July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.

Change orders OK'd (09/07/07)

Portland Board of Works

By By MIKE SNYDER-

Two changes - including one that was the source of controversy - increased the price for a Portland street/lift station reconstruction project by about $41,000.

Members of the Portland Board of Works gave approval to two change orders Thursday for the $1.3 million Industrial Park Drive project, but not before discussion about an omission in preparing specifications for the project that added almost $17,000 to the cost.

Jay County Engineer Dan Watson, who is serving as construction supervisor for the project, said Thursday that 511 feet of curbing along the entrances to businesses and entrances was not included in plans prepared by Schneider Corp.

The other change order was for an additional 303 tons of asphalt patching mix that was used to fill soft spots in the road - mainly between Franklin Avenue and Meridian Street.

The cost of the additional mix and work was $23,589.72.

Board of works members Dolphus Stephens and Mayor Bruce Hosier voted to approve the change orders, but board member Bob McCreery dissented, saying he believed that Schneider should pay at least a portion of the additional cost.

"It wasn't our mistake. I don't think we should pay for it," McCreery said.

McCreery, Hosier and Stephens also asked Watson about progress on the project, which has taken several months longer than originally anticipated.

"I'm not very pleased with (general contractor) Fleming (Excavating) ... it's been drug on and drug on. (Issues with the project) should have been found a lot sooner. We're trying to speed things up," Watson said.

"It will get done. And it will be done right."

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Although Hosier said he had been told by an official from the contractor that work could be done by the middle or latter portions of this month, Watson estimated work won't be completed until mid-to-late October.

Work is almost complete on the new lift station on the east side of Industrial Park Drive just north of Wal-Mart.

The switchover to the new lift station will happen sometime in the next few weeks. The old lift station will then be demolished and new road constructed in its place to take a curve out of the north-south portion of the road, which runs from West Votaw Street at Wal-Mart to North Meridian Street near Bandido's.

Also Thursday, board members approved the purchase of two police vehicles and a truck for the city's wastewater treatment department.

On the recommendation of police chief Bob Sours, the board selected a quote for a 2008 Chevrolet Impala police cruiser and a 2005 Ford Explorer to be used by the police department.

The new Impala will replace a 2004 Ford Crown Victoria with 90,000-plus miles, while the Explorer will replace the city's current DARE vehicle - a 2003 Chevrolet S-15 pick-up truck.

The price with trade-in for the Impala from Ken Kunkle Chevy-Cadillac-Olds, Portland, is $16,636. Quotes for Crown Victorias from Moser Moters of Berne and Les Wenning Ford of Fort Recovery were both more than $17,000 with trade.

The Explorer will be purchased from Les Wenning at a cost, including trade-in of the S-15 pick-up, of $7,900.

Although the current pick-up truck has only 38,000 miles, Sours said that having an SUV with capacity to seat five or six would be more functional. The Explorer also has four-wheel drive.

He also said having an enclosed area to transport cargo or materials would be helpful, as those items currently are exposed to the weather in the bed of the pick-up truck.

Lettering for the Impala police cruiser will cost an additional $200 and will be done at Display Craft of Portland. Sours did not have a quote on lettering for the Explorer.

The board also OK'd purchase of a 2008 Ford F-250 pick-up truck for the wastewater department from Fincannon Ford Lincoln Mercury, Hartford City. The price is $16,411.77, including trade-in of a city-owned 1999 Ford Supercab truck which has 77,000 miles.

Wastewater superintendent Bob Brelsford said other quotes were received from Moser Motors ($19,710 for a 2007 Ford F-250) and Kunkle ($17,599 for a 2008 Chevrolet Silverado 2500).[[In-content Ad]]
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