Downtown parking changes to begin mid-June
By Angie Landsverk
Waupaca’s city hall/library square parking project is expected to begin around the middle of June.
The $965,000 project is part of the plan to create more spaces in downtown Waupaca prior to the reconstruction of Main Street in 2021.
The redesign and reconstruction of Main Street, from Badger to Water streets, will result in a loss of about 30 parking spaces.
Brennan Kane, Waupaca’s director of community and economic development, said the reconstruction of parking around the city square will add 25 to 30 spaces.
“The reason why we’re moving forward this year with the project is to get a head start on the 2021 efforts,” he said.
The city wants to minimize the impact construction has on downtown businesses, Kane said.
That is why it is spacing out the projects.
This year’s parking project may begin any time after Strawberry Fest, which is Saturday, June 16.
The project now includes reconstruction of the parking lot behind city hall and the library, as well as reconstruction of three streets around it, lighting and utility improvements.
The three streets that will be reconstructed are Jefferson (from Fulton to Union), and Fulton and Union (from Main to Jefferson).
Initially, the project had a budget of $520,000 and included reconstructing only the parking lot, and rehabilitating those three surrounding streets.
Its cost increased during the design phase.
“In late January, early February, as we got into the design of the project as the design team, we realized the scope of the project had expanded due to infrastructure needs,” Kane said.
The city needs to replace the four-inch water mains under the streets and also make stormwater improvements.
“We need to modernize the water system,” he said. “That was not in the original scope.”
Kane said the water and stormwater improvements will tie into what takes place on Main Street in 2021.
The utilities under Main Street are more than 100 years old.
There are also lighting and electrical needs on the city square, which are the first steps in completing infrastructure needs before Main Street is reconstructed.
This will result in a centralized location for all power controls, he said.
The power grid for downtown is outdated, and the city wants to encourage more events to be hosted downtown, he said.
The lighting – all LED – will use less energy and be more pedestrian friendly, focusing toward the street and sidewalk, he said.
Kane said this was a key project identified in the city’s plan to enhance the city square and add parking to support the downtown redevelopment efforts.
As a result, the city’s project management team and consultant design team agreed to move forward with the parking reconstruction design and seek bids for the project.
They also agreed to add an alternate bid, which was to eliminate Union Street as part of this summer’s project.
The project went out for bids in early April, and all the bids for the total project came in over $1 million.
City staff then worked with SEH, one of the city’s consultants for the Main Street project, to reduce costs.
The project’s cost was reduced by $107,299 by removing the aesthetics aspect of the project, such as planter boxes, benches, bike racks, trash cans, pavers and landscaping.
The city wants to seek private funds for some of those items.
Three options were presented to the common council on May 15.
They were the full rebuild at $965,000, the alternate bid of $662,000 (eliminating Union Street) and no build at all.
The council voted 6-2 to award the bid for the full rebuild to R & R Wash Materials Inc., of Ripon, at the $965,000 cost.
Lori Chesnut and Chuck Whitman voted no, and Paul Hagen and Alan Kjelland were absent.
Whitman and Chesnut voted against it due to the project’s increased cost.
“The bids came in higher,” Whitman said.
He said some residents thought $520,000 was just for the parking lot.
Chesnut said it was hard to swallow something that doubled in cost.
“I think you need to understand what the project entails, how we got there and the dollar amounts,” Mayor Brian Smith said to Whitman. “Keep an open mind and make sure you understand fully what is going on here.”
Randy Sanford, of SEH, said the scope increased due to the electrical, stormwater and water issues.
He said the city’s master plan served as the guide during the design process.
The lighting for the city hall/library square parking reconstruction project will give people an idea of what to expect in a few years on Main Street.
“The project is setting the tone for the look and feel of downtown,” Kane said.
The majority of the council agreed with the idea of doing the full rebuild this summer.
“I’m not thrilled with the extra cost, but it makes sense to do Union and get it all done at once,” said Ald. Eric Olson. “It gives a glimpse of what Main will look like.”
He also said the council and city staff need to educate the public about what this project includes.
That was in response to Whitman’s comment about some not understanding the project includes not only reconstructing the parking lot, but streets around it.
The city borrowed $520,000 for the project’s original budget.
The council agreed to use $152,000 from the Water Main Fund to replace the existing four-inch water line and to reallocate $250,000 in borrowed funds (intended for a land purchase) and $45,000 in borrowed funds (intended for furniture replacement) for the additional funding sources.
“Remember, the main reason we’re doing the project is not only to enhance and improve but to add (parking) stalls,” said the mayor. “That was the ultimate goal in doing it ahead of time.”
Kane said the project is expected to take three to four months, with substantial construction to be completed by the end of October.