WAUPUN — The Shaler Drive extension is now open to public traffic, the Waupun Municipal Government announced Tuesday afternoon.
Mayor of Waupun Rohn Bishop discussed the project’s completion briefly at the City Council meeting held Tuesday, November 10.
“As of today, the Shaler Drive extension from Mayfair to Highway 26 is officially open,” Mayor Bishop said. “Paving had already been completed, but we wanted to wait for Waupun Utilities to finish getting the street lighting set up—because it’s that time of year where there’s not a lot of daylight, so it’s dark and we want it to be safe.”
Bishop said they were able to finance the project through the new United Co-op facility in the TIF district.
“There’ll be some more sidewalks and stuff put in which will be done next year—but as of today, that street opens up, and it’ll be a nice thoroughfare for the southeast corner of the city. I’m really proud and excited that we’re at this point,” he said.
“The bigger point of Shaler Drive is it’s the final one of my campaign promises from my first run for office,” Mayor Bishop said in a statement following the meeting. “Completing Shaler Dr was the last thing I ran on that was just hanging out there that I hadn’t gotten accomplished, and I’ve been a pain in the butt to City staff over these years, they know how important it was to me. It’s just something I’ve aggressively worked on, and they’ve put up with it.”
Also mentioned at the meeting was the completion of the Downtown Back Alley Project on the north blocks of 300 and 400 E Main St. The City announced this to Facebook on November 4, saying the only part of the project left to complete was painting the parking lines in the west block.
The alleyway is now a one-way street with both blocks requiring drivers to drive east through the lots. This was to improve traffic flow in the alley and maximize parking space.
One of the biggest changes include the addition of a small green space between VandeCastle Chiropractic and The Clothing Pallet, which previously was an access ramp to the alleyway. This was to reduce confusion about the new one-way alley, as well as provide more greenery downtown. A sidewalk was put in along the VandeCastle building for walking access between Madison St and the alley.
Mayor Bishop also wanted to remind residents that Wednesday was Veterans Day, and that City Hall would be hosting the annual Veterans Day Ceremony starting at about 10:40AM.
“I would recommend people be here at 10:30AM since the elevator can get a little congested, and parking can be tight because it’s a decent turnout,” Mayor Bishop said. “It’s in the middle of a weekday, but the veterans really appreciate it when people turn out on their holidays. It’s a nice service ceremony, always less than an hour long, and it’s a chance to thank the veterans who’ve kept us safe and free for 250 years.”
The Veterans Day Ceremony is a joint event hosted by the Waupun American Legion and Waupun Veterans of Foreign Wars.
