MINOCQUA – Minocqua town officials are asking Gov. Tony Ever to reconsider his emergency order that extends “Safer at Home” restrictions on public gatherings until May 26, the day after Memorial Day.
About 50 people – nearly all business owners and managers -- filed into the gymnasium at the town office building Wednesday morning to hear board supervisor Bill Stengl and others outline the lasting and widespread harm that the extension would have on local businesses. “No one is saying open up the floodgates,” said town chairman Mark Hartzheim.
But the extension troubled a number of people, including Stengl who asked for a special town board meeting to address those concerns. After about two hours of discussion, the board approved a resolution to be sent to the governor. Its conclusion reads:
“NOW THEREFORE, be it resolved, that the Town of Minocqua strongly urges Governor Evers to reconsider the extension of the Emergency Order and allow regions and/or counties to re-open as they meet the Badger Bounce Back criteria. Failing to do so will have catastrophic local economic, social and healthcare consequences for not only Minocqua, but the entire northern region for years to come.”
The resolution says the Evers’ emergency edict doesn’t take into account that the spread of the virus in Milwaukee and Madison areas “is not reflective” of northern Wisconsin; that 15 medical clinics have closed in the Northwoods; that Memorial Day weekend “is the critical kickoff to the summer (tourism) season”; and that businesses can ”effectively implement CDC (Centers for Disease Control) guidelines and best practices for hygiene...”
The order restricts non-essential business and travel in the state. Evers has said he wants the delay in order to allow enough time to meet the criteria outlined in state and federal plans for careful and safe reopening of the state’s economy.
Wisconsin’s Republican-controlled legislature has filed legal action in the state Supreme Court challenging Evers’ extension order.
Local businesses express concerns
While the chairs for all were separated by at least the recommended distances, only three people – all in the audience -- wore protective masks. Only a few audience members spoke when invited to do so.
Judy Domaszek, owner with her husband of Wildwood Wildlife Park Zoo & Safari, said starting the summer season after Memorial Day weekend would result in a great loss of income for their long-time and popular tourism business.
Bill Ross, of Ross’s Sportswear, interjected a note of caution. Allowing an influx of tourists and summer homeowners before it was deemed safe would potentially bring COVID-19 cases to the Northwoods, he said.
Downtown businesses are surveyed
The two attendees reflected a mixed bag of responses to a survey of the Island Business Association members. The town office received 35 responses to three suggested reactions to the governor’s extended order to May 26, originally from April 24 (numbers rounded off):
- 40 percent agreed that, “A shorter extension was necessary or workable”;
- 31 percent agreed that, “No extension past April 24 was necessary”; and,
- 29 percent agreed that, “The extension through May 26 was necessary.”
Nearly all made extended comments after listing their preference.
The response from Bassett Jewelers & Engraving, went like this: “Speaking from a small business viewpoint I feel we are more able to keep up with cleaning/sanitizing of touched surfaces as well as limiting the amount of customers in our business to adhere to social distancing protocol more (so) than any big box store. Let’s get re-opened, our livelihoods/lives depend on it. The Wisconsin economy depends on it!”
The response from The Thirsty Whale reflects concerns about the number of COVID-19 cases in Chicago and downstate, which sends a huge number of summer time tourists and second homeowners to the Northwoods. “I believe that a large number of people from Chicago and Milwaukee are the tourists who come up North for Memorial weekend, and they are the most heavily infected areas for Covid-19. It could be devastating for our area if we had a spread of the virus and lost our whole summer season.”
The board’s resolution will also be posted on the town’s website, said Hartzheim.
