By Dave Fidlin
Correspondent
With a short- and long-term view of the budget and capital improvement spending, Village of Waterford officials are in the process of discussing priorities, the imminent reconstruction of highways 83-20 and incurring debt.
Village Administrator Rebecca Ewald recently asked the Village Board to meet periodically with members of the appointed Finance Committee to discuss upcoming projects. A hired financial consulting firm also is being brought into the fold.
“We’re looking at two or three possible scenarios,” Ewald said of incurring debt to fund village-initiated capital projects, many related to the Wisconsin Department of Transportation’s 83-20 work that is slated for 2018.
Some of the capital projects are routine items — including reconstruction of aging streets near the 83-20 thoroughfare. But there are other line items under consideration as well, including decorative benches, bike racks, planters and greenery that could dot the busy roadway.
Ewald said she believed it was important to have primary decision-makers – the Village Board – in the same room as the appointed members of the Finance Committee who have expertise in dollars and cents.
“There is an education component to this, particularly when you’re talking about some of the more complicated issues that include the water utility, which involves the Public Service Commission,” Ewald said. “Up to this point, it’s mostly been a debt-related discussion.”
Unlike routine capital projects, Ewald said, the village-initiated work tied to the 83-20 reconstruction is more complex because it involves other agencies.
“There are so many pieces of this project that we just don’t control,” she said. “This is about communicating and educating so everyone gets on the same page.”
At the most recent joint meeting Jan. 20, discussion focused primarily on financing options and how long debt should be taken out to bring some of the proposed capital projects to fruition.
The planned upgrades to Ten Club Park – another village-initiated project loosely related to the 83-20 work – were also discussed. According to a whittled-down list of projects, the park upgrades currently total $553,792, and a public-private partnership might be sought to bring the work to fruition.
“In my mind, we have to go ahead with the Ten Club project,” Village President Tom Roanhouse said. “But it’s going to have to be a partnership with public money and private money. The exact amount of village funds is still unknown.”
While the DOT’s 83-20 project has taken center stage in the most recent round of capital improvement talks, there are other aspects that are independent of the large-scale project.
For example, the planed expansion of Fire Station No. 2 – an upgrade that could bring Gateway Technical College into the fold as the site serves as training center – is under consideration. But where that upgrade falls within the pecking order of considered projects remains uncertain.
At the moment, the fire station project carries an estimated price tag of $729,411.
The Finance Committee and Village Board are expected to jointly make a decision on next steps in April. In the interim, monthly meetings will continue. The next has been set for 6 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17.
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