Aldermen recommend $580K bid for street improvement work
City officials also discuss alley improvements
Areas of Wrigley Drive are set to be resurfaced as part of this year's street improvement program.
Additional stop signs are set to be installed near the intersection of Broad street and dodge street as part of lake Geneva's 2026 street improvement program.
LAKE GENEVA
Members of the Lake Geneva City Council's Public Works Committee unanimously approved on March 23 a $580,258 bid from Asphalt Contractor, Inc. in Union Grove to work on the city's 2026 street improvement program.
The bid still has to be approved by the full City Council.
Some of the projects that are set to be conducted include road improvement work on Cook Street, from Geneva Street to Main Street; road resurfacing work on Wrigley Drive, from Broad Street to Baker Street; road sealing work on Host Drive; ramp and sidewalk replacement on Cook Street; and stop sign installation near the intersection of Broad Street and Dodge Street.
Naomi Rauch, project engineer for Kapur & Associates in Burlington, said Asphalt Contractor representatives proposed a total bid of $660,418, which included asphalt and stormwater improvements in an alley between Cook Street and Madison Street, but Kapur & Associates officials have recommended removing those projects from the program because the city is contributing about $270,000 towards the county's Highway H/Interchange North road improvement project.
Rauch said city officials usually budget about $1 million a year for the street improvement program.
"We are only picking up portions of the project for mostly the pedestrian improvements at Center Street and Interchange North," Rauch said. "That was part of a memorandum of understanding."
Public Works Director Tom Earle said city officials usually try to complete two alley projects each year, but this year they have decided to focus more on road improvement work.
"Some of the projects we put into paving this year have forced us to remove them," Earle said. "So, we try to do one or two a year. It depends on the money. We also have the $260,000-$280,000 unexpected expense for Interchange North for the crosswalks. So, that's also coming out of the $1 million."
Other companies that submitted a bid to work on the street improvement program include Wolf Paving Company, Inc. of Hartland with a total bid of about $668,117 and base bid of about $587,052, and Payne & Dolan, Inc. of Waukesha with a total bid about about $775,000 and a base bid of about $689,984.
Alley improvement discussion
During the meeting, the committee members also discussed alley improvements.
Alderman Joel Hoiland said there is an alley near Crawford Street that is in need of repair.
"Half of the alley is already broken down," Hoiland said. "The asphalt has broken away. I don't know what extent you can do that without doing the whole alley, but minimum repair would be really helpful."
Earle said that alley is not scheduled to be worked on until 2029.
"Unfortunately, we can show you alleys that are way worse than that," Earle said. "The more alleys we do, the less roads we do."
Alderwoman Mary Jo Fesenmaier said an alley located between Campbell Street and Seminary Park has been affected by drainage issues for several years, and she would like the committee members to discuss the issue during their April 27 meeting.
"It's not a new issue," Fesenmaier said. "It's one that gets ping ponged and never dealt with."
Earle said the water drainage issues are the responsibility of the property's landlord.
"Most of the water issues in that lot are self-inflicted," Earle said. "So, they are required by state statute to handle all the stormwater and historical flow patterns that go onto their property. That was not done."
Earle said city officials have considered options for that alley for several years. He said the alley could be inverted, but there still would be drainage issues in that area.
"So, this has been researched a lot," Earle said.
