Village wants I-43 work site

The Village of Fredonia has announced it will make its industrial park available for a concrete mixing and pavement crushing site that was first proposed in the Town of Grafton.

Village President Don Dohrwardt said that if site operator Hoffman Construction Co. is interested in setting up shop in the village, the move would help build infrastructure in the new industrial park, add tax increment finance dollars and provide the company with a site that may be less contentious than one it is pursuing in Grafton.

“We figure there are a lot of advantages,” he said.

During a joint meeting of the public works and finance committees Sept. 7, village officials decided to reach out to Hoffman to gauge its interest in the site.

The site would be used to supply materials such as gravel and concrete, as well as stage equipment for the ongoing I-43 lane expansion project.

 Work on the site would occur from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays from 2022 through 2025. The site would be used heavily for two or three months of each year and occasionally during the remainder of the year, with work limited in the winter.

Hoffman first applied for a conditional-use permit to operate the site on a 10-acre parcel  of farmland off Ulao Road in Grafton in August, but a decision on the permit has been tabled amid opposition from neighbors.

Dozens of residents appeared at a town Plan Commission meeting Sept. 1 to oppose approval of the site, many citing problems with increased traffic, dust, noise and pollution.

The vote was tabled at the recommendation of town staff, who said additional information is needed before approval. Along with delaying a decision, commission members instructed Hoffman representatives to consider other locations for the worksite.

Hoffman representatives said operating permits required by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources would ensure dust and pollution would be contained, and that berms would be built around the site to mitigate noise.

Dohrwardt said the Fredonia location could also be a solution to concerns of traffic. If Hoffman chose the site, trucks hauling supplies to areas of I-43 that are being worked on would only need to travel Meadowlark Road for less than a mile before taking Highway 57 south.

While the Hoffman site would be temporary, Dohrwardt said, it would provide the new Fredonia business park TIF district funding and help establish infrastructure for a permanent operation in the future.

He said the village will eventually have to expand roads in the park and that Hoffman would need to construct a gravel road for its operations, building the framework for a paved road.

Dohrwardt said Hoffman would also likely need to connect to the municipal water supply, giving the village an incentive to expand water services to the new park — a project it would have to complete anyway for future businesses eying space in the park.

“We just couldn’t find any negatives for us,” Dohrwardt said.

Public Works Director Roger Strohm has put out a call to Hoffman, but discussions have not yet begun on a deal, according to Dohrwardt.