The new Riverview town center and northern Oconto County offices are expected to be open this fall, County Administrator Richard Heath reported during the July 18 monthly county board meeting.
Heath said he got a construction update from Riverview Town Chairman Jim Zittlow the night before, when the seven chairs from northern Oconto County towns held one of their regular gatherings.
“I think it’s going to be a really valuable asset to the county. You always hear that it’s North versus South or ‘You forget about us up here,’” Heath said. “I think having that new building and having county services up there, like the sheriff’s office, HHS, veterans service and zoning … it’ll give us a presence up there that we haven’t currently had.”
The county set aside $550,000 to cover the construction of its portion of the building in February 2023. About $342,000 comes from the county’s allotment under the federal Local Assistance and Tribal Consistency Fund, a general revenue enhancement program that provides additional assistance to eligible revenue-sharing counties and eligible tribal governments. The balance of about $208,000 is from the county’s American Rescue Plan Act fund allocation.
The new structure isn’t visible from state Highway 32, he said, so having appropriate signage will be important, he said.
“We just really want to make sure people know where this building is,” Heath said. “Most people do come in currently at the current Riverview Town Hall and Fire Department (15471 State Highway 32). You can’t see this building from there, so we have to make sure we have some signage there.”
The structure will have a fire number off Island Lake Road, so people with appointments at the veterans office or other departments will be able to punch the address into their GPS apps to find it if necessary, he said.
wbluhm@newmedia-wi.com
