Planning commission approves Quarry Jump interim permit with strict safety and insurance conditions

Winona County Planning Commission members recommended approval of an interim conditional‑use permit for a one‑day fundraising event to be held Aug. 23 at the Benson quarry in Dresbach Township, but only after adding multiple conditions aimed at public safety and county liability. The event, organized by Chariots for Hope Wisconsin, would stage controlled launches of decommissioned vehicles and host vendors and music with an attendee cap the applicants set below the county’s mass‑assembly threshold.

Staff briefed the commission on layers of regulation that could apply and the challenge of enforcing a single‑day event at remote sites. “499 is 1 person below triggering, the the application of the mass assembly ordinance,” Planning and Environmental Services staffer Steve Everett told commissioners, warning that the county’s more rigorous mass‑assembly review (and attendant pre‑event inspections) would apply at 500 or more attendees. Everett urged the commission either to treat the proposal as a mass event, to accept the 499 cap with strong, auditable safeguards, or to deny or delay the request to allow for full compliance preparation.

The petitioner, who identified himself as Nias Schafer of Chariots for Hope Wisconsin, described the proposal as a charitable memorial and said organizers would cap ticket sales, depollute vehicles, post barriers and provide volunteer security. “It’s going to be a fun event,” Schafer said, adding that the group would supply ticketing reports and picture‑by‑picture vehicle certification. Landowner Erin Benson said she supported the event and pledged to return the site to its prior condition after the event.

Neighbors who live along Oak Hill Drive and near the quarry urged extra precautions. Kristen Braitsman, who lives at the top of the quarry access road, said she was concerned about parking on minimum‑maintenance roads, trespass onto private drives and impacts to wildlife: “This is a very populated natural wildlife area,” she said. Commissioners noted the highway and emergency management concerns and the fact that Oak Hill Drive is a minimum‑maintenance, gravel road that can be treacherous in bad weather.

To address risks, the commission added several conditions to the staff recommendation: a minimum $1,000,000 liability policy listing the landowner’s physical address, an indemnification agreement to protect Winona County, applicant‑funded on‑site monitoring authority to stop the event for safety breaches, posting of temporary private‑property signs around adjacent driveways for the day, and attendance verification (ticketing or numbered wristbands) that can be audited after the event. Commissioners also required a post‑event cleanup inspection and documentation that vehicle depollution measures had been performed.

The motion to recommend approval, with the added conditions and staff findings, passed by voice vote; at least two commissioners registered opposition during debate. The planning commission’s recommendation and the record of added conditions will go to the Winona County Board on Aug. 11 for final action.