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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04 WRRTC_Minutes_04-04-2025_ApprovedWRRTC APRIL 4, 2025 MEETING MINUTES – APPROVED MAY 9, 2025 1 Wisconsin River Rail Transit Commission Commission Meeting – Friday April 4, 2025 at 10:00 am 1. 10:00 AM Call to Order – Marty Krueger, Chair 2. Roll Call. Establishment of Quorum – Dan Hauck, Admin Crawford Carl Orr, 1st Vice Chair X Jefferson Mary Roberts X Mark Gilberts Excused John Kannard, Vice Secretary X Tom Cornford Excused Jeff Smith X Dan Herbst, Alternate Excused Dane Kevin Potter X Rock Dave Homan, 2nd Vice Treasurer X Jeff Huttenburg, Treasurer X Tom Brien X Jim Bolitho X Kevin Stone X Grant David Wiederholt X Sauk Brian Peper X Mike Lieurance X Gaile Burchill X Robert Scallon, 2nd Vice Chair Excused Marty Krueger, Chair X Tim McCumber, Alternate Excused Green Harvey Kubly, 1st Vice Treasurer Excused Walworth Al Stanek Excused Larry Kranig Excused Richard Kuhnke, 2nd Vice Secretary Excused Mark Gundlach X Allan Polyock Excused Iowa Charles Anderson, Secretary X Waukesha Rick Beutler, 3rd Vice Treasurer Excused Kate Reimann X Richard Morris X Craig Hardy X Karl Nilson Excused Commission met quorum. Others present for all or some of the meeting: • Jamaar Benton, WSOR • Benjamin Mohlke, WisDOT • Ken Lucht, WSOR • Don Vruwink, OCR • Alan Anderson, Pink Lady RTC • Dan Hauck, SWWRPC 3. Action Item. Certification of Meeting’s Public Notice – Noticed by Admin. Motion to approve meeting’s public notice – Brien/Smith. Passed Unanimously. 4. Action Item. Approval of Agenda – Prepared by Admin. Motion to approve the agenda as posted – Brien/Smith. Passed Unanimously. 5. Action Item. Approval of draft March 7, 2025 Meeting Minutes – Prepared by Admin. Motion to approve the March 7, 2025 meeting minutes as presented. Anderson/Lieurance. Passed Unanimously. 6. Updates. Public Comment – Time for public comment may be limited by the Chair. Al Anderson reintroduced himself to the commission and noted that Pink Lady RTC meets three times a year in Sauk County. Ken introduced Jamaar Benton, sales manager for WSOR, who has been with WSOR for 7 years. 7. Updates. Announcements by Commissioners Homan reported that he and Bolito toured WSOR’s engine facility. Hardy reported that the Iowa County public works committee postponed the discussion of withdrawal from the commission to the May 5th meeting, and the committee has prepared several questions for Krueger and Lucht in advance. Peper reported that he is now a commissioner of the Pink Lady RTC. REPORTS & COMMISSION BUSINESS 8. WRRTC Financial Report – Treasurer • Motion to approve the February 2025 Treasurer’s Report as presented. Anderson/Orr. Passed unanimously. • Motion to pay invoice to SWWRPC for 1st quarter management in the amount of $8,750 and WSOR for the Merrimac Bridge in the amount $173,049. Morris/Reimann. Passed Unanimously. WRRTC APRIL 4, 2025 MEETING MINUTES – APPROVED MAY 9, 2025 2 • Budget adoption timeline and process. Draft budget in May with public hearing and adoption in June. Needs to be adopted by August 1, 2025. 9. Wisconsin & Southern Railroad’s Report on Operations – Lucht, WSOR Lucht reported that WSOR worked with WisDOT on several grant applications submitted in February, including a tie replacement project on the Reedsburg Subdivision from Devils Lake to Reedsburg, which remains a top priority; WSOR will provide carload data to support the application, with hopes for a 2025 award. Another priority is the continuous welded rail project between Wauzeka and Boscobel, where environmental concerns make rail modernization critical. WSOR plans to continue work east into Iowa County, with full modernization of the Prairie Subdivision identified as a systemwide priority; the Prairie Subdivision has the highest defect rate in the WATCO system and is 20 years overdue for upgrades. The 2025 capital plan, which includes replacement of 30,000 maintenance ties, has been shared with commissioners. WSOR noted that although the Fox Lake Subdivision south of the state line cannot receive state funds, there is ongoing investment; maintenance ties are being installed on the Reedsburg Subdivision. On the Monroe Subdivision, 24,000 ties will be installed in Green and Rock Counties to maintain track classification, and 21 grade crossings will be updated. The B298 bridge in Boscobel received a state grant, and design plans will be presented to the City of Boscobel. WSOR is also coordinating with Farm City Elevator on state approval and working with UW Extension in Waukesha and Jefferson Counties on an updated systemwide economic impact study, with a proposal expected before the May meeting. Lucht also shared WSOR’s economic profile, as requested at the March meeting. Benton spoke about community outreach and transloading opportunities, encouraging commissioners to engage with counties and potential customers. 10. WisDOT Report – Mohlke – WisDOT. Mohlke reported that peer review and quality control efforts are ongoing, and a ribbon-cutting event is being planned for the Merrimac Bridge. The next focus will be the Janesville Bridges project; however, inflation is expected to increase overall project costs. To help address these rising costs, the scope of work has been reduced. Mohlke also noted that new FRIP loans have been approved for Farm City Elevator in Brodhead to support the construction of a new grain silo. 11. Permits / Licenses TDS Telecom, Dane County, City of Fitchburg, Utility Permit. Motion to approve utility permit for TDS Telecom in City of Fitchburg. Orr/Homan. Passed unanimously. 12. Walking Iron Trail, Dane County – Huttenburg / Bolitho Huttenburg reported that 15 sections of rail remain, with ties relocated to the Fuchs Trucking area; nearly 70% of the ties have been removed, and the project is nearing completion. Huttenburg expressed satisfaction with the progress and quality of work. Bolitho noted that the corridor is nearly ready for construction, with Dane County currently having access and only a few remaining items needing removal. 13. Walking Iron Trail, Dane County – Interim Trail Use Agreement – Potter Motion to approve re-execution of Interim Trail Use Agreement between WisDOT, Dane County, and WRRTC. Brien/Reiman. Passed unanimously. 14. Administrator’s Report – Hauck SWWRPC is currently updating the interactive and static maps for all rail transit commissions and will provide the maps when they are complete. 15. Adjournment. Motion to Adjourn at 11:08 am. Peper/Burchill. Passed Unanimously.