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Dear editor,
On Tuesday, the city council will reconsider hiring Community Infrastructure Partners (CIP) to take charge of replacing lead service lines in Wausau. But in recent weeks, information has come to light that gives me pause.
The pitch on its face does not make sense. Replacing lead service lines is a construction process. It is hard to see how hiring expensive consultants to convene an alphabet soup of community organizations to discuss the matter can make the installation “faster, better, and cheaper,” as CIP CEO Shawn Kerachsky posted recently on his LinkedIn page.
More concerning, this feels like the Franz Community Investors debacle all over again. Community Infrastructures Partners (CIP) was formed in August of 2022 and has little work history as a company. The principals of CIP were all working for a company called Corvias just prior to forming CIP. While visiting Ft. Liberty (Bragg), NC last week, I read an article in The Army Times regarding settlements between Corvias and military families for deplorable living conditions in Corvias affiliate built military housing on post. Like Michael Franz’s previous companies, Corvias was sued for faulty construction.
There are other similarities too. CIP registered to do work in Wisconsin on December 26, 2023. Their principal office is listed only as a post office box in a UPS-type store in Scottsdale, Arizona, raising transparency issues similar to that of Franz, when vying for a Riverlife contract.
The CIP folks are already going door-to-door in Wausau with flyers promising free removal of lead service lines before our contract with them is signed. Remember when Michael Franz ran around town running up $3 million in subcontractor charges before he had a signed contract with the city? It’s like déjà vu all over again.
CIP was the one and only respondent to our request for qualifications (RFQ). The city has made the mistake of diving in with one and only one respondent to an RFQ before. The question is whether we should make the same mistake again.
We have not done our due diligence on this company. I believe we should pause until we get more complete information about this company and who runs it. Who’s backing it?
The project has no specified budget. All we have heard is a spit-ball estimate that the whole project will cost $80 million. Though a portion of that cost is grant funded, there is still a large gap. Where are we going to get the millions necessary? How much will fall on the backs of property taxpayers? Shouldn’t we know those numbers before proceeding?
When the council voted for this in December, it was contingent on certain conditions being met. That hasn’t happened, and now we have more questions. Let’s vet this more thoroughly before moving forward.
Doug Diny, Wausau
Doug Diny represents Dist. 4 on the Wausau City Council. Incumbent Mayor Katie Rosenberg and Christopher Wood are also seeking the seat.
