Industrial Park Drive to get new lights (04/24/07)

A city street soon will be much brighter at night.

Industrial Park Drive, which is being widened to three lanes, will receive 20 new streetlights and 17 new utility poles.

Members of the Portland Redevelopment Commission approved the purchase of the lights and poles Monday.

Indiana Michigan Power will charge $29,827 to install 17 fiberglass poles with lights, along with lights for three wooden utility poles already in place along the street.

I&M also will charge $195.24 per month in maintenance fees. The company will be responsible for the upkeep of the poles. The city currently pays the company $69.18 a month in maintenance fees for the existing poles and lights.

Portland Mayor Bruce Hosier told commission members Lola Joy, Randy Wehrly and Mike Simons that it would be more expensive to use poles already owned by the city and purchase lights. A contractor would have to be hired to do the installation.

The city would have to pay for light and pole maintenance.

The street-widening project includes the relocation of a lift station. Work has begun and is expected to take about six months to complete. The project is being funded through bonds.

In other business, commission members voted to have the Portland City Council process all claims for the project, instead of the Portland Board of Works.

Commission members voted in February to have the board of works process all claims. After that meeting, however, Hosier and Linda Kennedy, the city's clerk-treasurer, decided it would be better to have the council approve the claims. Council members approve all city claims.[[In-content Ad]]