Slinger board approves Vandewalle & Associates contract for park and open space plan

The Village of Slinger Park, Recreation & Forestry Board voted Oct. 6 to award an update to its Park and Open Space Plan to Vandewalle & Associates, approving a contract “not to exceed the cost of $25,000,” motions recorded as moved by Jeff Behrend and seconded by Dawn Smith. The minutes record that the motion passed; a roll-call tally for the vote is not provided in the minutes.

Director Tony Dobson presented two proposals for the plan update: Vandewalle & Associates submitted a $20,500 bid and RA Smith proposed a $23,000–$25,000 range. Dobson said both firms bid on a common scope of work framed around ten goals for the updated plan and that he had reached out to the Southwestern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SWRPC), which told him it does not compete for projects advertised as RFPs or competing proposals. Dobson said he was not comfortable assigning the update to SWRPC if they would not bid on the same scope as other firms.

Board members discussed whether to include a trail design for the Arboretum as part of the update; the approved motion does not specify design additions beyond the consultant scope but authorizes Vandewalle to proceed with the update under the approved not-to-exceed amount. The minutes do not record details about the contract timeline, payment schedule, or any conditions attached to the award. The board did not record a vote tally in the meeting minutes, though the roll call noted five members present and two excused.

Next steps noted in the minutes: staff will proceed with contracting for the plan update. The board will consider additional action if contract terms or scope change when staff returns with contract documents.