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Sherwood proposes a new road that's just 13-feet from a family's home

DUNCAN'S HOME.JPG
Posted at 6:52 PM, Jul 12, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-12 22:09:52-04

VILLAGE OF SHERWOOD, Wis — In Calumet County's Village of Sherwood a proposed new road is scheduled to be built less than 15-feet from a family’s living room window. Village leaders say the project is expected to continue as planned but the homeowner most impacted by this news says, the village should offer to buy his home.

Near the intersection of Highway 114 and County Road B in Sherwood the traffic is steady. But at least today the commotion here isn't too overwhelming for the Duncan family at N295 Military Road.

"We like our house, we like where we live," says Matthew Duncan.

Laura and Matthew Duncan have lived in Sherwood for six years and in that time, not much about their property has changed, but it's about to.

"The road itself would be 12.99 feet away from our bedroom windows," says Laura Duncan.

Village leaders are planning on building a new road right next to the Duncan’s property.

"The village has made us aware that it's going to happen," adds Matthew.

The road known as the Condon Road Extension would better connect this growing community according to Randy Friday the Village’s Administrator.

"The board needs to look at what is in the best interest of the entire village. They are certainly not trying to be punitive in any way. They just need to look at the master plan, the big picture."

The big picture is what lies behind the Duncan’s property. That’s where nearly 80-acres of land that could be developed stands idle.

"That just recently occurred and we have to have a decent roadway going into and out of the roadway," adds Administrator Friday.

But the Duncan's say if that's the case, why didn’t village leaders just buy their property outright? According to Friday, that’s exactly what is currently being considered with the Duncan’s neighbor.

"They have not offered to purchase the property as a whole," says Matthew Duncan.

Instead, the village has offered to buy a tenth of an acre from a corner of the Duncan’s lot to get their road up to standards. It’s a piece of property that would be just four feet away from the Duncan’s home.

"Who in the world is going to buy this property if we ever were to resell it," adds Laura Duncan.

Recently a property appraisal of the Duncan’s home indicated that once the road was constructed, the home would likely lose its value by 20 to 30-thousand dollars.

The Village of Sherwood’s president says they are not interested in purchasing the property from the Duncan’s at this time, adding that they don’t have a need for it.