Wittenberg requires masks for anyone coming into Community Center

At the village of Wittenberg’s July 21 board meeting, the trustees addressed the issue of keeping their employees safe from exposure to illnesses during the pandemic.

Trustee David Timm made a motion that anyone coming in to the Wittenberg Community Center during business hours be required to wear a mask until further notice.

The village has three full-time and two part-time employees. According to Timm, if any one of the employees was unable to work for a long period of time, the village operations could be compromised. Each the employees has a very specific job, and there is not a lot of crossover training between the employees to be able to handle long absences due to illness, he said.

Some community members raised concerns that this requirement was the start of a slippery slope that would allow the board to later extend the mask requirement to all businesses and social venues.

Wittenberg resident Cindy Yaeger said, “I feel like this is just the start.”

Village President William Switalla clarified that the board can’t legally request masks to be worn throughout the village. He said making that a village-wide requirement is not his intention. “My only concern is for our employees,” he said.

Shannon Seegmiller, Wittenberg, expressed concern that there might be repercussions for those who can’t wear masks for health reasons or are just openly defiant of the requirement.

Trustee Sharon Beversdorf explained that people can access village services without coming into the building for face-to-face interactions with village employees. People have the option of dropping off payments in the 24-hour drop box, which gets checked many times during business hours, or by paying bills online, she said.

Village Clerk Traci Matsche noted that many community members have already been using those options to keep themselves and the village employees safe. Residents are also able to contact the office by calling 715-253-6063 or sending an email to wittbrg@gmail.com. The village mailing address is P.O. Box 331, Wittenberg, WI 54499, said Matsche.

The motion passed unanimously, and the mask requirement went into effect immediately. Trustee Paul Yaeger was absent.

The board has been holding its meetings in the main room of the community center in order to accommodate social distancing recommendations. They agreed to continue holding the board meetings there rather than using the board room, which is more limited in space, until further notice.

The Wittenberg Community Center has business hours of Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon.

mnelson@newmedia-wi.com