Latest Update & Meeting Confusion

This past week and a half have been busy with staff making contact with potential strategists/lobbyists who we might be able to hire to assist us in negotiating acceptable Main Street solutions with the DOT. We continue to communicate with DOT staff, and are also keeping in close contact with state legislators.

We were hoping to have enough information in hand for a Village Board meeting next Monday, April 1st. At this point we just don't have enough details in order for that meeting to happen. This topic will likely be considered at the April 15th Board meeting (check back on the blog for more information on what will be discussed that evening).

I do need to apologize to the Waunakee Tribune staff for some confusion. Several days ago we informed the Tribune of the April 1st meeting plans. When we made the decision a couple days later to NOT hold the meeting, we were able to change the legal notice. However, at that point a story was already written by Tribune staff. The story mentioned that an April 1st meeting was to be held. I would like to make it clear that Tribune staff is not at fault for the confusion.

2013 Main Street Utility Improvements

In preparation for the future WDOT street improvements of Main Street, Waunakee Utilities, in cooperation with the Village of Waunakee, will begin utility construction improvements along Main Street in the next few weeks. The project will provide upgrades to the existing sanitary sewer and water main utilities along Main Street. The Utility Commission recently awarded the project to Allen Steele Company, Inc., from Lake Delton, Wisconsin. Allen Steele will be working with several local subcontractors during the project.

The project limits will extend from O’Malley Street to Division Street and will include repairing the existing sanitary sewer system, re-lining the existing sanitary sewer main and service laterals, repairing the existing water main, installing some new water main, and replacing some of the existing water service laterals.

Main Street will remain open to vehicle traffic during the construction; however there may be some lane restrictions to accommodate the construction activities. The project may cause temporary service disruptions to existing sewer and water users, but the disruptions are anticipated to be minimal. Those affected will be notified in advance of planned service outages; however services disruptions may still occur in the event of an emergency.

The construction is tentatively scheduled to begin the week of April 1st and it is anticipated to be completed by the middle of July, weather permitting. 

The public is invited to attend an informational open house to provide additional information and answer questions regarding these scheduled improvements. The Open House will be on Wednesday, April 3rd from 4pm until 5pm at Waunakee Utilities, 322 Moravian Valley Road, in the Waunakee Industrial Park.

Project updates will be available on the Waunakee Utility or the Village of Waunakee web sites or you can contact Jim Madden, Village Construction Manager at (608) 850-8500 or via email at jmadden@vil.waunakee.wi.us.

Background on North Mendota Parkway Project

Work on the North Mendota Parkway project dates back more than 10 years. If you'd like to do a little light reading (note the sarcasm!), here are links to information on Dane County's website.

• This is the first effort that created a report all the communities and Dane County approved in 2003:  http://www.countyofdane.com/execcommittees/northmendota/index.htm
• This is the latest report that was completed in 2010 and includes mapping of the parkway. http://www.countyofdane.com/plandev/planning/North_Mendota.aspx

The Village is unaware of further formal work to advance this project beyond what you find on these sites.

Village Board Presented Info on Current Options

On Monday, March 18th, the Village Board received a presentation from Village Engineer Kevin Even with updated information based on what the Village has been told by the DOT as to Main St. options. What remains complicated is that the options provided by the DOT remain in question because other approval authorities at the State level have not signed off on them. No action was taken by the Village Board, nor was action expected at this meeting.

Click on this link to view the slides that Kevin presented: http://www.waunakee.com/DocumentCenter/View/1278. You can also view the materials that were presented as part of the Village Board's meeting packet by clicking here. Once to the meeting window, the documents available are displayed in the right hand window frame under "Supporting Materials."

Click Here to read the Waunakee Tribune article which summarizes the discussion from the meeting.

At this point a number of other steps are being taken, including:

• DOT continues to review alternative feasibility. The Village has not yet received word on when we should have an updated response from the DOT.
• The Village Administrator is meeting with potential strategists / lobbyists to assist with the Village's effort to reach top level decision makers in advocating our desired outcomes. A proposal(s) may come before the Village Board shortly to formally engage a strategist / lobbyist. A schedule for this action is not yet set.
• The Village Administrator and Village President are seeking a meeting with the Chamber Director and Chamber President to better coordinate overall communication efforts regarding this project. Meeting date is yet to be determined, but connections have been made.
• State Senator Jon Erpenbach and County Supervisor Tim Kiefer are helping to facilitate a meeting of multiple agencies at multiple governmental levels in order to clarify and explore issues related to the 4-lane Main Street requirements vs. other broader alternatives (i.e., bypass, North Mendota Parkway, etc.). No meeting is set at this point, but work is underway to do so.
• As a reminder, the decision to construct the signals at Main/Holiday and roundabout at Main/Century has not changed. Those plans are being engineered and are moving forward. Timing is the big question - will that work be done in 2014 or 2015??? The answer is dependent on what option is carried out for the rest of the Main Street project (portions heading east of the roundabout).