By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer

ASHWAUBENON – The village board Tuesday, April 28, selected a consultant/planner for a proposed pedestrian bridge/trail extension across Ashwaubenon Creek.

The bridge would span from the southeast corner of the Aldon Station residential development into Ashwaubomay Park.

The contract the board approved for Graef, which has consulted for multiple bridge projects in the Fox Valley, is for a lump sum of $123,500.

Items such as geotechnical sub-consultant investigation work expected to range between $25,500 to $30,500 and riverbed sediment laboratory analysis for approximately $525 per sample are not included in the contract fee.

Parks, Recreation and Forestry Director Rex Mehlberg said the bridge is estimated to be about 575 long with the project to be funded by Tax Incremental Financing and the village also seeking grant funding from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, including Stewardship and Sports Fishing Restoration grants.

Mehlberg said the bridge is part of the Fox River West Trail plan discussed for at least seven to eight years to loop a trail around Ashwaubomay Park, behind the NEW Water waste treatment plant and into the Brown County Fairgrounds.

“That is another phase, so what we’re looking at right now specifically is just going from Aldon Station across the Ashwaubenon Creek,” he said.

Patrick Skalecki, Graef vice president, said the firm’s contract with the village will include survey services ($4,200), geotechnical investigation coordination ($2,500), riverbed sediment sampling and analysis ($4,700), preliminary design ($16,300), design development ($28,000), final design ($27,700), bidding services ($5,100) and construction oversight services ($35,000).

Greaf’s proposal for professional engineering services includes a four-month construction time frame anticipated for the bridge from July-August 2021.