Altoona, Wisconsin City Council Meeting, April 24, 2025: Whitetail Woods Approvals, Contract Awards, Container Park Update

The Altoona Common Council met in Council Chambers at Altoona City Hall at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 24, 2025, and adjourned at 7:48 p.m. Mayor Brendan Pratt presided; all council members answered roll call and a quorum was present. The council approved prior minutes and a consent resolution, heard public comment on Otter Creek Landing and Whitetail Woods, approved the first phase of Whitetail Woods, awarded multiple construction and design contracts, received a Container Park budget update, and referred a zoning petition to future meetings.

Consent Calendar & Procedural Approvals

• The council approved the April 10, 2025 regular council minutes and the April 15, 2025 organizational council minutes; one council member abstained on the April 15 minutes.
• Resolution 4B-25, recognizing World Migratory Bird Day on Saturday, May 10, 2025, was approved on the consent agenda.

Reports & Department Updates

• Mayor Pratt and staff reported on the Rally in the Valley lobbying trip in Madison, covering child care, tax reform, TIF/economic development, efforts to widen the 2024 housing bill, EMS funding, and regional mental-health beds.
• Police Chief Kelly Bacin reminded the council of the emergency services pancake breakfast on Sunday, April 27, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., and described lobbying for regional mental-health beds. Parks and Recreation staff announced the River Prairie Festival on May 10, the new Borsch House food vendor at the Container Park, and an osprey pair using the River Prairie platform. The council also recognized Deputy City Clerk Ann Lean for becoming a certified Wisconsin municipal clerk.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Randall Walmer, 2503 Cottagewood Lane, said all 18 Otter Creek Landing units are rentals, criticized the $375,000 asking price and the developer’s sales process, and said conditions attached to prior approvals—including signs, sidewalks, parking, and tree preservation—have not been met. He questioned what penalty the city would impose and urged the council not to approve Whitetail Woods on “more promises.”
• A speaker identified as from Chippewa Falls and apparently representing the developer responded that Otter Creek Landing is not an apartment complex, that six of the rented twin homes are currently under options to purchase, that higher interest rates slowed winter sales, and that the 18 renter households are happy. The speaker described Otter Creek Landing as a success and said the company has invested millions of dollars in Altoona.
• Kim Lynham, 6780 Nine Mile Creek Road, raised concerns about the Whitetail Woods final plat: limited and potentially unsafe access, sight-distance problems at the Nine Mile Creek entrance, fire apparatus access, lack of written fire/police approvals, and drainage from 44 acres onto neighboring property. He said there are only two entrances, not the four used in the traffic impact analysis.
• Charlene Lynham, 6789 Nine Mile Creek Road, urged the council to impose a two-story height limit to preserve neighborhood character, require documented approvals, and immediately address standing water, collapsed silt fencing, erosion, and mosquito risk. She asked who inspects silt fences after rain and when the planned drainage swale would be installed.

Discussion Items

Whitetail Woods Final Plat — Phase 1

• Planning Director Taylor Greenwell presented the application. The preliminary plat has 172 lots; Phase 1 contains 28 lots: 7 twin homes, or 14 zero-lot-line lots, plus 10 single-family lots and 4 multifamily lots on roughly 64 acres zoned R1, R3, and twin home. The land was annexed from the Town of Washington, the TID was amended, the property was rezoned on August 10, 2023, and the preliminary plat was approved on July 11, 2024.
• At full buildout, the development would include 54 single-family units, 57 twin-home structures totaling 114 units, and 4 multifamily lots. Twin-home density would be 6.4 dwelling units per acre and single-family density 4.01 dwelling units per acre; multifamily density would be reviewed later through site plans.
• Staff noted environmental review findings: two wetlands, one with buffer impacts allowed by a conditional use permit and one approved for filling by the DNR; steep slopes requiring erosion mitigation; and 21 of 25 trees over 24 inches in diameter approved for removal, with replacement planting producing a net total of 84 additional trees.
• The applicant proposed dedicating 1.79 acres of parkland, paying $53,000, and completing $55,000 in park improvements, which staff said exceeds the 3.19-acre land-dedication minimum.
• Staff recommended approval as conditioned, and the Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval at its April 22, 2025 special meeting.
• Staff and surveyor/engineer Mark Erickson responded to resident concerns: county right-of-way permits for access from County Trunk Highway SS had been issued and provided to Ms. Lynham; site-distance work including tree clearing and a guardrail would be completed; the fire chief reviewed the plat as compliant; and final grading plans include a perimeter drainage swale around the neighboring properties, tied to Phase 1 construction. Public Works staff said the stormwater system must handle the 100-year, 24-hour rainfall event, about 6.5 inches, and that the contractor would be asked to repair failing silt fence.
• The council approved the Phase 1 final plat as conditioned.

Whitetail Woods Developer’s Agreement

• The council approved the required developer’s agreement for Phase 1. Staff explained that financial assurance is set at 125% of the developer’s estimated cost to complete required work, protecting the city if the developer fails to finish.

Northeast Utility Extension Bid

• The city awarded the 2023-03 Northeast Utility Extension contract. The low bid was $1,803,640.72, under the TID budget of about $1.95 million. The approval motion named the contractor as Hawks and Sons, although the staff comment earlier in the transcript names the low bidder as Cost Sons. The project is TID-funded and was rebid after the earlier bid was released because of final plat timing. When a council member asked whether the developer would pay any of the $1.8 million utility/railroad-crossing cost, the response was none; it is covered by the TID agreement and the developer’s guaranteed increment obligations.

Pavement Preservation Program Bid

• The council awarded the pavement preservation bid to Farmer Asphalt Sealers LLC for $241,955.65. Planned work includes crack sealing, microsurfacing in the Sandalwood/Timber View area and near St. Andrew’s/Southwest Court, and a double chip seal on Lake Road from the bridge to River Prairie Drive. Council members discussed reducing chip seal use in favor of microsurfacing; staff said chip sealing is used selectively as a cost saver.

Otter/Vernon/Pleasant Reconstruction Project Bid

• The council awarded the Otter/Vernon/Pleasant reconstruction bid. The project is part of an intergovernmental agreement with Eau Claire; the city’s share is about $400,000 of the total. The approval motion stated the total amount as $1,242,595.85 to the bidder identified as Skid Steer Guy, though the earlier staff comment was transcribed as $1,243,595.85. Work will include utility work, storm sewer replacement, surface reconstruction, and a new fire hydrant on Vernon near the fire station.

Hillcrest Estates Safe Room — Architectural/Engineering Contract

• The council awarded a $71,000 architectural and engineering services contract to Lean and Peterson of Eau Claire for the Hillcrest Estates FEMA-funded safe room. The facility is planned at 5,600 square feet and designed to hold up to 890 people, with construction targeted to start in September 2025 and finish by the end of the year. Staff said the review committee evaluated eight proposals and interviewed three finalists; FEMA funds are already with the state, and the contract places any shortfall on the park owner.

Container Park Programming and Budget Update

• Staff reported that all containers are now on site, welding and anchoring are underway, gas lines are scheduled for the restaurants, and concrete flatwork is targeted for early May; opening is expected in June or July 2025.
• Proposed additions include a 24-by-30-foot pavilion in front of the stage, a volleyball court, Sunday concert programming, and other “lighter, quicker, cheaper” activities. The pavilion steel has a 10-week lead time and is now expected to be a fall project. A council member asked about bicycle parking; staff agreed to plan for it.
• Budget update: $150,000 is available, from $55,000 in the 2025 budget for the pavilion/tent, $65,000 remaining from the Division Street project, and $30,000 in parks carryover. Anticipated costs include $15,000 for volleyball courts, $55,000 for the pavilion, $9,000 for chain-link fencing, $5,000 for a garbage enclosure, $2,500 for dance-floor surfacing, $10,000 for an auxiliary cooler with the vendor covering overage, $15,000 for lawn/site prep, $2,000 for security cameras and Wi-Fi plus $180 per month, and $15,000 for repurposed audio equipment.
• Staff noted the overall Container Park project was roughly $1.6 million, including $883,000 budgeted for the containers, and that most of the project funding came from federal dollars. No formal action was taken on the update.

Zoning Petition Referral — Section 19.56.070

• The council acknowledged receipt of a petition to amend Altoona Municipal Code Section 19.56.070 regarding permanent fencing around undeveloped areas and referred it to the May 13, 2025 Plan Commission meeting and the May 22, 2025 City Council meeting. Staff explained the change would help screen undeveloped portions of the Container Park site along Lynn Avenue; a separate conditional-use review would still be needed for an 8-foot fence.

Key Outcomes

• Approved the April 10 and April 15 council minutes, with one abstention on the April 15 minutes.
• Approved Resolution 4B-25 recognizing World Migratory Bird Day on May 10, 2025.
• Approved the Phase 1 final plat and the developer’s agreement for Whitetail Woods.
• Awarded the Northeast Utility Extension contract at $1,803,640.72.
• Awarded the Pavement Preservation Program contract at $241,955.65.
• Awarded the Otter/Vernon/Pleasant Reconstruction contract at $1,242,595.85.
• Awarded the Hillcrest Estates Safe Room architectural/engineering contract to Lean and Peterson for $71,000 and authorized the mayor to execute it.
• Referred the Section 19.56.070 fencing petition to the May 13 Plan Commission and May 22 City Council meetings.
• Received the Container Park update as informational; no separate vote was taken.

All votes were voice votes; no roll-call tallies were recorded.

Miscellaneous Business & Communications

• Staff announced a garlic mustard pull at Centennial Park on Saturday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to noon, and noted an Earth Day cleanup earlier in the week.
• Staff reported that WisDOT plans to replace the Otter Creek bridge on Highway 12 in 2028, which could eventually allow a trail connection between Centennial Park and Fairway Park, potentially with grant support.