Has Jeanette Wenzel seen lots of changes in the 35 years she has been Dows City Clerk? Her answer would be a resounding, “Yes! When I started, we wrote the water bills by hand,” she said. “Now it is all computer. We used carbon paper for such things as letters. Now we have copying machines. Technology has to be the biggest change.” Along with being city clerk, she also holds the title of treasurer.
Wenzel started her position in June of 1986. “I had accounting classes in college,” she said, “and the city clerk before me did a wonderful job of showing me what I needed to know and do.” As in most jobs, the training is ongoing. Classes are offered every couple of years and as Dows Grade 1 Water Superintendent, the DNR requires Wenzel to renew her training certification every two years.
After the dilemmas caused for everyone in 2020 due to COVID-19, Wenzel looks forward to 2021. “We have purchased new playground equipment for the downtown city park (gazebo) which will be installed this spring,” she said. “We will be taking out the merry-go-round and swings putting back in a new slide and swings.” She said this is the most used of the three city parks and is the central location of their annual Dows Corn Days, set this year for Friday and Saturday, August 6 and 7, with an ecumenical church service on Sunday, the 8th. Their other two parks are the football field park and the swimming pool park.
Also on the list is a new liner for the swimming pool, which should be installed prior to the pool opening. Wenzel is happy to have a swimming pool open and operational in a community the size of Dows. “We have 25 – 30 people using the pool each day in the summer,” she said, “and even more on hot days.” Pool hours are 1 – 5 every afternoon. Daily passes are $2 with an annual family pass of $75 and $40 for an individual.
Dows City Council meets the first Monday of each month at 6 p.m. Dows Mayor is Larry Klatt. Council members include Loren Lienemann, Margaret Worden, Mike Oliver, Richard Echelberger, and Trent Claude. City Maintenance and Public Works employee is Sam Solis. “I am fortunate to have a good team to be able to work with,” said Wenzel.
