Commission approves $1.0 million revision to Lakeview tennis-court project after contractors uncover peat and unstable soils

The Middleton Parks, Recreation and Forestry Commission voted Aug. 18 to increase the Lakeview Park tennis-court project budget to $1,000,000 after contractors uncovered unexpectedly poor, highly organic soils while excavating to subgrade. The commission also approved an amendment to Rettler’s oversight agreement and awarded a separate excavation contract to G Pro Excavating LLC so the original contractor can complete its work.

Staff member Kylie told the commission that PCC Sports had reached subgrade and uncovered “very, very poor soils,” which forced a stop in work and the need to reassess the project scope and funding. She said PCC Sports provided a change order that exceeded the 15% administrative threshold in its contract, so staff instead recommended bidding the additional excavation work separately and reusing acceptable on-site material where possible.

Consultant Ryan (Rettler) told commissioners open test pits showed dark, highly organic material and “branches and logs and stumps” in the excavated zones; the geotechnical team later classified the material as peat because of its high organic content, which makes it unsuitable as a long-term base material without mitigation. “They called them slightly organic, but…when we were able to uncover them…they were hitting those real black soils,” Ryan said, and the additional samples led to a peat classification.

To cover the work, staff proposed setting the project budget at $1,000,000. The package approved by the commission included an $85,000 increase in park development funds and a $40,000 transfer from the playground replacement program; capital borrowing was identified as an additional funding source to reach the total. Staff said earlier small adjustments had already been made during the bid-award stage of the project.

Specific actions the commission approved: the commission passed Resolution 2025-33 (budget amendment) by voice vote; approved Amendment No. 2 to the Rettler agreement (a $7,500 amendment on the agenda) to provide additional construction oversight and bidding services for the excavation; and awarded the excavation bid to G Pro Excavating LLC (agenda-listed bid amount $151,000) so PCC Sports can resume its contracted work after the soil mitigation is completed. Staff said Rettler’s remaining design and construction-observation contract elements total approximately $71,000 as previously presented to the commission.

The commission’s votes were by voice; in each case the chair called for those in favor and the chair declared the motions carried after no opposing voices were recorded. Staff said the common council will consider the project budget and associated agreements at its meeting the next evening.

Next steps: staff will finalize the G Pro contract and the Rettler amendment and forward the budget change and contracts to the common council for final approval. The commission also plans an on-site visit to the pool/park to review conditions if weather permits.