September 18, 2017 at 3:37 p.m.
City Council agrees to help fund new holiday lights
Funds will come from streetscape budget for bike racks
City Council agrees to help fund new holiday lights
The other half of the estimated $52,248 cost will be paid by Downtown Rhinelander Inc. under a plan presented to the water/wastewater committee at its Aug. 28 meeting.
Public works director Tim Kingman brought the proposal to the committee and noted it would mean a change in the number of fixtures that were part of the original plan for the downtown project.
About $86,000 was scheduled to fund such things as recycling and waste receptacles, bike racks, tree grates, benches, and other items that fall into the category of landscaping rather than street and utility work, he said.
Of that, about $48,000 has already been spent on tree grates, trees, soil and other items. The bike racks, benches and new trash and recycle containers have not yet been purchased.
Kingman also noted that the streetscape project will still come in under budget if the city cuts back on the number of amenities to be purchased.
At last Monday's council hearing, Kingman explained the proposal for the benefit those alderpersons who did not attend the water/wastewater committee meeting.
"Basically, what we have is the city's obligation to provide streetscape amenities," Kingman told the council. "In the very beginning of this project we had to estimate somehow the magnitude of cost involved in doing this."
He then referenced a pair of cost sheets that were included in the council packet that laid out the cost of each type of item originally agreed to by the city and DRI going into the project. He said the original goal was to cap the city's share at $850,000.
"We budgeted for $1.2 million, that included some other things," Kingman said. "So we are within our budgets presently and plan to be throughout. However, this item here is really about substituting Christmas lights for picnic benches or other amenities."
The original plan called for 15 recycling receptacles, 18 trash receptacles, nine bike racks and 14 benches. Kingman proposed changing the plan to 10 benches and nine of everything else. He said this will free up about $27,000 that can be put toward the purchase of 144 new LED Christmas lights. He said the purchase of the new lights would add value to the project.
"These things can be bought at a later date, but the Christmas lights we are finding we cannot," Kingman said.
Alderperson Sherrie Belliveau asked Kingman what he meant when he said the items could be purchased at a later date.
"Once we spend this money from this budget, the city wouldn't have the money to put them back if we decided later we wanted to pay for them," she noted.
"We might have a cost savings in the remaining budget," Kingmans replied.
Mark Pelletier asked for clarification on what Kingman meant by the streetscape project being under budget.
"The project, as a whole, is under budget?" Pelletier asked.
"Yes sir," Kingman replied. "The budget of the project as a whole is over, but the city's cost share is less. But we are within our budget, we're within the city's budget. We had to borrow more money through the Clean Water Fund and the Safe Drinking Water Fund, which was approved at each step of the process. So we had a larger budget then we had approved in the beginning. The city's share was $1.2 million, and we are presently at $1.15 million."
Pelletier asked if the water and wastewater fund was picking up the payments on the additional borrowing. Kingman said it was.
"We started with a $9 million dollar project and we ended with a $10 million project, we borrowed more because we completed more," Kingman said, referring to the extra block of Stevens Street in front of the library that was added late in the first phase of the project.
Before calling on Pat LaPorte and Jim Hext from DRI to take over the presentation, mayor Dick Johns had a few comments.
"Through the years, in the past, things had a chance to deteriorate down to almost nothing in regard to the trimming of the downtown. I do remember years ago that Christmas was a big thing for the city of Rhinelander," Johns said. "It was decorated and we had a sleigh going down the street and everything going on at that time. It has all fell by the wayside through the years. This is an opportunity with the new streets and new downtown that was very well taken care of Saturday afternoon (at the recent DRI block party). We were appreciated by everyone in this community for the amount of work that went into that. And here is an opportunity for us to put Christmas back in the downtown of the city of Rhinelander and I think it is one of the nicest things that could happen. And the timing could not be better."
LaPorte and Hext displayed two examples of the lights they are hoping to purchase, including LED snowflake lights.
LaPorte said she was involved in 2014 when the city started planning the streetscape project in earnest.
"At that time, we had talked about the holiday lighting. One of the reasons that the streetlights were selected was for all the different things that happen with the streetlights," LaPorte said. "That was one of the components, we wanted to make sure the streetlights could handle all those different things."
She explained that when DRI started looking at purchasing holiday lights, the snowflakes were chosen because they have a more winter than Christmas theme.
"So that they didn't need to come down immediately if there was something that would delay taking down the lights," she said.
LaPorte said the centerpiece that used to hang at the intersection of Brown and Davenport streets has deteriorated to the point where it needs to be replaced. The estimate to replace that piece is $10,000, she added.
At this point, LaPorte said DRI has proposed looking at replacing all of the holiday decorations, with the snowflakes being the first step. Other items to be purchased later would be lighted garland-like wraps for the streetlight poles and a new centerpiece for Brown and Davenport. She said animated decorations that would create a light show have also been discussed.
"The light show would come on at 7 o'clock and not come on again until 8 o'clock," LaPorte said. "So if you missed the first one, you had to stay for the 8 o'clock one, and they would stay downtown. So there is several components here, but tonight we're just to fund the snowflakes."
LaPorte said the catch was to get the reduced price she had negotiated for the snowflakes the order had to be placed by mid-September. She said DRI is committed to paying half the cost of the lights.
"We won't be done with the whole project, but it's a start," she said, adding that sharing in the cost is a way to show the public that the city is committed to bringing the holiday lights back.
"Because what's left from 50 years ago has pretty much deteriorated down to nothing," LaPorte observed.
She noted DRI represents the downtown businesses and they have agreed that reducing the number of benches and trash receptacles to purchase new holiday decorations is a good idea.
Alderperson Dawn Rog, who had raised strong objections to the idea of the city paying into the holiday lights at the committee meeting, was not present at the council meeting.
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