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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Fitchburg Board of Public Works Meeting - March 2, 2026

Common Council & City Boards — Monday, March 2, 2026

BodyFitchburg, Wisconsin

SessionCommon Council & City Boards

DateMonday, March 2, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 44:21

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

0:00

Hi, I'm Jeremy Brockby, and I'm Nick Boucher.

0:02

We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city, Talking Fitchburg.

Speaker 2

0:06

Every weekday, we pulled together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Pittsburgh.

0:12

Find Talking Fitzburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web.

0:18

Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on

Speaker 1

0:20

Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service.

Speaker 2

0:23

This is your city.

0:24

Keep up with Talking Fitzburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors.

Speaker 1

0:29

Get connected, Fitchburg.

0:31

We're launching Fitchburg Connect, the city's new monthly e-newsletter that keeps you informed about all the events, services, and updates that matter to you.

0:39

Get it in your inbox once a month.

0:41

Sign up today to get Fitchburg Connect.

Speaker 3

1:17

With me in chambers, I have Don Gutkowski and Dave Wilburne.

1:20

And remote, I have Kim Lobdel, Alder Herbst.

1:24

Is excused today.

1:27

I see nobody in chambers or online for public appearances for non-agenda item, so I'll go ahead and move on to item three on our agenda, the approval of minutes.

1:38

Would somebody like to make a motion to approve the February 16th

Speaker 4

1:41

minute?

Speaker 3

1:42

I would like to move.

1:43

We approve February 16th meeting.

1:45

Second.

1:46

Excellent.

1:46

Is there any discussion?

1:48

Changes, comments, anything.

Speaker 5

1:50

None.

Speaker 3

1:51

Seeing none, I will call the vote.

1:53

All in favor of the meeting minutes as drafted in the agenda packet.

1:58

Say aye.

1:58

I it is unanimous.

2:02

Excellent.

2:03

Moving on.

2:05

Uh report from the director of public works, Mr.

2:08

Tim Volker.

2:09

Take it away.

Speaker 4

2:11

Thank you.

2:11

A couple follow-up items from our last meeting, which was on February 16th, 2026.

2:18

Uh Alder Herbst had brought up a speed limit sign post that was knocked down off uh King James Way.

2:26

That was actually repaired last Monday prior to our meeting by uh City of Public Works Streets staff.

2:33

So I followed up with Mark the next day, and his staff actually saw it during the day and made that repair.

2:42

And then last meeting also regarding resolution R-49-26.

2:49

That was the resolution approving the affidavit of correction to the public pedestrian bike path easement and maintenance agreement and assignment on lot 66 of outlot 41 and outlaw 42 in the seventh edition to 9 Springs.

3:06

Halder Jet Sir, I think you had asked kind of how that request came about and who who noticed the legal description that needed to be revised.

3:15

So that the original legal description was actually over the entire outlots for both 41 and 42.

3:23

So the property owners came back to the city and they just wanted the uh legal description to be the width of the easement, which was 20 feet.

3:33

So that therefore that's why the the legal description was revised.

3:38

It was the property owners had requested it.

3:40

They didn't want it to be over the entire lot just over the the 20-foot wide easement.

3:47

And then lastly, uh we had our sidewalk assessment resolution and uh kind of during that discussion item the MGE project that happened this past year.

4:01

Alder Herbst I believe had asked if any of the broken sidewalk off of Spoke Drive and Sprocket Drive was caused by MGE and um any repair or any broken sidewalk that they did cause they had already replaced.

4:17

So I'd confirm that with Zach Laundry, who's overseeing our sidewalk replacement project, and he confirmed MGE has already replaced the sidewalk they broke.

4:28

So any sidewalk that we are repairing along Spoke Drive and Sprockett Drive are just due to general wear and tear of the sidewalk.

Unassigned speaker

4:41

And

Speaker 4

4:42

then next up, a couple project updates.

4:44

Our 2026 street resurfacing project.

4:48

Bids will open next week, Tuesday on March 10th, 2026.

4:55

And then our 2026 sidewalk replacement project.

Unassigned speaker

5:00

We anticipate advertising that project in April 2026.

Unassigned speaker

5:08

And

Speaker 4

5:08

then lastly, our our water tower D, that's our new water tower going up off of Highway 14 in Uptown.

5:18

The crane is uh expected to arrive on site this Thursday.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Stormwater Management█████████████████████████████████████████████49%

Public Works██████████████████████24%

Procedural██████████11%

Public Engagement████████9%

Public Infrastructure████4%

Budget Equity Analysis███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Fitchburg Board of Public Works Meeting - March 2, 2026

The Board of Public Works met on March 2, 2026, at 6:00 PM to discuss routine approvals, a detailed report from the Director of Public Works on utility budgets, construction projects, and a stormwater permit annual report. All actions were unanimous.

Consent Calendar

Approval of Minutes (February 16, 2026): Motion by Don Gutkowski, second by Kim Lobdel. Unanimously approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

No members of the public appeared in chambers or online for non-agenda matters.

Discussion Items

Report from Director of Public Works Tim Volker

Speed limit sign repair: The knocked-down sign on King James Way was repaired by city crews on February 23, 2026 (prior to the previous meeting).
Resolution R-49-26 (pedestrian bike path easement): The property owners requested the legal description be revised to cover only the 20-foot wide easement, not the entire outlots (41 and 42 of 9 Springs).
Sidewalk assessments: MGE had already replaced all sidewalk they broke on Spoke and Sprocket Drives; remaining repairs are due to general wear and tear.
Project updates:
- 2026 street resurfacing: bids open March 10, 2026.
- 2026 sidewalk replacement: advertising planned for April 2026.
- Water tower D (Highway 14, Uptown): crane arrives March 5; tower erection scheduled for March 6, 2026. FACTV will record the process.
Utility budget amendments: A spreadsheet was provided covering 10 city buildings, showing heating/cooling methods and actual vs. budgeted 2025 utility costs. Buildings over budget: City Hall (+$17,000), West Fire Station 2, East Fire Station 3, the libraries, and the community center. Discussion included challenges with heat pump repairs (West Fire Station 2 had a broken heat pump for 1-2 years, affecting bay heating) and budgeting methodology (5-year average + 3% increase; cold Nov/Dec 2025 led to overruns).
Questions: Alder Gutkowski asked about fire station bay area conditioning; Volker noted in-floor heating and that stations use geothermal. Budgeting contingencies were discussed (3% increase insufficient this year). Staff will check if the city pays commercial or residential utility rates.

NR216 Permit Annual Report (Resolution R-52-26)

Presenter: Ben (stormwater staff). The report covers the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit for 2025. Key statistics:
- 28 construction sites over 1 acre in Fitchburg; 17 new permits issued; 509 municipal inspections.
- Illicit discharges: none found in routine screening; two reported but not part of annual screening.
- Post-construction: 10 new private BMPs approved; annual inspection reports from 73 sites (follow-up ongoing).
- Pollution prevention: 103 inspections on municipal BMPs; 42 sites with low-priority maintenance suggestions (mostly vegetation).
- Street sweeping: 281 tons removed.
- Budget for public involvement: $700 budgeted, $50 spent (mainly waterway cleanup supplies).
Discussion:
- Alder Gutkowski questioned repeat violators; Ben noted most enforcement is educational (verbal/written warnings); one stop-work order in 2025.
- Outfall inspections: 33 of 265 evaluated (major outfalls inspected every 3 years; minor outfalls on 10-year cycle).
- Mapping: The GIS public map link was incorrect; Ben will update. The city already meets TMDL phosphorus and TSS reductions.
- Salt vs. beet juice: 800 tons of salt vs. thousands of gallons of beet juice/brine (BioMelt AG64, 80/20 blend). Use depends on weather; staff calibrate trucks to optimize application (calibration data will be added to future reports).

Key Outcomes

Resolution R-52-26 (NR216 Permit Annual Report): Motion by Kim Lobdel, second by Dave Wilburne. Approved unanimously. Staff will incorporate suggestions (calibration credit, improved public GIS link, budget reallocation for education).
Next meeting: March 16, 2026, same time and location.
Adjournment: Motion by Don Gutkowski, second by Kim Lobdel. Meeting adjourned at 6:14 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Hi, I'm Jeremy Brockby, and I'm Nick Boucher. We're your hosts for the program that's all about your city, Talking Fitchburg. Every weekday, we pulled together the news, events, and information you need to stay on top of what's happening in the city of Pittsburgh. Find Talking Fitzburg on Cable TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and our live stream on the web. Plus, you can find all our headlines and stories on Facebook, YouTube, and our video on demand service. This is your city. Keep up with Talking Fitzburg and the issues affecting you and your neighbors. Get connected, Fitchburg. We're launching Fitchburg Connect, the city's new monthly e-newsletter that keeps you informed about all the events, services, and updates that matter to you. Get it in your inbox once a month. Sign up today to get Fitchburg Connect. With me in chambers, I have Don Gutkowski and Dave Wilburne. And remote, I have Kim Lobdel, Alder Herbst. Is excused today. I see nobody in chambers or online for public appearances for non-agenda item, so I'll go ahead and move on to item three on our agenda, the approval of minutes. Would somebody like to make a motion to approve the February 16th minute? I would like to move. We approve February 16th meeting. Second. Excellent. Is there any discussion? Changes, comments, anything. None. Seeing none, I will call the vote. All in favor of the meeting minutes as drafted in the agenda packet. Say aye. I it is unanimous. Excellent. Moving on. Uh report from the director of public works, Mr. Tim Volker. Take it away. Thank you. A couple follow-up items from our last meeting, which was on February 16th, 2026. Uh Alder Herbst had brought up a speed limit sign post that was knocked down off uh King James Way. That was actually repaired last Monday prior to our meeting by uh City of Public Works Streets staff. So I followed up with Mark the next day, and his staff actually saw it during the day and made that repair. And then last meeting also regarding resolution R-49-26. That was the resolution approving the affidavit of correction to the public pedestrian bike path easement and maintenance agreement and assignment on lot 66 of outlot 41 and outlaw 42 in the seventh edition to 9 Springs. Halder Jet Sir, I think you had asked kind of how that request came about and who who noticed the legal description that needed to be revised. So that the original legal description was actually over the entire outlots for both 41 and 42. So the property owners came back to the city and they just wanted the uh legal description to be the width of the easement, which was 20 feet. So that therefore that's why the the legal description was revised. It was the property owners had requested it. They didn't want it to be over the entire lot just over the the 20-foot wide easement. And then lastly, uh we had our sidewalk assessment resolution and uh kind of during that discussion item the MGE project that happened this past year. Alder Herbst I believe had asked if any of the broken sidewalk off of Spoke Drive and Sprocket Drive was caused by MGE and um any repair or any broken sidewalk that they did cause they had already replaced. So I'd confirm that with Zach Laundry, who's overseeing our sidewalk replacement project, and he confirmed MGE has already replaced the sidewalk they broke.

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