FREE PRESS AMERY
1892 - 2017
TUESDAY, AUGUST 1, 2017
125 YEARS STRONG
VOL. 122 NO. 58 www.theameryfrepress.com $1.00
FAIR: Polk County Celebrates Annual County Fair SECTION B
Hotel in limbo as interested parties debate a road to progress BY JESSICA DE LA CRUZ EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
literally ‘Boat In’ to services. Today, boaters still drop anchor at the unique and casual venue. But it’s become somewhat of a staple to permanent residents too. For those in attendance, there’s a special peace that the waters of Lake Wapogasset can bring. It’s the perfect setting to reflect on all that’s beautiful in the world.
Amery businessman Ron Anderson has abandoned plans for a proposed downtown hotel along Amery’s Apple River Flowage. But he hasn’t given up on the idea. In fact, he’s now looking at putting the hotel on property he currently owns between the Amery Municipal Airport and Slumberland—if he can make it work. As for the original plan Anderson says, “It just wasn’t enough room. We were going to have to get land from the city. Then we were going to have to move the bathrooms to another piece of county property, and improve the shoreline. And there wasn’t even room for future expansion.” “What really changed my mind is that business owners all said that we needed road exposure. About thirty five percent of a hotel’s business comes off the highway, you’ve got to be visible.” Anderson has changed the concept somewhat. He’s still looking at a pool, although not as large. But having direct access to Highway 46 is a must. “I wouldn’t even think about this without road access,” he said. Anderson’s new proposal is to build on land he owns south of Slumberland along Highway 46, adjacent to the twenty acres of would-be industrial park property he sold the city in 2015. However, when Anderson switched gears, his new ideas collided with the city’s existing plans to develop road access for its own industrial park, which as approved, did not provide direct highway access to the property owned by Anderson. Adding to the complexity of the matter is the
SEE BOAT IN PAGE 14A
SEE ROAD PAGE 15A
JESSICA DE LA CRUZ | AMERY FREE PRESS
Worshippers gather on the beach of Lake Wapogasset every Sunday morning throughout the summer for Camp Wapo’s ‘Boat In’ services. The service began as an outreach for summer residents on the lake, but has become a popular tradition for year-round residents alike.
Dropping anchor at the ‘Boat In’ BY JESSICA DE LA CRUZ EDITOR@THEAMERYFREEPRESS.COM
‘The voice of the Lord is upon the waters.’ - Psalm 29:3 They come by car, on foot, by bicycle and boat, wearing flip flops and shorts, carrying lawn chairs and beach bags. You’d never guess it was Sunday morning, or that these folks were on their
way to church. But you’ve probably never seen a service like the ‘Boat In.’ For 25 years worshippers have gathered summer Sundays at 9:20 a.m. to fi ll the beach at Lake Wapogasset Bible Camp with music and prayer. It began as a way to offer summer residents an opportunity to stay connected to a congregation, inviting them to
County OKs preliminary designs for highway department building BY SUZANNE LINDGREN EDITOR@OSCEOLASUN.COM
Polk County board members have approved preliminary architectural designs for the new highway department building. Architect Norman Barrientos, whose firm specializes in designing garages for public works and highway depart-
WD The Law Firm of Williams and Davis
ments, presented the building plans to the board July 18. His firm, Barrientos Design and Consulting, based the construction documents on concept plans by engineering and architecture firm SEH. “This design is a development and extension of what SEH did,” Barrientos said, noting that the latest design creates additional efficiencies in the
approximately 59,000-square-foot facility. The floor plan for the heated parking garage includes stalls for 41 pieces of equipment. The layout would be changed each winter and summer to cater to the highway department’s seasonal needs, such as plowing snow or repairing roads. The design also includes extensive
storage, an indoor washing station, trench drain, repair garage, office and locker room. Barrientos emphasized that the building, which will be made of structural precast concrete, must be durable enough to withstand impact and corrosion. It is also designed to allow for expansion if the department needs SEE PLAN PAGE 2A
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