5 facts on Whiting's road repair loan

WHITING -  Whiting is nearly finished upgrading village roads after receiving a $70,000 loan to complete the work this year.

The village received the loan from the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. The board awarded more than $5.2 million in loans to municipalities and school districts around the state in July.

Here are five things to know about the loan and how Whiting applied it:

1. Most of the loan funded repairs to three streets. The village put about $54,200 toward new drainage swales, the ditches that help manage water runoff, and asphalt overlays on Conant Street, Dunbar Street and Crueger Street. The village has already finished the swales and expects to finish the new asphalt within the next couple weeks. The village won't have to reroute traffic for the work, said Public Works and Utilities Director Nic Schmeiser. The village allocated about $27,200 from the loan for repairs on Conant Street between Jacobson Street and Sherman Avenue.

The village also used about $27,000 on repairs to Dunbar Street between Sherman Avenue and Crueger Street, and on Crueger Street between Dunbar and Conant streets.

2. The village is using $8,900 to upgrade the lights at Village Hall.Village hall had high pressure sodium lights outside the municipal center; Schmeiser said Whiting wanted to find a more efficient option. The new LED lights will be an investment upfront, he said, but will show a cost-savings in the future. Schmeiser estimated that the village would save $1,500 in electrical and maintenance costs with the new lights.

3. The Village Hall parking lot is getting an upgrade, too. The village put $2,400 from the grant toward work on the parking lot, which will include adding a seal coat and restriping the area.

4. Some money is funding fixes to the village's compost site. The site offers residents a place to drop off leaves, clippings and debris; water was pooling some locations in the area. The village allocated $4,250 to fix the road base on the west side of the site so it will be smoother and will keep water water out.

5. The loan does not operate on tax dollars. The Board of Commissioners of Public lands consists of three state officials and uses only money the program brings in, according to a press release.

Sari Lesk: 715-345-2257 or sari.lesk@gannettwisconsin.com; on Twitter @Sari_Lesk.