Commission recommends replacing DPW building

CLINTONVILLE – When looking at the needs of the facilities that house Clintonville City Hall, the Clintonville Fire Department, and the Clintonville Department of Public Works (DPW) the Clintonville Plan Commission agreed that the next facility to be replaced should be the DPW facility.
At its Oct. 6 meeting, the commission recommended to the Clintonville Common Council that it prioritized the construction of a new DPW facility in the 2027-29 Capital Improvement Plan. This priority should be ahead of constructing a new city hall or fire department facility.
During the discussion Clintonville City Administrator Caz Muske said discussions took place in 2019 regarding the city’s facilities. During those discussions, the city discussed the future of the DPW, fire department, and the Clintonville Utilities facilities. Based on those discussions, the city decided to construct a new building for Clintonville Utilities. That construction was completed this year.
“We were hoping to zero in on another facility within the next borrowing cycle,” Muske said. “The next borrowing cycle doesn’t start until 2027.”
She said a final decision on which facility to replace next would not be finalized until next year.

“So, this isn’t set in stone, but gives the council guidance on all the work the Plan Commission has put in to make priorities because as much as we want to do everything, we cannot afford to do everything, so we have to prioritize,” Muske said.
Early this year the Plan Commission participated in a workshop to gain a better understanding of the city’s facility needs. The city facilities that were evaluated included city hall, DPW, the fire department, and the new utilities facility.
Muske said the criteria that were used included safety risk, service disruption, legal compliance, operating costs, public visibility, staff impact, and maintenance frequency.
Members of the Plan Commission did tour each of the facilities.
Muske said that based on the age of the building and the current status on the city’s DPW building, that it scored “significantly” higher than the other buildings in regards to needs.
It was followed by the fire department facility and city hall.
“While we have our sights on the next borrowing-cycle I still need to make sure that we have all the data to make sure that financially it makes sense for the city to take it on in that timeframe. I need to verify that.” Muske said.
Muske said the city would try to solicit grants for the project.
“There is a lot that goes into grant funding,” Muske said. “Just because it exists doesn’t mean we are eligible or we’re able to even apply.”
The city’s next borrowing cycle in 2027 will fund capital improvement projects in 2027, 2028, and 2029, Muske said.
Committee member Darrell Hansen said he has heard that some firemen aren’t happy that it is looking like the DPW facility will be the next facility to be replaced by the city. He asked if it would be possible to build one facility to house the city’s DPW and the fire department.
Muske said that had been discussed, adding that it was found to not be feasible based on the information the city has. She added that even though it would be a shared building, the construction costs would be equivalent to constructing two facilities.
“While it is a great idea, but there is not as much savings generated as assumed,” Muske said. “And that’s based on our current research and conversations with the professionals.”
She added, “I think everybody would love to fund both facilities, but we have to have some priority. We have to have some conversations. If we want to completely skyrocket our debt levy, we can. But do we feel that our community can withstand such a financial burden. I would argue no.”
The proposed site for a new building for the DPW would by on land at Clintonville Municipal Airport north of the CAWS site. Justin Mc Auly, director of DPW, said there are around 16 acres in that location that could be built on. The only restriction would be the height of the buildings.
Muske added that the city did consider different locations, including the Clintonville Utilities property on 7th Street that it no longer needs.
“But it wasn’t large enough for what we need for Public Works,” Muske said.
The city could purchase land, Muske said, but added that purchasing land would increase the cost of the project.
“So, we were looking at city-owned properties first, and thankfully we found a potential location,” Muske said.