The City of Manitowoc Finance Committee voted on Tuesday to approve the 2021 Executive Budget to the Common Council for approval.
In his City of Manitowoc Update this morning on WOMT and WCUB Radio, Mayor Justin Nickels said that the budget remained mainly intact, with one exception. “The one thing that the Finance Committee voted 3-2, was to remove Washington Street,” he explained. “I put $390,000 in the budget from the General Fund to just repair, putting an asphalt overlay on Washington Street from 15th to 18th Street.”
We reached out to Alderman Scott McMeans, who is on the Finance Committee and was the one who brought forward the motion to remove that portion of the budget. He said it boils down to accountability.
He explained, “I don’t know if everyone knows that Highway 151/State Route 42 comes through Manitowoc as Calumet and Washington Street. Washington Street as we call it is not in the best condition, but yet this is still a state highway, and it is the State’s accountability to address their infrastructure needs through their budget.”
He went on to say, “I think you would be hard-pressed to find that the State would come in and help us on our roads because we had trouble finding, so I’m not sure why we are helping the state on their roads.”
McMeans explained that the state has said that Washington Street is in good enough condition multiple times, even before a representative ever saw the roadway in person. He also pointed to several major projects in Madison and Milwaukee, which are taking up a large chunk of the State’s Transportation Budget, leaving smaller municipalities much lower on the priority list.
McMeans also pointed out that the roadway is only part of the problem. “There is a huge infrastructure system underneath with water mains and swears that are deteriorating,” he explained. “When those get busted up and need repairs, that’s gonna take the $400,000 that we stuck into it and throw it out the window.”
He also suggested that the money goes into the Contingency Funding to address pockets of repairs should they be necessary for the safety of travelers.
Mayor Nickels acknowledged these points but said the poor condition of the roadway reflects poorly on the City as a whole. “This is a main thoroughfare in our community,” he said. “It’s what we enter downtown with, especially those from out of town, and quite frankly this section of Washington Street is just horrendous.”
Citizens can call their City Alderperson regarding the issue, either to voice their support of the removal of the funding or in opposition to it. Visit Manitowoc.org to find contact information for the Council members, and to determine which Alderperson represents your area of the city.
McMeans called on citizens to contact their state representatives so they can potentially get State funding to fix the highway that runs through Downtown Manitowoc.
