By Jalen Maki

Tomahawk Leader Editor

TOMAHAWK – The City of Tomahawk Common Council gave final approval to an array of special event permit applications and discussed the responsibilities of the Kaphaem Rd. property ad hoc committee during its meeting on Tuesday, March 1.

Special event permit applications

The council gave the final thumbs up to 11 special event permit applications, officially placing the events on the 2022 calendar. The city’s Health and Safety Committee approved the permits the previous week.

The council approved the following permits:

Spring Fling Wine Walk, Friday, May 6, downtown Tomahawk; Main Street Memories Car Show, Sunday, May 29, downtown; Tomahawk Main Street Farmers Market, Tuesdays from June through October, downtown; Music on the River, each Wednesday from June 22 to July 27, Veterans Memorial Park; Tomahawk Chamber Arts & Craft Fair, Sunday, July 3, SARA Park; Brat Fry & Bonfire, Thursday, Sept. 15, SARA Park Boat Landing; Tomahawk Veterans Fall Ride, Friday, Sept. 16 and Saturday, Sept. 17, downtown; Tomahawk Chamber and WaWui Beer Tent and Music, Thursday, Sept. 15 through Saturday, Sept. 17, SARA Park during Fall Ride; Thunder Parade, Friday, Sept. 16, downtown during Fall Ride; Annual Venison Feed, Friday, Nov. 18, downtown; and Hometown Christmas, Friday, Dec. 9, downtown.

Kaphaem Rd. property ad hoc committee

The council also discussed clarification of the responsibilities of the city’s Kaphaem Rd. property ad hoc committee, comprised of Finance Committee members Mickey Loka, Pat Haskin, Jeff Kahle, Dale Ernst and Steve “Ding” Bartz, as well as Mike Loka and Tadd Wegener, at-large members appointed by Mayor Steven E. Taskay.

The committee was formed in Jan. 2021, a month after the city purchased the property, located near the southeastern city limits at 1775 Kaphaem Rd., from Lincoln County for one dollar. The property features a roughly 8,000 square-foot building sitting on about 19 acres.

For several years, the city has considered moving its emergency services to a centralized location, with the Kaphaem Rd. property currently being eyed as a potential choice.

The city-owned property at 1775 Kaphaem Rd. Photo by Jalen Maki.

In June 2021, the ad hoc committee voted to move forward with a study by Five Bugles Design, a firm that specializes in planning and design services for the public safety service industry. The firm is currently in the process of analyzing both the Kaphaem Rd. property and the Tomahawk Fire Department’s current building at 100 N. Tomahawk Ave., assessing the department’s space needs and compiling information regarding a potential building addition/expansion or relocation to the Kaphaem Rd. property. The Tomahawk Police Department’s space needs are also being examined as part of the study.

During the council meeting last week, City of Tomahawk Clerk/Treasurer Amanda Bartz said the ad hoc committee sought clarification of its responsibilities from the council. Bartz noted that the ad hoc committee is currently only tasked with focusing on potential uses for the Kaphaem Rd. property.

It was noted that the property was originally intended to be used as an emergency services hub.

After discussion, the council decided to wait for Five Bugles Design to conclude its study. If the firm finds that the property is unfit for housing an emergency services center, the ad hoc committee will move forward with finding another use for the property and will consider other locations to house the city’s emergency services.

A motion to define the ad hoc committee’s purpose as finding the “best” location for the city’s fire and police departments, based on the report from Five Bugles Design, was approved unanimously.