High Street - 7th Ave N to 10th Ave N
American Asphalt finished paving this project last Saturday. The Street was re-opened Tuesday and this portion of High Street is complete.
 
Wastewater force main river crossing
The surface layer of asphalt remains on Blue Heron Lane and at the intersection of Pepper Ave and Ridgewood Trail. Final restoration remains in the park and a small piece of trail needs to be paved near 2nd Ave. American Asphalt is expected to complete the remaining paving next week.
 
West Side Lift Station
Miron Construction continues work for new pumps and electrical components within the new sump well.
 
Wisconsin River Green Space and Recreation Project
This week Janke Construction finished all sidewalk trails throughout the project. They also completed grading and topsoil installation all the way through the entire project. Revi Designs planted trees along Mead Street and 2nd Street. They also began installing landscape edging and plantings in the East Riverbank Conservancy. Current Technologies installed the light pole in Demitz Park and performed miscellaneous electrical work in the East Riverbank Conservancy. Next week Revi Designs will continue landscaping in the East Riverbank Conservancy. Janke will be offsite next week and will return later to finish installation of handrails under the Riverview Expressway Bridge, by the fishing pier, along 2nd Street and along the stairs in the East Riverbank Conservancy.
 
High Street - 12th Ave N to 17th Ave N
Pember completed all but the last two blocks of sidewalk for this project. Sidewalk preparation was completed with road base for these last two blocks. Topsoil restoration is complete from 14th Ave N to 17th Ave N with seeding to take place in the spring. The street was final graded and American Asphalt paved the binder layer for the entire street. American is expected back next week to pave the final surface layer. The street remains closed for through traffic.
 
Van Buren Street – 8th Ave N to 10th Ave N
American Asphalt paved the entire street late this week and the street should re-open soon.
 
10th & 12th St Sidewalk Project: 
10th St. (Grove-Wood), Wood Ave (10th-12th) and 12th St (Wood-River Run)
Pember completed the majority of the concrete flat work this week. Hot-mix asphalt patching began late this week and will be completed next week. Topsoil restoration will follow to complete this project.
 
City Hall Generator
This week, the concrete pad and electrical conduits were placed in preparation for a new emergency generator installation for City Hall.
 
Centralia Center Gardens
The concrete patio was installed by City crews as part of the Centralia Center garden project. Additional sidewalk and landscaping components are also planned for this site.

High Street - 7th Ave N to 10th Ave N
No work this week. The final surface layer remains before this project is complete. American Asphalt is expected to complete paving by early November. The street remains closed although residents have access to their homes.
 
Wastewater force main river crossing
The surface layer of asphalt remains on Blue Heron Lane and at the intersection of Pepper and Ridgewood trail.
 
West Side Lift Station
Miron Construction continues work within the new sump well. Precision Grading completed the backfilling this week.
 
Wisconsin River Green Space and Recreation Project
This week prime contractor Janke Construction completed the concrete trail along the Wisconsin River and finished installing the concrete steps in East River Bank Conservancy (see photo). They also finished work on the sidewalk/trail along 2nd Street. The Janke crew worked on installing the wood decking on the fishing pier in Demitz Park and plan to begin the grading and installation of topsoil in the East Riverbank Conservancy. Subcontractor Revi Landscaping finished planting and restoration work in Demitz Park. They moved on to 3rd Street, working from Demitz Park to the north, continuing restoration work. Current Technologies was onsite installing the light post in Demitz Park. They also installed conduit within the East Riverbank Conservancy. Next week Janke will complete all of the concrete in the East Riverbank Conservancy, weather permitting. They will continue working on the fishing pier decking and topsoil placement and grading on the project.
 
High Street - 12th Ave N to 17th Ave N
This week City crews completed all the underground work for High Street. Pember will be back next week to continue work on the curb and sidewalk. City crews will begin topsoil restoration work.
 
Van Buren Street – 8th Ave N to 10th Ave N
Asphalt paving remains for this project. American Asphalt is expected to complete paving by early November.
 
10th & 12th St Sidewalk Project
10th St. (Grove-Wood), Wood Ave (10th-12th) and 12th St (Wood-River Run) Pember concentrated work efforts on this project this week as the weather was good for paving. About two- thirds of the project is complete. Pember plans to finish all the concrete work next week weather permitting. Topsoil restoration will follow.

​The City is hiring an Administrative Assistant to provide administrative support to the HR Department and City Attorney. 
Responsibilities include but are not limited to:
​
·      Serving as a central contact for employees
·      Scheduling applicant interviews, pre-employment screenings, and conducting background checks
·      Making entries and running reports in the HR/Payroll System (HRIS)
·      Responding to employment verification requests
·      Reviewing and coding invoices
·      Assisting with benefits and annual enrollment activities
·      Maintaining personnel records, I-9s, and HR forms
·      Assisting with Committee and Council minutes and packets
·      Assisting with open records requests
 
The successful candidate will have strong time management, problem solving, and customer service skills and possess the ability to maintain confidentiality.
 
Requirements for this position are a High School Diploma (or equivalent) and an Associate Degree.  May consider completion of formal post high school classes and 2+ years of administrative experience.  Previous work experience in HR or a legal environment is preferred.  Candidate must possess demonstrated competency with HR and Payroll systems (such as PeopleSoft or Workday) and advanced skills working with Microsoft Office Suite products.
 
Salary range for this full-time position is $42440-$46841, with an excellent fringe benefit package. (Salary based on 1.0 FTE). Position may be a .8 or 1.0 FTE.
 
Applications will be accepted through November 9. Please submit cover letter, resume, and applications to [email protected].
Applications can be found at this link: https://www.wirapids.org/uploads/1/0/3/3/103347874/application_form_-_3-2018.pdf
 
 
If you require assistance during the application process, please call 715-421-8214. The City of Wisconsin Rapids is an equal employment opportunity employer.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
 
City of Wisconsin Rapids
CITY INSPECTOR
 
Responsibilities include reviewing residential and/or commercial building, plumbing, and electrical plans for compliance with codes and standards; conducting residential and/or commercial building, plumbing, electrical, and health/nuisance ordinance inspections; and enforcing related codes. Issues permits and citations and collects fees. The successful candidate will have strong customer service and communication skills.
 
Requirements for this position are as follows:
·    High school diploma or equivalent.
·    Vocational/technical training in construction trades.
·    3+ years of inspection experience.
·    Valid drivers’ license.
·    UDC Electrical, Plumbing, Construction, and HVAC Inspector certifications. Commercial Building, Commercial Plumbing Inspector, and/or Commercial Electrical Inspector certifications preferred. Consideration may be given to assist a qualified candidate to obtain required certifications within 6 months of employment.
 
Salary range for this full-time position is $55,742-$63,608, with an excellent fringe benefit package.
 
Applications will be accepted through November 5. Please submit cover letter, resume, and applications to [email protected].
Applications can be found at this link: https://www.wirapids.org/uploads/1/0/3/3/103347874/application_form_-_3-2018.pdf
 
 
If you require assistance during the application process, please call 715-421-8215. The City of Wisconsin Rapids is an equal employment opportunity employer.

Director of Public Works Report
Activity Report for September, 2018
 
Airport:

• The tarmac and taxiway construction project is well underway
• Fuel sales and aircraft activity continue to exceed last year’s purchases and use

 
Buildings and Grounds:

• Stump removals are underway with around 40-45 complete
• Tree clearance pruning for vision triangles is in progress
• Winterization of sprinkler systems, splash pad, concession stand, and entrance at Witter are in progress or completed. Remaining winterization will be complete within the next two weeks.
• Mowing continues with 1 – 16’ large mower and 2- 61” zero turn units
• The first fall auction is complete with a second one being prepared
• Zoo seasonal shutdown is 75% complete
• Site planning and construction preparation is underway for generator replacements at City Hall, and both Fire Stations
• Work has started on the garden project at the Centralia Center
• Painting of entrances at the Centralia Center is underway

Engineering: 

• 26 Permits/Applicationsfor driveway grades, concrete pour inspections, storm water, excavating
• 188 Diggers Locates for Storm Sewer & Sanitary Sewer
• Letters were mailed the week of September 24thto property owners notifying them of the Preliminary Resolutions recently adopted for alleys in 2019 and 2020.

Traffic:

• Plans for improvements at Lincoln St and Riverview Expressway are ~90% complete.  
• Public Works received concerns about pavement markings on CTH Z at 8thSt S.  City staff are working on addressing these concerns with Wood County Highway Dpt.  
• 16thStreet Pavement Marking Modifications related to Lincoln HS – Pepper Ave to E Riverview Expressway
• Gaynor Ave/25thAve Traffic Counts were performed to determine ways to increase safety at this intersection.  Peak time was in the AM with 1110 total vehicles in 45 minutes with the two highest movements as follows: 221 vehicles WB, 179 vehicles EB.  This is being reviewed further to determine potential to modifications to increase safety.   
• Hill St/Mead St Traffic Counts were performed to determine if yield control was still appropriate.  Peak time was in the AM with 13 vehicles WB left and 54 vehicles NB right.  165 total vehicles in 45 minutes.  
• Reviewed Expressway operations after updating the timing plans.
• Preemption Testing occurred with City, CN, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of the Commission of Railroads.

 Project Designs/Construction underway:

• Centralia Parking Lot – Excel Engineering who is working on the Northpointe development is currently redesigning the Centralia Parking Lot to fit with the proposed development.
• Sidewalk Cutting/Grinding inspections and cutting work is proposed to occur in October.
• Sidewalk Maintenance and Curb & Gutter maintenance is still planned to occur this year; however, discussions with the contractor are currently taking place to determine priorities and scheduling related to the City’s other projects.  

2018 reconstruction projects:

• Van Buren (8thAve N to 10thAve N) and High Street (7thAve N to 10thAve N) – topsoil restoration is complete and road is ready for paving.
• High Street – 12thAve N to 17thAve N – underground construction activity is currently at between 13thAve N and 14thAve N.
• 29thAve Storm Sewer Replacement was completed mid-May.
• 10thSt S sidewalk project – City crews removed topsoil and Pember Co. is expecting to start pouring concrete the first week of October.  

 2019 & 2020 designs for reconstruction projects:

• Structure Inspections are 100% complete for the 2020 design/construction projects
• Preliminary surveys that are complete: Jefferson St (25thAve to east dead end), 2ndAve S (Expy to 10thAve S),  10thSt (Grove to Airport is complete).  
• E Grand Ave sewer & water plans are complete.
• E Grand Ave (Bridge to 3rdSt) including 2ndSt (Birch St to E Grand Ave) plans are 60% complete

 E River Bank Recreational Trail:

• Phase I –Work continues in Demitz Park and has progressed along 2ndSt S.  
  • Change Order No. 1 was signed 6-5-18 for a contract decrease of $208,966.30.
  • Change Order No. 2 was signed 6-14-18 for a contract decrease of $16,031.00.
  • Change Order No. 3 was signed 7-27-18 for a contract increase of $3,500.
  • A contract modification was approved in August for the 2ndSt S cutoff wall at Sta. 415+45 to 418+50 to accommodate Wisconsin River flood plain modeling and DNR requirements.  The modification increases the cost by $87,602.40.  
  • Final Construction costs are estimated to be $2,428,938 compared to the low bid amount of $2,688,631. 
• Phase I & II –Public Works and Parks & Recreation met for an onsite meeting September 26th, 2018 to review Phase I construction and Phase II scoping.  

 Storm Water Utility:

• One Mile Cr. – The draft legal description and easement document is complete and will be mailed to the property owners for review and consideration in October.

• Stormwater Management Plan– almost 300 page report is being reviewed and will be sent back with comments in October.  

Streets:
Construction Activities:

• Completed Storm, Sanitary and Water from 15thAve- 13thAve. Progress is slower than expected due to the amount of rock.  Contractor are scheduled to come in on Monday 10/1 to blast rock in some areas.
• Road Base placed on High Street from 15th– 14th.
• Concrete curb and gutter poured from 17th– 14thon High Street
• Topsoil finished on Van Buren from 10th– 9thAve
• Topsoil finished on High Street from 10th-7thAve.
• Gravel is finished Graded and ready for pavement on Van Buren from 10th-9thAve
• Gravel is finished Graded and ready for pavement on High Street from 10th– 7thAve.
• Intersection of 10thand High and 7thand High will be closed on Monday to be paved Monday afternoon
• Topsoil removed from 10th Street Grove – 300’ north of Wood and other areas to get ready for sidewalk project

 Maintenance Activities:

• Painted new driving lane layout for 16thStreet south
• Completed all the long line on highways 
• Replaced transmission in 9-year-old loader
• Received proposals for 2020 Refuse truck purchases
• 10 Catch Basin repairs – 3 of which were full rebuilds.  6 are completed with restoration, 3 need curb, asphalt and 1 needs just asphalt.   Others will follow as time allows, concentrating on those that will not need hot mix coming into fall.
• Black dirt restoration of concrete curb repairs and catch basins underway  
• Paver Patch/Overlays with use of County Paver on 14 different locations.  2 of those locations consisted of Asphalt overlays covering more than 550’.  Those chosen locations were generated from spring street checks and using the GIS Collector App on digital tablets.
• Removed sod in preparation of 10thstreet/Wood/12th/River Run sidewalk
• Saw cut misc. hot patch areas
• Swept chip seal streets and residential assigned areas (Highways Thursday night every two weeks)
• Screened approximately 200 tons of Black dirt in preparation for High Street Restoration
• Assisted in drilling steel for concrete repairs for K&S energy on Jackson St (gas main construction)
• Mowing of east side route as well as continued west side mowing utilizing recycling truck driver 3 days a week
• Screened  compost at west side yard waste site and moved existing pile to other windrows for further composting
• Casting inspection and adjustment of 10 manholes including chip seal covered manholes, asphalt covered manholes, abandon obsolete 21” castings and replace with 22” castings, hot patch areas, and water & light valve manholes
• Monthly brush pick-up of East and West side routes
• Emergency Sanitary repairs of two private laterals on Chestnut St between 9thStreet South and 17thStreet South

 
Wastewater:
 

• Plant staff has procured a new source for our phosphorus removal chemical poly aluminum chloride, we should save approx. $1,200 per tanker load, or $7,200 annually.  
• Collection system crews have been cutting roots, cleaning catch basins, televising sewers, cleaning lift stations, and assisting street department construction staff as needed. 
• Recent anaerobic digestion optimization efforts have plant staff trialing a new biogas mixing technique. The new process would allow us to turn off our gas cannon system up to 1/3 of the time, saving the Utility significant electric costs. 
• Exceptional Quality Class A biosolids are available for local residents and companies to come and take for their use as state certified commercial fertilizer! 
• Ellingson Trenchless alongside A1 excavating has completed the river crossing portion of the force main project. A1 looks to have the remaining open cut and restoration work complete by the week of 9/24. Miron also has surpassed the 50% complete mark on the lift station portion. 
• October means end of effluent disinfection season. We will be performing our annual winterization process on the UV system and putting it away for the season. This also means lower electric bills! 
• Liquid train nitrification still appears to be helping to improve our biological microorganism settlability. Nitrification of ammonium nitrogen means higher oxygen demand from nitrosomasbacteria, which means higher blower electric costs, but does seem to be solving our settlability problems. Which are paramount in terms of plant capacity. 
• Collections System staff will be televising all of the sewer laterals on Chestnut St, from 8thSt to 16th St this month to verify liner condition. 
• The Wastewater Treatment Department has developed a mission statement: 

“Our Resource Recovery Facility strives to efficiently and effectively reclaim water, make green power, and produce Exceptional Quality fertilizer.”  
 
Other:
 
I met with Transportation Secretary Dave Ross and briefly discussed needs for the State and Local governments to work more closely to develop realistic maintenance and replacement schedules for connecting highways.