Council OK’s Caitlin Stene as New Director of Administrative Services | New

On November 2, Sun Prairie City Council approved a resolution formally engaging Waunakee Village Deputy Administrator Caitlin Stene as the city’s new director of administrative services.
A note to council from city administrator Aaron Oppenheimer and human resources director Brenda Sukenik says the city has received 62 applications for the position, with staff interviews, multiple assessment exercises, track records and professional reference checks conducted for final applicants.
Prior to serving as Deputy Village Administrator for Waunakee, Stene served as Village Administrator / Clerk for Cross Plains Village. In addition to her nine years of relevant experience in the public sector, she holds a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Kansas. Stene replaced Connie DeKemper, who resigned and left the state.
The director of city administrative services is a post of head of department and, by city ordinance, the city administrator must provide a recommendation for approval by the plenary committee. The full committee then recommends the candidate for confirmation by city council.
Prairie Lakes traffic study contract OK
Acting on a recommendation from CTO Tom Veith, Alders approved a scoring recommendation to award a traffic study and adaptive signal analysis contract to KL Engineering for $ 110,154.
A note to Alder from Veith said the part of Grand Avenue near Prairie Lakes has continued to see an increase in traffic as Prairie Lakes grows and there is a need to optimize the multiple traffic flows in and around this shopping district.
On August 31, the city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for a traffic study that included an adaptive signal analysis contract with the most competitive proposal. Submissions were due on September 21, and the evaluation team met on September 28 to rate the proposals, with the evaluation team using a new RFP template scoring process.
The new process included scoring of company qualifications, relevant company experience, costs, sustainability, DBE / WBE and local preference. The cost was factored into the score after evaluation team members submitted their scores for the other categories.
KL scored the highest on the assessment with an average score of 80.39, followed closely by AE Com at 77.40 and Strand at 77.04.
Veith’s memo recommended awarding the contract to KL Engineering, which has already done business with the city, by completing the traffic survey on the West Main Street.
Acting on a recommendation note from Sun Prairie Library Director Svetha Hetzler, Alders awarded a $ 101,287 contract for a new automated materials handler and sorter to Envisionware in Duluth, Georgia. The Library Capitol Improvement Project budget included an expense of $ 110,000 to replace the item.
In his memo, Hetzler pointed out that the library’s current sorter is 10 years old and has reached the end of its lifecycle, and that the vendor, Bibliotheca, is “less and less able to locate the replacement components needed for take charge of this system â.
Two vendors, Envisionware and Bibliotheca, offer systems compatible with the SPPL Integrated Library System (ILS). Hetzler said both vendors submitted proposals and both vendors were given access to photos and detailed measurements of the workspace.
After in-person onsite meetings, drawings, proposal reviews, and communication via email and virtual platforms, staff concluded that the Envisionware 6-Bin Custom Sorter would best meet the library’s current and future needs. depending on the responsiveness, technical knowledge and design of Envisionware. flexibility in the current and future space of the SPPL.
SPPL staff used an evaluation matrix to score and recommend a sales contract for a 6-bin custom sorter with Envisionware in the amount of $ 101,286.96, and recommended that Cardinal Construction make changes. and wall opening repairs in the amount of $ 2,440 and a data connection of $ 40. solution in the form of a 5-port unmanaged switch. The total cost of the project is $ 103,766.96.
Alders approved the purchase as part of its consent agenda at Tuesday night’s board meeting.
Highway 19 / Grand and Grand / Blue Heron contract, budget modification OK
Acting on a recommendation from the city’s director of engineering, Tom Veith, Alders approved a $ 88,460 contract with Kapur Engineering to design the improvements at the intersection of Highway 19-Grand Avenue and Grand Avenue-Blue Heron Boulevard.
Veith’s Note to Alders said as part of the Sun Prairie Area School District High School project, a traffic impact analysis was done and due to the expected increases in traffic volume , some intersection improvements were agreed in the developer agreement for the new high school.
As part of the same agreement with the developer, the city has agreed to coordinate the design and construction of the improvements and SPASD will reimburse services rendered for the design and construction.
On August 27, the city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for an intersection and traffic light design contract with the most competitive proposal. Bids were due on September 24 and the evaluation team met on October 5 to rate the proposals.
The evaluation team used the new bidding model scoring process, which included scoring company qualifications, relevant company experience, costs, sustainability, DBE / WBE and local preference. The cost was factored into the score after evaluation team members submitted their scores for the other categories.
Five potential suppliers submitted proposals, with Kapur & Associates scoring the highest with 80.60, followed by KL Engineering with 69.15.
Other proposals submitted included JT, Strand and MSA Professional Services.
According to the resolution approved by council, city engineering staff determined that Kapur & Associates, Inc. had underestimated the amount of on-site inspection required for this project and estimated the costs to be $ 43,120. additional missing items, bringing the project total to $ 131,580. With this increase, Kapur & Associates maintained the highest average score.
The resolution called for a budget amendment of $ 31,580 to help pay for the project, which had been budgeted at $ 100,000.
Alders unanimously approved the budget amendment at the November 2 meeting.
Budget amendment approved for the purchase of a hybrid vehicle
Acting on a recommendation from Director of Public Works Operations Ben John, Alders approved a budget amendment of $ 5,231 for the purchase of a new Ford Escape Hybrid for the Sun Prairie Public Works Department.
According to John’s memo, the approved capital improvement plan for 2021 included $ 18,900 for the replacement of Unit 318, a 2009 Ford Focus that is used by city staff. In line with the âSustainable Sun Prairieâ strategic priority established by City Council, fleet staff explored options other than the identical replacement of Unit 318.
With the help of Sustainability Coordinator Scott Semroc, Public Works and Fleet staff received a Fleet Assessment from the Wisconsin Office of Energy Innovation and Wisconsin Clean Cities, which identified opportunities for the fleet to transition from the city towards more sustainable and fuel-efficient vehicles.
Fleet staff have selected a Ford Escape Hybrid as a suitable replacement vehicle, under the state of Wisconsin contract the small SUV is priced at $ 24,131. According to the fleet assessment, the hybrid option would save the city approximately $ 9,000 in fuel costs over the life of the vehicle.
Staff proposed a budget change of $ 5,231 to finance the purchase of a Ford Escape Hybrid. Additional funding for the vehicle would come from the Fleet Enterprise Fund.
The budget change was reviewed and recommended for approval by the Sun Prairie Public Works Council at its October 12 meeting.