Portage City staff describe East Pleasant Street reconstruction plans, schedule and resident impacts

Phil Livingston, the city’s director of public works, presented details of the East Pleasant Street reconstruction at a public informational meeting and answered resident questions about timing, service impacts and costs.

Livingston said the project covers East Pleasant Street from Dwit to Hamilton and includes complete replacement of underground utilities — new water main, sanitary main and service replacements — and an asphalt resurfacing. "We contracted with MSA Engineering back in 2025 to perform the design work for that full utility and asphalt replacement," he said, and the city awarded the construction contract this spring to A1 Contracting of Bloomer, Wisconsin.

Staff said the work will proceed by removing asphalt, replacing underground mains and services, and then paving the roadway; minor concrete work and restorations will follow. Construction hours were given as 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., and the roadway will be closed to through traffic while maintaining driveway access when feasible. Livingston explained curb and sidewalk will generally remain in place unless they conflict with utility replacements.

To reduce disruptions in water service, staff said they are evaluating temporary hookups that route piping through the boulevard and connect to homeowners' outside hose bibs; residents would experience only brief interruptions while crews make those connections. "They'll actually run temporary piping within the boulevard and they'll hook that up to your hose bibs," Livingston said.

A resident asked about sanitary lateral replacement timing; staff replied that crews will excavate to capture the lateral stub at the right-of-way and, if the stub is serviceable, homeowners may do their replacement work tied to that connection. Livingston clarified that sanitary laterals are typically the homeowner's responsibility from the house to the right-of-way.

On funding, Livingston said no special assessments have been determined. He said projects like this historically can include assessments for sidewalks and sanitary laterals, with sidewalks often assessed at 50 percent, and that any assessment would follow state notice requirements and a public hearing before the city council.

Residents raised concerns about trees and landscaping. One resident at 319 East Pleasant asked that a small memorial tree be protected; Livingston said staff would watch utility locations and notify the resident if transplanting or removal might be necessary. He also confirmed that contractors will seed disturbed turf but "they will not sod," so residents should expect reseeding rather than new sod installation.

Livingston acknowledged a short delay to the contractor’s intended start date and said A1 Contracting plans to mobilize in late June to early July; notices to affected properties were mailed (a May 29 letter was referenced) and the city will issue further updates as work progresses. He said city staff, including Aaron E. Parvier (engineering technician) and engineering intern Andrew Copfammer, will have a full-time presence during construction to monitor installation and answer public questions.

The city advised residents to mark garbage cans with their address (duct tape) so crews can return the correct cans when trucks cannot access collection points. Livingston also reviewed safety guidance for the work zone and asked that hazards be reported to the Portage Police Department with vehicle information if applicable.

The formal presentation concluded with staff remaining available for questions until 6:00 p.m.; Livingston said final decisions about special assessments and exact timelines will be resolved through council and committee processes with public hearings.