Village well to be inspected

The Village of Belgium’s well No. 2 will be inspected and serviced by the company that installed it, but the next time trustees want to see a second bid.

The Village Board this month unanimously approved a contract with Municipal Well and Pump of Waupun to do the job on the well on the west side of the village for more than $24,000.

Trustee Andrew Bartley asked if Public Works Director Dan Birenbaum got any other quotes.

“It’s pretty hard to get another quote for this because there are only a few companies that do this,” Birenbaum said.

“They know our well. They were the ones who installed well No. 2. They know the characteristics of the well, the coordination and everything.”

Birenbaum said many municipalities don’t inspect wells, but his old boss told him to do it every 10 years, and this year the well is due for inspection.

“A lot of communities don’t do this. They just pump their water until the well breaks down and then you don’t have any water. Then you sit here,” Birenbaum said.

Money for the work had been budgeted, Treasurer Vickie Boehnlein said, and the job is coming in under budget.

Bartley said he would like to see more quotes for a comparison.

“It’s tough because not many companies do it and they might not know our well. Some things you can get second quotes on  and some things you can’t,” Birenbaum said.

Bartley said, “I’m not saying don’t use that vendor. I’m just saying it would just be nice to have a comparison. We don’t know if we’re getting a fair and competitive price if you don’t have anything to compare it to.”

Birenbaum said it’s too late to get a second quote this year for the work, but he will do so next year.

The job includes removing the pump, inspecting it and all the materials in the well, doing maintenance on the motor, providing an inspection report, making repairs, reinstalling the pump system and taking a sample, according to Municipal Well and Pump’s bid.