Weston committee recommends approval of engineering contracts, software purchase and 2026 street plan

The Village of Weston Public Works & Utilities Committee on March 9 recommended that the Village Board approve several contracts and the village’s 2026 street maintenance plan after routine discussion of project scope and funding.

The committee approved a negotiated engineering and inspection services contract with MSA for work tied to Rothschild’s Military Road reconstruction between Vulkman and Evelyn Street. Staff said Weston retains ownership of the water and sewer facilities in that corridor because they were part of Weston utilities at the time Rothschild annexed adjacent territory in the early 1990s; the scope includes temporary removal and reinstallation of a water main around culvert replacement and added inspection for a force main near the Harland Aav lift station. The committee moved, seconded and carried the recommendation by voice vote.

Members also recommended a contract amendment with Strand Associates to refine storm‑pond modeling for a Business 51 project after DNR requested more detailed subbasin modeling. Staff explained better modeling could increase the municipality’s score for Clean Water Fund principal forgiveness or attract a DOT partner to lower Weston’s share of project costs; Rothschild and Scoffield indicated support for moving forward. The committee carried the recommendation.

On the asset‑management side, the panel approved purchase of the ITpipes sewer‑televising software package for 2026, described in the packet as a $14,000 line item (approximately a $9,000 annual subscription plus implementation costs). Staff said ITpipes would let crews upload camera video and defect data directly to the village GIS, reduce manual entry, and host large video files in the cloud to avoid local storage problems.

The committee also recommended the 2026 street maintenance plan and budget, which staffs said prioritizes chip sealing, crack sealing, asphalt overlays, Gilsonite sealing and targeted concrete repairs. Staff noted concrete panel bids vary substantially and explained the plan is designed to fit within a mix of CIP funding and the operating maintenance budget; committee members approved recommending the plan to the village board.

Finally, staff gained authorization to proceed with rehabilitation of Well 2 (the Kerry well) timed to coincide with the Kerry plant shutdown in May, provided cost proposals remain within budgeted funds. Staff said the rehab aims to mitigate high manganese concentrations and to avoid higher interim water procurement costs from Rothschild.

All procedural votes at the meeting were conducted by voice; the committee used standard voice approval language (“All in favor signify by saying ‘I’”), and the chair recorded each item as carried.

The committee reviewed several other agenda items, including equipment and shop reports, subdivision updates, and scheduling of public information meetings for upcoming roundabout options on County Road X. The committee adjourned after business concluded and set the next regular meeting for April 13, 2026.