The ribbon cutting for the Johnsburg wastewater collection system marks the end of a long struggle for the community in dealing with a resolution to its lack of sanitary sewer services. The largest obstacle was the fact that the unincorporated community is located on the top of the Niagara Escarpment - solid rock. Blasting trenches through rock caused any solution to be prohibitively expensive for such a small community.

The Department of Commerce (Commerce) and the USDA Rural Development Agency acknowledged this unique problem and collaborated to make a collection and transfer system happen. The DOC provided a grant of $750,000 toward the $3.2 million project.

On hand for the event are (left to right): Dennis Steigenberger, Foth & Van Dyke; Frank Frassetto, RD State Director; Steve Kestell, State Representative; Tom Petri,
Congressman; Ken Schneider, Sanitary District Secretary; Franz Schmitz, Sanitary District President; Dennis Lefeber, Sanitary District Treasurer; Allen Buechel, Fond du Lac County Executive; Jack Sanderson, Department of Commerce; Steve Marman, Foth & Van Dyke and Brenda Schneider, Sanitary District Recording Secretary.

-- Jack Sanderson, Bureau of Community Finance