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Marshfield board approves exploratory excavation to find Second Street Community Center basement leak source
Summary
After months of testing and failed fixes, the board authorized soliciting proposals for exploratory excavation and investigation work to identify and stop a persistent basement leak at the Second Street Community Center.
The Marshfield Board of Public Works voted Sept. 2, 2025 to solicit proposals for exploratory excavation and investigation work to identify the source of a persistent basement leak at the Second Street Community Center and to complete any necessary repairs.
Staff and outside contractors have spent months investigating the leak but have not identified its source, Justin (presenter) told the board. "We've done many things. We rerouted water lines. We did pressure testing on supply lines...we shut off the water to both mains, the regular main as well as our fire suppression main, and water still leaked," Justin said. He reported that Marshfield Utilities ran tests and determined the leak was not sewage and did not appear to be rainwater.
Justin outlined prior steps taken: rerouting lines, pressure testing, shutting off building mains (including fire suppression), leak-detection testing by utilities, and exploratory camera footage run by wastewater staff that found no clear cause. Because the source remains unknown, staff recommended soliciting time-and-materials proposals for excavation and exploratory work. Justin said the solicitation should ask contractors to provide hourly rates and propose a maximum not-to-exceed threshold; he and board members discussed example ceilings of $5,000, $10,000 or $20,000 but no limit was decided at the meeting.
Board members raised concerns about disruption, costs and budgeting ahead of the next budget cycle. One board member asked how disruptive the work would be; Justin said it would involve ripping up concrete floors and block walls and likely be dirty and noisy but that staff would try to confine work to an unused room. Another board member warned the board may need to stop after identifying the source if repair costs proved "astronomical" and then pursue funding in the next budget.
After discussion, the board approved soliciting proposals and proceeding with exploratory measures. The record shows the board voted by voice; the motion and second are not named in the transcript.
Votes at a glance - Solicitation of proposals for exploratory excavation and investigation at Second Street Community Center — Approved (voice vote).
