The Waupaca Common Council on Jan. 7 approved a contract with S and S Excavating to raise and restore the abandoned residential structure at 113 Oman Street, awarding the low bid and authorizing an asbestos-abatement allowance not to exceed $10,000.

City Administrator Aaron Johnson and staff outlined a multi-year compliance history for the property dating to 2021. Johnson said the house has been uninhabitable, with no running water for more than two years, a major roof hole, failed floors and plumbing, broken windows and debris. He said the city solicited bids in December and received two responses; S and S Excavating was the low bidder at roughly $21,200. "They do cover testing for asbestos as a part of that bid that you see, the $21,200," Johnson said. He added that asbestos removal is not covered by the bid and recommended a $10,000 not-to-exceed allowance for abatement.

Johnson said the city plans to fund the work from general-fund reserves and place the cost on the property owner’s tax bill for recovery; if the owner does not pay, the county foreclosure process could eventually transfer title. He noted the city’s reserves were approximately 30.7% of annual expenditures at the last audit and that staff expects that figure to remain above policy minimums after year-end adjustments.

Councilors asked how utilities would be handled during demolition; Justin Barrons, Director of Public Works, said gas and electric are handled by private utilities and sanitary/water disconnections would be coordinated and are included in the contractor’s raise permit and bid. Council members also discussed the likelihood of the city recouping costs if the county forecloses; staff said recovery was possible but not likely in full.

Henry Velacher made the motion to award the contract; Dave Peterson seconded. A roll call recorded 10 ayes and the motion carried. Velacher asked staff to "close the loop" and return with final costs when the work is complete.

The record shows prior cleanup work in 2022 that resulted in a $5,000 charge placed on the tax bill and recovered at that time.