Hwy. 40 expected to be next street project in Colfax
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By LeAnn R. Ralph
COLFAX — The next street on the Village of Colfax’s five-year capital improvement plan is state Highway 40.
The Wisconsin Department of Transportation will be resurfacing state Highway 40 from state Highway 29 to county Highway M in the next few years, said Rand Bates, director of public works, at the Colfax Village Board’s September 9 meeting.
WisDOT had originally planned to do the project in 2028, but then the project was moved to 2026, he said.
The plan is to grind the existing asphalt and then resurface Highway 40. WisDOT will cover 12 feet on either side of the centerline, but the parking stalls are the village’s responsibility.
In May of 2021, WisDOT asked the Colfax Village Board to make a decision about the parking lanes through town, whether to pave with 1.5 inches of asphalt or 3.25 inches.
The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved Option 2 for resurfacing the parking lanes with 1.5 inches of asphalt at an estimated cost of $81,670 with the right to withdraw from the project or to change the project later on.
The project estimate on the five-year capital improvement plan is $20 per linear foot.
If the village board proceeds with the project of resurfacing the parking lanes, then there would be no seam between the street and the parking stalls.
Sidewalk along the length of the project would be the village’s responsibility.
Another aspect of the project to consider is that curb and gutter should be repaired or replaced from Kyle’s Market to the University apartments.
The Main Street bridge manhole also is in need of repair.
Measurements
To more accurately estimate the project costs, measurements are needed of the parking spaces, curb and gutter and sidewalk, Bates told the village board at the September 9 meeting.
If the sidewalks are going to be replaced, then the village should send a letter to all of the property owners with sidewalks along the length of the project, Bates said.
Some of the sidewalks downtown could use help, said Gary Stene, village trustee.
Anyone who has gone to the post office lately or who has walked other stretches of sidewalk in the downtown area may have noticed the eroding v-shaped sections along the seams that extend to the curb and gutter.
The village should “get going” on the cost estimate so the funding can be figured out, Stene said.
The village has a policy that sidewalks are replaced on a 60/40 split with the property owners. The village pays 40 percent of the cost, and the property owners pay 60 percent.
Property owners who are planning to replace their sidewalks are asked to make the request for reimbursement the year before the work is completed so that the village can include the sidewalk repairs in the next year’s budget.
Anne Jenson, village trustee, asked if there was a time estimate for the Highway 40 project regarding how long it would take to go from one side of Colfax to the other, but Bates said at this point, there is no estimate for how long the work would take in Colfax.
Other projects
The next project on the five-year capital improvement list is East Railroad Avenue from Main Street to county Highway M.
Railroad Avenue would be resurfaced, and there would a small amount of storm sewer from Balsam Street west to the Synergy Cooperative/Cenex alley.
Previous cost estimates for Railroad Avenue have been in the $1 million range.
This year’s project to reconstruct Balsam Street and Oak Street received a low bid of $709,000.
The third street on the list is to reconstruct High Street from the Colfax school district bus garage to county Highway M.
The fourth project is to reconstruct High Street west from Oak Street to Birch Street.
Stene suggested High Street from Oak Street to Birch Street should the priority before High Street east of the Colfax school district.
The buses use high street every day, he said.
The next street on the list is Amble Street from University Avenue to High Street. If there is little money available, the street could be resurfaced rather than reconstructed.
The sixth project on the list is Pine Street from Railroad Avenue to the end of Pine Street.
The last project is Johnson-Olson Road from University Avenue to High Street.
Johnson-Olson Road “is not a priority and can be fit in,” according to the five-year capital improvement plan.
The order of the street projects is always subject to change, Bates said.
When the sewers are inspected with cameras, sometimes unexpected problems are revealed that can cause a street project to take on a higher priority, he said.
Building inspector
The Colfax Village Board also spoke with Josh Melstrom of Melstrom Inspections LLC out of Glenwood City and approved taking Melstrom’s credentials and resume under advisement.
The motion included the condition that the village board would make a decision on contracting with Melstrom as the village’s building inspector no later than the first meeting in November.
Fred Weber currently is the building inspector for Colfax.
Melstrom said he has 28 years of construction experience, that he started his work as a building inspector as a sideline in 2017 and then became a full-time building inspector in 2021.
The licenses Melstrom holds include Wisconsin Commercial Building Inspector, Wisconsin Electrical Inspection Agency, Wisconsin Commercial Electrical Inspector, Wisconsin Dwelling Qualifier, Wisconsin UDC Inspection Agency, Wisconsin UDC Construction Inspector, Wisconsin UDC HVAC Inspector, Wisconsin UDC Plumbing Inspector and Wisconsin UDC Electrical Inspector.
The village would not pay any fees, and as is the case with Weber, all fees would be charged to the property owner.
Raze order
Colfax has a situation where a house was in disrepair, and Weber did not want to condemn the house. How would you approach such a situation? Stene asked.
If the village receives complaints and concerns, then at the village’s request, Melstrom said he would write a letter to the property owner to fix the house or tear it down.
Colfax could issue a raze order, then the property owner would have 30 days to comply, and Melstrom said he would write the order.
Colfax would enforce the raze order, he said.
Under those circumstances, Melstrom said he would encourage the village to speak with the village’s attorney and that he would write the raze order at the direction of the village’s attorney.
Could you inspect the building? Jenson asked.
“No,” Melstrom said.
There would have to be a safety concern, and then the building inspector can enter the building if there is a safety concern and a building permit, he said.
Several village board members said there were safety concerns about the house because the roof had holes and windows were broken out.
Melstrom said he could take a look at the building but that he could not tell the property owner how to fix the building.
The village, through the village’s attorney, would have to issue a raze order, Melstrom emphasized.
The Colfax Village Board approved the contract for 2024 with Fred Weber/Weber Inspections at the November 13, 2023, meeting.
The village board unanimously approved taking Melstrom’s resume and credentials under advisement on a voice vote.
Village Trustees Jen Rud and Carey Davis were absent from the meeting.
Other business
In other business, the Colfax Village Board approved a bartender operator’s license for Robin Sarauer (Synergy Cooperative) from September 9, 2024, to June 30, 2025.
