Large investments in the county's operations are still in the future, but Kewaunee County Board Chairperson Dan Olson hopes you see progress on its highway shop in Footbridge and the jail in Kewaunee in the near future.

About a year ago, a Milwaukee-based design firm identified about 20 deficiencies with the highway shop that dates back decades, including roof, plumbing, sewer, septic systems, poor ventilation, and bad insulation. Board members toured a former Wisconsin Public Service facility as a possibility for a new highway shop. Olson says that at the advisement of its new Highway Commissioner Marty Treml, they will look at rehabbing the old building first before exploring ways to make additions.

As for the jail, the board is looking to hire an owner’s representative for the county. The owner’s representative will act on the county’s interests regarding the projects, starting with the Request for Proposal (RFP) and concluding with the jail’s construction. Olson believes the owner’s representative will make the process more efficient from the county’s point of view.

No strict timetables have been set, but Olson says they would like the owner’s representative in place before releasing a new RFP for the jail. He also comments that Treml will likely want to jump on the to-do list with the highway shop improvements when he officially leaves the military for the position in June.