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Commission approves $438,698 materials contract, adds $294,200 to O&M budget for well cleaning
Summary
The Wisconsin Rapids Commission awarded a $438,698.57 contract to Ferguson Waterworks for 2026 water construction materials and approved a $294,200 amendment to the 2026 operations and maintenance budget to fund an unplanned well cleaning and reinstall a sand plug after sand intrusion was detected.
The Wisconsin Rapids Commission approved two water-department items on Feb. 4, 2026: awarding the 2026 water construction materials contract to Ferguson Waterworks for $438,698.57, and amending the 2026 operations and maintenance budget by $294,200 to address sand intrusion and clean a collector well.
Speaker 4, a water department presenter, told commissioners staff solicited bids from Ferguson Waterworks, Core & Main and First Supply and that Ferguson submitted the low quote of $438,698.57 and had provided strong customer service in prior years. "It'd be my recommendation to take their bid and award the 2026 construction materials to them," Speaker 4 said. Speaker 2 moved to award the contract and Speaker 4 seconded; the motion passed after an "Aye" vote and the chair saying the motion "carries."
On the budget amendment, Speaker 4 explained crews observed sand debris in collector/well 3 after a sand plug placed in lateral 4 sometime in 2012 appears to have come loose. Staff said the well’s specific capacity has declined such that the small pump struggles to operate beyond 12–13 hours. The department reported it had budgeted roughly $1,000,000 in 2025 to clean collectors 1 and 4, but only used about $250,000; a specialty vendor (identified in the record as "Lane") quoted work and reinstalling the sand plug at about $294,200 above funds already used, so staff requested a $294,200 adjustment to the 2026 O&M budget to perform cleaning and sand-plug work on collector 3.
Speaker 3 moved to amend the budget by $294,200 and Speaker 4 seconded; the motion carried after an "Aye" vote and a chair acknowledgment of passage.
The record shows the motions passed by voice vote with the chair announcing passage for both items; individual roll-call votes were not read into the transcript. Staff said delaying the work could force the utility to reduce operations and move to a three‑shift arrangement if the well’s capacity continues to decline.
Next steps: staff will contract with the specialty vendor to complete the well cleaning and sand-plug installation, and will proceed with the Ferguson Waterworks purchase for 2026 construction materials. The commission did not list contract numbers or further procurement contingencies in the transcript.
