Total approaches $70,000
By Bert Lehman
Renovating an enclosed shelter in W.A. Olen Park has become more expensive.
Justin Mc Auly, parks and recreation director for the city of Clintonville, informed the parks and recreation committee on Oct. 30 about the new costs associated with the renovation.
He told the committee that the cost to purchase materials from Torbergs Lumber in Clintonville is $16,080.
The price is comparable with stores located in the Fox Valley, Mc Auly said.
Wall framing was included in that cost figure, but the figure does not include the wood being finished. Mc Auly said parks employees would finish the wood to save money.
Mc Auly informed the committee that the lowest quotes from contractors included $10,500 for carpentry, $5,250 for electrical and $5,920 for plumbing.
He added that the renovation project could be completed for less than an additional $45,000.
Committee member Chuck Manske made a motion to accept the lowest bids for carpentry, electrical and plumbing, and to have the city purchase the materials from Torbergs Lumber, with the total cost of the items and services not to exceed $45,000.
Before a second could be made to the motion, committee member Jim Supanich said: “This project keeps getting more and more expensive each time we look at it. We started out at [$35,000] and at the rate we’re going we’ll be about [$75,000 to $80,000] by the time we’re done.”
Supanich asked how much of the $45,000 has already been assigned to the project, and how much the city will have to come up with.
Clintonville City Administrator Sharon Eveland told the committee that in 2017 the project was originally in the budget as a group of projects for around $70,000.
She said her understanding was that at the end of 2017, around $35,000 of that amount was dedicated to the shelter project.
“At the end of the year we actually ended up carrying over $22,500 that was not expended,” Eveland said.
The city has spent around $9,500 on the project this year.
“Part of that is the delay in getting the quotes from the various contractors,” Eveland said.
Of the original $35,000 that was originally budgeted, the city has spent $22,000 to $23,000, Eveland said.
An additional $45,000 would push the total cost of the shelter renovation project to $70,000.
“The $45,000 is in the proposed [Capital Improvement Plan] in 2019,” Eveland said.
Eveland said $32,000 would have to come from the capital fund balance.
“As long as this is the end of it, and we’re going to get this project completed with this $45,000, I’ll second [the motion],”
Supanich said. “But I sure don’t want to go back to the well again and find out we need another $10,000 to $15,000 for this project.”
Eveland said part of the overage on the project comes from the fact some of the work was being done by Mc Auly and his staff, but the parks and recreation committee later directed Mc Auly to contract some of the work out.
“That doesn’t justify all of the extra expenses, but that is some of it,” Eveland said.
“Yeah, but that was three months ago, we were talking $20,000 to finish the project,” Supanich said. “Now we’re talking $45,000.”
The committee approved the low quotes and material up to $45,000 by a 3-1-1 vote.
Committee member Carol Metzger voted no, while committee Chairman Steve Kettenhoven abstained from the vote.