City accepts bids for street repairs

During the Janesville City Council meeting on May 13, council members approved WW Blacktopping of Mankato to overlay and chip seal Prairie Lane and Court Street, West North Street, West Market Street, Oak Street and Elm Street for a total of $155,000. City Administrator Clinton Rogers noted the city had budgeted $200,000 for this project in case of contingencies.

Work done by the company last year on West Allyn Street has been paid for, except that 5 percent of the amount was retained by the city until all work was confirmed to be complete. Still unresolved, Rogers said, is the problem of an area along West Allyn Street which was to be reseeded with grass, and which is not growing in a satisfactory way. WW Blacktopping asked that the amount being withheld, about $20,000 at this time, be reduced to one percent rather than five.  While recommending that the request be approved, Rogers told council members the contractor had sent a letter offering to monitor the patch’s growth closely to ensure it proceeds in a satisfactory way. 

In other business matters, the council members adopted a policy regarding body-worn cameras and the data recorded with them. Cameras paid for with public safety aid funds have been ordered for police to wear while on duty; their purpose is to record evidence arising from police interactions with members of the public. 

Library Branch Supervisor Kelly Koplen was given permission to close a number of streets in the vicinity of the library  for the sake of a “carnival for all ages” to take place from 12:30 to 3 p.m. on Monday, July 1. 

During the public forum, Eagle Scout candidate Evan Olson showed council members the final results of the landscaping project he completed around the pavilion at the city park. Along with up to 20 volunteers, he put in some flowers and incorporated hedging around a three-foot-wide bed of rock. 

Donations totaling $900 for Veterans Park were received from Arnoldt’s Good Spirits, Wiste’s Meat Market, Gidgets, the Janesville State Bank and the law firm of Patton, Holversten and Berg. The Janesville Area Golf Association donated about $6,700 to improve tee boxes and replace signs and markers on the city golf course.