Clarification: Thiel seeks buy-in from village

February 8, 2018

The Brillion News

HILBERT – A story in the January 25 edition of The Brillion News did not adequately clarify that Hilbert businessman Todd Thiel had sought the Village of Hilbert’s financial support for a landmark convenience store at the entrance to the village’s historic downtown business district since he announced plans for the project two years ago.

Although Thiel asked the village board for a $250,000 contribution from the village to help with the $2.5 million project, he has never gotten a definitive “yes” or “no” answer to that request.

There has been no action on his request, despite trustees saying that the village doesn’t have the funds.

Thiel asked for the village to find a way to help the project financially and has suggested possible ways for it to do that.

Village President Mark Breckheimer said the board cannot make a motion in the negative, but there was no motion at all on Thiel’s request, with a second, to vote on – and so the item remains on the village board’s monthly agenda as “unfinished business.”

The village applied for and got a $250,000 state community development grant to assist in Thiel’s development, but Thiel reiterated that he also wanted $250,000 from the village. The village did not accept the state grant at the deadline at the end of January.

The village has assisted several other developers with local commercial and industrial projects, including Sargento Foods, Mirsberger Manufacturing, Smoky Lake Products and Abstract Electric.

Our story on January 25 did not clarify the project’s total investment of $2.5 million, and did not make it clear that Thiel has always asked for the village’s financial support for the project. Those were both oversights.

~ Ed Byrne, Brillion News