MARSHFIELD – During its Dec. 2 meeting, the Marshfield Board of Public Works unanimously approved the selection of Becher-Hoppe for real estate acquisition services for the West 5th Street reconstruction project.
The city is planning the project for West Fifth Street, from Oak Avenue to Chestnut Avenue, during the summer of 2027.
The project is being funded through the STP-Urban Program, which is administered by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
The STP-U program was created to improve federal aid-eligible highways within urban areas.
“So back in October, the city issued an RFP for real estate acquisition services for the West Fifth Street reconstruction project, which is scheduled for construction in 2027,” recalled Marshfield Acting Public Works Director Josh Mauritz. “This project requires acquisition of temporary easements to accommodate roadways, sidewalk and utility improvements. Because this has state funding, the acquisition process must follow federal standards and be completed by negotiators and appraisers approved by WisDOT.
“The cost of the acquisition services is funded 100% by the city of Marshfield. That's not an eligible cost to be reimbursed with the STP grant that the city received. So this RFP was distributed to 10 qualified real estate consultants listed on WisDOT’s approved roster and posted publicly.”
Proposals were due November 20.
“Ultimately, we received proposals from four qualified consultants, a committee consisting of myself and engineering staff reviewed the proposals and ranked Becker-Hoppe Associates of Wausau, Wisconsin, as our first choice. The selection is based primarily on qualifications, but cost is also a consideration.
“Becher-Hoppe Associates came in at $68,000, while TerraVenture Advisors, Eau Claire, bid $66,230; MSA Professional Services, Marshfield, bid $70,380; and Streetland, LLC, Wausau, $87,875.
“So given the extremely tight timeline for real estate acquisition on this project, the selection committee felt strongly that Becker Hoppe’s proposal provided a schedule best able to meet the deadline,” Mauritz added.
“So when we do a project, we are basically renting or leasing private land, and that's for our machines to be able to in this case, it's primarily for all the sidewalk that is going to be replaced on this project; and so, in order to get concrete formwork behind the sidewalk, and just really to blend in yards, put new topsoil and seeding in. We need that extra room behind the sidewalk, and then we give it back to the landowners.
“It’s just temporary to provide legal access onto their property.”
Mauritz added that a typical city project wouldn’t require the added step.
“We normally don't do this for in-house projects, but for projects where there's federal pass-through money, it's a requirement that we have to,” he explained.
“So you'll be seeing the same proposal, or different companies, potentially, but the same process come before you for the other three DOT projects.
Right-of-way acquisition is scheduled to be completed by May 1, 2026.
For more information on upcoming reconstruction projects, visit cityofmarshfieldwi.gov/departments_and_divisions/streets/street_improvement_plan.php.
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