Damakant Jayshi
The Wausau City Council on Wednesday approved a budget modification to divert $28,600 from the Environmental Fund to collect information for bidding for Riverside Park cleanup work.
The council decision followed a recommendation from the Wausau Finance Committee.
The request for the budget modification came from the Department of Public Works and Utilities. According to the resolution approving the DPW request, the Environmental Fund has a balance of $991,857.
A memo to the Finance Committee from the DPW Director Eric Lindman said the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources has concluded its review of the remedial options for the park, which was found to have contained toxic compounds.
REI Engineering, a local engineering firm working on the clean-up plan, prepared a proposal for the “disposal and delineation testing” required to get approval from Marathon County to collect the recommended delineation soil samples prior to excavation at the park. The firm sought $28,600 for the work.
Before preparing the Remedial Action Options Report, REI sent samples to the DNR in July last year. The remediation process has already seen significant delays, not just for the Riverside Park but also for 1300 Cleveland Ave., another site found to have toxic contamination.
The DPW expects bidding for the remediation work to go out this year.
