Waukesha Board of Public Works approves snow-removal contract, railroad preemption agreement and consultant hires

The City of Waukesha Board of Public Works on Oct. 17 approved a series of routine and project-specific actions, including a single-vendor snow-removal contract, a state-funded railroad preemption agreement tied to traffic signals, a minor park change order, and consultant selections to cover engineering staffing shortfalls.

Brandon, a city staff member who presented multiple agenda items, told the board the city solicited quotes from nine local snow-removal contractors for downtown transit-center and citywide sidewalk work but received one response. "We did only receive quotes from one vendor, Central Services Inc.," he said, and recommended an hourly-rate contract for the 2024–25 snow season with options to extend into subsequent seasons.

Joe Piper, a board member, moved to approve the award and the board approved the contract on a recorded vote.

The board also approved a State Municipal Agreement to install a railroad preemption system that will communicate when trains occupy crossings so traffic signals can change phasing to reduce long queues. Brandon said the project was awarded congestion-mitigation/air-quality funding administered through the state agency referenced in meeting materials (documents use inconsistent spellings). He said the program is structured as approximately an 80/20 cost-share and that the city’s share would be about $26,420, which has been programmed in the 2025 CIP; the state currently lists the project in fiscal 2027 but staff requested acceleration to 2025.

Darren, identified in the meeting as a city project staffer, described how the detection system would function: "The system itself would be set up across the median and then would recognize when the train is going across it — it's breaking that beam — to let the signal know a train is present," he said. Board members asked whether the detection information could be public-facing or tied to other technologies; Darren said the city will explore remote connectivity and the potential to relay information to fire and police.

On park work, staff recommended a small change order to Berglund Construction Company for the Grady Park Gate and Column Improvements project after crews found a concrete base too deteriorated to reuse. The work will add $1,022 to the contract. Brandon said the project is largely funded with Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, and the extra cost will be covered by a PRF carryover account.

To address four current vacancies in engineering (three engineer positions and one engineering technician), the board approved hiring outside consultant firms. For on-site CIP project design and management staff the review committee recommended EARS Associates (materials also reference the cover sheet spelling 'Ayers Associates'); for private-development review services the committee recommended MSA Professional Services. Staff said most private-development review charges would be billed back to applicants through engineering deposits, though some work cannot be directly billed and would be covered from the engineering operating budget; staff said they will work to offset those costs through fees or budget adjustments.

Votes at a glance - Minutes (Oct. 10): approved — recorded vote: Steve Cassens (aye); Kevin Riley (aye); Piper (aye); O'Donnell (aye); Payne (aye). - Payments (five items): approved — same recorded vote pattern. - Snow-removal contract (Central Services Inc.): approved — unanimous recorded vote. - State municipal agreement for railroad preemption (CMAQ/state funding, city share ~$26,420): approved — unanimous recorded vote. - Change order #1 — Berglund Construction (Grady Park): $1,022 — approved. - CIP consultant selection (recommended firm recorded as EARS/Ayers Associates): approved. - Private-development review services (MSA Professional Services): approved.

What this means The board moved several projects forward with formal approvals and staffing mitigations intended to keep the 2025 capital-improvement program on schedule despite engineering vacancies. The railroad preemption work aims to reduce traffic queuing at three downtown crossings; the city will carry a modest share of the cost already budgeted in the CIP. The snow-removal award relies on a single bidder, which staff attributed to local contractor capacity and on-call requirements.

Next steps Staff will finalize contracts and proceed with project scheduling and city-attorney review where required. Staff also said they will investigate whether impact fees or other revenue sources can help cover consultant costs for specific permit-review work and will provide additional documentation (bid tabs and account numbers) on request.

(Reporting based on Board of Public Works meeting transcript.)