Dorchester considers hiring different engineering firm
Dorchester’s elected officials are looking at possibly hiring a different engineering firm to handle future street projects after their public works director raised concerns about the firm currently providing those services.
For the last several years, Dorchester has been working almost exclusively with engineers and consultants from MSA Professional Services, on everything from road work and phosphorus control to budgeting and grant-writing.
However, after one of MSA’s main engineers passed away unexpectedly last year, DPW Clint Penney said he’s not as confident in the work being done by others at the firm, especially when it comes to managing street projects. Penney told the village board at its April 1 meeting that he’s been shopping around for different engineering firms, and he found one he likes — Cooper Engineering out of Rice Lake.
“Out of the seven or eight we interviewed, Cooper really shined,” he said.
Besides being a better fit for street work, Penney said Cooper also seems well-suited to help with Community Development Block Grants (CDBGs) and other grants used to fund local projects.
Penney said the village’s utility operator, Rick Golz, also spoke with someone at Cooper who handles water and sewer issues, and he was pleased with what he heard. MSA currently has a contract with the village to handle phosphorus limits at the local sewer plant, but Penney said that contract is ending soon.
When trustee Daniella Schauer asked Penney what Cooper charges for its services, Penney said it’s really hard to compare one firm’s pricing to another because they all bill differently. For example, he said some firms charge for engineers to attend meetings, while others don’t.
Board members said they wanted to hear directly from Cooper and two or three other engineering firms before making a decision. They also plan on inviting someone from MSA to speak to the board about Penney’s concerns.
Trustees wanted to know about the status of an existing contract between MSA and the village for mapping out all of Dorchester’s manholes, valves and other underground infrastructure using satellite technology.
Penney said the village is still tied into that contract, but he hasn’t heard from anyone at MSA for the past four weeks even though the project is supposed to be completed by mid-June. The village hasn’t paid MSA the full contract amount because the work isn’t done, he noted.
The lack of communication on the GIS mapping project is one example of why he thinks the village should replace MSA with another firm, Penney said.
“I’m not comfortable with them anymore,” he said. “I don’t want to deal with them.”
Penney said he would like Cooper or another company lined up soon so they can start helping the village plan projects on Front and Third streets for next year.
Still, Schauer and other trustees wanted to know about all their options, so they voted to invite Cooper, MSA and a couple other firms to next month’s meeting.
Other business
_ The board authorized police chief Gary Leichtman to spend up to $2,000 with Computer TR for a computer at the new office. The original quote shown to the board totaled $1,963, but that included two computers at a cost of $749 each. Leichtman said he only needs one computer, so the total price could be as low as $1,200.
_ The board passed appointed trustee Keith Lageman to the parks and recreation committee.
_ The board renewed the village’s liability insurance through Spectrum Insurance, at a cost of $39,922. Village president Kurt Schwoch said the premiums have gone up slightly since Dorchester switched to Spectrum a few years ago, but it’s still much cheaper than what the village was paying before.
_ The board authorized clerktreasurer Michelle Dunn and deputy clerk treasurer Christie Erikson to attend the Wisconsin Municipal Clerks and Treasurers Institute in Green Bay, July 12-17, with their offi ce being closed during that time.
_ The board approved a declaration of emergency authorizing the village president to take actions and approve expenditures without board action, in response to the COVID- 19 outbreak.
_ The board approved a threepart motion: to get cost estimates for bringing villages the Ventrac and 656 tractor “up to snuff,” to seek bids from interested buyers and to get quotes for buying new vehicles as replacements.
