Pewaukee approves Weathersfield road rehabilitation, assesses homeowners under capped formula

The Pewaukee Common Council voted Feb. 26 to accept the preliminary engineer's report and award the Weathersfield Road Rehabilitation Project to the low bidder, Payne and Dolan, for $1,307,289.09.

City staff told the council the project covers Long Valley Court, Long Valley Road, Ridgeside Court and Weathersfield Road, where PASER ratings are around 4 on a 1-to-10 scale. The plan calls for removing existing asphalt, repairing unstable roadway bases and undercutting compromised subgrade, then placing new asphalt. Minor curb-and-gutter repairs and work on water valves, hydrants, sewer manholes and storm inlets are included.

"We're going to be removing all of the existing asphalt, repairing any unstable roadway base and undercutting any unstable subgrade," city staff member Maggie said in the presentation. She said the work also includes lining storm sewer where necessary to extend the life of the system rather than replacing it outright.

The total project cost, including engineering, is $1,699,475.82, of which the city will pay $1,241,991.21. The stormwater utility portion is $370,313.11; the 2026 budget originally contained $750,000 for the program and staff recommended increasing borrowing to cover the difference. Staff reported four bids and recommended awarding the contract to Payne and Dolan as the lowest qualified bidder.

Under Pewaukee's assessment policy, the city calculates special assessments for benefited properties; staff said the capped residential assessment is $3,411 for 2026 and the lowland conservancy cap is $1,079. The uncapped assessment per unit would be $18,818.05, but the cap limits what any residential property will be asked to pay. The city uses three assessment methods (front footage, acreage and unit) and recommended the unit method for this district.

During public comment, condo association leaders asked why ten condominium units that share a single private access were included. Staff explained the policy pulls in properties that have their public access off the roadway being improved; that approach treats each condo unit as a separate residential unit for assessment purposes.

The council moved to accept the report and award the contract; the motion and second were called and the chair recorded the motion as approved on a voice vote.

Construction notices will be sent to residents. Staff warned there will be intermittent delays and temporary impacts to driveways; assessments may be paid in full by Oct. 31 to avoid interest or spread over 10 years at a simple annual interest rate (the exact borrowing rate will be set when the city borrows, staff said). The assessments will be finalized after the project is completed and closed out.