Board selects quote

Portland Board of Works on Thursday approved purchase of a new bed for one of the street department’s trucks.
Members also opened bids for petroleum products and heard an update about the city’s sewer projects.
Street and park superintendent Ryan Myers said the 2006 Ford F650 model truck’s bed is in bad shape.
“The beds that are on there are kind of falling apart, Myers said. “It’s time to replace the bed.”
He received three quotes, the lowest of which was from Mid-State Truck Equipment for $10,950 if the city keeps the existing hoist, which Myers plans to do.
The other quotes were for $13,204.75 and $14,655.
The bed is a different style than what the city currently has on the trucks it uses for brush collection and snow removal, Myers said.
“This is going to be a little heavier-duty bed, we shouldn’t run into this problem again,” he said.
Members Jerry Leonhard, Bill Gibson and Mayor Randy Geesaman are expected to select bids Nov. 20 for petroleum products, which include gasoline and stone, for 2015.
Geesaman opened bids from Portland Motor Parts, G&G Oil Company of Indiana, AgBest Propane Services, Marathon Gasoline, Milestone Contractors and U.S. Aggregates.
Brian Houghton of Jones & Henry Engineers, Ltd. said the firm is working on a few projects related to the city’s sewers.
The company is currently working on modeling the Miller Branch, an undersized sewer line running through downtown. The model has been developed, Houghton said, and now the firm is working on looking at alternatives for the project.
The engineering firm is also working on the installation of flap gates on 10 combined sewer overflows throughout the city.
Portland Redevelopment Commission approved purchasing new flap gates to replace those that are in bad shape. The flap gates will keep water from the Salamonia River from entering the city’s sewer system and is expected to alleviate some downtown flooding issues.
It will be another six to eight weeks before the flap gates arrive in Portland, and the city will have to hire a contractor to install them. Houghton said he’s hopeful the project can be finished in January or February because bad weather won’t affect progress.
Jones & Henry Engineers is halfway through the design of the west side sewer separation project. The firm has some further investigation to do for the project to decide what it will do with a sewer line beneath Grand Street and is considering doing smoke testing on Arch and Main streets.
The smoke testing will enable the firm to see if houses on Main and Arch streets are tied into storm sewers.
The board also approved a three-year employment contract between the city and new Portland police officer Cody Jessee. He was hired at a previous board of works meeting.