EDIT funds targeted for Redkey project (02/23/06)

REDKEY — Approximately $20,000 in economic development income tax (EDIT) funds will likely be used to fund a water main improvement project here.

The project would substantially increase water pressure to several westside homes and a fire hydrant.

At a special Wednesday morning meeting, Redkey Town Council members unanimously agreed to accept the low bid of Bill Tressler Backhoe and Trenching of Redkey, for the work, pending the receipt of the necessary EDIT funds.

The goal of the project is to improve water pressure for five homes on the far west end of Main Street.

Prior to the actual awarding of the contract, Redkey officials will need to take steps to use money from the town’s EDIT funds to pay for the project.

Redkey council member Violet Erlenbush explained at Wednesday’s meeting that several houses in the area of West Main and Nixon streets are paying for town-provided water but only receiving three pounds per square inch of water pressure, as opposed to the recommended minimum amount of 20 psi.

She noted that this is putting a hardship on the home owners who often have water pressure so low that they are not able to flush a toilet if someone is taking a shower. Town employee Greg McIlwain said he believes the water mains are leaking.

During Wednesday morning’s meeting, Redkey clerk-treasurer Sandy Kirby cautioned council members that the water utility account funds are very limited.

“You don’t have any money for this,” she said.

Erlenbush replied, “You can’t leave people with less than 20 pounds of water pressure.”

Newly elected town council president Dottie Quakenbush then pointed out that EDIT funds would be requested.

“We have a very, very bad financial situation here and you have got to realize that,” Kirby said.

“We do realize it, but we can’t leave people without water,” Erlenbush said.

Infrastructure improvements are already included in a county-approved capital improvement plan for use of Redkey EDIT funds. The request will be taken to the Redkey EDIT Advisory Committee, which will make a recommendation to the town board about using the funds for the water project.

Jay County Development Corporation director Robert Quadrozzi said this morning that he has spoken with Quakenbush about the matter, and he was in the process of scheduling a Redkey Economic Development Committee meeting to consider the request.

That advisory group will then make a recommendation to the town council.

Prior to the opening of bids Wednesday morning, the town’s consulting engineer, Chad Ducey of Werks Management LLC, Fishers, explained that the proposed improvement initially called for the replacement of 750 feet of old water line with new four-inch diameter pipes along West Main Street. Currently some portions of that pipeline are only two-inches in diameter and held together with clamps described as “Band-Aids,” by Erlenbush, a Redkey utility department employee.

McIlwain said he had distributed bid specification packets to four local contractors. Two of those companies submitted bids on Wednesday morning. Watson Excavating of Redkey bid $14,586, and Bill Tressler submitted a bid of $11,500.

Ducey recommended accepting the low bid. However, town officials pointed out that since the bid specifications were sent out, Redkey Fire Chief Randy Young had recommended extending the new pipeline 350 feet further and hooking it up to a nearby fire hydrant where water pressure was also low.

McIlwain calculated that this additional work would mean a pro-rated increase in the low bid amount by about $5,700. The cost of materials will bring the total cost of the project with the additional pipe for the fire hydrant extension, to about $20,000, town officials said.

Quakenbush said she planned to talk to Quadrozzi about possibly using more EDIT funds as well as some sort of a grant in the future to cover expenses relating to fixing or replacing the town’s water tower and tank which is also in need of repair.[[In-content Ad]]