EM hears proposal for $75,000 in studies to position village for infrastructure funds
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
ELK MOUND — The Elk Mound Village Board has received a proposal for $75,000 in water and wastewater studies to position the village to apply for funds available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Sheryl Claflin and Jon Strand of CBS Squared presented information to the village board at the February 21 meeting regarding studies that would help the village apply for the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program, the Clean Water Fund, United States Department of Agriculture Rural Development funds, and in addition, a water report, a wastewater facility plan and a USDA environmental report.
With new development coming into the village as part of the Settlers Ridge residential development, now is the time to look at long-term planning so the village’s water and wastewater systems are not under-sized and under-capacity, Claflin said.
Elk Mound’s infrastructure will be increasing and the population will be increasing in a way that has not occurred before at a scale of this size, Strand said.
It is critical to look at everything from the road surface to the water system to the wastewater system and the wastewater treatment facility, he said.
Funding will be available through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and if the village is going to spend money on infrastructure, now is a good time to do it, he said.
The studies will be conducted in a such a way that they can be used to help apply for funds from a variety of sources instead of doing separate studies for each different application, Strand said.
CBS Squared is proposing to not just do a study but to include information on the systems with options on how to fund each of the components, Claflin said.
President Joe Biden signed the $1 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill into law in November of 2021.
Jim Rooney, representing Settlers Ridge LLC, spoke about proposed development in Elk Mound that could add up to 1,000 residents to the village during an August 3, 2020, village board meeting.
Phase I of Settlers Ridge is currently under construction and is expected to include six eight-plex units and three 12-plex units.
Phase 2 of the development is expected to add 250 apartment units.
Water
The water report would include an evaluation of system components, water looping modeling, storage tank siting and modeling, future well planning, prioritization of improvements, life cycle analysis, operation and maintenance calculations and short-lived assets, Strand said.
As Elk Mound adds population, the village will need a third well, he noted.
The information from the studies can be used to leverage the grant money available, Strand said.
Fire flow requirements would be another part of the water study, he said.
In areas where there is currently a six-inch water main, the water main size may need to be increased to eight or 10 or 12 inches as the roads are being developed, Strand said.
A reservoir loop would be recommended when an additional water reservoir is added to the system, he said.
Wastewater
An evaluation of the wastewater system and the wastewater treatment plant will be essential to determine what improvements may be required, Strand said.
Since the wastewater treatment plant discharges to a wetland, how the discharge area can be expanded will have to be considered, he said.
The sewer lines will have to be evaluated to determine where replacements are needed along with a life cycle analysis and operation and maintenance calculations, Strand said.
The sanitary sewer system upgrades will be determined by the Pavement Surface Evaluation and Rating (PASER) of the village’s streets, and the sanitary sewer lines will have to be evaluated for where they should be replaced or where they can be relined, he said.
Very few of the streets in Elk Mound are in good condition, and they will need to be built off a five-year street improvement plan, Strand said.
Stormwater system updates will be needed as well as an overall stormwater plan, he said.
USDA Rural Development is a 40-year payback and has an open application process, Strand said.
The Clean Water Fund and Safe Drinking Water Program are a 20-year payback. Intent to apply must be submitted by October 31 with notification of funding being issued the following May, he said.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation Surface Transportation Program is 80 percent grant funding and 20 percent loan. The community completes the application, and there is an additional environmental clearance cost, he said.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill will put more money into the Clean Water Fund and Safe Drinking Water Program, and 49 percent of that funding must be devoted to a grant program referred to as “principal forgiveness,” Strand said, noting that the money for the Clean Water and Safe Drinking Water programs comes from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and is administered by the state Department of Natural Resources.
The WisDOT STP program is looking for applications for projects that are ready to be completed now, he said.
The intent of the studies and developing infrastructure plans is so the information is all lined up and ready to go for the requirements of the funding agencies, Claflin said.
The studies will be done in such a way as to not duplicate effort later on, she said.
The funding recommendations will be made so the funding can be layered and the village is not contributing as much in matching funds, Claflin said.
$75,000
According to information provided to the village board, the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program study would cost $3,799 while the Clean Water Fund study would cost $5,644, and the USDA Rural Development study would cost $15,812.
The water report would cost $15,960, and the wastewater facility plan would cost $19,400.
The USDA environmental report would cost $14,296.
The facility studies will include how to fund the improvements, how to move forward and how to use the dual-purpose information, Claflin said.
Would the village pay the engineering fees up front and then be reimbursed as part of the grants? asked Terry Stamm, village trustee.
During pre-application meetings with the funding agencies, the engineering fees can be discussed. If the USDA, for example, requires a bigger engineering agreement, then the engineering fees would be included in the reimbursement, Strand said.
Bringing the agencies in up front allows them to get a feel for the projects and will put them in the loop right away, which in the long run, will go better for the grant application, Claflin said.
The village, as a whole, does not qualify for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds, Strand noted, adding that there may be “pockets” of the village that would qualify, but trying to write applications for only segments of the village is “lots of paperwork.”
The idea is to a have “a big picture plan” so the village board will know where the money is coming from as the projects come up, Claflin said.
If the village was ever going to apply for Clean Water Fund money, this is the year to apply, Strand said.
The USDA will look at the village as a whole and will determine whether it is worthwhile to apply or say “no, here’s the problem,” he said.
Steven Abraham, village president, pointed out that all of the funding, both grants and loans, is ultimately taxpayer money, whether it comes from the federal government, the state or local funds.
Claflin acknowledged that it was true the grant funding and the loan funding is something everyone pays into but that Elk Mound will not get the funding if Elk Mound does not ask for it.
The DNR will help prioritize some of the projects through activities such as enforcement conferences, Stamm noted.
The biggest concern is to have a 5-10-15 year plan and finding the money to fund the plan, Claflin said.
The goal is to find the money “to make it happen,” so the Elk Mound Village Board can make decisions, she said.
Abraham forwarded the CBS Squared proposal to the public works committee to review the information and then make a recommendation to the village board.
Claflin and Strand said they would be available for the public works committee meeting to answer questions and provide additional information.
