Public Works officials move forward with Stanley Street road diet bid
By Joe Bachman
Editor
STEVENS POINT — The squabble of Stanley Street continued, as Public Works officials moved forward on the controversial project.
The $96,900.25 project will see a re-striping of Stanley Street with epoxy-based paint in efforts to increase safety and reduce accidents on one of the busiest streets in the city. The bid was made from Century Fence Company out of Pewaukee, who was the only company to make a bid on the project. The base plan is to run the markings from Michigan Avenue to Indiana Avenue.
According to the Federal Highway Association, road diets that have been installed in roads as early as 1979 have come back with mostly positive economic results, as well as reduce the number of accidents on said road per year.
However, Stevens Point Public Works director Scott Beduhn’s March presentation concluded that a road diet is not something Stanley Street needs, however, he concluded that there is a likelihood accidents would be reduced, as well as increase efficiency.
The issue of contention for this bid came down to the cost, which was much higher than anticipated compared the initial budgeted area of $60,000.
“One of the things we have to consider is what are our needs, and what are our wants,” said 11th District Alder Shaun Morrow. “…I think it would be very hard to approve this unless we knew where we were going to find the other money.”
However, 1st District Alderperson Tori Jennings believes that the money is there.
“I’ve had a conversation with Director Beduhn about this and he has the money for this,” said Jennings. “This is a community development program — always has been — and it should have been in community development, putting this forward from the beginning. This has gone through two directors who have supported this.”
“This is very concerning that we’ve budgeted $60,000 and I’m assuming that number wasn’t pulled out of thin air, and there was some research done to come up with that figure,” said 6th District Alderperson Jeremy Slowinski. “To have an amount to come in that much over and to just say ‘oh, that’s right, we’re going to still move forward with it’ is reckless; and it’s disappointing.”
However, beyond cost, the issue of how fast the epoxy paint could cure came to fruition. According to Public Works Director Scott Beduhn, epoxy-based paint needs the right conditions most seen in the spring to summer months to properly cure and dry.
District 8 Alderperson Cathy Dugan spoke out and claimed that she was “on the fence” in regards to the combination of the cost and potentially detrimental weather conditions for epoxy paint, though she still supports the project. Alders Cindy Nebel and Heidi Oberstadt, who still very much support the project, also expressed concerns over the timing and the cost.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee member Trevor Roark spoke to officials, and concurred that while the cost is high, he would like to see it go forward at some point, either this year or next year. However, he also pointed out many individuals in support of the project that are fearful of speaking out due to the anger and abrasiveness of those against the project.
“I think that’s its unfortunate that people I have talked to — neighbors, co-workers, other volunteers and family — they’re actually afraid to speak,” said Roark. “There are a lot of people who are supportive of this project, but are afraid to speak, and I just wanted to point that out.”
Mayor Mike Wiza addressed members, and announced that $5 million dollars had to be cut from the upcoming capital budget, and urged caution with moving forward with the project at this time.
“Because it’s $40,000 more than we have budgeted, at the very least, to be good fiduciaries and good stewards of the money the taxpayers trust us with, we need to wait until spring to bid for this.” said Wiza.
Ultimately, the project passed with a vote of 4-3. Jennings, Kneebone, Ladick and McComb voted in favor, while Wiza, Slowinski, and Morrow voted against.
However, it is of note that if conditions are not right for the project to start, it will not move forward. In such a case the project would be re-bid in the spring.
Final vote for this project will take place at the next city council on Sept. 17.
I honestly can not believe the alderpersons that voted for this road diet. Tax payers in there districts please vote these clowns out. Any body going past Len Dudas Motors on September 4 in the South lanes noticed that one lane was down due to repairs. You would also have noticed that traffic at times was back up all the way to checks muffler. My point is you are going to have the same results on Stanley street. I have a question for the biggest clown out of the bunch (Tori Jennings). So you are taking 100,000 to do this project What percentage of tax payers do think will use this? College students don’t count. What about winter? There was no thought on Safety With garbage pick up and ambulance travel. Well at least Stevens Point tax payers get a true picture on the alderpersons that like to waste money, and Mayor Wiza Alderman Slowinski and Alderman Morrow that LISTEN to the tax payers and don’t blow tax revenue.