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CITY OF GILLETT COMMON COUNCIL Council Chambers – Municipal Building 150 N McKenzie Ave – Gillett, WI 54124 THURSDAY, APRIL 2, 2026 AT 6:00 PM MINUTES 1. Mayor Blaskowski called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. 2. Pledge of Allegiance was recited. Roll Call Present: Mayor Jon Blaskowski, Clerk Treasurer Chelsea Anderson, Alderpersons Nanette Mohr, Keri Hicks , Jerry Luther, Matt Young, Ashley VanStraten, David Bunker, Utility Operator Matt Wickman, Public Works Department Head Tim Via, Police Chief Shane Breitenbach, Fire Chief Kurt Hicks. Excused Librarian Shannon Stoner. 3. Clerk Treasurer informs the Council that the Open Meeting Law has been complied with. 4. Public Input: None 5. Discussion and possible action on March 12, 2026 MOTION: VanStraten/Mohr Motion to approve minutes from March 12, 2026. Voice Vote: All Voting Aye - MOTION CARRIED 6. Board of Public Works Committee Report: Alderperson Hicks Public Works Department Head Tim Via showed his hours worked excel spreadsheet for the park in kind matching grant work. We have a record breaking snowstorm and it took many man hours to clear the city and keep it clean. Picking up the red and black City of Gillett garbage and recycling bins so we can sell them in bulk. GFL has distributed their bins. In our new 2026-2031 contract we need to use their bins, our hinges were breaking and they will not cover the repair costs anymore. East Cedar and Eschner there was a storm sewer collapse, PTS repaired the storm. The new zero-turn mower is delivered; it is for the cemetery. We dug out pickle ball cement court, due to cost it will be cheaper to relay the concrete compared to the fiberglass overlay we would have needed to build a good playing court. a. Discussion and possible action on Cold Storage Building MOTION: Luther/Mohr Motion to approve Quality Construction for a total of $96,645.78. 50x64x16 concrete with fiber-mesh and sealed, drain, framing, siding, roofing, soffit, overhang, overhead doors, windows and job site cleanup. Approved ad ons of concrete aprons $5,210 and gutters and downspouts $2,432. Not to exceed $110,000 including electric Roll Call Vote: All Voting Aye - MOTION CARRIED b. Discussion and possible action on Truck Route MOTION: VanStraten/Luther Motion to approve the Truck Route as drawn out. Voice Vote: All Voting Aye - MOTION CARRIED 7. Park and Cemetery Committee Report: Alderperson Luther a. Discussion & possible action on 4th of July Event in Zippel Park MOTION: Hicks/Young Motion to approve 4th of July Event. Voice Vote: All Voting Aye - MOTION CARRIED b. Discussion & possible action on park bid opening and award- went through five proposals from qualified firms. Rated each proposal. MOTION: VanStraten/Mohr Motion to approve Lee Recreation for Zippel Park play equipment. Voice Vote: All Voting Aye - MOTION CARRIED 2 8. Library Report: Alderperson Hicks- Community center had a water leak in the sprinkler system. Had to make an insurance claim and call in a restoration company. 9. Tourism & Marketing Commission/Gillett Area Chamber of Commerce: Chamber President Keri Hicks stated they sold $1850 in chamber bucks. Chamber will donate a bench to Zippel Park in honor of Cameron Wagner. Chamber did a “clean your fire hydrant” contest and gave away 5 $20 gift certificates of chamber bucks. 10. Financial Report: Clerk Treasurer – a. Updated Monthly Check Register MOTION: Mohr/Young Motion to approve March Check Registers. Voice Vote: All Voting Aye - MOTION CARRIED 11. Police Department Report: Police Chief Breitenbach a. Discussion on Training, Public Relations, and Incident Summary Report -Chief Breitenbach Gillett Police Department \ 175 incidents \ March 2026 I participated in a training event hosted by the League of Wisconsin Municipalities. The training revolved around pressing and evolving challenges facing Wisconsin's law enforcement agencies including police liability and the role of sound policy in managing risk. Other topics discussed included the rising settlement costs to the ever-changing legal landscape, the evolving landscape of police liability, Wisconsin's statutory policy requirements, and the practical steps administrators can take to protect their agencies. SRO Hull was able to utilize funds provided by an Opioid Remediation Grant to bring the inspirational speaker, Douglas Darby, to speak at several schools throughout the county. Douglas Darby is a survivor in long-term recovery who is committed to igniting the very spark in a person that will help change the world we live in. Douglas' mission is to bring different educational programs into mental health, substance use, connection and inspiring hope not only in youth but in all of us. SRO Hull has secured two new AED’s for the school district buildings. SRO Hull also advised that the security curtains have been installed on all of the classroom doors. SRO Hull is working on bringing a peer support program, Sources of Strength, into our schools. The Sources of Strength peer support group is a peer-led mental wellness program that aims to prevent suicide and promote mental health in youth. It utilizes a relational connections model, where peer leaders are mentored by adult advisors to change peer social norms and encourage help-seeking behaviors. The program focuses on upstream, strength-based work to reduce the likelihood of suicidal behavior among high school students. It trains peer leaders to conduct messaging activities that reduce the acceptability of suicide and increase the acceptability of seeking help. The program is designed to be a multi-year project with ongoing peer messaging and contacts growing over time. As a reminder, on April 25, 2026, from 10am-2pm, the Gillett Police Department will be hosting the annual Spring Drug Takeback event. This event is a special nationwide drug take back event! Also, as a reminder we have a drug drop-off container located in the Gillett Police Department lobby that is available daily. 12. Fire Department Report: Fire Chief Hicks- March 12, lift assist EMS, 14th lift assist Gillett EMS, 16th Line down from storm, April 1st Gillett lift assist. We have 4 trucks and 4 captains, their responsible to go through each truck each month and equipment Very proud of these captains and the way they take care of the truck and equipment. They go through all the chain saws, generators, run 3 everything, and made sure we were prepared for the record breaking snowstorm and all the things that come with weather. Looking forward to summer. Within 5 years would like to trade in oldest main line pumper truck and purchase a used truck. 13. Health, Protection and License Committee Report: Alderperson VanStraten a. Discussion & possible action on 4th of July Picnic License MOTION: Luther/Mohr Motion to approve the 4th of July Picnic License. Voice Vote: All Voting Aye - MOTION CARRIED b. Discussion and possible action on purchase of police squad SUV Dodge Durango V6, for under $41,000, upfit not to exceed $10,000. MOTION: Luther/Bunker Motion to approve the purchase of a police squad SUV Dodge Durango V6, for under $41,000, upfit not to exceed $10,000. Roll Call Vote: All Voting Aye - MOTION CARRIED c. Discussion & possible action on Operators Licenses for David Nelson and Shelly Mikula MOTION: Luther/Bunker Motion to approve the operator’s licenses. Voice Vote: All Voting Aye - MOTION CARRIED 14. Utility Committee Report: Utility Operator Matt Wickman stated he needs to replace a valve for a pond at the wastewater treatment plant. The valve is located in a manhole and is filling up with due to the valve failure. They will pump out manhole and replace the valve. The was a curb stop break behind Main Street, that will be fixed. Transducer went out at well 2, which reads water levels, that will also need to be replaced. 15. Finance and Personnel Committee Report: Alderperson Mohr- Next meeting we will be the loan closing with the USDA. 16. Planning Committee Report: Alderperson Bunker- No Report. 17. Clerk Treasurers Report: City Clerk Treasurer Chelsea Anderson stated Election Day is April 7, 2026. HWY 22 Road Project is done with water and sewer and now the DOT starts with storm and pavment/sidewalks. 600 new garbage and recycling lids were ordered under warranty to go along with the sale of the bins. Business meeting with DOT and Gillett Businesses went great. Our Reorganizational meeting will be Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 6pm. 18. Attorneys Report: Conway, Olejniczak, and Jerry S.C. Attorneys at Law- No Report. 19. Public Input: None 20. Mayor's Report: Mayor thanked the Public Works and Utility team dealing with the record-breaking snowstorm. Reorganizational meeting will be the third Tuesday of April, April 21, 2026, at 6pm. 21. Adjourn at 8:00 PM MOTION: Mohr/VanStraten Motion to adjourn. Voice Vote: All Voting Aye - MOTION CARRIED Respectfully submitted by Clerk Treasurer Chelsea Anderson