Minutes

SEWER AND WATER COMMISSION MEETING BERLIN, WISCONSIN MARCH 25, 2026 Roethel called the meeting to order at 4:30 P.M. Present – Commissioners Bending, Youngbauer, Roethel, and Ottman. Bending was absent. Also, present were Supt. Malnory, City Administrator Jessi Balcom, Council Liaison Melissa Sorenson, Utility Clerk Jennifer Langham, and Utility Clerk Lucinda Radloff. The next item on the agenda was public appearances/correspondence. Lucinda Radloff was introduced to the commissioners as our new utility clerk. The next item on the agenda was approval of the minutes from the February 2026 Sewer & Water Commission Meeting. Ottman moved to approve the minutes (with the correction on the estimated breakdown of charges on the 49 & 91 projects) of February 25, 2026, Sewer & Water Commission Meeting. Youngbauer seconded the motion, which was carried by voice vote. The next item on the agenda was the approval of financials for February of 2026. Youngbauer moved to approve the vouchers presented for February of 2026. Ottman seconded the motion, which was carried by voice vote. The next item on the agenda was discussion on office updates. Malnory stated that our first one-page billing went out in March. It was an overall success with a few minor changes to the form needed. The remittance part will auto fill in the customer’s name , service address, and amount due. We are also going to make the remi ttance part bigger and bold the “amount due” so it stands out more. We did not get many questions about the billing amounts. The form will be updated for the April billing. The next item on the agenda was discussion and recommendation on Well #4 & 6 valve rebuilds. Malnory stated that Well #4 has 2 failing isolation valves from the treatment system. The estimated cost would be $3,800 to $4,000 to rebuild & replace the v alve parts. Next Malnory mentioned the distribution valve on the booster pump at Well #6. This valve has a series of parts and calanoids to open & close the valve slowly as the distribution system calls for water. The valve keeps the booster pump from causing water to hammer the system. The valve has started leaking and will need to be rebuilt. We will need to bring in a valve specialist for some of the process. For the parts & labor, the cost would be around $4,000. This was not a planned budget item. Malnory’s recommendation was that we proceed with the valve repairs before they get worse and cost more to fix. Youngbauer move d to proceed with the valve rebuilds. Ottman seconded the motion, which was carried by a voice vote. The next item on the agenda was discussion and recommendation on the RAS pumps rebuild. There are 3 return activated sludge pumps in the blower building basement. Two of the pumps have recently developed leaks in the internal seal. One of the pumps must be repaired soon and the other will have to be repaired ( but it is not as crucial). Options were presented for consideration. Option 1 would be to repair them. The repairs would have to be done by Crane Engineering as the pump would have to be taken to their shop and machined to put a new seal in it. For parts & labor, it would cost around $9,900 per pump. The second option would be to replace the pump with a new one. This would be a cost of around $24,928 per pump. Malnory mentioned that although the cost of a new pump is more, it would be fully installed and come with bigger pumping capacity (550 GPM to 750 GPM) which is needed at the plant at certain times. It would come with a new VFD, new base, new motor, and a new swing check valve (these items are not replaced in the repair cost of the existing pump). The existing pumps were rebuilt 12-15 years ago (valves & cases). The other good thing about the new versus old is that the constant seal water would not have to be hooked up to the new pump and we could avoid the regulators and water supply going to the pumps. Crane also said they would be willing to work with us on the replacement times so maybe we could get one in the budget for next year. Malnory brought this to the commissioners because it was not an expected expense and was not put into the 2026 budget. Discussion was had. Youngbauer moved to purchase new RAS pumps. Ottman seconded the motion, which was carried by a voice vote. The next item on the agenda was the superintendent report: • Monroe & East Noyes St Water Main Projects- the public meeting was held with Don from Kunkle. No residents came with any concerns. Kunkle is trying to get a preconstruction meeting set up with Egbert. • Digester Paint – the digester covers will be painted once the weather is consistently over 50 degrees. It will take about 45 days to finish. The next item on the agenda was Old Business. Of which, we had none. The next item on the agenda was New Business. Of which, we had none. Next meeting was set to April 29, 2026, at 4:30 pm. At 4:48 pm, Ottman motioned to adjourn with a second by Youngbauer, which was carried by voice vote. Jennifer Langham - Secretary