TWIN LAKES, Wis. — A local taxpayer has filed a lawsuit against the Village of Twin Lakes and Aquanut Water Shows, Inc., claiming the two entities conspired to evade Wisconsin’s public bidding laws in a high-profile waterfront redevelopment project at Lance Park.
Bryan Neal, who lives near the project site, filed the complaint Monday in Kenosha County Circuit Court. He alleges that the Village and the Aquanuts are illegally bypassing competitive bidding requirements by allowing the Aquanuts to act as general contractor on a large public works project while labeling the improvements as “donations.”
The controversy stems from a memorandum of understanding (MOU) approved by the Village Board on April 7, 2025, which outlined a cost-sharing arrangement between the Village and the nonprofit water-skiing team. Neal, in an April 23, 2025 letter to board members, warned that the agreement violated Wis. Stat. §§ 61.54 and 62.15, which govern public construction in villages and require competitive bidding for projects over $25,000. The agreement stated the Aquanuts’ improvements would not be bid out because they were “donated” under Wis. Stat. § 62.15(1e).
“The allegedly donated improvements are NOT from a ‘private person’ but from a non-profit organization,” Neal wrote, adding that both the labor and materials were to be paid for—not volunteered or gifted for the Village to use/build with. “The Village of Twin Lakes is not doing the work for themselves on this municipal construction project.”
Despite the April 23 letter, the board moved forward with a revised agreement but did not adopt it during their meeting Monday night. That revised version introduced a 10-year “lease,” shifting to the Aquanuts some ownership of improvements until the lease expires—further distancing the Village from formal oversight of the construction.
Neal, addressing the board on Monday, said the process left him no alternative but to seek judicial intervention.
“To paraphrase the great American poet Robert Frost,” he said, “I chose the less traveled path of litigation and I suspect it will make all the difference.”
The lawsuit asks the court to declare the Village’s arrangement unlawful and to prohibit construction without proper bidding.
Village President Howard Skinner and Trustees Aaron Karow and Kevin Fitzgerald have been outspoken in support of the project and appear to back efforts to avoid a traditional bidding process. All three have advocated for moving forward with the Aquanuts ski team as the exclusive builder of the enhancements to Lance Park, despite mounting public scrutiny.
At Monday’s meeting, the board discussed—without taking action—a revised agreement that significantly changed the legal framework since Neal’s April 23 letter. It now frames the construction as part of a “lease” arrangement, asserting that the Aquanuts’ improvements, valued at over $300,000, will partially become Aquanut property until the lease ends. The Village’s own improvements would be bid separately under public construction laws.
The Clinton Family Fund has pledged a $100,000 matching grant toward the Aquanuts’ share of the project, but only if the Village also contributes a matching amount and commits to a long-term use agreement with the nonprofit group.
The Village and Aquanuts have 20 days to respond to the lawsuit.
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