MINUTES

Town of Clover Plan Commission

Tuesday December 2, 2025

Historic Gym

 

Call to Order:  7 pm

Roll Call:  James Stemwedel, Katherine Merrill, Keith Koenning (chair).  Pete Berton and Mark Pope, absent.

Audience Attendance:  Michael Herrick

Approval of Minutes:  June 10 Minutes approved.

Announcements:  None

 

New Business:

 

Review of the Comprehensive Plan’s recommendations as required by the Comprehensive Plan and the Town of Clover Ordinance #20230816.

 

The 29 recommendations in the Comprehensive Plan were excerpted and distributed in advance to TPC members and Plan Committee Work Group Leaders, with a request to submit comments before the meeting.  The recommendations which received comment are as follows:

 

Coastal Resources

Recommendation 3:  Participate in Alliance for the Great Lakes Beach Clean-ups or establish one for the Town of Clover.  Katherine Merrill reported that the Herbster Community Club’s annual letter of solicitation of volunteers will this year include a “beach cleanup” initiative.

Recommendation 5:  Educate the public on private conservation easements and how to work with a land trust.  Katherine Merrill (who is a Landmark Conservancy Board member) reported that this year she hosted a Landmark Conservancy education event with Landmark Conservancy staff, local elected officials, and Clover residents.  Ms. Merrill believes the event was worthwhile with several attendees expressing interest in receiving more information about land trusts.

 

Agricultural, Natural, and Cultural Resources

Recommendation 4:  Promote a variety of community events that provide education on the Town’s agricultural, natural, and cultural resources, that help retain the aesthetic qualities of the Town; and that support the goals of this plan.  Dana Churness reported in an email that a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant fully funded the design and installation (including local artwork by Susan McDonald) of an interpretive sign at the Bark Bay Slough parking lot.  A community celebration occurred on Thursday, June 6, 2025 to unveil the new sign.  Words from the community were welcomed, canoes for people to enjoy a paddle, live music, and snacks were available.  A handmade bench was donated by a local family, and those less able-bodied can enjoy relaxing at the Slough, and it will be helpful for those who skate in the winter.

 

Recommendation 5:  Create a climate action plan to address increasing impact on water quality, climate migration pressures on natural resources and housing, and local food production.  The Town shall utilize existing best practice and research from reputable sources such as the Wisconsin Center for Climatic Research, as the basis for their action plan recommendations.  Erik Felt noted in an email that the Town must sort out multiple sources of information to make informed decisions based on our community’s best interest, and not necessarily follow the recommendations of a research group that might be geographically/demographically/etc. disconnected from the environment and resources of the Town of Clover.

 

Land Use

Follow Bayfield County Zoning Code changes and ensure that future land use recommendations in this Plan are pursued consistent with Zoning Code changes. The following steps were taken to comply with this recommendation: #1.  Attendance at the January 27, 2025 Meet and Greet Session in Port Wing with the HKGi (the contractor for the project) Zoning Code Rewrite Team.  Attending were Beverly Steele, Town Chair; Mark Pope, Town Supervisor; Katherine Merrill, TPC member, and Keith Koenning, TPC Chair.  #2. In April Koenning prepared a draft response for then Chair Beverly Steele, using the Clover Comprehensive Plan, for a response to Planning and Zoning Department director Ruth Hulstrom’s request to the Towns for answers to a number of questions and completion of worksheets of zoning districts and permissible land uses.  #3.  In August Koenning prepared a draft response for Chair Mark Pope, using the Clover Comprehensive Plan contents, for a respond to Ruth Hulstrom’s request for Town input on dimensional standards for lots with public sewer or water, and to the question of zoning (land use) applications being submitted to Towns before the Planning and Zoning Department.  #4.  In October Koenning prepared a draft response for Chair Mark Pope, using the Clover Comprehensive Plan contents, to respond to Bayfield County’s Zoning Code Rewrite Project Fall 2025 Town Survey.  #5.  Also in October,  Koenning met with County Administrator Mark Abeles-Allison to confirm that land classifications newly defined in the County Comprehensive Plan (and in the Clover Plan) would align with zoning districts in the new County Zoning Code.  Koenning and Abeles-Allison were both members of the County Plan Committee.  In a phone conversation with Ruth Hulstrom, she confirmed to Koenning that Town plans, in our case the 2023-2043 Town of Clover Comprehensive Plan and Future Land Use Map (which uses the newly defined land classifications), are likewise fundamental to the rezoning process, and that her office and contractor HKGi will ensure that the Town Future Land Use maps are carefully considered as the process unfolds. Koenning briefed Chair Mark Pope on these conversations with County officials.

 

Future Business: 

 

The Town was notified on January 18, 2024 by Randy M. Lund, Lund Engineering, agent for the Beach Resort, of the intent to apply for a Conditional Use Permit for a 15 site campground/RV park on the R-RB zoned Beach Resort Property.  The application is on hold until issues of parcel boundaries are resolved.  The Zoning Code requires that a campground/RV park have a minimum of 3 acres.  A civil case addressing parcel boundaries is pending in the Bayfield County Circuit Court and is next on the Court calendar on December 8, 2025, for a scheduling conference.

 

Adjournment:  7:45 pm

 

Minutes prepared on December 5 by the Plan Commission Chair, Keith Koenning, and questions may be directed to him at keith.koenning@gmail.com or 715 813 0521.