Janesville council awards contracts for street rehabilitation, Fisher Creek Trail and city services center renovation

The Janesville Common Council on March 24, 2025, unanimously authorized four construction contracts covering the city’s 2025 street rehabilitation program, two Fisher Creek Trail segments and phase 2 of the City Services Center renovation.

Council members said the competitive bidding returned prices in line with expectations, and staff said outside grant funding will cover substantial portions of the trail work.

Public Works Director Mike Payne told the council the city’s local rehabilitation program will cover roughly 12.3 miles of streets in 2025; about 26% of the work this year is full reconstruction and about 74% is mill-and-overlay work. The low bidder for the annual street rehabilitation contract was Rock Road, Payne said. Payne also described two trail contracts that together will form a multi-segment Fisher Creek Trail project: a west-side segment that is approximately 0.8 miles and is about 66% funded through a Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grant, and a southern segment for which roughly 50% of costs are covered by a Department of Natural Resources stewardship grant. Payne said the low bidder for the trail work was Beyond Limestone.

On the City Services Center phase 2 contract, Payne said the work focuses on vehicle maintenance and operations, including the wash bay and fuel island. The city recommended awarding three of four alternate bid items (alternates 1, 2 and 4) and not funding alternate 3 (skylights) for budget reasons, with staff planning to return to council for a phase 3 in 2027 to complete administrative and public-facing areas.

“Both look good,” a council member said after reviewing the bids, adding the results indicated the city’s procurement expectations were met. The council adopted the motion to accept the bids as outlined by a unanimous vote.

City Administration indicated the contract awards are contingent on the usual contract documents and budgeted borrowing, and the council expressed intent to borrow as outlined in the staff memo to fund the projects.

The contracts approved cover: the annual street rehabilitation program (low bidder Rock Road), Fisher Creek Trail segment(s) (low bidder Beyond Limestone; TAP and DNR stewardship grant funding noted), and City Services Center phase 2 (selected alternates 1, 2 and 4; skylights not included). The council approved the awards by roll-call vote, with all present members voting yes.

Council members said the interest from multiple bidders and the close range of proposals gave them confidence in the pricing and schedule for the projects. Staff plans to return with final contract documents and financing details as required.