The city of Shawano has a five-year public works capital improvement project plan, even though it is subject to change, according to Mike Mahloch, public works director.
The plan lists street projects between now and 2029 that are estimated to total almost $7.2 million. This year alone includes projects estimated at $868,500. Major street reconstruction is planned for Lafayette, Cleveland and Ellis streets, while street pulverizing has been recently completed on Lieg Avenue and is planned for McDonald Road, along with new pavement being laid out for Balsam Court.
Mahloch said during a city field committee meeting May 29 that having a five-year plan in place is important for when the city applies for grants like Community Development Block Grants.
“This is what we perceive right now,” Mahloch said.
He pointed out that the plan is a “moving document,” which means some priorities could be moved up and some could be pushed back depending on funding during a given year or if something needs to be done right away in an emergency situation.
“Things do get kicked down the road sometimes, unfortunately, because when $1 million becomes available, you have to find roads that meet the criteria to be able to utilize that $1 million,” Mahloch said. “Oftentimes, when you have that $1 million, we have a half a million we have to meet in order to complete that project.”
Sometimes, that matching amount requires pulling funding earmarked for other projects to receive the grant, Mahloch added.
“Things get moved around and shifted constantly,” he said. “Sometimes you may go into a project thinking you’re going to do this street, but prior to the project, you do a full evaluation of your underground utilities.”
Mahloch said streets being done in the first two years of the plan are usually firmed up, with projects in the next three to five years most subject to shifting. He noted sometimes bids come in lower than expected for some projects, and occasionally a street needs to be added to get the full funding.
“Even though we have these roads on here five years from now, we’re still assessing these roads to see how they hold up a year ahead of time,” Mahloch said. “We may go out and televise that road six months ahead of time just to make sure we know everything we’re going to do — is it going to be a full replacement, or are we going to do a sewer line project and save the sewer department money?”
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