By John Holler
County Reporter
For years, it has been a running joke around the Wright County Courthouse that Tom Salkowski had the most thankless job in the county.
As planning and zoning administrator, for more than 30 years, Salkowski has been the person who has said “no” to developers and land owners seeking to sell farmland for housing development.
At the Tuesday, March 22, meeting of the Wright County Board, the commissioners presented Salkowski, who has been P&Z administrator since 1979, with a retirement plaque in honor of his three decades of service to the county and its residents.
Salkowski said his goal has always been to protect encroachment on the rural land of the county wherever possible and the numbers backed up that philosophy.
“I have always viewed as my job to protect the rural areas of Wright County,” Salkowski said. “In 1980, we had a population of 58,000 and two-thirds of the people lived in townships.
“In 2010, we had almost 125,000 residents with 25 percent of them living in townships and 75 percent in cities. I’m not responsible for that, but I’d like to think I helped.”
Salkowski, who was at the center of the county’s legal fight with the operators of the Wright County landfill, said that, despite losing in court, he would have fought the long fight again if needed. “Picking a fight with liars and thugs was worth the battle, even if you lose,” he said, referring to the landfill attorneys.
The board members shared their working memories of Salkowski, including the admission that commissioner Pat Sawatzke applied for a job with Salkowski prior to becoming a county commissioner and wasn’t hired.
All the commissioners thanked Salkowski for his patience, which wasn’t easy at times given the high feelings of those who often came to his office seeking variances to the county zoning ordinances.
Salkowski said at times his job has been stressful dealing with angry residents but he has enjoyed his 32 years with the county.
“I don’t know if I’ll be retiring from Wright County or recovering from Wright County,” he joked.
“It may be cliché, but it’s been a pleasure to work with you and for you. Now I’m going fishing.”
In other items on the agenda, the board:
– By a 4-1 vote, named Sean Riley, the assistant planning and zoning officer, to replace Salkowski effective Friday, April 1. Commissioner Dick Mattson voted against the hiring, saying that he had Riley rated fourth among the eight candidates interviewed for the position. The rest of the board stated that Riley was the highest-rated applicant in their view that would accept the position.
– Set the letting date for the Safe Routes To School Trail Project in Ostego for 9:30 a.m. at the Tuesday, April 26, board meeting. The federally funded project will create a trail along County State Aid Highway 42. The city and the school district are eager to get the project started, as is the county – primarily because no county dollars are involved except for administration time.
– Signed a contract with Pictometry International Corp. to conduct aerial photography of the county. The board approved moving forward with the contract at the Tuesday, March 15, board meeting but didn’t have final documentation to sign at the time, which is why the item was placed on the March 22 agenda.
– Approved a three-year amortization of the loan given to Shark Industries in 2001 from the Wright County Economic Development Loan Fund. The loan still has approximately $8,000 outstanding and was scheduled to receive a balloon payment in April. The interest rate on the loan extension will be 3 percent and the entire loan will be paid off by April 1, 2014.
– Announced several promotions as part of the reorganization of the sheriff’s department. The election of Joe Hagerty created a void in the department that required a series of promotions to fill the positions up the department tree of responsibilities.
For years, it has been a running joke around the Wright County Courthouse that Tom Salkowski had the most thankless job in the county.
As planning and zoning administrator, for more than 30 years, Salkowski has been the person who has said “no” to developers and land owners seeking to sell farmland for housing development.
At the Tuesday, March 22, meeting of the Wright County Board, the commissioners presented Salkowski, who has been P&Z administrator since 1979, with a retirement plaque in honor of his three decades of service to the county and its residents.
Salkowski said his goal has always been to protect encroachment on the rural land of the county wherever possible and the numbers backed up that philosophy.
“I have always viewed as my job to protect the rural areas of Wright County,” Salkowski said. “In 1980, we had a population of 58,000 and two-thirds of the people lived in townships.
“In 2010, we had almost 125,000 residents with 25 percent of them living in townships and 75 percent in cities. I’m not responsible for that, but I’d like to think I helped.”
Salkowski, who was at the center of the county’s legal fight with the operators of the Wright County landfill, said that, despite losing in court, he would have fought the long fight again if needed. “Picking a fight with liars and thugs was worth the battle, even if you lose,” he said, referring to the landfill attorneys.
The board members shared their working memories of Salkowski, including the admission that commissioner Pat Sawatzke applied for a job with Salkowski prior to becoming a county commissioner and wasn’t hired.
All the commissioners thanked Salkowski for his patience, which wasn’t easy at times given the high feelings of those who often came to his office seeking variances to the county zoning ordinances.
Salkowski said at times his job has been stressful dealing with angry residents but he has enjoyed his 32 years with the county.
“I don’t know if I’ll be retiring from Wright County or recovering from Wright County,” he joked.
“It may be cliché, but it’s been a pleasure to work with you and for you. Now I’m going fishing.”
In other items on the agenda, the board:
– By a 4-1 vote, named Sean Riley, the assistant planning and zoning officer, to replace Salkowski effective Friday, April 1. Commissioner Dick Mattson voted against the hiring, saying that he had Riley rated fourth among the eight candidates interviewed for the position. The rest of the board stated that Riley was the highest-rated applicant in their view that would accept the position.
– Set the letting date for the Safe Routes To School Trail Project in Ostego for 9:30 a.m. at the Tuesday, April 26, board meeting. The federally funded project will create a trail along County State Aid Highway 42. The city and the school district are eager to get the project started, as is the county – primarily because no county dollars are involved except for administration time.
– Signed a contract with Pictometry International Corp. to conduct aerial photography of the county. The board approved moving forward with the contract at the Tuesday, March 15, board meeting but didn’t have final documentation to sign at the time, which is why the item was placed on the March 22 agenda.
– Approved a three-year amortization of the loan given to Shark Industries in 2001 from the Wright County Economic Development Loan Fund. The loan still has approximately $8,000 outstanding and was scheduled to receive a balloon payment in April. The interest rate on the loan extension will be 3 percent and the entire loan will be paid off by April 1, 2014.
– Announced several promotions as part of the reorganization of the sheriff’s department. The election of Joe Hagerty created a void in the department that required a series of promotions to fill the positions up the department tree of responsibilities.