By Al Stanek
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com

The City of Whitewater’s revitalization plan for its two downtown lakes may need to be re-examined due to higher-than-expected dredging bids presented to the Whitewater Common Council on November 16.

Both Cravath and Trippe lakes have experienced excess growth of unwanted plant species over the years along with a reduction in lake depth due primarily to silt infiltration. The 70 acre Cravath Lake east of Whitewater’s City Hall and the east side Trippe Lake (121 acres) were scheduled for dredging as part of a revitalization effort estimated to cost less than $1.5 million. Both lakes, at one time, were deeper and cleaner with a swimming beach on Trippe Lake and rented paddle boats and water ski shows featured at Cravath Lake.

City Parks and Recreation Director Eric Boettcher told the Common Council that the two bids on the dredging project both exceeded the budgeted dollar estimate. One bid was just under $2.5 million and another just over $3.8 million.

The council voted to reject both bids and begin negotiations with a contractor of staff’s choosing for options that could accommodate the project’s budget. Options generated at the Common Council level included just dredging one lake, estimating how much dredging could be done under the proposed budget, doing some dredging in future years, and getting the firms that showed interest in the project to spend more time examining the lakes.

City resident Geoff Hale, who accompanied representatives of proposed bidders and city staff as they reviewed the lakes and the proposed area where the dredged material would go, commented that bidding firm representatives did not even walk any of the lakes area. Parks and Recreation Director Boettcher pointed out that the site review took place right after a 2.5 inch rainfall and an exceptionally wet period which might have indicated more of an obstacle to the project than normal.

The November 16 Common Council meeting also included an initial rejection of a proposed future commitment of $3 million of city funds to a library remodeling and expansion project for the City’s Irvin L. Young Memorial Library. The total project is expected to cost just over $5 million with the Library Board of Trustees committed to providing the remaining over $2 million.

While City staff and members of the Common Council expressed support for the project, they were concerned with the cost estimates. Library Director Stacey Lunsford explained that a fundraising campaign will begin next year and that a firm commitment of funds from the City would make fundraising less difficult. Library Board of Trustees President Anne Hartwick said that they have been working with five similar sized communities who have successfully raised funding for a library project and pointed out that all but one of those projects obtained a commitment of city funds in advance of fundraising. Hartwick also argued that using a standard cost per square foot estimate to compare the project’s cost with other building projects would be deceiving as the project includes only roughly 7,000 square feet of new construction with significant remodeling of the remaining nearly 12,000 square feet of the existing structure which was built in 1993.

In other business the Common Council approved a 2022 city operating budget of just over $10 million and independent Wastewater Utility, Water Utility and Stormwater Utility budgets that totaled over $15 million. This adopted budget included an estimate of city expenses for 2023 which can be amended by future Common Council action.

The City Budget Public Hearing presentation included an analysis that indicated that last year’s city residential property rate was the second lowest among nine area communities and cautioned that changes in how Fire and Emergency Medical Services are funded in the future may require a significant increase in the 2022 city tax levy. There were no public comments offered during the hearing.

Common Council members also heard an announcement by Council President and long-time council member Lynn Binnie that he will not be seeking re-election in April. Binnie represents the city’s 4th District which includes much of the city’s southwest neighborhoods. Binnie was first elected in 2008 and has served as Common Council President since 2020.