Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Cahill Park has been cordoned off for crews to dig a detention basin that will provide rain relief for residents in the southern end of the village.
The light poles and backstop at Cahill Park baseball field came down Tuesday, marking the beginning of a four-month-long detention basin project that will bring rain relief to the south end of the village. The public will not be able to use Cahill park or the parking lot until the project is completed. The tennis courts, pavilion and playground area will remain open for public use. The project is expected to be completed by October 1. The project will incorporate Friends of Bay Baseball's plans to install an artificial turf infield. The booster organization's $400,000 remodeling plans also include two dugouts, a new scoreboard and concrete stadium seating. The project received a $150,000 contribution from the Whitefish Bay School District …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Village Board moves forward with plan to create new utility to pay for millions in sewer improvements.
Most Whitefish Bay homeowners would pay about $400 per year to help pay for storm sewer improvements, if the village goes forward with creating a new storm water utility. The Village Board Monday took a step toward the creation of the utility that will be used to fund an annual average of $2.35 million in storm sewer improvements over the next 15 years. The village has spent about $816,000 per year on storm water improvements over the last four years, and the approved 15-year capital improvement plan would nearly triple the village's annual expenditures. The village's ability to raise property taxes is limited by state levy limits, so a storm water utility would allow the village to fund those planned sewer improvements. But unlike …
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Trustees will hear a presentation about the creation of a storm water utility – and decide whether it should be implemented in Whitefish Bay.
The Village Board could decide Monday night whether a storm water utility fee will be implemented in Whitefish Bay. The Village Board will hold a special meeting at 6 p.m. Monday at Village Hall to hear a consultant's presentation about the creation of a storm water utility, which would bill all users - including schools, churches and other tax-exempt groups – for their portion of the storm water system's expenses. A storm water fee would be charged based on each property's storm water impact. Trustees hired Crispell-Snyder, an engineering consulting firm, in March to research the creation of a storm water utility, and they will present their findings at the Monday night meeting. Crispell-Snyder made a similar presentation on March 21, and…
Friday, April 19, 2013
The village did not experience any reported backups or street flooding, despite more than three inches of rainfall in a 24-hour period.
Whitefish Bay sewers were able to withstand heavy rainfall Wednesday and Thursday without any problems, according to village officials. The MMSD rain gauge at Shorewood DPW recorded 3.2 inches of rain from 11 a.m. Wednesday to 11 a.m. Thursay, said Village Engineer Dan Naze. Despite the storm being categorized as a once-in-five years storm recurrence, no basement backups or street flooding were reported to Village Hall. Crews measured the rain flow in about 20 sanitary and sewer manholes –mostly south of Fairmount Avenue – and found moderate to high sanitary flows in all of them. Several of the sanitary pipes were flowing full or were nearly full, Naze said. Naze said there was a large amount of clear water in the sanitary laterals in …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Whitefish Bay trustees awarded a $2.2 million contract for the detention basin, and will soon be choosing a contractor to install storm water pipes at Estabrook Park.
Whitefish Bay trustees have chosen a contractor to oversee the Cahill Park detention basin project, which will begin in roughly one month. The Whitefish Bay Village Board on Monday night awarded a $2.2 million contract, including a 5 percent contingency budget, to H&H Civil Construction, which has completed 75 ball field and grading projects in the past. The work is expected to begin on May 15. The project consists of excavation, restoration, storm pipe reconstruction, parking lot reconstruction, and the reconstruction of the baseball field, which will be made of artificial turf. A new underdrain system would be built under the baseball field to manage excess rain water. Friends of Bay Baseball's plans to install an artificial turf infield…
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Whitefish Bay's sewer system has been able to handle more than three inches of spotty rainfall since Tuesday.
Whitefish Bay officials say the sewers are still holding up, despite these early April showers. Despite three to four inches of rainfall since Tuesday, Assistant Village Engineer Aaron Jahncke said that – as of 12 p.m. Thursday – there have been no sewer backups caused by capacity issues . "We've received a pretty good amount of rain," Jahncke said. "Fortunately it’s been happening in waves, so the sewers have been able to handle it." The village has received three or four reports of sewer backups caused by private lateral deficiencies, however. These lateral deficiencies, often caused by root intrusions, result in large amounts of rain water seeping into foundation drains and causing basement backups. Although some streets have seen small…
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Whitefish Bay's improvements to the storm water system are the largest construction project funded through the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program in Wisconsin.
The federal government has confirmed it will award a $3.1 million grant for storm water sewer projects in Whitefish Bay. In a news release issued by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency, the agency announced it has approved $3.1 million in Hazard Mitigation Grant Program funds to Whitefish Bay for the upgrading of several storm sewers, including the construction of the Cahill Park detention basin to alleviate flooding to nearby properties. “The Hazard Mitigation Grant Program enables communities to implement critical mitigation measures to reduce the risk of loss of life and property,” said FEMA Region V Administrator Andrew Velasquez III. “The improvement to the storm water system will reduce flood …
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
A new detour took effect Tuesday from Bartlett Avenue to Hampton Road. Construction is expected to last three months.
Southbound Lake Drive traffic was detoured at Bartlett Avenue Tuesday, marking the beginning of a three-month water main replacement project. Southbound traffic has been rerouted from Lake Drive onto Bartlett Avenue, then onto Hampton Road before directing vehicles back to Lake Drive. A temporary four-way intersection was created at the intersection of Bartlett Avenue and Hampton Road to accomodate the increased traffic coming south on Bartlett. The detour will last through Friday, and will temporarily be opened for Easter weekend before resuming the detour on Monday, April 1 through April 12. The village does not expect to reroute northbound traffic during the project, which is expected to last until June 28. The $1.2 million project will…
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Village officials will discuss the creation of a storm water utility system that charges each property in the village based on its storm water impact.
The creation of a future storm water utility district will be discussed Thursday night at Cumberland School. Under a storm water utility system, all users - including schools, churches and other tax-exempt groups – would pay for their portion of the storm water system's expenses. A storm water fee will be charged based on each property's storm water impact, similar to the way utility fees are applied to water and sanitary sewer users, Consultants and village officials will introduce the first phase of the storm water utility process at 6 p.m. Thursday in the Great Room of Cumberland School. "We're going to be going over the need for a storm water utility, and go over the calculations and estimates to see how different methods are priced …
Monday, March 18, 2013
FEMA will pay for 75 percent of a $4.2 million storm water detention basin that will soon be constructed in Cahill Park.
Whitefish Bay will only have to pay $523,000 for a $4.2 million storm water management facility in Cahill Park, thanks to a grant from the federal government. Village officials recently learned that the Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded a $3.1 million grant for the storm water management facility, which will reduce storm water flows in the southern end of the village. Now that the funds are being granted by FEMA, the state government and Whitefish Bay Village Board will split the remaining balance, which is roughly $1.1 million. Village Manager Patrick DeGrave said the village hopes to start the project in early spring. The Cahill storm water management system would construct a dry detention basin with an eight- to nine-foot drop…
Vinny
9:26 pm on Wednesday, May 15, 2013
This is a project that, those who fought for it, never expected a ceremonious shovel dig at the beginning of the project. I'm sure what they'd rather have is the Village support when it's all done. I hope it turns out that way. The softball diamond was a blight and the upgraded baseball diamond and landscaping could be an improvement - just hope the hole in the ground isn't too bad... more ›