Tuesday, September 2, 2014

WisDOT Lets Wayside With Veterans' Memorial Fall Into Disrepair

[Updated, in italics, 9:25 p.m.] Fresh millions in 'road improvements' are aimed to build over, through and otherwise disturb Wood National Memorial and private cemeteries along I-94 near Miller Park, and now we find that the same Walker-run road-building agency can't find a few pennies to put the restrooms in working order at this Price County wayside it owns that features a Veterans' memorial?

When did WisDOT become the Disrespecter-in-Chief of state sacred spaces?

Update - - I added below from the comments a few observations by Rich Eggleston, whose 40 valuable years with AP and The Wisconsin Alliance of Cities in Madison inform what he has to say:
The wayside on Highway 13 and the south fork of the Flambeau River is beautiful. So was the miniscule one-picnic-table wayside on Highway 86 at the Spirit Reservoir, long gone. Gone also is the wayside on Highway 51 south of Tomahawk, the victim of highway expansion, as is the wayside on Highway 51 near Wausau. The DOT cares neither for quaintness nor for scenic beauty. A few of these waysides have been supplanted by multi-million dollar monstrosities in "rest areas." 
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As state abandons waysides, locals weigh options

Posted: Thursday, August 28, 2014 7:00 am
Seth Carlson, Staff Reporter
The Price County Highway and Transportation Committee met August 13 for their regular monthly meeting at the highway department building in Phillips. Among discussion items was the Highway 13 wayside south of Fifield, as Highway Commissioner Don Grande reported he has received multiple complaints over the closed restrooms at the site. 

The restrooms have been closed for over a year due to a cracked vault.Nestled along the Flambeau River South Fork, the site features the closed restroom, a Korean War veterans’ memorial, a boat landing, and a picnic area as well. As with all Wisconsin waysides, county departments perform only maintenance, such as mowing and upkeep, and have little to no input on the repair or restoration to facilities.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has told us pretty much point blank, ‘no’,” said Grande in reference to calls he has made to the state for repairing the restroom. “They don’t understand the historic reference on this site. Believe me, I would love to drop the [complaints] on the DOT, but that’s not helping.”
Waysides may be curtailed



4 comments:

Anonymous said...

So..he uses veterans as a prop whenever he needs to boost his approval numbers. Yesterday he tweeted: "Greeted President Obama at the 128th Air Refueling Wing in Milwaukee" so I guess Walker's numbers look bad.

Rich Eggleston said...

The wayside on Highway 13 and the south fork of the Flambeau River is beautiful. So was the miniscule one-picnic-table wayside on Highway 86 at the Spirit Reservoir, long gone. Gone also is the wayside on Highway 51 south of Tomahawk, the victim of highway expansion, as is the wayside on Highway 51 near Wausau. The DOT cares neither for quaintness nor for scenic beauty. A few of these waysides have been supplanted by multi-million dollar monstrosities in "rest areas."

zombie rotten mcdonald said...

Republicans are dedicated to supporting and honoring our veterans, unless it costs money.

Boxer said...

Message: We don't care.