West Bend, Wi – The City of West Bend is replacing its air stripping plants, 1153 N. Main Street, with granular activated carbon. The water treatment facility, estimated to be about $6 million, will feature a new 3,392-square-foot building located south of the plant.
The purpose of this new facility, according to Travis Thull, operations coordinator for the City of West Bend Water Utility, is the granular activated carbon tanks will help remove any unwanted minerals from the water. “It’s a significant investment, but it will ensure cleaner water for our community,” he said.
Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to FREE local news at
Washington County Insider on YouTube
The current facility dates to 1989. Thull said, “The air stripper is used to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from the wells before the water enters the public system.”
It was June 2022 when the City of West Bend notified the community about three wells on the north end of town that had levels of a chemical component above the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s non-regulatory health advisory levels. The wells provide drinking water.
Click HERE to explore PFAS contamination map for West Bend
According to Ruth Mueller, utility director, following a system sampling per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) were found in the wells.
Environmental Working Group (EWG) says highly toxic fluorinated compounds known as PFAS are found in a number of areas including clothing, non-stick cookware products, wrappers for bakery and fast food. Click HERE for more information.
Mueller indicated three wells were affected; all in the Central Pressure System, detected PFAS. Well No. 4 was the only well to indicate levels above the Wisconsin Department of Health Services and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s non-regulatory health advisory levels in drinking…. click HERE to read the rest of the City of West Bend PFAS story.
Click HERE for the DNR’s PFAS interactive data viewer
Below is the October 2023 proposal for a new treatment facility that went before Plan Commission.
Below are bullet points from the Plan Commission meeting October 2023…
- no alterations would be needed to the Riverwalk.
- The colors are planned to be grey tones with an accent in blue and the existing building to the north will be updated to match the new building.
- The Plan Commission, approved upon a 6-0 vote approved the site plan with the following conditions:
1. Submission and approval of an erosion control plan prior to any land disturbing activities and prior to the issuance of a building permit.
2. Submission and approval of a storm water management plan amendment prior to the
issuance of a building permit.
3. Revision of the site plan to address technical corrections.
Thull said the towers in the back will be removed and there will be a new building addition, the granular activated carbon tanks, to the south of the existing one.
The process basically removes any kind of impurities in the water to create cleaner water.
According to Thull, the water from the facility is pumped to two towers. “It gets pumped to the big water tower that says West Bend on it, which is considered the 10th Avenue tower. It also gets pumped to the other tower, just up to the northwest, that’s the Barton tower and that’s where we store the water.”
The project timetable includes ground broken in spring 2024 and the project completed in spring 2025.
On a history note: The facility is located just north of Kuester Island. Neighbors will remember the landscape from years ago, at the bottom of Barton Hill there was a small Dairy Queen. The Mehrings, Jerry and his brother Richard, took over their first DQ in West Bend in 1956 when they started leasing the store at the bottom of Barton Hill. Ask Jerry about the time his little Dilly Wagon was going too fast and tumbled down the hill.
Across the road was another popular spot known as Park-Way Frozen Custard Drive In. In 1946, Roland Jaeger returned from the war and set to work opening a custard stand and restaurant.
It was located on the north edge of town. An advertisement from the Historical Society shows the Park-Way next to West Bend City Park on the corner of Park Ave. and Highway 55.
‘Visit our delicatessen, featuring gallon milk, bread, sausage, cheese. Every weekend: potato salad, baked ham, fresh rolls, fresh fruits and vegetables. Open every evening until 12:00.’
“My father Roland and his brother Wilbert were partners in building and running that store,” said Douglas Jaeger. “Their mother, Adele Jaeger, spent her weekends cooking the ham, baked beans, and German style potato salad. Roland and Will had drive-in services, deli, and indoor service.”
It was the milk that sparked early memories of Park-Way for Kevin O’Meara of West Bend.
“As a little boy Park-Way was way on the other end of town; it was one of few places open on Sundays to buy milk,” said O’Meara.
Doug Gonring of Kewaskum was also the milk runner in his family. “I used to have to run down to Park-Way and buy milk for my grandmothers who both lived on North Ninth Street; they would give us green stamps after a purchase,” said Gonring.
An ad from 1957 showed Don and Jerry Vander Heyden had purchased the business from the Jaeger Brothers, who moved downtown after the sale and opened the Parkette candy shop at 151 N. Main St. which was the site of the old Consumer’s Milk and Ice Cream Company.
“The Parkette in downtown West Bend was the last of about 3 or 4 stores Roland had down there for either candy or cameras,” said Douglas. “Will was never part of downtown Parkette. When they sold the Park Way, Will purchased an A&W root-beer drive in in Marinette. The first few years he commuted, but eventually moved his family up there. His daughter still lives up there.”
According to records from the West Bend Building Inspector’s office the Vander Heyden’s undertook a remodeling project in June 1961 and put an addition on the Park-Way building. Later, a canopy was added for drive-in customers.
Business at the Park-Way in the 1960’s included a delicatessen, catering, inside restaurant and the drive-in.
“They had car hops and inside seating,” said Jerry Mehring of West Bend.
Mehring owned a small Dairy Queen across the street from the Park-Way.
“They had carryout fried chicken; we used to buy it and take it to Madison for the Badger game,” he said.
Mike Paul of Kewaskum also had vivid memories of the Park-Way from the late 60’s.
“A great aunt from Milwaukee would take us there for lunch,” said Paul. “Grilled cheese was a dime and there was a revolving rack of fascinating dime-store toys, including a bag of plastic Army men, near the checkout counter.”
Paul said the Park-Way was also where he “learned not to keep sucking on the straw after you got to the bottom of the cup.”
“That was a valuable life lesson,” he said.
In 1972 the Park-Way became the Village Inn Nightclub featuring live music, dinners and cocktails. Later the corner lot was a bar called Thomae’s.
In 1988 the bar closed and Jerry Vander Heyden opened Jerry’s Restaurant & Park-Way Catering at 817 S. Main St.
In 1996 Ron Gundrum bought the building and put on another addition. In February 1998 the strip mall was added and the address changed to 1100 -1116 N. Main.
