Council approves bids for Illinois Street project
Police Officer Tyler Zach.
By Steve Van Kooten
This spring and summer are stacking up to be a busy construction seasons for Prairie du Chien, with multiple projects, including the county jail, roundabouts and possibly even the public safety building, either starting or finishing before the end of the year.
Another project going forward this summer is road construction on Illinois Street. The council approved bids to go out this past December, and the bidding process opened on Feb. 10.
At the council’s Feb. 17 meeting, Matt Muchow, a civil engineer with Vierbicher Associates, said G-Pro Excavating had the low bid at $1,385,376.25.
“There was a lot of interest in it; there were six bids, which is great... The bids came in very competitive,” said Muchow.
G-Pro has worked with the City of Prairie du Chien in the recent past, including projects on St. Feriole Island, 1st Street and Haydn Street.
Other bidders for the project included BKC Construction, Gerke Excavating, JI Construction, Owen’s Excavating and Trenching, and H. James & Sons. The bids topped out at approximately $2.29 million.
He added that G-Pro’s bid was a “couple hundred thousand” lower than what was expected. “It’s kind of challenging construction with how tight it is to the railroad and the working space… The prices here were very good.”
Some of the savings may be offset by the project’s proximity to the railroad, which has observation and flagging costs the project has to deal with. Muchow said those expenses are not included in G-Pro’s bid, but they are grant eligible.
“They will basically be charging $2,700 a day for the length of the project,” said Muchow. “That could add anywhere between $170,000 and $200,000 to that.”
The total cost of the project was originally estimated to be $2 million. The project is partially funded by a $1 million Community Development Block Grant received by the city this past year as well as a loan from the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program. The latter includes $309,000 in principal forgiveness, according to Muchow.
Work to be completed includes the reconstruction of Illinois Street between Webster and Washington streets, including curb and gutter, asphalt pavement, sanitary sewer and laterals, water main and services, and storm sewer.
Prairie du Chien Utility Director Larry Gates said the city wants to replace the service lanes in that area as quickly as possible because many of them go under the railroad tracks, making them difficult to work on when breaks or other problems occur.
Construction is planned to start in early- to mid-summer, with project completion around October. Muchow estimated a 75- to 80-day timeframe once the contractor gets underway.
Public information meetings are expected to take place in March, but as of the deadline, those dates and times had not been announced.
New officer
Police Chief Kyle Teynor swore in Officer Tyler Zach during the council meeting. Zach reportedly started with the department on Monday, Feb. 16.
“We’re happy to have him,” said Teynor. “I don’t take swearing in new cops lightly, especially young cops, and he’s got a young family as well.”
Zach graduated from Seneca High School in 2016. He joined the army and then spent four years working with the MFL Mar-Mac Police Department before crossing the river to Prairie du Chien.
St. Patrick’s Day Parade
The council approved this year’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade but not without some discussion regarding the parade’s route through the city.
The parade is set for Saturday, March 14, at 10 a.m. and is organized by the Prairie du Chien Area Chamber of Commerce.
According to Teynor, the parade route has gone east on Blackhawk Avenue, turned north on Michigan Street and then back to the island via Washington Street. But some participants do not follow the full route, dispersing near People’s State Bank, rather than turning on to Michigan Street.
He added there are spectators who set up on Michigan and Washington streets to see the parade but aren’t getting to see the whole thing because some people stop following the route.
“I think it’s doing a disservice to the residents on Michigan [Street] when we advertise the route, and it’s not adhered to,” he said.
Teynor added the parade is going to try the usual route that ends on St. Feriole Island this year.
“So, if you’re a business owner or an organization that wants to take part in the parade, we want to make it equitable for everyone that’s attending all the way down Michigan Street and all the way down Washington Street,” said Teynor.
In attendance were alderpersons Andy Ringgold, Kayla Ingham, Mark Bowar, Bob Granzow, Vicki Waller, Nick Crary and Nate Bremmer. Mayor Dave Hemmer, Abram, Nate Gilberts, Street Superintendent Nick Gilberts and Gates were also in attendance. Jaaren Riebe was absent.
The next regular board meeting is scheduled for March 3.
Other business
• The City is working on a grant through the Department of Energy for LED lighting replacements at Hoffman Hall. The grant could be for as much as $80,000, according to Abram.
• Bids for the public safety building project will be out until March 10. Abram said at least one local contractor has submitted a bid.
• The city will hold a public hearing on March 3 at 6:30 p.m. regarding the upgrades for the wastewater treatment facility. The meeting will take place before the scheduled council meeting.
