Manitowish Waters Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Manitowish Waters Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Manitowish Waters Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Manitowish Waters Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce
Manitowish Waters Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce Manitowish Waters Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce   


 

Town & Community 
Information

The Town of Manitowish Waters now has its own website! Please link here to www.mwtown.org for information on town government, planning & zoning and parks & recreation. General town information is listed below.
 

Click here for a Manitowish Waters Township Map
 
REST LAKE DAM UPDATES
 

Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin
Demographics
Originally belonging to the town of Flambeau , area residents succeeded in having the state legislature pass a bill creating the new town of Spider Lake . The name of the town was changed from Spider Lake to Manitowish Waters in 1937. (For a detailed history of Manitowish Waters, contact or visit the Chamber of Commerce.)

Population: 698
Manitowish Waters has a number of second-home / seasonal home owners, and with our resorts, popular 10-lake chain, 44-mile Manitowish River, nature education center, Powell Marsh Wildlife Area, hike & bike trails, cross-country ski, snowshoe & snowmobile trails, fine restaurants, and quaint shops that attract tourists our summer population increases significantly. Tourism is this community’s and county’s number one contributor to the economy.
Area: 36 square miles, located in Northwestern Vilas County
Town Valuation: $352,028,100 (2007)
Town government (as of April 2007):
Chairman – John Hanson, 715-543-8400 (office) / 543-2438 (home)
Supervisors – Henry Bauers, 715-543-2888; Michael Bartling, 715-543-8466 www.mwtown.org
Clerk/Treasurer – Susan Patterson – 715-543-8400 (office) / 2961 (home)
Current Clerk/Treasurer office hours: Mon/Tue/Thur/Fri/Sat, 10am-1pm

*Town Board and Town Committee meetings (Economic Development, Planning/Zoning Commission, Aquatic Invasive Species, etc.): Call for current schedule of monthly meetings – 715-543-8400

Town Hall/Community Center – Hwy. 51 & Airport Road – 715-543-8400
The public is welcome to enjoy these amenities:

  • Playground (come play at the NEW playground!), tennis courts, paddleball court (year-round, lights & heat on timers, warming room, paddles & balls in warming room, first-come first-served), indoor & outdoor restrooms, ball field, golf driving field, tourist information (Chamber of Commerce located in town hall), enclosed pavilion, airport.
  • The Town Hall may be reserved by residents & non-residents (max capacity 220). Please call the Town Office for availability, fees and further information (715-543-8400). You may also inquire about using the Lions Pavilion adjacent to the Town Hall.

Sports recreation: Youth t-ball & baseball recreation league runs June - July. Need not be a MW resident to play. Join in the fun (contact the Chamber for further info)! Youth soccer and softball/baseball/t-ball programs (including men’s leagues) organized for summer months in surrounding communities as well. Swim lessons taught at Lakeland Union High School in Minocqua. Dance and gymnastics classes offered in Minocqua. The North Lakeland Elementary School Community Education Department also puts out a nice variety of fall/winter/spring special programs and classes open for the public to register (including dance, gymnastics and a variety of other programs and learning workshops for all ages – call 715-543-8417).

Zoning Administrator – 715-543-2855 ~ Tom Thiessen / Assistant: Melanie Corcoran
*Zoning office is located in the Manitowish Waters Airport terminal. Hours change seasonally and are posted at the Town Hall and Airport Terminal and on the town’s website. All new construction, remodeling and any tree cutting require a Town of Manitowish Waters zoning permit. Permit applications are available from the Town Clerk or Zoning Administrator. Vilas County Zoning Permits are required, as well, but only issued after Town Permits have been obtained. Please inquire with the Zoning Administrator for further information.

Manitowish Waters Chamber of Commerce:
715-543-8488 / 1-888-626-9877 (toll-free) / 715-543-2519 (fax)
www.manitowishwaters.org / funinfo@manitowishwaters.org
Located in the Community Center at Hwy. 51 & Airport Road . Open year ‘round with complete area information including lake, river, town & county maps, events, trail maps, visitor guides, dining guides, DVD, and much more!
Summer public walk-ins welcome (mid-May thru mid-Oct.): M/T/Th/F, 10 a.m.–3:30 p.m.; Wed, 8:30 a.m. – noon ; Sat, 9 a.m. – noon. Winter public walk-ins welcome (mid-Oct. thru mid-May): M thru F, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Director Hours: Summer -- M/T/Th/F: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Wed, 8:30 a.m. - noon ; Sat, 9 a.m.- noon / Winter – M -- F, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Manitowish Waters Airport:
Located on Airport Road off Hwy. 51 – attended year-round.
715-543-8320
Location: Latitude 46-07.25 / Longitude 89-52.75 Unicom: 122.8 GPS approach available
Elevation: 1610’ FAA ID: (D25)
Runways: 4-22 Turf 3300’x120’ / 14-32 Asphalt 3500’x60’ NDB: 364.000 MHA
Fuel available: 100LL MoGas (24-hour self service pump – most credit cards accepted)

Library:
Frank Koller Memorial Library ~ Hwy. 51, Manitowish Waters – 715-543-2700
http://koller.wislib.org
June 1 – Sept. 30: M, W, F – 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. / T, Th – 3 – 8 p.m. / Sat – 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Oct. 1 – May 31: M, W, F – 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. / T, Th – 3 – 7 p.m. / Sat. 9 a.m. - noon
(Hours subject to change — Call ahead to verify)
*All residents & property owners of the Town of Manitowish Waters , and of adjacent communities who are part of the Northern Waters Library System, are eligible for service at no charge. Temporary residents of Manitowish Waters and adjacent communities are also eligible for service upon completion of the necessary registration forms. Other borrowers may be required to pay a small fee for service. The library has high-speed/wireless internet access available to the public. This service is available to the public at no charge, and no library card is required. You will be asked to fill out an internet usage agreement form and children under 18 will be required to have a parent’s consent signature on the form. A black & white printer is available, and a 10-cent per page donation is appreciated. Computer use is limited to 30 minutes when other patrons are waiting. You may reserve a 30 minute time slot by calling the library up to one full day in advance.

Transfer/Recycling Station: 715-543-2366
Located on Hwy. W, 1.25 miles east of Hwy. 51 – open year ‘round / Closed holidays (open Memorial & Labor Days)
Summer hours : May 1 – Nov. 30: M, W, F, Sat – 8 a.m. – 3:50 p.m. , Sun – 8 a.m. – 11:50 a.m.
Winter hours : Dec. 1 – April 30: M, W, Sat – 8 a.m. – 3:50 p.m.
Charge per garbage bag based on size. Recycling for newspaper, magazines, corrugated cardboard, aluminum, tin, plastic, glass and more! Call for more information.

Parks:
~Koller Park ~ Hwy. W, downtown Manitowish Waters on Rest Lake (public piers, grills, picnic tables, port-a-pots, parking, non-buoyed/swim-at-your-own-risk swim area, bench swing)
~Rest Lake Park ~ Hwy. W (boat landing, pavilion, picnic tables, grills, non-buoyed/swim-at-your-own-risk swim area, water hand pump, vehicle & trailer parking, outhouses)
~Little Star ~ Park Road off Hwy. 51 ~ Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest park (beach/buoyed swim area, picnic tables, grills, hand water pump, outhouses; self-registration station in parking lot for State Park use *vehicle sticker required)

Churches:
Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church, Hwy. 51 & Birch Hill Road – 715-543-8428
Community Presbyterian Church, Hwy. 51 & Marathon Road – 715-543-2998

Dog licenses: Residents of Manitowish Waters must license all dogs 5 months and older. Licenses are available from the Town Clerk/Treasurer for $3 (neutered male or spayed female) or $8 (un-neutered male or un-spayed female). Owners must provide the following information: name, breed and color of dog, and proof of rabies vaccinations from the vet or date of vaccination, manufacturer and batch number of vaccine.

Drivers license:
Department of Transportation has office hours in the Minocqua Town Hall select days each month – 715-356-6062 ~ You may also visit the D.O.T. headquarters in Rhinelander off Hwy. 47 -- 1-800-924-3570 or visit www.dot.state.wi.us

EMERGENCY: 911
Vilas County Sheriff’s Department (based out of Eagle River ): 1-800-472-7290
Manitowish Waters Volunteer Fire & Rescue Department: 715-543-2373 (Skip Skrobot, fire chief)
Nearest hospital: Howard Young Health Care/Ministry Health Care – Woodruff, Wis. – 715-356-8000 (approximately 22 miles south of Manitowish Waters via Hwy. 51)
Nearest clinic: Marshfield Clinic – Minocqua , Wis. —715-358-1000 (apx. 23 miles S. of MW via Hwy. 51)
Mercer satellite location (10 miles N. on Hwy. 51) – 715-476-2345

* FREQUENTLY-ASKED “QUICK REFERENCE” LOCAL NUMBERS:

* For other area businesses & services, please review the listings at www.manitowishwaters.org, or contact the Chamber for more information. (Listings below are a “frequently-asked” quick reference for people wishing to relocate to the area. Manitowish Waters DVDs available for purchase at the Chamber for more information!)

Veterinarian / Kennel: Northwoods Animal Hospital , Hwy. 51, Manitowish Waters – 715-543-2860
Wildlife Rehabilitation: Northwoods Wildlife Center , Hwy. 70 West, Minocqua – 715-356-7400
Bank: Citizens Bank (downtown Manitowish Waters) – 715-543-8302 (ATM)
Post Office: Zip Code 54545 (downtown Manitowish Waters – PO boxes available 24 hours / office window open various hours 6 days/week) – 715-543-8322
Laundromats: LaPorte’s plaza, downtown Manitowish Waters
Realtors: Schmidt-Haus Realty, Coldwell Banker Mulleady, Inc. Realtors, Century 21 Pierce Realty (all located in downtown Manitowish Waters, CTH W)
Hardware: Timber Wolf Hardware (downtown MW on CTH W); Forslund Building Supply (Ironwood, MI)
Telephone service: CenturyTel, 1-800-201-4099
Electric company: Xcel Energy -- 1-800-895-4999
Child Care: Camp Jorn YMCA, Manitowish Waters -- Dawn Holt (director) – Ages 12 months to 5 years and after-school care ages 7-12 – 715-543-8390
Welcome Service: Janet Kazda – 715-542-3685 / 1-800-513-1350 / If you’re a new resident or businesses owner to the Northwoods, or are having a baby or recently gave birth, give Janet a call!
Aluminum can recycling: Central Wisconsin Recycling -- April thru Nov/Dec, second Thurs. of each month, 12:45 - 2 p.m. @ Manitowish Waters Community Center – Call ahead to confirm schedule & times: 715-693-6531
Cable: Manitowish Waters does not have cable television service
Nearest cellphone companies: Alltel (Minocqua), Cellular One (Rhinelander), Verizon (Minocqua)

Hike/Bike/Ski/Snowshoe trails (maps available at the Chamber of Commerce):
~ North Lakeland Discovery Center
~Powell trails ( Northern Highland American Legion State Forest )
~North Lakeland Elementary School (Papoose Lake Road to Northwoods Ski Touring Foundation trails, or follow the signs behind NLES on CTH K)
~Paved bike/hike path from Powell Road north adjacent to USH 51 to CTH W, through downtown to Tower Road , trail picks up behind Changing Waves restaurant, to the Discovery Center (apx. 2-1/2 miles in paved length)
~Northern Highland-American Legion State Forest trails; neighboring township paved trails in Boulder Junction, Sayner/Star Lake, St. Germain and Land O’Lakes

Clubs/Associations:

  • Sno-Skeeters snowmobile club – Barry Hopkins, president – 715-543-2455
  • Skiing Skeeters waterski club – (Water ski shows mid-June thru mid-August, Wednesday & Saturday, 7 p.m. at Rest Lake Park, CTH W, Manitowish Waters) – 715-543-8488
  • Lions – Earl Watkins, Jr., president (as of April 2008) – 715-543-8756
  • Lioness – Suzy Foster, president (as of July 2008) – 715-385-2217
  • Manito Art League – Sharon Drawz, president – 715-476-0493
  • Alliance of Manitowish Waters – Judi Schmidt Arnold, president – 715-543-2300
  • Friends of Koller Library – 715-543-2700 (and ask for appropriate contact)
  • Friends of the Manitowish Waters Airport – Jerry Wilke, 1-414-343-4513
  • Homemakers Club – Jean Rein, 715-543-2278
  • Volunteer Fire Department / Rescue – Skip Skrobot, fire chief – 715-543-2373
  • Manitowish Waters Lakes Assoc. – Karen Dixon, president (715-543-8141) or Eleanor Butler, 715-543-8401
  • North Lakeland Discovery Center – Bruce Greenhill, director -- 715-543-2085
  • North Lakeland Education Foundation – Deena Menze, President – 715-686-7417
  • Camp Jorn YMCA – Dennis Lipp, director -- 715-543-8808
  • Manitowish Waters Chamber of Commerce -- Jodi McMahon, director – 715-543-8488
  • Manitowish Waters Cranberry Growers Association -- Michael Bartling, 715-543-8466
  • Northwoods Seniors -- Bob Maxwell, 715-686-2983 / Nutrition Site Coordinator: Sue Geffers, 715-686-2329
  • Manitowish Chain Defense Fund, LLC – Jack King, 715-543-2065 jgrovking@yahoo.com
  • Stitch -N- Time – Elizabeth Sykes, 715-543-8372 (Anyone with handwork is welcome to join; 2 nd & 4 th Tuesdays, September thru May, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. — Bring a brown bag lunch; come and leave as you wish)
  • Northwoods Wildlife & Wetlands Club – Bill Davies, 715-476-0168
  • Lakeland Sharing Foundation – Woody Hagge -- 715-356-2075

Cranberry marshes: Free one-hour tour every Friday, 10 a.m. , mid-July through mid-October. No reservations required; tour is free and held rain or shine! Call the Chamber for details & directions (715-543-8488) or stop by the Chamber for a map. Area marshes include Indermuehle’s Alder Lake Cranberry Co., Folsom Farms, Bartling’s Manitowish Cranberry Co., Vilas Cranberry Co., and Rayala Cranberry Corp.

Schools:

  • Nicolet Area Technical College – 9569 Hwy. 70 West/PO Box 1388, Minocqua, WI 54548 – Rhinelander campus: 715-365-4410 / Lakeland campus: 715-356-6753 / www.nicoletcollege.edu
  • North Lakeland Elementary School – 12686 CTH K, Manitowish Waters , WI 54545 – 715-543-8417 www.nles.us
     --Administrator: Richard Vought
    --School Board comprised of 5 members
    --Pre-Kindergarten through 8 th grade “ North Lakeland Bucks”
     --Breakfast & lunch program, outdoor education (fall/winter/spring), hockey, football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, track, and community education program. Tennis courts, playgrounds, outdoor track, outdoor basketball courts, cross country ski trails, ball field, football field all on school property. Community Education department offers a variety of special interest classes to the public.
    --North Lakeland Ice, Inc. is a non-profit volunteer-run youth hockey program with an outdoor ice rink and warming facility on the grounds of North Lakeland School .
    --Visitors always welcome to stop by for a tour!
  • Lakeland Union High School – 9573 Hwy. 70 West, Minocqua , WI 54548 – www.luhs.k12.wi.us
    “Home of the Thunderbirds” / 9-12 grades 715-356-5252 / 358-8538 (fax)
    --Elementary schools that feed into LUHS: North Lakeland , Minocqua-Hazelhurst-Lake Tomahawk, Lac du Flambeau, Arbor Vitae-Woodruff, Trinity Lutheran
     --Avg. number of students: 975
    --Avg. number of teaching staff: 75
    --Board of Education: 9 members
    --District Administrator: Todd Kleinhans

Vilas County Courthouse: www.co.vilas.wi.us
330 Court St. , Eagle River , WI 54521
Clerk of Court - 715-479-3632
Register of Deeds - 479-3660
Commission on Aging - 479-3625
Public Health Dept. - 479-3656
County Clerk - 479-3600
Treasurer - 479-3609
Dept. of Social Services - 479-3668
University Extension - 479-3648
Forestry, Recreation and Land Dept. - 479-5160
Tourism & Publicity – 800-236-3649 www.vilas.org
Land & Water Conservation - 479-3648
Vilas County Landfill - 479-2938
Zoning & Planning - 479-3620
Highway Dept. - 479-4641
County Board of Supervisors, Chairperson: Steve Favorite
Meals on Wheels: Contact Commission on Aging at 1-800-374-1123

Department of Natural Resources: www.dnr.wi.gov
Boulder Junction Headquarters -- County Hwy. M -- 715-385-2727 // Woodruff -- County Hwy. J -- 715-356-5211
Department of Tourism: 1-800-432-TRIP www.travelwisconsin.com
Wisconsin Road conditions: 1-800-ROAD-WIS

Newspapers (sampling): Lakeland Times -- (based out of Minocqua, covers Northwoods, Tuesday & Friday pubs) -- 715-356-5236 / Vilas County News-Review (based of Eagle River, covers Vilas County, Wednesday pub) – 715-479-4421 / The Daily News (Rhinelander) -- 715-362-6397 / FYI Northwoods -- 715-686-7657 / Ironwood Daily Globe (Ironwood, MI) – 800-236-2887

Radio stations (local sampling): WMQA 95.9 (Minocqua), WUPM 106.9 (Ironwood, MI), WIMI 99.7 (Ironwood, MI), WRJO 94.5 (Eagle River), WCQM 98.3 (Park Falls), WSLS 93.7 (Rhinelander), WHDG 97.5 (Rhinelander), WXPR 90.3 (Public Radio), WIFC 95.5 (Wausau), WRHN 100.1 (Rhinelander)

Televison (local): WJFW - TV 12 NBC (Rhinelander) ~ Channel 36 Wisconsin Public Television (Park Falls) ~ WAOW-TV 9 / WYOW-TV 34 ABC (Wausau) ~ WSAW - TV 7 CBS (Wausau) ~ Fox 55 (Wausau)

Employment agencies: Job Service -- 715-365-2686 Nicolet Staffing -- 715-365-1302 *Local newspapers provide classified ‘help wanted’ ads, as well.

 
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Manitowish Waters Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 251 ~ Manitowish Waters, Wisconsin 54545
Located in the Community Center at 4 South US Hwy 51 / Airport Road
(715) 543-8488 ~ Fax: (715) 543-2519
Toll Free: (888) 626-9877
Email: funinfo@manitowishwaters.org
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