Whitefish Bay board approves Mid City as construction manager at risk for permanent Big Bay/Buckley Park repairs

Whitefish Bay — The Village Board voted Aug. 5 to select Mid City Corporation as the construction manager-at-risk for permanent repairs to a collapsed storm system affecting Big Bay and Buckley Park.

Matt Collins, the village official briefing the board, said village staff previously authorized temporary emergency mitigation and are now transitioning to permanent repairs. He described a competitive outreach that included a mandatory site meeting; two firms attended but one withdrew, leaving Mid City Corporation as the responsive proposer. Collins recommended negotiating a two-part agreement: a design-phase contract followed by a guaranteed-maximum-price contract for construction once design and geotechnical work are complete.

The motion approved the village selecting Mid City Corporation to begin contract negotiations for design and to return to the board with fee schedules and a construction-phase contract for later approval. "We feel comfortable moving forward with contract negotiations," Collins said; trustees approved the selection by voice vote.

Funding and oversight: Staff said temporary emergency mitigation invoices have been reviewed (Clark Deets and a third-party reviewer compared logs and labor/equipment rates) and that the village anticipates paying near-term invoices while negotiating long-term contracts. The board directed staff to negotiate terms that include standard protections (self-performance limits, fee schedules and guaranteed maximum price) and to keep Clark Deets involved to verify estimates and scopes.

What’s next: Staff will negotiate design-phase contract terms and fee schedules with Mid City and return to the board for approval of a construction contract and any guaranteed maximum price. The board took no immediate construction-phase financial action at the Aug. 5 meeting.