Kendall well project proceeds despite hitches

By SARAH PARKER | County Line Editor

Though Kendall’s well project has been beset by snags and delays, “things are moving along,” Andy Zimmer of MSA Professional Services told the village board at its meeting Monday. 

The project consists of demolition of the existing No. 2 wellhouse and adjacent former creamery foundation. Also, the well casing has been raised above flood elevation and the site filled and rough graded for the construction of a new wellhouse. The new pump discharge piping has been connected to the existing water system near the bike trail. A secondary connection on South Railroad Street/Highway 71 will be made in the spring. Moreover, the project includes building and electrical improvements at wellhouse No. 4. 

The basement walkway separating an old foundation where the Kendall Creamery once stood from the Menn-family-owned apartment-building basement has been enclosed by masonry, Zimmer said. A footer was found under the existing doorway, so contractors did not have to install a new one, he said. 

He added, though, “A bit of an anomaly was found during the demo of the existing wellhouse building and the pump base itself.”

The well construction report had indicated that the well was constructed with 12-inch exterior casing and 10-inch interior casing. But workers found instead an existing 16-inch casing, which extended about 3 feet below the pump case. 

The original specifications called for a partial demolition of the existing pump case, with anchoring and reinforcement, Zimmer said. But because the casing was 16 inches, the entire pump base had to be removed. Olympic Builders, the contractor for the project, has not indicated how much more it would cost, though “it seems like they were in and out of there pretty quickly,” Zimmer said. 

Additionally, soil samples at the south wall of the former creamery yielded “suspected” gasoline contaminants, “presumably tied to the old Madden Oil site,” Zimmer said. That site had been remediated and closed in the early 2000s. 

MSA determined that the presumed contaminants were “pretty low strength” and had hoped that the soils could be spread and allowed to remediate at the village’s dump site. The DNR rejected that plan, though. 

Zimmer said it was possible the soil could be incorporated into the wellhouse construction project; otherwise, it would have to be taken to the Monroe County Landfill. 

The DNR is requiring two full-scan samples at the cost of about $1,300. 

If necessary, the Monroe County Landfill would take the soil at $40 per ton if the contaminants are fewer than 200 parts per million, Zimmer said. 

Zimmer noted that naturally decomposing organics can result in a false positive for contaminants. 

Labor shortages have affected Kendall’s well project, too. In particular, Olympic Builders has struggled to find a mason subcontractor, but the company recently found a replacement.  

Additionally, due to changes in personnel, the electrical subcontractor will have a new project manager for the Kendall project, plus Alliant Energy has a new area representative, who also will play a role in the project. 

In the end, the board approved two change orders for the project: 1) changing the static mixer at well No. 4 from PVC to stainless steel to resist expansion and contraction forces; and 2) change electrical service at well no. 4 from a 240-volt Delta system, which Alliant Energy is phasing out, to 480-volt Wye system. A transformer will be installed to operate the village siren. 

Earlier this year, the board approved the first change order: addition of a valve on the existing main to keep the apartment building in service until the new wellhouse connecting main is tested and placed in service.

After the change orders to date, the contingency fund will drop from about $78,000 to roughly $52,000.

The engineering budget is down to $16,959, “and we’ve got a long way to go,” Zimmer said. “We’re doing the best that we can to try to keep costs down, and thankfully we’re providing on-site representation only when needed, and thankfully David (Gruen) has been through a major facility upgrade project with the treatment plant and knows construction very well.”

Other business

• After a closed session, the board hired Matthew Leisso as its new police officer. He will work 15 hours per week at $20 per hour and will serve a probationary period. 

• The board approved a picnic license for the Community Club of Kendall, which will host a holiday program at 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11. Country musician Tor Eness of rural Ontario will perform at the event. 

• The board set holiday bonuses at $100 per full-time employee and $75 per part-time employee. 

• Village garbage bags will be for sale at the Kendall Public Library, Fireball Lanes, and the Kendall Village Office.  

• The village will donate $200 to the Kendall Senior Dining Site. 

• The board approved a $4,600 bid from Robinson Brothers to demolish a house at 206 White St.

• The board agreed to move forward with a variance request to exceed setback requirements for David and Donna Heilman, who live on Waffle Street. 

The village approved abandonment of the affected portion of the street in 2004, but never took action on the matter. The Heilmans’ building permit for a garage was approved in 2012. Meanwhile, through two different projects, the Heilmans spent about $10,000 on their driveway, which was technically still Waffle Street. 

Earlier this year, while looking at a GIS map, Dave Heilman discovered the street never had been abandoned. 

The matter was referred to the village’s attorney, who will draft the variance.   

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