Public works staff outline summer projects, PFAS progress

From road reconstruction to drinking water treatment, city staff covered a wide range of infrastructure topics at a recent Public Works forum, giving residents a look at the projects and challenges shaping the city this summer and beyond. Public works director Tom Roeser was joined by parks director Jeremy Biolo, street foreman Justin Ernst, utility maintenance foreman Jason Kraus, and water/wastewater superintendent Curt Johnson for the wide-ranging session.
Parks: Trails, bathrooms, and playgrounds
Biolo outlined an ambitious parks agenda for the season. Chief among the projects is the near-completion of a biking and hiking trail network at the city-owned Northwood Golf Club.
“By July, we should have nearly 18 miles of trail out there for bicyclists, hikers, runners, and everyday use people,” he said, adding that the next phase will focus on permanent trail signage to replace fading temporary markers currently in place. Also on the docket this year: construction of a new bathroom at Hodag Park. Looking further ahead, Biolo said the city is pursuing a DNR grant to improve one of the city’s boat landings. “The DNR is pretty good about giving those to communities,” he said, describing it as a significant future project.
City forester Tom Jerow, who attended the forum, discussed the city’s participation in an urban food forest initiative, in which edible trees — apples, pears, and similar plantings — would be established at a city-owned site. He said the program has been narrowed to two potential locations, with a site on the west side of town currently the leading candidate.

Streets: Reconstruction season underway
Street foreman Justin Ernst, who was promoted to his current role in 2023, said construction season is well underway with several significant projects on the calendar.
The Messer Street project is the major ongoing effort, with a second phase on Thayer Street set to begin after Country Fest. That phase will involve realigning several intersections, with completion targeted for around September.
A project in the downtown core is also in the works, covering Brown Street and Frederick Street. Work there will include replacement of undersized water main, sanitary sewer lining, and road reconstruction. Additional street projects on the horizon include potential work on Coolidge Ave. and the Spruce Street area, though Ernst cautioned that funding and scheduling remain ongoing constraints.
“Money plays a big factor in all these things,” Ernst said. “A lot of times we make it work, but we are sometimes short on funding.” He urged residents to be patient and observant in construction zones this summer. “Exercise caution in work zones. The detours are there for a reason — for public safety. It’s the price of progress.”
PFAS: Pilot testing continues
The most technically detailed portion of the forum centered on the city’s response to PFAS contamination in its drinking water supply, with water/wastewater superintendent Curt Johnson providing an update on an ongoing pilot treatment program.
Johnson, a Rhinelander native who came to the city’s water and wastewater department in 2015 after more than 20 years in private-sector water and wastewater work, said the city is nearly six months into a nine-month pilot testing program. The system is testing four types of treatment media — two granular activated carbon and two ion exchange — to determine the most effective approach for removing PFAS from the water supply.
So far, the results have been encouraging. “Right now we do monthly sampling and it’s removing PFAS completely,” Johnson said. The key benchmark is “breakthrough” — the point at which PFAS begins to show up in treated water — which will help engineers calculate how long the media lasts and what ongoing replacement costs will look like.
Johnson said the city hopes to have design documents submitted to the state by June 30 in order to pursue funding, with a potential groundbreaking for a full treatment facility possible as early as next summer. The full construction process is expected to take one to two years.
Cost remains a major unknown. Johnson noted that a comparable facility in Wausau was facing operational costs of around $1 million per year, primarily driven by the expense of replacing and disposing of spent filter media. He said Rhinelander’s costs could vary widely depending on how long the media lasts and what disposal options are available.
“There are a lot of unknowns,” Johnson acknowledged. “We’ll have more answers in a few months.”
Water conservation and a public reminder
As summer approaches and seasonal population swells, staff offered a few reminders for residents and visitors alike.
The city plans to post water conservation tips on its website, as demand increases significantly during the summer months.
Johnson also issued a direct plea regarding what people flush down their toilets. Wipes, paper towels, and other non-flushable materials are a persistent problem, he said, frequently clogging pumps at lift stations and requiring emergency callouts at all hours.
“You don’t believe what people flush,” he said. “We get called out at two or three in the morning — whatever the weather — to deal with it.” The city plans to issue a public reminder on the topic as well.