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Resident urges Sawyer County to revisit hazard-mitigation driveway standards and post clearer construction notices online
Summary
Linda Zomer, a Birchwood resident and county property owner, urged the committee to revisit a driveway-standard provision from earlier hazard-mitigation drafts to ensure emergency-vehicle access and requested more detailed closure notices (with maps and time frames) on the county website ahead of a July 15 public open house on the draft plan.
During public comment, Linda Zomer, a resident of the village of Birchwood and property owner on County Highways F and DD, urged Sawyer County to revisit its draft hazard-mitigation plan and consider a countywide driveway ordinance to ensure that driveways are built and maintained to permit emergency vehicles to pass and turn.
"On July 15, there will be a public open house on the Sawyer County draft of the hazard mitigation plan," Zomer said. She said earlier drafts (going back to 2014) contained a driveway provision intended to require construction and maintenance standards to allow emergency vehicles to "enter, leave, and pass each other" and keep driveways free of obstructions. She said she was unsure whether the county ever adopted such a standard and asked the committee to revisit the county's roles and responsibilities outlined in the plan.
Zomer also said she had not heard evidence that towns, local fire departments, or emergency services had been contacted during development of the draft, and urged the county to verify outreach to those stakeholders. Finally, she asked the county to improve public-facing construction notices on the county website—she recommended including a map and time frame so residents receive clearer, timely information about road closures and work.
The committee thanked Zomer for the input; the chair noted the July 15 open house and did not take action at the meeting. Staff and committee members referenced ongoing agenda planning and public-involvement events for particular projects during later department reports.
