The Common Council met 02/21/2024. The public portion of the meeting was short, lasting only around 15 minutes. They did also spend around 45 minutes in closed session “deliberating or negotiating the purchasing of public properties and the investing of public funds, regarding the U.S. Venture development project;” however, no action was taken during the closed session.
The Council separated three items out for individual votes
- The request to award the wastewater treatment plant Sludge Piping and Digester Heat Exchanger Replacement base bid to Rohde Brothers for a total including contingency of $1.8 million
- The request to award the 2024 Peabody Park Trail Project to MCC, Inc. for a total with contingency of $126,661.70
- Resolution 12-R-23 calling for the closure of the Whitman yard waste site.
The first two items were approved unanimously, and the Whitman yard waste site resolution was denied unanimously.
I’ve prepared a transcript of the discussion for download:
THE SLUDGE PIPING AND DIGESTER HEAT EXCHANGER REPLACEMENT BID had been approved unanimously by the Finance Committee. During the committee meeting, Utilities Director Chris Stempa had reported that the project was “well under budget”. Their was no discussion about the item at the Council level other than Alderperson Vered Meltzer (District 2), the chairperson of the Utilities Committee, urging everyone to vote for it.
THE REQUEST TO AWARD THE 2024 PEABODY PARK TRAIL PROJECT TO MCC, INC had also been approved unanimously by the Finance Committee. During that meeting it had been briefly discussed that this project covered the reconstruction of the existing trail through Peabody Park and that this was one of two park trail projects the city had budgeted for in 2024, the other being the Highview Park Trail which would be coming forward in the next few months.
At the Council meeting, Alderperson Alex Schultz (District 9) asked if this project included anything along the seawall in the park. Director of Parks, Recreation, and Facilities Dean Gazza answered that this project only covered reconstruction of the existing trail in the park. The seawall was a totally different project; staff continued to monitor the existing wall and plan for an upgrade in the future.
RESOLUTION 12-R-23 CLOSURE OF THE WHITMAN YARD WASTE SITE had been recommended for denial by the Municipal Services Committee which their decision being particularly influenced by the fact that closing the site would impact the existing agreement Appleton has with Grand Chute to allow Grand Chute residents to access its two yard waste sites.
Alderperson Chad Doran (District 15), the author of the resolution, spoke briefly, thanking staff for their work, saying, “In the end, I think we learned some important things. We have given the staff the opportunity to make some changes that they think will improve operations, which is a good thing. And just wanted to share my appreciation for the work they did on this to get us some answers so that we can make a good decision based on the information that we have.” He ended up voting along with the rest of the Council in favor of denying the resolution.
View full meeting details and video here: https://cityofappleton.legistar.com/MeetingDetail.aspx?ID=1143130&GUID=C1227AED-D4CE-4D40-8D3D-25EEA99CE204
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