Projects line up as village debt shrinks

By Patricia Bogumil

Editor

Besides being able to offer a zero tax levy increase for the seventh year in a row, the Village of Waterford Board is also in a financial position to undertake four major projects in the next five years, Village President Tom Roanhouse said.

Projects on the horizon include:

      • Local work in conjunction with the state’s upcoming highways 20/83 project.

When the state begins its planned reconstruction work in 2018 on highways 20/83, the village will also pay for a resurfacing project from First to Milwaukee streets.

More importantly, new sewer lines will be installed in that part of the village, Roanhouse said.

“It’s just a good business decision to replace them when the road is going to be opened,” he explained. The current lines are the oldest infrastructure in the village, he said.

      • Riverfront/Ten Club Park redevelopment.

Consultants in every study of the village in the last 10 years have emphasized the need to take advantage of the village’s natural resource, the Fox River, Roanhouse said.

Plans are now in the works to do just that for Ten Club Park and the Second Street riverfront property near the Safety Building, which is owned by the village. “This is long overdue,” Roanhouse said.

This month, the Village Board authorized seeking requests for proposals for the design and engineering to make the areas more user-friendly and accessible to everyone, Roanhouse said.

“It’ll be gorgeous when it’s done!” he said.

The project could be completed in about two years, Roanhouse estimated. “Everybody should be able to take advantage of our village by the water,” he said.

      • Gateway Technical College partnership.

The village plans to build in the Industrial Park an estimated 8,000-square foot building for Gateway’s new curriculum for fire training at Station 2, and sleeping quarters for 8 to 16 people in connection with that project, Roanhouse said.

The new fire training curriculum will be 90 percent hands-on and 10 percent academic, he said. Students will be able to learn everything about their job before they leave, Roanhouse said.

“It’ll be very good for Gateway and very good for Waterford.”

Plans call for the village to construct the building; Gateway will lease it for use as a training facility.

The votes have been taken by the village to enter into a lease agreement with Gateway, Roanhouse said, and have some preliminary design work done.

Within 5 years the village could easily be a regional training center, because this is so innovative, Roanhouse said.

The partnership will also bring people into the Waterford community and help sustain local fire and rescue services.

Manpower is an issue for every small community with a volunteer fire department and rescue services, Roanhouse said. He credited Richard Mueller, the village’s new fire chief, for developing the curriculum. Mueller is a fire instructor for Waukesha and Gateway Technical College

Roanhouse said the Gateway partnership “will probably be one of the most significant things that have happened in our community.”

• New industrial park.

Roanhouse said another significant project for the village board is the continued exploration of developing another industrial park for the community.

“Our job is to move this community forward and we recognize that if business wants to come here, they have limited choices in where to locate,” Roanhouse said.

The village’s Community Development Authority has spent a year doing its due diligence on how best to develop, Roanhouse said. No area for a new industrial park is in mind, he said.

“We’re not yet that far. We still have to understand the impact of an industrial park and how we can suit it to our village,” Roanhouse said.

Sewer and water are big considerations, as are topography, location and financing.

“We’ve spent a whole year with developers, finance people, engineers, trying to incorporate all the aspects so that when we decide to pull the trigger, we’re making a good decision,” Roanhouse said.

All of these projects are possible because for the last eight years, the village has been paying down its debt, Roanhouse added. “We’re in a good position to go forward, we’ve got a great community we’re proud of and we’re going to make it better.”