Water & Sewer

MINUTES WATER & SEWER COMMITTEE AMUNDSON COMMUNITY CENTER 200 SPRING ST., CAMBRIDGE, WI 53523 TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2026, 6:30 PM 1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL: President Hollenbeck called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Members Present – President Hollenbeck, Mat Hughson, and Matt Dozois Members Absent – Trustee Schulz, Steve Struss Others –Utility Clerk Josie Stine, Utility Superintendent Darnell, and Village Treasurer Brian Wilson 2. PROOF OF POSTING: Confirmed - Upper and Lower levels of the Amundson Center, Cambridge Post Office, Badger Bank, Bank First, and the Village website. 3. PUBLIC COMMENT: None. 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A motion by Hughson, seconded by Dozois, to approve February 17, 2026, meeting minutes passed unanimously. 5. APPROVAL OF BILLS: Clarification was made that the committee is approving bills for payment and not send them to the Village Board. The amounts discussed were a total of $104,359.72. A motion was made by Hughson to approve payment of $104,359.72, seconded by Dozois. Discussion was made reference the purchase of meters, radios, and touch pads with brief Q&A on quantities and purpose. Roll call vote was unanimous. Conclusion was bills approved for payment in the amount of $104,359.72. 6. REPORTS: Utility Superintendent Darnell reported the following items to the committee: • Meter Purchase: 12 boxes of meters were purchased, along with radios and touch pads. Touch pads provide an alternative reading method, which includes a radio receiver for remote reading. Josie will be able to read all meters with the updated system from the office. • Meter Replacements and Scheduling: Approximately 25-30 meters were replaced last month, focusing on problem meters. Josie is coordinating the installs, improving efficiency. Continued replacements is planned with effective internal coordination. • Well 2 Maintenance and Generator Installation: The chlorine scale at Well 2 was fixed with the motor swap being completed and the bad seal was replaced at no cost during inspection. Municipal Well & Pump will be providing a packet of photos and documentation in a couple of weeks. The repaired unit will serve as a backup pump. The current pump is working fine. Oil was delivered for routine changes. A standby generator project was initiated with equipment dropped off. A pre-construction meeting was held. Generator placement is planned in the back and out of the way. Concrete pour is targeted to occur on Friday or Monday, weather permitting. • Salt Delivery: Salt delivery is expected for tomorrow, subject to typical scheduling variability. • Road work and Utility Reconstruction: There was discussion on potential road reconstruction. • Sanitary Survey: The sanitary survey is scheduled for tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18, 2026 • Rockdale Regionalization Project: Rockdale is tied into the Village’s main. It is unclear if Rockdale is actively  pumping water, no formal update received. There is concern over road patching. Concrete to grade was left, cold patch was not used. Milling not feasible until repave/return work. Josie will ask Kris to get an update on this project. This will be put on future agenda for next month. • Phosphorus Compliance and Watershed Credit Trading: Rockdale’s move linked to high phosphorus levels and DNR-driven regionalization for communities unable to meet limits. Phosphorus remains a challenge locally with difficulty finding trading partners. Town & Country (engineer for COWC) volunteered to attempt phosphorus trading with farmers for a small fee. Trading must be within the Koshkonong Creek watershed; improvements are funded to reduce runoff to the creek. Deerfield is outside the watershed and not competing for credits. • COWC Report: There was a request to add a standing “COWC Report” under reports for updates by Matt or Steve for future agendas. Budget discussions are ongoing; the bond pays off in May which is anticipated to be significant. There should be some expected excess in the bond repayments fund. Discussion on allocation of returned funds between Cambridge and Oakland; potential use by Cambridge for sewer line improvements and I&I reduction, benefiting COWC asset longevity. • COWC Meter Sizing and Back-Billing: The COWC supply meter listed is 2 inch but it is actually 3 inch, underbilling likely occurred. Discussion on allowable back-billing period (possible statutory limits 1-2 years) to be researched. • Facility Tour and Well 3 Observations: Blake gave Matt Dozois a facilities tour. Well 3 building remains totable cool (~60 degrees F) due to groundwater, with a geothermal-like effect. 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS – ACTION REQUIRED: a. Discussion and Possible Action on sanitary sewer spot repairs: Two major contractors were contacted; Busy Sewer completed an onsite visit with Cody and reviewed maps and CCTV footage with earliest mobilization likely midsummer. The ballpark cost would be $50 per linear foot, ~500 feet estimated~$25,000 plus mobilization and contingencies. There would be focus on four main problem areas with recurring backups and root issues. Grouting services are also available; minor spots deprioritized due to larger issues. Darnell prepared a spreadsheet of issues and distances and is waiting for responses from both contacts. The method of this process would be that there would be a cured-in-place pipe liner inserted, inverted, and heat- cured (air or hot water) that is thin (~6mm) designed not to reduce pitch and with an expected lifespan of 50 years. The work is typically done during the day, and homeowners would be notified to limit water use temporarily. Conclusion is that we wait for detailed proposal with the plan to address four priority segments first. This will remain on future agenda. b. Discussion and Possible Action on replacing the leaking glandular valve with a bellows-type valve in the column pipe of the Water Tower: The issue is the leaking expansion joint/valve in the column pipe. The leak worsens in cold due to packing shrinkage and tightening the old joint could fail and drain the tower. The work would take approximately a ½ a day with 3 days total including drain/fill and two bacteria samples. Darnell explained he would like to do this after the hydrant flushing in early April. It would start on a Monday. The quotes received were from Lane Tank (out of Menominee) and Water Tower Cleaning Company (out of Lodi). Lane Tank quoted $10,500 for valve replacement + interior cleaning/inspection (including replacing insulation and bolts at no cost). Water Tower Cleaning Company quoted $10,000 for expansion joint only with a separate quote of $12,500 for drain down + cleaning + inspection + expansion joint. There was a separate quote of $7,500 for exterior cleaning, which we will possibly utilize in the future. Contractors will handle DNR approval and utility handles bacteria samples via state lab ($20-$30 each) There was a motion made by Hollenbeck to proceed with Lane Tank Company for valve replacement and interior clean/inspection not to exceed $11,000. Hughson seconded this motion. Roll call vote was unanimous. Conclusion is that we will proceed with Lane Tank after April hydrant flushing. Staff will coordinate logistics, mutual aid, and approvals. c. Paperless Billing Option Adoption Progress: Enrollments have increased from 84 to 115 customers enrolled in online billing, which will show savings on sending out paper bills. Last month’s paper bill savings was approximately $70-$80. The goal is to have 150 enrolled by the end of April. d. Budget and Workhorse System Line Item Details: Village Treasurer Wilson explained that he will be working on detailed line items for water, sewer, and stormwater in Workhorse; general fund has detailed breakdown, utilities categorical. The next report is expected to include more detailed information. 8. QUESTIONS, STAFF REFERRALS, AND FUTURE AGENDA TOPICS: Sanitary Sewer lining-update Rockdale Regionalization Project Status  Bill COWC for larger meter over past 2 years Budget for water and sewer COWC report under reports 9. ADJOURNMENT A motion to adjourn was made by Hughson and seconded by Dozois. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 7:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted by Josie Stine, Utility Clerk/Deputy Clerk These minutes were approved by the Water & Sewer Committee on 04/21/2026