In the engineer’s and director’s reports on Aug. 13, the Village Utility Commission heard updates on automation, maintenance and security upgrades for utility infrastructure.

Kayla, identified as an engineer with Strand Associates, reported the village’s SCADA upgrade is almost complete and that "almost all of our frequencies that were on this one radio have been switched over to a higher frequency, so everything's communicating much faster." Strand and contractor Peeper Construction are finalizing work at most sites, Kayla said.

Staff also reported the village executed a lease with Verizon for Tower 3; construction timing on the tower is pending a Verizon schedule update. The utility superintendent (Dave, referenced in the meeting) told commissioners he did not know the last time the Vilas lift station had been fully deep‑cleaned; staff said the village will deep‑clean the wet well in stages so the lift station remains operable.

For security and operations, staff said they plan to install cameras (inside and outside) at Well 2 during its rehab and to add cameras later at Wells 3 and 4, towers and lift stations as budget allows. Staff also intends to move from keyed locks to a key‑fob entry system so the village can record who accesses facilities; staff said police will have access to camera feeds as part of village system integration.

Other engineering notes included the Westlawn lift station nearing completion, construction start for the Hay Day Cottage Grove development, and ongoing alignment work for a County Highway TT water main looping project, which staff described as a higher‑cost, county‑led alignment outside the village limits.