Frequently Asked
Questions
on the Vilas County Area
Who handles snowplowing?
All county and town roads (noted by a GREEN road sign) are maintained
throughout the season. Private roads (BLUE road signs) and driveways are
the financial responsibility of the individual property owners. Commonly, property owners
sharing a private road will chip in to have the road maintained each season,
either by the town or by a private snowplowing service. An
ordinary
driveway will usually cost around $350 for an entire season of plowing, with a
'tons-of-snow' clause written in after a certain number of plows to pay for
additional plows in a heavy winter. If
you plan on accessing your property, cabin or home during the winter, contract
for your snowplowing early and continue it through the season...once a large
amount of snow freezes on these remote driveways, it's very hard to move.
Will my cell phone work?
Yes....and no. Sometimes. In my experience, the
best places to get cell phone reception seem to be on the west end of town,
along Hwy W until you get to town. Hwy P is usually good,
as well as Hwy K. I also find that service is generally not clear along B,
in downtown Presque Isle, or near the PI Pub and our office; but if you go up by
the ball diamond and stand on the bleachers it gets better. The cell phone
service is in the process of being updated so look to an increase in reception.
Some people have reported that their cell phones don't work at all in our area,
some people have reported they never have a problem. Most year-round
residents use Alltell for their cell phone service.
Where can we get groceries & supplies?
The mini-mart in town (Thoma's) carries a variety of
foods & supplies, even some you might not expect. A good all-purpose stop
to gas-up, get bait, grab the paper, get milk, pop, snacks and last minute
lunch/dinner items, and a few produce & fruit items. You can
also pick up excellent produce seasonally from Val at Stone Soup Gardens on Hwy
W, just a few miles west of Hwy P. If you live on
the west end of Presque Isle, the closest grocery store is a 10-15 minute drive
to LaPorte's IGA on Hwy W in Manitowish Waters. Recently remodeled &
expanded, I really like this store for the size, the produce, deli, bakery
and liquor department that carries more than just Pabst Blue Ribbon, not that
that's a bad beer. If you're on the east end of town, it may be
faster to go to the BJ Marketplace in Boulder Junction. There is also a DO/PU dry-cleaning
service here that will save you a trip to Minocqua or Ironwood, and they
do deer processing.
If you need more than just a week's worth of food, or were hoping for a Wal-
or K-mart, you will have to venture south to Minocqua or north to
Ironwood, about a 35 minute drive. Each have at least two large grocery
stores and a SuperWal-mart (Minocqua & Ironwood) or K-mart (Ironwood). Each has a
theatre, although Minocqua's is larger, and several fast food places,
pizza joints, restaurants, laundromats, beauty salons, banks, dentists, clinics,
etc. Minocqua is a bit more "touristy" than Ironwood, with evening ski-shows, lots
of shopping and a public beach, although groceries tend to be a bit pricier
here and the traffic in the summer is NUTS. Ironwood, in the U.P. of
Michigan, is actually more of a ski-hill town that gets fairly busy in the
winter. There is shopping to be found in Ironwood, especially some very nice ski & activewear
stores and a few nice antique shops, but your main attraction here is affordable groceries.
However, if you're looking for specialty food items (such as gorgonzola cheese) you may not find them.
Traffic is lighter.
Where do I find answers to zoning questions?
Forrest Jukich is our zoning administrator for Presque Isle,
and he can be reached at 715-686-2313. Although in most cases Presque Isle
requirements will be the strictest, you also want to check with Vilas
County for additional requirements. Jim Janet with Vilas county has hours
in our Community Center on Tuesday mornings, or he can be reached in the Eagle
River office at 715-479-3620. You will need approval from both town &
county on any new project.
Know a good mechanic?
Thoma's Service
can be reached at 715-686-7681. About a mile west on Hwy W., they do good
work and are generally fairly quick. I also recommend Minocqua Tire & Auto
out of Minocqua, I have always found them to be very fair in their estimates and
timely in their work.
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