Sam Strash
Whitewater’s Common Council met on Tuesday, February 20th at the Whitewater Municipal Building for an open session of the council to discuss a variety of topics, including many in the public sector. Services such as public works and the police department led the way.
Police Department Receives Recommendation for Staffing Study
The Common Council has recommended the police department to partner with Fitch & Associates for a six-month organizational and workload study within the department. Fitch received the highest aggregate score of the three firms that submitted proposals to the city in January.
“Fitch is pleased to respond to the city of Whitewater’s request for proposals for an Organizational and Workload Study of the Police Department,” wrote Chief Operating Officer Guillermo Fuentes in Fitch’s cover letter to the city. “Modernizing and re-imagining public safety strategies and operations, while maintaining its core values and best traditions, is a delicate and complex task that many progressive communities are facing.”
“It will take the synthesis of a multitude of opinions and experiences to generate real, innovative, and meaningful change.”
Fitch has worked for clients in all 50 states and across six continents for over one thousand different clients during their 30-year history. The firm plans on utilizing their team of various individuals involved in the realm of public safety to address the needs of Whitewater’s police department.
In December 2023, the city of Whitewater requested to the common council that a study be completed in the near-term, citing an influx of 911 calls along with an increase in the population of immigrants from Central America over the past two years. The city sought to find a reputable third-party firm to address this need.
Contract Bids for Road Works
The city’s public works department is awarded three contracts to multiple construction contractors to reconstruct parts of Ann Street, Fremont Street, and Forest Avenue after the city’s public works department began accepting contract bids from companies in the area.
“We have three contracts that we are looking to award tonight,” stated Public Works Director Brad Marquardt in his opening statement.
“We have three contracts that we are looking to award tonight,” stated Public Works Director Brad Marquardt in his opening statement.
The city plans on reconstructing multiple roads in the downtown area, the cleaning of a detention basin near Cravath Lake in downtown Whitewater, and another road near the campus of UW-Whitewater. Rock Road Companies, Inc. will be tasked to reconstruct Ann Street near downtown between Trippe and Fremont streets, along with reconstructing Fremont Street between Ann and Whitewater streets. BKS Excavating, who previously worked on projects in nearby Stoughton, was awarded a contract to reconstruct downtown’s Forest Avenue between 4th and Church streets, while RR Walton & Co., a local construction group, was awarded the task of reconstructing Fremont Street near the university campus, along with repaving Lauderdale Drive near campus, as well.
Bidding for the projects began at the beginning of the month with a budget set by the city at nearly $3.3 million for all three projects combined. The total cost is valued at just over $3 million. All common council members voted in favor of the awarded contracts.