Oconomowoc council rejects village green reconstruction contract after months of debate over pavilion and bathrooms

The Oconomowoc Common Council on March 18 approved another round of design work for the Village Green improvements but failed to pass the construction contract and budget amendment that would fund a permanent pavilion and year‑round restroom building on the downtown lakefront.

The failure to secure the contract vote came after hours of public comment and council debate about site placement, design compatibility with the downtown historic overlay, project cost and financing. The council voted 5–3 against the contract and the related budget amendment; the earlier resolution to approve additional design services was approved unanimously.

City staff presented the project scope and costs. “The design right now, as it sits, it was $163,710 design. And the request right now is to add $68,500 to complete the design work,” said Staff member Jason Herzog, describing a total design expense of about $232,210 that staff says has already been incurred. Herzog told the council the low construction bid for the full site package came back at roughly $3.6 million.

Residents and downtown business…