Initial Contracts Awarded for Sewer Repairs

The Shorewood Village Board approved five contracts Tuesday as part of the initial planning stages of a proposed $71.5 million sewer repair project.

Four engineering firms  in January each were awarded contracts, not to exceed $15,000, to develop preliminary design memos for specific areas of the village assigned to each firm.

A fifth contract, not to exceed $45,000, was awarded to one of the firms, Clark Dietz Engineers, to serve as coordinator for the four engineering firms.  Village engineer Mustafa Emir, who developed the village's initial plans for the sewer repair work,  works for Clark Dietz.

As proposed at a , each firm will focus on one section of the village as part of the first steps of repairing sewers that caused significant flooding last summer resulting in severe residential basement backups.

Work for the preliminary design memos includes examining the initial plans presented by the village engineer and either furthering the initial plans or developing alternative plans.

The design memos also are to include cost estimates, recommended approach and illustrations, among other detailed data. The work is expected to take up to 60 days.

"Once this work is done ... we are going to have a better picture, a more defined picture of what we already presented to the village," said Village Trustee Jeff Hanewell.

The four firms and the village areas they will address are: Ruekert/Mielke Engineering, southeastern section; Clark Dietz Engineers, northeastern quadrant; Strand Associates, Inc.,  basin 1; and Baxter &Woodman, basin 6.

Clark Dietz will meet with the village board again, at a date yet to be set, to discuss its proposal for a study on separating the storm sewer and sanitary sewer systems.