Executive Committee reviews working draft of Chapter 8 of Marathon County comprehensive plan; sustainable transportation and PFAS noted

Lori Kimmons, Marathon County CPZ director, presented the Executive Committee with a working draft of Chapter 8 (infrastructure) of the Marathon County comprehensive plan on March 13 and asked for initial feedback before returning a fuller draft later this year.

"This month, we're bringing to you the working draft of chapter 8," Kimmons said, summarizing updates to plans and background material added since the county's 2016 comprehensive plan.

Kimmons said the draft incorporates several newer documents — including the roadway safety plan, two airport master plans, a 2022 stormwater quality management plan and the solid waste strategic plan — and updates dates and background where departments have changed their materials since 2016. She said the transportation section (packet page 4) will be updated with roadway network and data revisions, and that a placeholder will be added (packet page 9) to describe county road maintenance practices, PASER ratings and equipment-age information.

On airports, Kimmons said airport master-plan changes are reflected in the airport section. Utilities and stormwater material will be expanded (chapter references in packet: utilities on chapter page 13 / packet page 16), and the energy section will add material on natural gas and renewable energy. She said the telecommunications section was completely updated to reflect broadband expansion and noted the county would finalize some BED-related language later in the year as that program evolves. Solid-waste updates include closure of one landfill and the opening of Bluebird Ridge, along with mention of renewable-gas activity at the site.

The draft identifies infrastructure issues that the departments and infrastructure committee flagged. Kimmons said a common theme was sustainable transportation and long-term sustainable operations: how to invest in maintenance and operations at cost-effective times. The draft adds an objective suggestion related to long-term sustainability of operations, which highways, airport and solid-waste staff recommended.

Committee members raised a range of technical and policy questions. Supervisor Robinson asked for discussion of the status of roads categorized as all-season versus weight-restricted, noting that lane miles translate to large costs and eligibility for the Agricultural Road Improvement Program (ARIP) depends on a road's current classification. Robinson also asked for inclusion of shoulders and rumble-strip data for County Trunk Highways to inform multimodal planning and bicycle accommodations.

Several members raised water-quality concerns tied to PFAS. Kimmons confirmed an issue-flag for PFAS has been added to the chapter; supervisors noted prior municipal exceedances and discussed leachate, biosolids and wastewater effluent as related concerns. One supervisor suggested the county consider its role in wellhead protection ordinances and intermunicipal cooperation where aquifers and municipal wells cross jurisdictional lines.

On transit, Kimmons said conversations with the regional Metropolitan Planning Organization and neighboring communities indicate continued demand for transit among senior and aging populations but a shift in interest from fixed-route service toward alternatives such as point-to-point microtransit. Kimmons also said the county airport (referred to as CWA in the draft) has raised concern about attracting service amid aircraft shortages and regional pilots, and that some communities are exploring revenue guarantees and other incentives.

Kimmons noted some wording in the objectives may need changing — for example, using "promote" rather than "ensure" for matters the county cannot unilaterally guarantee (such as telecommunication or energy service availability). She closed by saying the infrastructure chapter will be refined based on committee feedback and will be brought back later this year for more review.

No formal committee action or vote was taken on the draft during the meeting; Chair Gibbs said public-safety and land-use chapters would be the next chapters reviewed at a future meeting.