STEVENS POINT – Mayor Mike Wiza sat down with Gazette staff to give his weekly update on all things Stevens Point. Wiza touched on changes in local government seats, police department updates, and more.

Changes come to local government seats

District 10 Alder Mike Phillips announced his resignation from his seat on Sept. 26. Wiza noted that Phillips is expected to serve the district until November.

“I haven’t gotten an official resignation yet,” Wiza stated.

District 8 Alder Cathy Dugan and District 6’s Jeremy Slowinski have also announced that they will not seek candidacy in 2020.

Slowinski has served the city for roughly 14 years.

Wiza said that Dugan also announced her non-candidacy plans last year, but ended up running and winning the seat.

“Dugan mentioned last year that she wasn’t going to run, and then later changed her mind and decided to run and won,” Wiza said.

Both Dugan and Slowinski have until Dec. 20 to complete their non-candidacy paperwork.

Renovation plans for police department roof

City leaders approved plans to fund a $151,225 roof repair project for the Stevens Point Police Department building, located at 933 Michigan Avenue. The funding is for half of the roof renovation.

Wiza noted the first half of the repair should be completed before this coming winter.

“It’s an older building,” Wiza said. “The roof repairs are just needed. There is some leaking going on.”

The second half of the proposed renovations should be finished in 2020. The city will be working with Nieman Central Wisconsin Roofing Company on the project.

Pride Crosswalk

A Pride Crosswalk featuring symbolic LGBTQ+ colors will be painted at a dedication ceremony on Oct. 11.

Wiza said that he would be painting the crosswalk along with members of the UW-Stevens Point (UWSP) Diversity Affairs Committee.

The UWSP Student Government Association (SGA) first proposed the idea to the city in 2018. The crosswalk will look like a typical “white bar” crosswalk, but with symbolic colors filling in the roadway areas. UWSP will install a sign near the crosswalk to describe what each color on the walkway represents.

 “It’s an inclusivity crosswalk,” Wiza explained. “It’s about accepting everyone.”

The crosswalk will be located between the Dreyfus University Center and Albertson Hall on university grounds. The painting and dedication event will take place at the Dreyfus University Center pergola at 1 p.m.

 For more on Stevens Point developments watch the Gazette’s Weekly city update video at https://stevenspoint.wpengine.com.