Parking lot repairs, tree replacement among council actions

MANAWA – The Common Council approved the cost of repairs for the ThedaCare clinic parking lot, funded a residential tree replacement and reviewed infrastructure updates during its meeting last week.

The city serves as the landlord for the 425 Second St. clinic under a lease dating back to 1973, with ThedaCare currently paying $700 a month in rent. Recently, Froedtert ThedaCare Chief Financial Officer Will Flett sent a certified letter demanding prompt parking lot repairs and reimbursement for a neighbor’s $1,500 yard cleanup bill.

Neighbor Jeff Austin submitted a bill for 30 hours of labor spent removing broken concrete, asphalt and gravel pushed onto his lawn by winter snowplows clearing the clinic’s lot. City officials rejected the cleanup bill, noting the damage was caused by the clinic’s privately hired plowing subcontractor, not municipal crews.

While a new asphalt lot would have cost more than $40,000, the council last week approved a quote from J. Holtz Excavating to remove the existing material and lay 5 inches of compacted asphalt millings, which is crushed, recycled asphalt.

The millings option costs $12,250, slightly more than the $11,950 estimate for standard gravel, but the city opted for millings because the material is more durable and will not push off when vehicles turn.

In other public works business, the council approved $800 to replace a tree at 330 Walnut St. that was damaged by municipal roadwork. Public Works Director Josh Smith said that during a ditch-shaping project two years ago a city excavator inadvertently tore out a significant portion of the tree’s roots, causing it to die.

The city will use funds from the street budget to hire a local contractor to remove the tree, pull the stump and plant a comparable replacement.

Smith also provided updates on several minor infrastructure repairs throughout the city, noting that crews are fixing a sinkhole that appeared on Walnut Street and a cracking storm manhole at the intersection of Factory and Fourth streets.
Other recent street improvements include the completion of paving on Walnut Street and replacing the curb and gutter on Center Street.