St. Jacob swears in new police chief, approves new four-way stop signs 

By Bruce Darnell • During its Dec. 17 meeting, the St. Jacob Board of Trustees swore in their new police chief, Damian Feeny and decided to move forward with changing some intersections to become four-way stops.

St. Jacob’s prior police chief Gary Kukla resigned on Nov. 1, and a week later Feeny was being eyed for the position. Feeny was a lieutenant with the Highland Police Department before coming to St. Jacob.

Next, the board approved a plan with Juneau Associates to apply for the surface transportation program (STP) grant in 2026, which would provide funds for infrastructure development in the future.

The board also discussed plans to change a few intersections along Washington Street and Jacob Street, turning them into four-way stops. 

For Jacob Street, stop signs are being added at the intersection with West 5th Street; for Washington Street, intersections at East 3rd and East 2nd will get additional stop signs.

The next board meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2026.