooper-ation from all parties involved,funding from several state andfederal grants is now in placeto make this project a reality.

The project will include newstreets, sidewalks, lighting,landscpaping, bike paths andlanes and storm sewers to pro-tect water resources. Construc-tion will begin late this comingsummer.

Grant funding for the proj-ect totals $2,264,658. Grantsinclude: An $802,300 U.S. Envi-ronmental Protection AgencyGrant; $634,208, WisconsinDepartment of TransportationEnhancement; $435,000, Wis-consin Department of Com-merce Community Develop-ment Block Grant; $300,000,Wisconsin Department of Nat-ural Resources TargetedRunoff Management; and a$93,150 Wisconsin Departmentof Transportation Safe Routesto School grant.

Another project listed in theMercer’s 2003 action plan wasthe construction of a bike trail.

In 2008, the town beganworking with the neighboringtowns of Manitowish Watersand Boulder Junction to planthe “Northern HighlandsRegional Trail,” connectingdowntown Mercer with thepopular Boulder Junction trailsystem.

In 2010, the town was suc-cessful in obtaining a grant for$630,400 to fund the firstseven-mile segment of thistrail. Additional funding willbe requested to minimize thelocal cash match on this proj-ect, with construction of thetrail planned for 2013.

All of these improvementprojects will strengthen thelocal economy, attract tourists,support existing businesses,grow new business and createjobs in Iron County. The com-munity should be commendedfor its patience, diligence andhard work on all of theseimportant community and eco-nomic development projects.

Iron County and its peoplecertainly come second to none!

(Continued from Page 6)

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By RALPH ANSAMIGlobe News Editor

HURLEY — When the Hur-ley School District decided tobegin a program in which allhigh students were issued lap-top computers, Hurley relied onother districts, like Kenosha, toprovide input.

Now, Hurley is one of theWisconsin school districts thatis looked to for direction ontechnological upgrades.

A recent visit by the Cum-berland School District was anexample of Hurley lending ahand to other districts.

“It’s nice to see that whatwe’re doing is at the top of theladder,” school district adminis-trator Chris Patritto told theschool board recently. He esti-mated that Hurley ranks in thetop 5 percent of Wisconsin’sschool districts regarding tech-nology.

Hurley School Board mem-bers are moving ahead underthe philosophy that the schooldistrict shouldn’t be contentwith its technology upgrades,but to strive for more.

Hurley’s teachers participat-ed in computer training withApple representatives beforemaking the big changes beforethe 2010-11 school year opened.

Hurley’s administrators andteachers were taught the ropes

of using the new computer pro-grams from a representative ofthe Kenosha School District.Kenosha had previously initiat-ed a one-to-one laptop programfor its students.

After receiving training atthe start of the school year, stu-dents were allowed to take thelaptops home.

The school board adopted alaptop policy for students thatspells out rules for computeruse of both at school and athome, under parents’ supervi-sion.

Students who use their com-puters inappropriately face notonly cancellation of computerprivileges, but possible suspen-sion or expulsion from school.

Hurley’s parents must sign alaptop agreement form thatstates they will accept fullresponsibility for any loss, theftor damage to the computersissued to students.

Laptops must be returnedprior to the end of the schoolyear.

The success of Hurley’s tech-nology upgrades recentlyresulted in a video projectdesigned by Hurley School Dis-trict students receiving a firstplace award. The video wasshown at the Wisconsin Associ-ation of School Boards conven-tion.

The video stressed theimportance of technology in theclassroom and included inter-views with students who havebenefited from the upgrades intechnology.

Technology instructor RoyHaeger said Hurley competedagainst schools its own sizefrom throughout the state.

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By BONNIE BANASZAKSpecial to the Globe

MERCER, Wis. — This year,the town of Mercer will under-take an exciting two-year,“once-in-a-lifetime” opportunityto simultaneously enhance theappearance of the downtown,reconstruct its collapsing andinadequate storm sewer sys-tem, further protect the North-woods lake resources, and con-struct an eight-mile non-motor-

ized trail.Beginning in late August,

the Wisconsin Department ofTransportation will begin toreconstruct the U.S. 51 corridorthrough the heart of the Mercerdowntown.

The reconstruction willinclude driving lanes, parkinglanes, curbs and gutters, andsidewalks. A new sidewalk willbe built along the highway inthe southern portion of the

project, from Lakeview Avenueto the Mercer Chamber of Com-merce.

An asphalt hiking/bikingpath will begin at the chamberand proceed south to the VilasCounty line, combining seg-ments along both the highwayand on rural town roads withextremely low traffic levels.

The Mercer Bike Path Com-mittee collaborated with othercommunities like Manitowish

Waters to design the NorthernHighlands Regional trail sys-tem. The eight-mile section ofthe trail will connect the down-town area to the Mercer Busi-ness Park and eventually to theBoulder Junction trail system.

Because of the award of aSafe Routes to School Grant,the town will also construct anew sidewalk from the MercerK-12 School to the downtown,installing bike racks at theschool and adding crosswalksand pedestrian stanchionsalong U.S. 51 and local streets.

It’s designed to make walk-ing and biking to school saferand desirable.

The WDOT will also replaceand redirect the storm sewersystem along U.S. 51 andinstall a box culvert at the Lit-tle Turtle River.

To maximize the opportunityto improve the entire down-town area, the town willreplace the storm sewers andrebuild the roads on the adjoin-ing side streets.

Because of a unique collabo-ration between the MercerLake Association and the townboard, the three new stormwater discharge locations willuse bio-filtration and spreaderbasins to treat the storm water,which currently flows unfil-tered into Mercer Lake.

COLLABORATIONThe upcoming enhancement

of the downtown area is aresult of Citizen Visioning Ses-sions that began in 2007 andincluded representatives fromthe Mercer Town Board, Down-town Development Group,Chamber of Commerce and theDesign Committee.

The enhancements includehistoric lights, benches,planters, trash receptacles, dec-orative sidewalks and theremoval of the overhead spiderweb of utility lines.

Additional work to the Veter-ans Memorial Park and exten-sive landscaping with nativeplants is planned for the south-ern half of the project fromBeachway Drive to GarnetStreet.

GRANTS, NOT TAXPAYERSBesides being very exciting,

the town’s simultaneousimprovement opportunities arealso extremely expensive.

However, due to the award ofa number of recent grants tothe town, the taxpayers do nothave bear the additional bur-den of special assessments or atax increase due to the high

price-tag of this extensive proj-ect.

The town believes theseimprovements will help to stim-ulate tourism and local prideand subsequently improveoverall economic development,including private investmentand the creation of jobs.

This is Mercer’s unique“moment in time,” when neededprojects and funding have allcome together to provide abrighter future for a small townwith a vision of its potential.

Bonnie Banaszak is amember of the Mercer TownBoard and liaison for the U.S.51 project.

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Mercer plans series of improvements

MERCER, Wis. — Collabora-tion and aggressive pursuit ofgrants has secured major fundingfor projects related to the recon-struction of U.S. 51 through theheart of the downtown in 2011-12.

Total value of the project,which includes overhauling Mer-cer’s infrastructure, diverting lakewater and even building a bikingand hiking trail, totals $7.7 million.

State and federal aid will cover$6.4 million of that. Local matchesare required for portions of thegrants.

The grants:•$4.7 million U.S. Department

of Transportation.To reconstruct 1.8 miles of

U.S. 51.•$800,000 U.S. Environmental

Protection Agency.To replace town storm sewer

water system, which dates to the1930s. It now dumps unfilteredstorm run-off into Mercer Lake.

•$634,000 Wisconsin Depart-ment of Transportation.

To create an eight-mile biketrail from Mercer to ManitowishWaters.

•$435,000 Wisconsin Depart-ment of Commerce CommunityDevelopment Block Grant.

To reduce the required localmatches on the various projects.

•$300,000 Wisconsin Depart-ment of Natural Resources.

A run-off management grant,to divert storm water away fromthe Little Turtle River, which emp-ties into Mercer Lake.

•$93,140 Wisconsin DOT.For extending sidewalks from

Mercer K-12 School to the down-town.

—JON HAWLEY

Grants willhelp fund work

on U.S. 51

By CHRIS PATRITTOHurley School District Administrator

HURLEY — The Hurleyarea has seen some amazinggrowth over the past seven toeight years.

We have seen our city under-go a majorfacelift, thecity hasworked withour school ona well projectto benefit ourarea, the Hur-ley Chamberof Commercehas beeno r g a n i z i n gand puttingtogether won-derful activi-ties for our

local residents, as well as ourvisitors, our Iron County Boardof Superviors has become avery stable and proactive groupin moving our county forward,and the Hurley School Boardhas managed a tough budget inan attempt to keep quality edu-cation and control local taxlevies.

It is safe to say we have seenvery positive changes occur inour community at many levels.

Hurley, and all of our sur-rounding towns, are small, andwe all deal with limitedresources. What we have foundis that partnerships have beenforming across the area withastounding results.

The Hurley City Council hasdone a wonderful job in recent

years of forming great partner-ships and taking bold steps tomove the city of Hurley for-ward. Hurley has become agreat example of differinggroups working together for thebetterment of the entire com-munity.

The leadership shown by thecity council, Iron County Board,

Hurley School Board and all ofour local boards share a greatdeal of the responsibility forHurley’s progress.

As we move forward, it willbe important for all of our areaboards and organizations to beproactive and work together. Ifeel the Hurley community ismoving in a positive direction.

There is a sense of commitmentthat emanates in our communi-ty.

It is refreshing to have peo-ple committed and passionateabout making the most out ofour community.

We have challenges andopportunities ahead of us.These challenges and opportu-

nities will come at us frommany different directions.

How we respond and worktogether will dictate our futuresuccess.

Henry Ford said it this way:“Coming together is a begin-ning. Keeping together isprogress. Working together issuccess.”


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HURLEY — As one might expect,Hurley’s Twin City Dairy continues tofind healthy demand throughout Wis-consin and the Western Upper Penin-sula for dairy products.

Twin City co-owner Jeremy Zanellasaid the family-owned business hasbeen delivering dairy products formore than 50 years, with him as anowner for roughly half of that time.Zanella co-owns the business with hisbrother, Justin, and his mother, Pam.

Zanella said Twin City deliversMorning Glory milk, Cedar Crest icecream and North Country cheese tonot only Hurley stores such as Brite

Spot and Super One, but to businessesthroughout Wisconsin and as far intoMichigan as Ontonagon.

“It definitely keeps you busy,”Zanella said.

The business has grown along withdairy demand; last November, Zanellasaid Twin City relocated from its oldFlorian Street address to its new loca-tion at the corner of Fifth Avenue andSilver Street. Zanella said the new sitehas room to store delivery trucksindoors, saving time once spent oncleaning off snow and ice.

Zanella said the business mayexpand its deliveries into Minocquaand Eagle River.

Jon Hawley/Daily Globe

Jeremy Zanella stands next to a Twin City Dairy delivery truck ready for loading in theTwin City garage along Silver Street in Hurley. Zanella, the owner of the business, said thefamily-owned business delivers milk, cheese and ice cream to stores throughout upperWisconsin and Gogebic and Ontonagon counties.

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By GERRY TRACZYKHurley School District Community Education Director

HURLEY — “Take Time ToBe Kind” is a Hurley SchoolDistrict program that supportsfamilies facing financial, med-ical, or other difficulties.

Besides purchasing Christ-mas gifts for children, funds arealso used to purchase gift cardsin emergency situations, suchas a fire or loss of a familymember.

Many civic organizations,businesses, church groups andindividuals have contributed

annually to “Take Time To BeKind” in the past 17 years.

The program took on a wholenew dimension of communitysupport during the 2010 holi-days.

With many new familiesrequesting support this Christ-mas season, 29 compared to 20the last several years, we askedcommunity members to “adopta child” for Christmas. Theresponse was far greater thanwe could have hoped for.

Twenty-six individualsadopted one or more children,purchased gifts, and, in some

cases, even wrapped the gifts.Of the 73 children on our TakeTime list this year, 44 of themwere adopted by a caring indi-viduals from the Hurley K-12School or the community.

We also received financialdonations from kind-heartedpeople across the Range, aswell as toys and clothing fromindividuals, the White ThunderRiders, Walmart and staff andcustomers of Associated Bankin Hurley.

Financial contributionsallowed us to spend an averageof $54 per child on the 29 chil-dren the Take Time advisorsshopped for.

The Elementary StudentCouncil conducted a food drivefor our Take Time project. Thisyear, they collected 1,500 itemsof non-perishable food, whichwere boxed up and distributedto each family.

Left-over food and healthand beauty items were donatedto the Iron County Food Pantry.

The Hurley School District isextremely grateful to its staff,community individuals, civicgroups and clubs that came for-ward to help Christmas wishescome true for so many of ourHurley School District stu-dents. Thank you for your gen-erosity and support.


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By DAVID [email protected]

HURLEY — Greg Pisani hasseen many beverage trendscome and go. He’s made itthough economic dips and divesand yet his family-owned bev-erage distribution company,Range Beverage in Hurley, hasmanaged to grow. Range Bever-age was founded in 1956 byGreg’s father, Marino, alongwith a group of partners.

Since then, the partnershave been bought out, Robertand Jerry Pissani have takenover operations though PisaniDistributing on the Michiganside, and Greg manages theWisconsin distribution.

When the facility was con-structed, it was 3,000 squarefeet. More space was added onand the warehouse currently isat 9,000 square feet. Because ofthe abundance of product andrising demand, this company iscurrently in the process of look-ing at an additional 10,000

square feet in the land behindthe current building. The spacewas previously be occupied by aboat plant, but has since beencleared, grated and a sewer sys-tem has been installed.

“All we have to do is pourcement floor put up the wallsand the roof,” said Greg Pisani.“Estimates are currently beingdone and progress should bemade during the spring.”

Range Beverage servicescovers all of Ashland County,Madeline Island, Iron County,Vilas County, Price County,parts of Oneida County, likeMinocqua and Woodruff, andpart of Bayfield County.

The large territory is one ofthe major factors that RangeBeverage has been able to besuccessful. Pisani said one ofthe major trends is that small-er distributors have beenreplaced larger ones that cancover more territory and cus-tomers.

“It’s just like being a small

fish that gets eaten up by alarger fish that gets eaten byanother one,” he said.

He said that he expectsRange Beverage to stay in busi-ness for years to come, but thatone of the repercussions of theconstant pressure to cover larg-er territory will be a lack ofservice.

Pisani compares it to thecurrent car-buying experience.“You won’t be able to get thetype of service by the sales stafflike you would get if the dis-tributor was local,” he said.

The other concern in themarket is the current cost offuel. “Some of the price increas-es aren’t just the cost of rawmaterials,” he said. “It’s alsothe cost of getting the productto the distributor and out to theretail market.”

He said the best way to sur-vive is to be prepared. “You runyour business. You make sureyou keep geared up for what is

(See RANGE — Page 12)

Range Beverage eyes market trends

David Sim/Daily Globe

A reflection in the mirror of a Labatt Blue truck shows the nameof Range Beverage in Hurley. Greg Pisani, owner, said that drinkersare becoming more likely to drink craft beer than domestics likeBudweiser or Miller.



HURLEY — When peoplewalk into the Silver Streetoffice of the Hurley Area Cham-ber of Commerce, the chancesare good that chamber directorJessica Bolich can help themwith whatever they’re lookingfor.

If not, she has a mountain oftourist information and 150member businesses, foundacross Iron and Gogebic coun-ties, that probably can.

Bolich described the mainmission of the chamber as thepromotion of its member busi-nesses through marketing andpositive community events, andshe credited former Gov. JimDoyle with giving the chamberits latest marketing theme.

“We’re pushing ‘Snow Capi-tal of Wisconsin,’” Bolich said,explaining the move followedDoyle recognizing Iron Countyfor its mountains of snow andwintry recreational activities.

With this focus, Bolich high-lighted a few of the chamberactivities Iron and Gogebiccounties’ residents can look for-ward to this month.

Running Feb. 11-13 is theHurley Snow Capital Extrava-ganza, a poker run and scav-enger hunt that invites entirefamilies to take to snowmobiletrails, and visit participatingbusinesses, to solve a mystery:“Where’s Chuck?”

“Every establishment hasclues,” Bolich said, describingChuck as a large and enigmaticcreature.

There’s a registration fee of$10, and those who complete

and turn in their poker runsheets have a chance to win atleast $200.

Once Chuck has beenaccounted for, on Feb. 19 thechamber will help offer theWhite Thunder Riders Auctionat 1 p.m. at the Iron HorseSaloon. Bolich said a variety ofitems would be auctioned, withproceeds supporting local trailmaintenance.

MANY AND VARIED FUNCTIONSAside from various events

highlighting businesses’ com-munity involvement, the cham-ber also helps businesses withmarketing and referrals.

Bolich said the chamber alsoworks in conjunction with theIronwood Area Chamber ofCommerce to host “BusinessAfter 5” workshops that alter-nate between venues in Hurley

and Ironwood. The next one isFeb. 17, starting with a tour ofOld World Meats in Ironwood.

Bolich said the chamber alsohas assumed another impor-tant function: Providingtourism information followingthe closure of Huley’s Wiscon-sin state welcome center inmid-2009.

“We didn’t want people com-ing into our state without infor-mation,” Bolich said, addingthat setting up for tourismservices, and expanding cham-ber hours in the process, wasdifficult.

She added it’s also requiredmore staff, including adminis-trative assistant HeatherGuyer and two part-time work-ers, Caitlin Ahlberg and LauraMaslanka, both Hurley highschool seniors.

“They’re keeping me verywell organized,” Bolich saidwith a laugh.

The chamber office’s tourismsection is open from 8 a.m. until9 p.m. week days and 9 a.m. tonoon on weekends.

Though the tourism officehas been open for awhile,Bolich said the chamber wouldlike to hold an official openhouse for it in the future.

On top of these business andtourism functions, Bolich saidthe chamber even provides Wis-consin Department of NaturalResources registration for off-road vehicles, including snow-mobiles, ATVs and boats. If theperson has all the requiredinformation, Bolich said regis-tration takes a matter of min-utes.

Chamber promotes business, events

Jon Hawley/Daily Globe

Hurley Area Chamber of Commerce director Jessica Bolich standswith some of the various racks of materials available at the cham-ber office on Silver Street.

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happening in the market andwhat might be happening inthe future,” he said. “But youcan’t worry about it, becauseyou don’t really have a lot ofcontrol over the future.”

The company is purelywholesale, serving bars,restaurants, grocery and con-venience stores.

Range Beverage currentlyhas 12 employees, made up ofsales, delivery and office per-sonnel.

They sell domestic, importand craft beer, a limited selec-tion of liquor and wine, pop,Snapple, energy drinks and afull line of bar supplies.

“What we’re seeing is a lot ofpeople going towards the craftbeers. The specialty beers arebecoming very popular. I’mfinding I don’t think people areconsuming as much as theyused to, but they’re consuminga little bit better product,”Pisani said.

“Craft beer drinkers aresamplers. They’re looking attrying this brand, this flavor ofthat brand, and trying every-thing new that’s on the mar-ket.”

Even drinkers who usuallystick to their domestic beerslike Coors or Budweiser areinstead bring home a six-packof craft beer instead of a 12-pack of their usual choices.

Brewers like New Glarus,Central Waters Brewery(Amherst, Wis.), South ShoreBrewery (Ashland, Wis.) andKeweenaw Brewing Company(Houghton) have become morepopular, Pisani said, especiallybecause drinkers tend to sam-ple items that are brewed morelocally.

Range Beverage has alsobeen very active in supportingactivities in the community.For the past six years, it hassponsored a team that plays inthe Labatt Blue U.S. OutdoorPond Hockey Championshipsin Eagle River, Wis. Last year,the Range Beverage team wonits division. This year, the com-pany will sponsor two teams.“That’s been a great event forus,” said Pisani. “Simplybecause we were the Labattdistributor in the market. It’sreally worked out very well.

“We try and help out asmuch as we can,” said Pisani.“Most of things we have helpedwith have been successful.

“Like any other business,”he said. “Your business is onlyas good as your employees andfortunately I have very goodemployees here. That’s whatmakes it go round.”

(Continued from Page 11)

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i t ystudy

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