Wausau Board of Public Works approves mall design amendment, lead-line payment and contractor prequalifications

WAUSAU, Wis. — The Wausau Board of Public Works on March 11 approved an amendment to the downtown mall design contract for $9,426, approved pay estimates for a downtown parking-ramp coating job and lead service-line replacement, and prequalified three contractors for the city's 2025 sidewalk repair project.

The board's actions affect downtown redevelopment, ongoing water infrastructure work and planned sidewalk repairs. Board members also delayed action on a stormwater pumping-station contract amendment and discussed, but did not take, a motion to go into closed session under section 19.85.

Board member 2, Board of Public Works, said the amendment to Becker Hoppe's agreement was needed after the contractor discovered the newly erected building on the Wausau Downtown Mall site was "2 tenths of a foot. Oh. About 3 inches" lower than the datum they had been given. "They had to adjust all their plans, elevations and stuff," Board member 2 said, and the firm logged about 80 hours of extra work to revise designs. The board approved Amendment 7 to Becker Hoppe's agreement for $9,426.

Board member 1, Board of Public Works, presented a pay estimate for the 24 Jefferson parking ramp stairwell cleaning and coating project from Advanced Coating Solutions for $23,029.10, which the board approved by voice vote.

Board member 1 also presented pay estimate number 8 to Community Infrastructure Partners for replacement of lead service lines for the 2025 season in the amount of $138,169.67. Board member 1 said staff have been conducting public outreach, preparing inventory data and are "actually bidding out an additional contract because we had good prices and we had additional funding to do so." The member added that the city is still "waiting on the DNR to give us a schedule for closing on the '24 and '25 loans. So, everything was uploaded in early February, and we're still waiting on that schedule." The board approved the pay estimate.

The board delayed action on Amendment 1 to the agreement with Strand Associates for the Abel stormwater pumping-station rehabilitation; Board member 1 said the item will be brought back next week.

Members discussed a proposed closed-session motion "pursuant section 19 85." After a brief exchange about contractor lists for a sidewalk project, board members agreed there was no need for closed session and did not proceed. Instead the board voted to approve the list of prequalified contractors for the 2025 sidewalk repair project: Pembroke Companies, Petricas Construction and S. D. Allen Becker.

The meeting opened with approval of the March 4 minutes and ended after the business above; members adjourned following the prequalification votes.

Votes at a glance: minutes approval (March 4) ' approved by voice vote; 24 Jefferson parking ramp pay estimate #1 ' Advanced Coating Solutions, $23,029.10 ' approved by voice vote; Becker Hoppe Amendment 7 ' $9,426 ' approved by voice vote; Community Infrastructure Partners pay estimate #8 (lead service-line replacement) ' $138,169.67 ' approved by voice vote; Strand Associates Amendment 1 (Abel stormwater pump rehab) ' postponed to next meeting; Motion to enter closed session pursuant to section 19.85 ' discussed but not taken; Prequalification for 2025 sidewalk repair project ' Pembroke Companies, Petricas Construction, S. D. Allen Becker ' approved.

Board members spoke in short turn; no roll-call vote tallies were recorded in the meeting transcript. The board recorded a mix of staff updates, contractor-related adjustments and routine pay estimates.