Melbourne council approves lagoon construction plans, sets bidding timeline

The Melbourne City Council on April 13 approved two resolutions to advance construction of improvements at the city lagoon and established a timetable for bidding.

Veenstra & Kimm engineer Ben Klaus briefed the council on the project and on-site preparations. Council members discussed fencing placement; the fence will be set 1 foot from the property line. The lagoon area and an associated brush dump will close to the public at the end of the work day on Wednesday, April 15, 2026, and staff will photograph the site to support the bidding process. Public Works was directed to remove an old pontoon boat from the premises.

Council approved Resolution 26-04-02, which orders construction of certain public improvements, approves preliminary plans, and fixes hearing and bid dates. The motion to adopt the resolution was made by Beth Smith and seconded by Beth Opperman; the roll call vote was recorded as four ayes with Councilperson Hauser absent. The council also approved Resolution 26-04-03 to approve specifications and plans for bidding; the motion was introduced by Opperman with a second by Gary Fricke and carried by the same roll call tally.

Bids will be accepted until 2:00 p.m. on May 7, 2026. The bids will be opened at the Melbourne Fire Station and then considered by the council at its May 11 meeting at 7:00 p.m. in the Melbourne Library basement.

The resolutions passed with only routine scrivener corrections noted in the minutes; no amendments to the project scope were recorded at the April 13 meeting. The council tabled discussion of a new brush-pile location until the May meeting.