Much of the business before the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety Friday was concerning pay applications and contracts.
One particular pay application led Mayor Joe Thallemer to address some calls he received regarding lighting on Buffalo Street.
The pay application was for $65,131.47 to the Indiana Department of Transportation, which will pay the contractor, Phend & Brown Inc., for the East Market Street project. The payment will cover the costs of the project change orders, which included changes to the storm system, Tesco Panels, additional manholes and inlets.
Skinner said the project is “pretty much” complete and he was doing the final walk-through with INDOT Friday afternoon.
Thallemer said, “I’ve had several calls about the lights downtown as they relate to Buffalo Street intersection improvements. I know they’re still trying to make some electrical connections and NIPSCO is involved.” He asked Skinner to explain why some lights weren’t operational yet.
Skinner said NIPSCO has to “power-up that Tesco Panel, which means they have to drop power into the meters themselves to turn that power on and that’s what we’re waiting on, for them to make those connections. I believe the Tesco Panel is set, the meters are set, we’re just waiting for NIPSCO to power them up.”
“So similar to our Market Street experience,” Thallemer said. “Waiting for NIPSCO to finally flip the switch.”
Skinner said that’s correct and the contractor has to come in, set up everything and put all their wires in the ground, then the city will contact NIPSCO.
“There’s a process to go through NIPSCO. Like us, they have a lot of orders out there. We get put in a queue for an order and then we’re waiting for them to power up those panels,” Skinner said.
Thallemer said he’s received a lot of calls on that. “I know it’s Christmas time and there’s a lot of lights, and then there’s this little (dark spot) so hopefully NIPSCO will read everyone’s articles and flip the switch.”
In other business, the Board of Works approved:
• A pay application of $2,152,461 to Kokosing Industrial Inc. for wastewater plant expansion construction that’s occurred.
Utility Superintendent Brian Davison said the construction and funding for it is nearing the halfway point.
“They’ve been pouring a bunch of concrete lately. There’s some big tanks out there that are emptying,” he said.
He believes that October is the substantial completion date and December is the final month. It will phase in and be put online as different parts get ready.
• The 2020 wastewater treatment utility and the stormwater budget guidelines, which are separate from the city’s budgets, as presented by Davison.
The wastewater budget for 2020 is $8,969,255, while the stormwater’s budget is $594,613.
• Pay applications of $160,515.54 and $164,496.28 for construction by Phend & Brown Inc. on the North Pointe Drive project. The project will be split between INDOT grant funds, street department funds and Eastern Tax Increment Finance funds.
City Planner Jeremy Skinner said for the most part the North Pointe Drive project has been completed. A large portion of it was adding sidewalks, connecting the YMCA and Parkview Hospital back to Husky Trail.
Thallemer said those sidewalks will be a safety improvement for Harrison Elementary School, which is along Husky Trail.
• A pay application of $14,942 to The Troyer Group for preliminary engineering services for the Lincoln Neighborhood Sidewalk project.
Senior Planner Justin Taylor said this was a safety improvement for Lincoln Elementary School and it’s currently in the engineering phase. It’s hoped construction will begin in 2021-22.
• Six 80/20 grants from Indiana Public Employers’ Plan Inc., the city’s workman’s compensation carrier. The IPEP grants pay 80% of costs of items city departments requested to promote safety in the workplace, with 20% paid by the participating departments. Thallemer said the grant total is $28,817.40, with the city’s share being $7,204.30, for a total of $36,021.50.
• Take-home vehicles for city employees for 2020. Employees allowed the vehicles include Nick King, airport; Hal Heagy, cemetery; Thallemer, mayor; Larry Plummer and Shaun Gardner, parks; Jeff Beeler, Dustin Dillon, Damian Pass and Roger Sarber, street; and Brian Davison, Larry Hyden and Thomas Rozelle, wastewater treatment utility.
• Authorization for the Warsaw Police Department to enter into a 36-month lease agreement with Rice Ford for a 2020 Ford alternative duty vehicle. The total annual cost will be $4,938 with the option to purchase it at the end of the 36-month lease.
Ford credit requires the lease quote be signed before the contract can be generated. The contract will be presented to the Board of Works for signatures at the Dec. 20 meeting, according to WPD Chief Scott Whitaker.
• The 2020 agreement with Kosciusko Economic Development Corp. for $80,000 for KEDCO to provide economic development services for the city. Thallemer said that’s up from $55,000.
• The 2020 legal services agreement with Rockhill Pinnick LLP for $79,200. Thallemer said “this is year two” with new city attorney Scott Reust, who replaced Mike Valentine after Valentine retired. For 2020, the hours (30 a month) will remain the same but the rate will increase from $180 per hour to $220, “which is pretty much the prevailing fee in this community,” Thallemer said.
• The agreements for services with local not-for-profits, with the amounts appropriated by the city council. Animal Welfare League will receive $27,000 in 2020; City County Athletic Complex, $20,000; Housing Opportunities of Warsaw, $26,000; Kosciusko Area Bus Service capital improvement, $11,240; KABS, $19,055; Kosciusko Community Senior Services, $20,000; Lilly Center for Lakes and Streams, $20,000; The Beaman Home, $5,750; Warsaw Community Development Corp., $22,725; Warsaw Little League, $5,000; WCDC facade grants, $25,000; and Warsaw Housing Authority, $30,000.
• A contract for $8,000.04 with Paula Bowman to serve as the city’s First Friday and other downtown events coordinator for 2020. There is no increase from 2019.
• An agreement with Kosciusko County Farmers Market LLC for six months for them to use the concrete road area of Center Street between Lake and Buffalo streets.
