Council approves Westwood Drive rehabilitation, awards $1.82 million contract after public hearing

The Pewaukee Common Council voted to accept the preliminary engineering report and special assessments and to award the rehabilitation contract for Westwood Drive and Corporate Court Road to Always Contractors Inc. for $1,818,886.25 following a public hearing and extended discussion about costs and business impacts.

The vote followed presentations from an independent consulting engineering team and multiple business owners who urged the council to review quantities and schedule work to limit disruptions to truck-dependent companies along Westwood Drive. The council approved the contract by voice vote after hearing from city staff and the community.

Independent engineer Brian Deppias of SEH (Short Elliott Hendrickson) told the council the roadway is roughly 2,800 feet long and that the northern 500 feet should be “torn out, completely replaced, the base and everything else.” Deppias said much of the remaining roadway has a sound base and could be preserved with less‑intensive repairs. He added that his team identified what they believe is a sizable discrepancy in the bid quantities: the project’s bid calls for about 16,700 tons of stone while SEH calculated roughly 5,800 tons for the same scope, a difference he said represents roughly $175,000 of material cost.

"The Northern 500 feet absolutely should be torn out, completely replaced, the base and everything else," Brian Deppias said. He said, however, that "as you go south of that, you have 5 to 6 inches of asphalt with a good base underneath it," and that a less‑complete reconstruction there could produce substantial savings.

Several business owners described the project’s potential financial and operational impacts. Sam Hughes, a small business owner who leases space on Westwood Drive, said he drives the corridor several times a day and asked the council to postpone reconstruction until the road shows more obvious failure. "I have actually never one time thought that road was even in need of replacement," Hughes said, and urged the council to consider options that would reduce the assessment burden on tenants and small operators.

Marcel Treviso, director of finance at Burco of America, and Jeff Wagner, general manager and part owner of Lindner Logistics, told the council they run operations that depend on continuous access for heavy trucks and asked for scheduling guarantees, weekend work where feasible, and assurances that the city and contractor would coordinate to avoid service interruptions. Business representatives also expressed concern about the size of special assessments and the timing of mailed notices.

City staff described the project outreach and procurement process. Public works staff said the roadway has been in the city’s five‑year plan for several years, that the city held a public information meeting in December and mailed assessment notices on March 6, and that three qualified contractors bid on the job. Staff acknowledged an error in a single bid quantity line item that will be corrected in the final special assessment — noting that only constructed quantities are final for assessment purposes — and said the city routinely adjusts final assessments for actual field quantities.

Staff said the low bidder, Always Contractors, has worked for the city previously and that contracts include completion time frames and liquidated damages to incentivize timely work. The city estimated active construction would cause intermittent impacts and said the full project schedule would likely run about two and a half months, with a tentative start in mid‑July once the contract is finalized and preconstruction coordination occurs.

Council members debated whether to delay the work to allow more engineering review and more business coordination. Some council members expressed sympathy for businesses and the value of a second engineering opinion; others emphasized the long‑term cost tradeoffs of delay and the city’s assessment policy. After public comment and staff responses, a council member moved to accept the preliminary engineering report, adopt the special assessments and award the contract; Peggy (council member) seconded the motion and the council approved it by voice vote.

The council directed staff to work with the contractor and adjacent property owners on preconstruction coordination, and staff said final special assessments will be adjusted to reflect actual quantities installed. Notices to property owners and follow‑up meetings with affected businesses were promised by staff before construction begins.

Votes related to this item: council motion to accept the preliminary engineering report, approve the special assessments and award the contract to Always Contractors Inc. in the amount of $1,818,886.25; motion carried by voice vote ("All in favor? Aye." "Opposed? None.").

Next steps include contract execution, business coordination meetings, final assessment calculations tied to constructed quantities, and a construction schedule to be shared with affected property owners.