Northfield to seek bids for Milford Drive reconstruction; public meetings set for January and February

Engineer Daniel Collins asked the Village Council on Dec. 18 to authorize release of a request for bids for the Milford Drive Reconstruction Project in January, including alternate bids for sidewalks and ADA-compliant curbs. Councilmember Renell Noack moved the authorization and Councilmember Kevin Lewis seconded; the motion passed on a unanimous roll call vote.

Collins said 150 letters were mailed to residents in the neighborhood about the proposed sidewalks and that the Village received two responses. He told Council that, because of the project’s schedule, applying for a Safe Routes to School grant would not be feasible unless the Village delayed the reconstruction until 2028. Collins asked Council to proceed with the January bid release rather than delay the work for a grant application.

Mayor Jenn Domzalski and Council approved a separate motion to schedule two public meetings about the project at the Fire Station on Jan. 14 and Feb. 14, 2026, from 6:00–7:00 p.m., to be held before the regular Council meetings. The public meetings were approved by motion (mover: Kevin Lewis; seconder: Gary Vojtush) and passed unanimously.

The authorization asks bidders to submit alternate pricing that includes sidewalks and ADA curbing so the Council can evaluate options during procurement. The engineer’s presentation to Council did not set a final sidewalk scope; Collins and staff indicated community input at the scheduled meetings will inform the Council’s decision on whether to include sidewalks in the contract.

The Council’s actions on Dec. 18 were procedural authorizations to move the project forward; no construction contract was awarded at the meeting. The next Council action will be the receipt and review of bid responses after the request for bids is released.