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Council delays renewal of Vanderwall redevelopment contract amid questions about deliverables
Summary
After an extended discussion about progress and deliverables on the West 2nd Street redevelopment plan, the council voted to delay renewing Vanderwall and Associates’ contract. Councilmembers requested a written summary of prior work, expenditures and recommended next steps.
The Marshfield Common Council voted on Jan. 27 to delay renewal of a contract with Vanderwall and Associates for implementation work on the West 2nd Street redevelopment plan.
City Administrator Steve Bard reviewed the firm's multi-year involvement, saying Vanderwall had been “instrumental” on the plan but staff recommended pausing renewal while the council completes strategic-planning sessions to determine priorities. Bard told the council he could provide a synopsis of what has transpired to date and a breakdown of expenditures.
Several aldermen questioned whether the consultant had produced sufficient deliverables for the cost. “What deliverables have we got from them?” asked one councilmember; another asked for a clear accounting of what the city had paid to date. Bard said Bandwidth (a consultant team) and Vanderwall had met with property owners and worked on RFQs and outreach, but conceded there were not many tangible, completed redevelopment projects to date and recommended a pause to reassess direction.
Alderman Krein moved, with Alderman Versho seconding, to delay renewing Vanderwall’s contract rather than re-signing; the motion carried. Council members requested staff follow up with a written summary of the project’s start point, current status, expenditures to date and recommended next steps for the corridor.
