Mailbox policy debated (1/14/05)

The next time your mailbox gets hit by one of Portland’s snowplows, you might get a new one for free.

City clerk-treasurer Barbara Blackford said Thursday that Portland Board of Works members discussed establishing a regulation which would require the city to replace mailboxes damaged by the city’s snowplows.

At Thursday’s meeting, board members said residents whose mailboxes are hit by snow from the city’s plows would not qualify for replacement. Only those boxes struck by the trucks or blades would be replaced.

Blackford said the board is going to meet with city attorney Bill Hinkle to discuss which damaged mailboxes should and shouldn’t be the city’s responsibility to replace.

Also Thursday, the board accepted a $34,950 bid for boring work for a water main project at Portland Golf Club, 124 West 200 South, Portland.

The accepted bid was from Earth Construction Inc. of Fort Wayne.

Geiger Developing Inc. of Roanoke also submitted a bid of $93,139. S & S Directional Boring of Bryan, Ohio, submitted an incomplete bid which did not include an estimate.

Blackford said the Earth bid was accepted because it was the lower of the two bids.

The 2,500-foot line will run from the pressure water main, which is just east of U.S. 27, west across the Little Salamonie River, then end just north of the clubhouse.

Earth Construction Inc. will be boring under U.S. 27, Blackford said.

In other business, board members accepted a $115,000 bid by Maddox Industrial Contractors of Indianapolis to replace two submersible raw sewage pumps at the Portland Wastewater Treatment Plant.

Blackford said one of the two pumps at the plant is no longer working.

Wastewater treatment plant superintendent Bob Brelsford said this morning, the pumps are more than 20 years old. They work 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They are just worn out and need to be replaced, he said.

American Pump Repair & Service Ind. of New Palestine submitted a bid of $104,076. Although the American bid was lower, the Maddox bid was chosen because the company could stop the flow of sewage and install the pump during the day. American could only work at night when there was a low flow, she said.

Also Thursday the board:

•Accepted a bid by Marsh Supermarkets Inc. of Indianapolis, which owns Village Pantry, to provide gasoline and diesel fuel for all city-owned vehicles in 2005. The cost is the pump price, minus the state gas tax.

Mac’s Convenience Store Inc., Waterloo, Ill, which owns Circle K, also submitted a bid. Blackford said the Marsh bid was accepted because Mac’s couldn’t provide diesel fuel.

•Accepted a bid by Jackson Oil & Solvents Inc. of Indianapolis and G&G Oil Co. of Indiana, Muncie, for oil and lube products for city-owned vehicles. This was the only bid submitted.

Blackford said the price of the products depends on what is purchased.

The bids for fuel and oil products were opened during the Dec. 2 meeting.

•Decided not to renew the city’s contract with Waste Management until board members could meet with company officials.

Blackford said the board is concerned about the company’s recycling pick up. She said there was an incident in late December when the weather was bad and recycling was not collected. City officials weren’t notified until several days later.

Also, there have been times when all of the recycling was not collected because some of the company’s trucks are too small, she said.

If it is to be renewed, the contract with WM needs to be signed by Feb. 1, she said.

•Renewed a one-year contract with Hinkle to continue as city attorney. Blackford said the contract includes a 4 percent pay raise, which will increase his annual city salary to $15,615 from $15,015.[[In-content Ad]]