By Ed Nadolski
Editor in chief
The City of Burlington has reached an agreement with We Energies that requires the utility to reimburse the city for additional costs that may be caused by the improper installation of buried electrical lines in 2013.
The City Council voted unanimously Dec. 16 following a closed-session discussion to approve the agreement, according to City Attorney John Bjelajac.
The city sought the agreement after finding out a contractor for We Energies installed electrical lines along Market Street that are buried above, rather than below lines for city-owned utilities, such as water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer lines, Mayor Bob Miller said.
The mistake means the city will incur additional costs to repair and update its own utility lines in the future, Miller said.
The agreement, Bjelajac added, is intended to require We Energies to pay the difference between what it would cost the city make the repairs if the electric lines had been installed properly and what it will cost to make those same repairs while working around the improperly installed electric lines.
Bjelajac, who drafted the agreement, said We Energies had already signed it prior to the City Council’s vote.
According to city specifications, the ductwork for the electrical lines was supposed to be installed two feet under the city’s water and sewer lines. Instead, the contractor – KS Energy Services of New Berlin – in many cases installed the ducts above the city utilities.
According to the agreement, the improper installation occurred at nine intersections with water mains and at 39 of 46 other locations where the electrical ducts cross city utility lines.
The electrical ducts were installed in June or July of 2013.
Miller said he had no explanation for the botched installation other than the contractor was trying to save time or money.
He said the biggest fear on the part of city officials is that any time a repair needs to be made to one of the affected city utility lines in the area, it will have to work around the electrical ducts and incur additional expenses – whether the work is done by city crews or contractors working for the city.
Bjelajac said the agreement should protect the city and its taxpayers from having to cover those added costs.
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