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From The Mayor's Desk!

Greeting from the City of Oconto:

The new year is starting off with a lot of hopes and dreams. We are looking at a very productive year for the City.

One of our main goals for this year is the planning and renovating of the old Kelly Pickle Factory property. This is an eleven acre site with an abandoned factory. The development of this site will have a major impact on the future of Oconto. Our first goal is to apply for grants for the planning of the area and with this in mine we need your help to give us some insight on what the citizens of Oconto would like the area to look like. Along with the planning grants we will be looking for help in the cleanup of the area. Much of the old building can be recycled (crushing the concrete and building blocks, removing the steel and other metals, salvaging the other building material). With a renewed area we will look for developers that will follow our site plan.

The new by-pass should get started this year and with the completion will come a major impact on the City of Oconto. We are in the planning stage for when Brazeau Avenue and STH 22 will be turned over to the City as City streets. These major arterials must represent the best of the City. What we plan today will have a major influence on what the City will be like generations from now and we are looking forward to that challenge.

We finally received the OK from the Army Corp of Engineers to continue the planning of the harbor. We can now proceed in developing additional docks and the improvement of the jetty that was planned a couple years ago. We do have some drawbacks in that the existing seawall has some serious construction problems that must be correct and we have some major problems with the boat launching ramps. The harbor commission will be prioritizing the repair and construction projects and will be adding shower rooms to the list of needs.

The Oconto Citizen Hospital Foundation is making great strides in a fund raising campaign to raise two million dollars to start the next phase of the New Hospital. In accordance with the Bellin Hospital agreement we must have the two million by the end of 2008. This is a major challenge for the community but I know we can do it. The first phase of the hospital has exceeded all expectations and with solid public support we can complete the next stage. We will complete the next stage. If you believe in the future of Oconto please make a contribution to the Oconto Citizen Foundation so the hospital can be completed.

The year 2008 will have a major impact on the City of Oconto. We are looking forward to the challenge and we can meet that challenge by all working together. We have an excellent team, right now, working together. Help us with your support.

Mayor Donald H. Nerenhausen