Board of Public Works Meeting - April 13, 2026: Sanitary Sewer and Stormwater Updates, Street Department Report, and Contract Approvals
Board of Public Works Meeting - April 13, 2026
The La Crosse Board of Public Works met on Monday, April 13, 2026, at 10:02 AM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting included presentations on the sanitary sewer and stormwater utility quarterly updates and the street department's spring operations, along with approval of a plumbing contract and a construction contract final payment. All votes were unanimous.
Consent Calendar
- Approval of Minutes: The minutes from April 6, 2026, were approved unanimously via a motion by Council President Dickinson and second by Director Trane.
- Bidder's Proof of Responsibility (25-1175): A motion by Director Trane, seconded by Council President Dickinson, approved Zimmerman Plumbing Inc. (Portage, Wisconsin) for plumbing work at $15,283,252. Vote: 5-0.
- Construction Contract Final Payment (26-0396): A motion by Director Gallager, seconded by Council President Dickinson, approved final payment for the Lab Building Rehabilitation Phase 3. Vote: 5-0.
Discussion Items
- Sanitary Sewer Utility and Stormwater Utility Quarterly Update (25-1444): Jared presented an update on the sanitary sewer collection system. Key points included:
- The city operates a 20 million gallon per day (MGD) wastewater plant, treating 10 MGD of sewage from 12 large industries and regional communities.
- Infrastructure includes 205 miles of sanitary sewer pipe and 27 lift stations.
- Proactive maintenance: 16.5 miles of sewer televised in 2025 (12.5 miles in 2024), with annual cleaning of one-third of the system (66 miles) and inspection of 500–4,000 manholes.
- Ongoing lining projects from Clinton Street to the wastewater plant, with a goal to reach Division Street; a future project from Division Street to the island is planned.
- A 2.5-mile force main from 33rd Street to Green Island Ice Arena was partially lined (2,000 feet) using eddy current inspection.
- Lift station upgrades at Hager and Pamel Creek stations are budgeted at approximately $3 million.
- Radio communication now allows control of all 27 sanitary and 6 storm stations from the plant, with backup capability in case of cyber attack.
- Questions from board members: Director Trane asked about the cost to update all underground infrastructure; Jared noted it would be a tremendous amount, citing a $2–3 million project for lining a few thousand feet. Councilmember Goggin inquired about failure response; Jared described DNR reporting requirements and a past force main leak under the La Crosse River (January 2, 2019).
- Claire then presented the stormwater utility quarterly update, highlighting the annual MS4 report submitted to the DNR. Key statistics:
- 458 catch basins cleaned by sewer crew.
- 5,382 tons of material collected via street sweeping.
- 391 best management practices (BMPs) inspected; maintenance needed on 39.
- 8 illicit discharges reported and followed up.
- 8 construction projects completed; 30 new green infrastructure BMPs approved.
- Total suspended solids (TSS) reduction at 17.3%, aiming for 20% (two new dry detention basins from WWTP upgrade will help).
- Collaboration with other departments (parks, planning, street) was noted. Council President Dickinson asked for examples of illicit discharges; Claire cited draining a swimming pool with chlorine into a storm drain.
- Street Department Updates (25-1456): Ryan presented current operations and spring activities:
- First CIP road work completed on Liberty Street (St. Cloud to St. James); currently working on King Street between 2nd and 3rd, removing asphalt and concrete.
- Winter repairs completed (sod, mailboxes, cleanup under Copeland Bridge; upcoming cleanup under George Street overpass).
- George Street overlay detachment on April 6–7 required emergency scraping and removal.
- Yard waste site opened March 30 (open Saturdays through Tuesdays until November).
- Leaf pickup started April 13 with 6 crews on the north side, plus a crew from wastewater east of Lowe's; goal to complete in one week.
- Brush pickup begins next week.
- New product: Mastic for crack sealing (applied on Lowe's, Mormon Cooley, Copeland); it is waterproof and adheres to concrete/asphalt.
- New pothole truck (5-ton with conveyor system) will start next week, reducing manual shoveling and workers' comp claims.
- Zipping and milling repairs planned for 2nd Street near La Crosse Street.
- Refuse/recycling contract with Harders expires end of 2027; rebidding process underway (request for bids within a month).
- New hook-lift plow truck (hydraulic) will allow quick conversion between leaf vac and snow plow/salter; expected by mid-June for next leaf season.
- 2026 CIP projects: 12–14 projects including park work (boat landing at Powerhouse Marine, Copeland Park, Loggers Park), slurry seal, crack seal, and concrete repair on River Valley.
- Questions: Mayor Shaundel asked about encampment cleanups under bridges (Ryan confirmed yes for homeless cleanups). Council President Dickinson asked about refuse contract length; Ryan noted the previous contract was 7+7 years, but the new one will differ because the city now owns the carts. Director Trane asked about pothole reporting (call office or 311 online) and city responsibility for state highways (within city limits is city's responsibility). Councilmember Goggin requested future quantification of savings from new equipment; Ryan said brining savings are measurable (4,000 lbs salt per event vs. 16,000–18,000) and larger trucks reduce unloading time. Ryan also described staffing: during leaf pickup, most staff are assigned; typically 3–4 crews for different tasks; sign shop and electricians work separately.
Key Outcomes
- All three motions (minutes approval, bidder's proof of responsibility, construction contract final payment) passed unanimously with 5-0 votes.
- No formal actions were taken on the presentations, but board members expressed appreciation for the updates and encouraged staff to report back on cost savings and emergency funding needs.
Meeting Transcript
All right, we're gonna get this meeting called to order at ten oh two AM on Monday, April thirteenth, twenty twenty six. Uh all Board of Public Work Members are present. I'll now take approval of the minutes from April sixth, twenty twenty-six. Motion made by something happened. Council President Dickinson. Is it oh okay? Is there a second? Second by Director Train. Uh any discussion or corrections? Seeing none, please vote. Motion passes unanimously. Next agenda item twenty five one one seven five, bidder's proof of responsibility. Director Gallagher. Thank you, Mayor. We have one for today. Zimmerman Plumbing Inc from Portage, Wisconsin for fifteen million two hundred and eighty-three thousand two hundred fifty-two dollars for plumbing work. Recommend approval. Motion to approve by Director Train, second by Council President Dickinson. Any other discussion? See and none, please vote. Motion passes unanimously. Next agenda item twenty-five one four four four presentation sanitary sewer utility and stormwater utility quarterly update. Jared. As you're figuring that out, I'm gonna jump all the way down to the last agenda item twenty six zero three nine six. You you got it. You just let us know when you're ready, but we can approve this construction contract while we're doing it. So we'll move to twenty-six zero three nine six construction contract final payment. Director Gallagher. Uh lab building rehabilitation phase three. It should be attached to your agenda. All right. Motion to approve by Director Gallagher, second by Council President Dickinson. Any discussion or questions? All right, seeing none, please vote. And that motion passes unanimously. All right, I think I'm ready. All right. All right, uh, good morning, board. Sorry about the technical trouble there. So this morning, uh, we're going to present and provide an update on sanitary sewer collection system. It seems like we talk about the wastewater plant and the upgrade and what goes on down there. What we don't talk about is the activities going on to convey sewage to the wastewater plant to be treated. You know, we have uh 20 MGD wastewater plant that has the ability to treat 20 million gallons a day. We treat 10 million gallons a day of sewage that uh is a regional wastewater treatment plant. Uh we have 12 large industries. I can see it all side right down there. This one, yep. So what we want to talk about today is the activities as it relates to sanitary sewer collection system. So we flow 10 million gallons of sewage every day to the wastewater plant. We have 205 miles of sanitary sewer pipe that we maintain and clean.
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