Board of Public Works

BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS A meeting of the Board of Public Works was called to order by Vice Chair Kilgas on Monday, September 15, 2025, at 6:00 P.M. Members present: Antoine, DeCoster, Eggleston, Kilgas, Moore, Schell, and Schumacher. Absent & Excused: Thiele. Also present: Mayor Penterman, Attorney Greenwood, DPW/Eng. Neumeier, Com. Enrich. and Rec. Director Vosters, Street Foreman Nelson, Fire Chief Carrel, Fin. Dir. Van Rossum, Street Superintendent Van Gompel, and interested citizens. Motion by Moore, seconded by Schell to excuse the absent member. All Ald. Present voted aye. Motion carried. 1. Correspondence – none. 2. Discussion Topics. a. 2026-2030 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Finance Director Van Rossum presented on the 2026-2030 5-Year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). The City of Kaukauna CIP was recently updated by staff as of September 2025. The CIP serves as both a planning tool for operations and a framework for financing and budgeting, providing a five- year outlook for equipment, parks, streets, utilities, and other capital needs. The plan consolidates requests from all departments, ensuring a citywide perspective on priorities. Departments are encouraged to bring forward requests in a timely manner so needs can be evaluated before equipment or facilities become critical. Alder Moore mentioned providing information/ justification for CIP projects. Discussion held and questions answered. Motion made by Moore, seconded by Antoine to acknowledge the updated 2026-2030 CIP as a planning document and use it as a guide in evaluating and prioritizing future projects. Specific approvals for 2026 projects will be brought forward in Spring 2026 ahead of bonding and bidding. All Ald. Present voted aye. Motion carried. b. Recommendations for Disposal Site. Street Superintendent Van Gompel discussed his recommendations for the City of Kaukauna disposal site. When discussing operational changes with the refuse dumpsters at the Municipal Disposal Site a full cost analysis of the site was suggested along with gathering information on what percentage of users are utilizing the refuse dumpsters vs the other material services. Currently there are five categories of materials accepted, and each material has its own process and timing for servicing. Residential garbage, recycling, brush, yard waste, and motor oil are the current accepted materials. Currently there are 2088 site users which net $52,200 a year. With site fees only covering around 56% of actual costs of operations, changes need to be considered. 18% of site users utilize the refuse dumpsters which is roughly 47% of total operational costs. The continued concern of staff safety, non-compliant dumping, costs of tipping fees, and enforcement of this material need to be considered and determined if this material is worth the continued risk and cost for collection. Discussion was held on which recommendations were most favorable. Some alders were ok with recommendation 1, which was “direct staff to remove garbage and recycling dumpsters from Disposal Site on determined date and update Waste Material ordinance 11.11.” Suggestions were also made about alternative options, which included an additional large/ irregular pick-up or special drop-off days at the disposal site with staff onsite around the end of the year. Motion made by Moore, seconded by Schell to table this item and come back with recommendations. Ayes: Moore, Antoine, Schell, and Kilgas. Nays: DeCoster, Eggleston, and Schumacher. Motion carried. Motion made by Moore, seconded by Schell to table this item for a future meeting. Roll call vote: Antoine-aye, DeCoster-nay, Eggleston-nay, Kilgas-aye, Moore-aye, Schell-aye, and Schumacher-nay. Motion carried. c. Donations from Kaukauna Area Schools- Haen Playground Equipment. As the Kaukauna Area School District (KASD) begins the work at Haen School, City and KASD staff had saw an opportunity for beneficial re-use of some playground equipment that was scheduled to be removed. KASD was able to donate three basketball hoops, the baseball backstop, and the two square picnic tables that were located at the lower playground for re-use at City parks. Special thanks go to Street Superintendent VanGompel and Kevin Veldman, KASD Maintenance Engineer, for seeing an opportunity to benefit the community and working together to improve our city parks. And thanks to street department staff for collecting and refurbishing some of this material for reinstall. d. Public Works Updates. Director of Public Works Neumeier provided public works updates. Wisconsin Stormwater Week 2025 is from September 20-28. ATC is doing work along the Konkapot Trail and pool area and the seawall project is almost completed. 3. Adjourn. Motion made by Antoine, seconded by DeCoster to adjourn. All Ald. Present voted aye. Motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 7:05 pm. Kayla Nessmann, Clerk