A snowmobile and ATV club in Gillett will build a storage facility on property donated by the city of Gillett.
The Gillett Sno-Riders club plans to construct a 48- by 60-foot facility to store its ATV and snowmobile trail equipment on a 70- by 200-foot parcel just off Railroad Street at Zippel Park.
The City Council on April 4 approved the land donation, with the caveat that, should the club dissolve, the city would recover the property but not be responsible for any money the club might owe for its storage building.
The Planning Committee recommended the city donate the land to the club, not sell it, in order to have the land put to use.
“It was felt that because it was such a small strip of land in between the park and Railroad Street, that valuewise, we thought it was worth more to have the club put something on there than just to leave it sit vacant,” said Rick Raatz, chairman of the Planning Committee.
The club had expected to pay the Union Pacific Railroad $5,000 for the long, narrow parcel when a legal description showed the railroad as the owner. Further research by the railroad showed this to be incorrect; the land was owned entirely by the city.
Although the land will be donated, the Sno-Riders are responsible for all fees relating to the project, including a legal description, certified survey map, land survey and any soil tests that might be needed.
According to Erik Lambrecht, who serves on the Gillett Sno-Riders’ board of directors, the storage building is expected to cost $50,000 to $80,000. Club members will supply some of the labor.
Plans, to be finalized in the next few months, include a heated area where training classes can be held, bathrooms, an office and a storage area. Classrooms may be added in the future. Storage is the main goal of the facility, in order to have one location for the club’s equipment now scattered in members’ garages.
Because of its closeness to Zippel Park, where the Oconto County Fair will be held Aug. 14-17, the facility may also be used as an exhibit building for fair displays.
“All we’d have to do is pull our big equipment out,” Lambrecht said.
Lambrecht said the exposure at the fair might help the club grow. “We’d probably put our displays up in there for promoting membership,” he said.
The nonprofit club maintains 22 miles of ATV and snowmobile trails from Green Valley to Suring.
While the club plans to use the western 70- by 200-foot parcel for its building, the city proposes using the eastern 20- by 20-foot parcel for a trailhead for the Nicolet State Trail.
City officials plan to apply for a grant from the Department of Natural Resources in 2015 to develop the trailhead. Preliminary plans call for a parking lot, trail information kiosk and bathrooms with showers. The trailhead would be located across the street from Nicolet Trail Campground.
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