By Kim McDarison
The Fort Atkinson City Council on Tuesday, Feb. 2, gave approval to city staff to solicit terms for a loan, monies from which could be used to help pay for the purchase of a dump truck and perform street repairs.
In April, the city accepted the terms of a Wisconsin Department of Transportation (DOT) facilitated grant, monies from which will also go toward the equipment and road repair project.
In a memo to council, City Clerk/Treasurer/Finance Director Michelle Ebbert wrote that favorable interest rates offered encouragement to staff as they prepared for the purchase of Public Works equipment and revisited street repairs that were put on hold in 2020.
The city’s capital improvement plan (CIP) includes $200,000 for public works equipment, Ebbert wrote. This year, the city is looking to purchase a tandem axle dump truck with a straight plow and sander.
Bids for the equipment have not yet been received, she wrote.
In March, she said, the city was approved to receive funding administered through the DOT to help pay for a multi-road project within two of the city’s industrial parks. Monies came through the Multimodal Local Supplement (MLS) program. According to a letter from the DOT, the program is a one-time funding initiative offering up to $75 million for multimodal local system transportation projects that have demonstrated an impact on the local government’s economy.
The program assists local governments by reimbursing a percentage of funds used to improve roads, bridges, harbors, railroads, transit services, and bicycle and pedestrian paths.
The city has been approved to receive funding through the program of $388,000 or 48% of the cost of the total multi-road project proposed by the city in its grant application, which is estimated at just over $800,000, according to materials provided by City Engineer Andy Selle. To remain eligible for the grant assistance, the project must be completed within the next six years.
When the grant was awarded, Selle wrote, the timing worked well for the city.
In 2020, he said, the city “put forward a substantial amount of paving work,” but, he continued, “adding an equal volume of paving work to this would command a level of cost efficiency that would be difficult to replicate in subsequent years.”
Staff looked at borrowing rates and concluded that increases in the cost of materials over the next six years would likely match the interest accrued in borrowing for the project, Selle wrote.
A map supplied within the council meeting packet identifies the multi-road project as located on the city’s southwest side, including portions of Industrial, Butler, Ridge and Summit drives and Klement Street.
As part of the grant application, Selle, describing the city’s need, wrote: “Our city has been unable to invest in our industrial parks. These areas harbor the largest businesses in our city, both in terms of tax base and employment. Sound transportation infrastructure is critical to moving the products and employees of these firms.”
Companies impacted by road quality in the area include Jones Dairy Farm, W&A Distribution, and OSI/RediServ, Selle wrote.
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