Marathon County committee accepts offer to buy four Kronenwetter parcels; resident raises displacement concerns

Marathon County’s Infrastructure Committee voted May 1 to forward to HR Finance and later the full county board an offer to purchase four adjacent parcels in the Village of Kronenwetter as a potential site for a relocated county highway facility.

The county has a signed purchase offer of $750,000 for parcels identified in the packet as P3, P4, P5 and P6, which committee members said would together provide nearly 20 acres for the proposed site. Administrator Leonard said the parcels were submitted as a single offer and that parcel P2 remains under separate negotiation.

The decision follows public comment from a nearby homeowner. "I'm Ariel Shefkin, and I live in the village of Kronenwetter at 2384 Old Highway 51," Shefkin told the committee. She said she and her family received a realtor’s verbal offer on their property on April 11 and that the process has been "very detrimental" to them: "We went for quotes on our loan, and we can't afford to move," she said. Shefkin told the committee she has ordered windows that cannot be returned and described anxiety and sleep loss after learning of the proposed facility location.

Administrator Leonard told the committee staff had met with Shefkin and the village president and that staff intend to pursue options to reduce harm to affected residents, including exploring relocation options for the household or relocating the residence within the larger parcel if additional property is acquired. "We'll bring you something for the county board to ultimately consider," Leonard said, adding staff hope to have more information within a week.

Committee members and staff also discussed village zoning work that could affect the site. Leonard said he had learned the village is considering proposed zoning amendments that could require a 500-foot setback for highway facilities from residential parcels and could require a conditional-use permit for a highway facility. He said those potential changes, if adopted, would complicate development of the P3–P6 parcels and might require a variance or other steps.

Committee Chair (acting) accepted a motion to forward the purchase offer to HR Finance; the motion passed by voice vote.

The committee asked staff to continue discussions with the village and the affected homeowners and to return with options to the county board. Staff said they would bring updates on parcel P2 — the remaining parcel still under negotiation — separately.

Next steps: staff will give HR Finance the offer packet for review and will continue negotiations and outreach with the resident and village officials.