Waukesha Freeman
January 12, 2019
By Cara Spoto
Expense comes four years ahead of switch to Lake Michigan water
Waukesha — A piece of agricultural land at the southeastern edge of Minooka Park could soon be home to a key piece of infrastructure needed to bring Great Lakes water to taps across Waukesha.
When the Common Council gathers on Tuesday, it will consider buying the 8.57-acre parcel from Waukesha County for $223,000 for use as the future site of a booster pumping station and water storage reservoirs.
Located near the corner of Swartz Road and Racine Avenue, the land had originally been eyed as a site for a golf course, but the county no longer plans to increase the number of golf courses it owns. County staff also feel the parcel is too small for other types of development.
According to Waukesha Water Utility General Manager Dan Duchniak, the booster station and reservoirs will be a benefit to the city because they will give the utility greater control over the quality and amount of water that enters Waukesha’s system.
“When we went through everything, it was determined that it would be best for any (Great Lakes Water supplier) to just put the water into storage tanks before it comes into the city,” Duchniak said. “That way if there is any (extra treatment) that needs to take place, we can do it in one spot, and then we have control of the pumping of the water into our system. It makes the operations very clean.”
The Waukesha County Board has already approved the sale of the land.
Mill Reserve
In other items, the council is slated to go into closed session on Tuesday to consider a possible settlement with Mill Reserve, LLC., the company behind the condo development at St. Paul and Wisconsin avenues.
The city filed a motion this spring asking for the 2015 lawsuit against the developer to be reopened, alleging it failed to construct an apartment building at the site as required by a 2016 settlement agreement.
In May a local judge granted that motion.
The Common Council will meet at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at City Hall, 201 Delafield St.