Jeremy Ratliff
Reporter
Effective April 4, Dustin Bonack took the reins of the city’s new Street Superintendent position.
A native of Mayville, Wis., Bonack came to Merrill after serving as the Superintendent of Public Works in Tomahawk for three years. Prior to his service in Tomahawk, Bonack previously served two years as a member of the Highway Department in Little Rice.
“Timing was a driving force for me in coming to Merrill,” Bonack adds. “My wife Emily is a teacher here and she and loves it! We decided we wanted to move to Merrill a while ago. We focused on Merrill to be together as a family and raise our children. It just so happened the street superintendent position opened up in the meantime and I was selected. We were very excited!
“Merrill is closer to many of our family members around central Wisconsin, so it just made for a good fit for us,” he added.
A graduate of UW-Platteville, Bonack holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management and seemingly has taken an observational approach to his new role.
“In terms of transition, my job duties here in Merrill aren’t much different than those I had in Tomahawk. I am very happy to be here and am taking my time in learning how things work here in Merrill,” he said. “Every city has their own way of doing things and that’s great. I look forward to assuring things run as efficiently as possible, keeping infrastructure in good, sound, working condition and serving the city’s needs.”
One of the first projects Bonack stepped into in his new role, was that of ongoing improvements at the new Merrill Festival Grounds.
As Bonack explains, progress has been steady.
“I came in at the beginning of the construction season and we have spent a lot of time and man-hours on the new festival grounds,” he adds. “Since then we have worked on clearing trees and creating a new parking area where the former Humane Society building stood. We have also built a new horse arena and tractor pull track. I feel the new festival grounds is a great addition to the community and I hope the new events which are planned over there, will really take off and remain successful.”
Dustin Bonack can be contacted the city garage at 715-536-4222.