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The village of Pleasant Prairie is naturally reluctant to make a large investment in road repairs unless the issue of storm water is adequately addressed. The life of a street will be reduced if standing water is present on the street or shoulder, especially during the freeze/thaw cycles we experience here in Wisconsin.
Pleasant Prairie created its Clean Water Utility in 2006. Like many municipalities in Wisconsin at the time, the Village created a separate utility in response to increasing regulations from the DNR and to create another way to raise funds without increasing property taxes. This is the same strategy that the Village uses for garbage collection which is funded through monthly utility fees, not the property tax. The Clean Water Utility is funded through the fees included on your monthly village utility bill, as well as Federal and State grants when available. Its budget is separate and distinct from the general village budget. The board of the Clean Water Utility are the trustees of the Village Board. Most meetings of the Clean Water Utility are held concurrently with Village Board meetings.
The following are the key dates of the Village's actions regarding the storm water issues in Carol Beach.
October 29, 2007
$10,000 is budgeted to study storm water issues in Carol Beach Unit W.
See page 11 at: https://www.ecode360.com/documents/PL1793/public/51732791.pdf
April 20, 2015
Approval given to hire an engineering firm to study and delineate the wetlands along 3rd Avenue north of 90th Street.
See page 11 at: https://www.ecode360.com/documents/PL1793/public/208512419.pdf
December 12, 2015
$500,000 is budgeted for storm water improvements in Carol Beach Unit W.
See page 17 at: https://www.ecode360.com/documents/PL1793/public/219555265.pdf
June 20, 2016
Approval given to repair 90th Street from Lakeshore Drive to 7th Avenue. The Director of Public Works states that the repair should last 7-10 years and that 90th Street needs "some storm water improvements" sometime in the future.
See page 29 at: https://www.ecode360.com/documents/PL1793/public/330253073.pdf
November 7, 2016
$200,000 is budgeted to obtain property "to start the process of a major storm water project and an outfall access" to Lake Michigan.
See page 4 at: https://www.ecode360.com/documents/PL1793/public/330253086.pdf
April 3, 2017
The Village Board approves a resolution to use eminent domain to take the vacant lot at 9015 Lakeshore Drive for the outfall pipe. The village plans to sell the lot after construction is complete to recoup some of the costs of the project.
See page 9 at: https://www.ecode360.com/documents/PL1793/public/344843149.pdf
July 17, 2017
The April 2017 resolution to use eminent domain is rescinded. Public Works is authorized to purchase a permanent easement and a temporary construction easement from the owner of the lot at 9015 Lakeshore Drive to build an outfall pipe to Lake Michigan.
See page 31 at: https://www.ecode360.com/documents/PL1793/public/383512944.pdf
December 12, 2017
The Village begins cutting trees on the south side of the lot at 9015 Lakeshore Drive in preparation for construction of the outfall pipe.
January 11, 2018
The village begins construction of the outfall pipe without providing any notice to nearby homeowners.
May 5, 2019
The Village administrator, Nathan Thiel, speaks at the annual dinner of the Carol Beach Property Owners Association. Residents express concerns that the village has not communicated anything to residents about its plans for how the outfall pipe in intended to be used.
August 29, 2019
The village administrator and public works director host a meeting at Village Hall for Carol Beach residents to discuss the project. The meeting was not considered by the hosts to be an official public meeting so minutes were not kept or published by the Village. About 150 residents attended.
October 15, 2020
The 2021 Clean Water Utility budget is presented to the Village Board for discussion. It includes a project in what is described as Carol Beach Unit W, but also includes properties south of 90th Street on both Lakeshore Drive and 3rd Avenue. The projected is estimated to cost $3 million. The projected timeline is as follows:
2021 – Preliminary evaluation of storm water infrastructure options, cost estimates, public relations, and determination if project is to proceed into design and construction. If project is to proceed, start an environmental wetland survey.
2022 – Project design and easement acquisitions
2023 – Project construction
See page 7 (labeled as page 16) at : https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/733085/Clean_Water_Proposed_2021_Capital.pdf
November 2, 2020
The President of the CBPOA speaks at the Village Board meeting to state the concerns of the residents. Later in the meeting, the Village Board, without any discussion, approves the 2021 Clean Water Utility Budget.
See audio/video minutes at: https://pleasantprairiewi.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=1&clip_id=158&meta_id=11347
December 8, 2020
A small group of members of the CBPOA meet with the Village Administrator, Director of Public Works, and Village Engineer to discuss the proposed storm water project in more detail. The village offers to hire an engineering firm to research other solutions besides a large neighborhood-wide system.
July 2021
After an initial meeting in the spring of 2021, a subgroup of the CBPOA met with the Village Engineer and Consultants for a several hour walk through our neighborhood.
November 2021
The CBPOA received a copy of the consultant's recommendations. In the near future, the Village will schedule an informational meeting to residents with their proposed plan. About one to two weeks later at a Village Board meeting, the Trustees will decide on the future of the proposal. It will be important for residents to attend both meetings.
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