A major reconstruction of state Highway 22 — West Main Street and North McKenzie Avenue — in Gillett is continuing and will affect three upcoming events in the city before the project is completed later this year.
The road is currently closed from Finnegan Lake Road near Gillett Secondary School to its intersection with state Highway 32 on the city’s north side.
The project will not be completed in time for the Roy Hubbard Memorial Truck Show, set for June 19-20 in Zippel Park; the city’s annual Fourth of July celebration, scheduled for July 3-4; and the Oconto County Youth Fair, slated for Aug. 27-30, also at Zippel Park.
City Clerk/Treasurer Chelsea Anderson said city residents and motorists passing through the city have been dealing with the project since late last year but added work will be completed later this year.
According to the state Department of Transportation, the project includes removing and replacing concrete pavement, curb and gutter, sidewalks, storm sewers and culverts, as well as improvements to several intersections.
“They will always make sure we have access to all of our driveways the best they can,” Anderson said. “Everything is open up every single night, actually.”
She updates the city’s official Facebook page with information about the project and said paving will begin shortly after July 4.
“It’s a state project,” she said. “They’re supposed to be done in September, with restoration done by October.”
Rachel Knueppel is the church secretary at St. John’s Lutheran Church at the corner of Main Street and McKenzie Avenue. The road is currently torn up and closed to traffic in front of the church, but she said the project hasn’t had a major impact on church activities, including church services.
“We had talked about the possibility of making changes, but our pastor (Chris Byars) is involved with the chamber of commerce,” Knueppel said. “We were pretty sure that we wouldn’t have to. We do have three driveways for entrances and exits. We are losing one of the driveways, so we have two and they’ve always left one of the two open. We made lots of announcements telling people that these are the ways you can get in.”
City residents are used to the main street for traffic being shut down, according to Knueppel.
“Everyone has their own detour,” she said. “It’s annoying to have to go off-roading just to get to work at the church, but it’s still accessible. People are like, ‘Well, I’m going to get a good road out of it, and I’ll deal with it until then.’”
Fair organizers began preparing visitors for the construction project last year.
“They changed some of the fair entrances last year to get people used to coming into different areas,” Knueppel said. “That was a smart way to think ahead.”
Two blocks from the church, Peter Vorpahl isn’t sure how the project will affect this year’s bottom line for his business, Main Street Sweets at 127 E. Main St.
The store used to be on the Fourth of July parade route, but that won’t be the case this year, as the parade has been rerouted.
Vorpahl opened the candy store two years ago.
“Being that I’m fairly new, it’s hard to really gauge what it’s done,” he said. “I didn’t really know what to expect, but I did expect there would be less foot traffic. I didn’t have several years under my belt to see exactly what a normal year is.
“By seeing the number of cars on Main Street, it’s having an effect on the traffic on Main Street, that’s for sure. There would be quite a few people parked on Main Street. They basically made East Main Street a dead-end street for us. People have to come down, turn around and come back. It’s a hassle, so I think some people just aren’t coming for that reason.”
“It will look so beautiful when it’s done, but it’s always so hard and quite devastating to businesses and our events,” Anderson said. “We’re doing all we can with signs to let people know we’re still open and how to get to where they need to go.”
Anderson said the reconstruction project isn’t the only major improvement project for Gillett this year.
Right after the Roy Hubbard Memorial Truck Show, a groundbreaking ceremony will be held for new playground equipment to be installed in Zippel Park.
“We didn’t mean for them to all collide, but it’s better this way,” Anderson said. “Not only will we have a brand new road, but a brand new park.”
Peter Vorpahl, owner of Main Street Sweets in Gillett, prepares chocolate candies to sell in his store. He said it’s too soon to tell what impact the closure of state Highway 22 has had on his business, which he opened two years ago. (Greg Seubert)
