Kendall’s well project progresses

By SARAH PARKER | County Line Editor

Progress has been made on Kendall’s well reconstruction project, even though construction hasn’t yet begun, Public Works Director David Gruen reported to the village board Monday. 

The village; MSA, the village’s engineer; and Olympic Builders, the contractor; continue to finalize specifications and design, Gruen said. Construction is slated to begin after Aug. 1. 

Also on Monday, the board agreed to open a bank account with Farmers & Merchants Bank for Safe Drinking Water Loan disbursements related to the project. 

The project will be funded primarily with a $1 million Community Development Block Grant and $500,000 in principal forgiveness through the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program. 

The project has seen its problems thus far. Due to a glitch in email on the County Line’s end, the newspaper did not receive an advertisement for bids in early 2022, and therefore the notice did not run. The village received one bid, from Olympic Builders for $1,521,741. The state told MSA, which serves as the village’s engineer, and the Village of Kendall that they had to redo the bid process because the advertisement for bids did not appear in the County Line. 

When the village bid the project for the second in 2022, Olympic again provided the only bid, but it had increased by about $40,000, from $1,521,741 to $1,562,035. 

The County Line did not charge the Village of Kendall for the bid notices. 

In 2021, bids came in 35–40 percent over the $1.5 million construction budget estimate, so the board agreed to rebid the project in 2022. 

Other business

• After a closed session, the board agreed to make board member Eric Schoenfeld the village’s zoning administrator, but the village will check with its attorney to ensure Schoenfeld legally can serve in that role. 

• Schoenfeld noted that the village had about $19,000 in Wisconsin Emergency Management funds to restore parts of Glenwood Park. The board considered replacing kitchen equipment and perhaps covering the cost of a water heater that had been destroyed in the August 2018 flood. (The equipment would be later moved to newer buildings.) The money has to be spent before October, Schoenfeld said. 

The village’s park committee will form recommendations and bring their suggestions back to the village board. 

• Gary Eckelberg of rural Kendall registered a verbal complaint regarding President Richard Martin, asking how the board deals with the code of conduct for elected officials. The conflict apparently is based on Eckelberg’s use of an easement that crosses Martin’s property off of Highway 71. Eckelberg maintains that Martin flipped him off during one such recent argument; Martin hasn’t denied that allegation. 

Most board members characterized the ongoing argument as a personal dispute that had no bearing on the workings of village government, but they told Eckelberg they would need a formal written complaint from him before they would consider further action. 

• The board agreed to hire General Engineering Company of Portage, Wis., as the village building inspector. 

• The village now will use Aramark as its contractor for rugs and other items. 

• The board approved operator’s licenses for Kriston Ward for the Hidden Inn and Pat Riebe for the Kendall American Legion. 

• The board approved a picnic license for the Kendall Legion, which will use the Kendall Community Hall. 

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