Board bumps contract amount

As Portland prepares for a nationwide project, it changed its contract with a land-surveying firm now that old sidewalk construction guidelines are being enforced by the state.
Portland Board of Works, Jerry Leonard, Bill Gibson and Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman, Wednesday unanimously approved to increase Beam, Longest and Neff’s contract another $12,800 from the original $84,100 for the work it will complete for Safe Routes to School.
This change is because the plan requires more time the contractor has to spend on the project.
Ami Huffman of Jay County Development Corporation told the board Indiana Department of Transportation is now enforcing standards that were passed in 2011. The state wants every portion of the old and new curbs to be drawn out and measured before and after they are installed, she said.
“It’s pretty time intensive and labor intensive,” noted Huffman, “They have to come out and measure everything and do all that and like I said, it was a rule for a long time but they never enforced it. And we signed this three or four years ago and now they are making you do it.”
INDOT is scheduled to begin the project in spring of 2017.
Portland’s first Safe Routes project calls for new sidewalks along Middle Street beginning at Votaw Street and then on High Street to Judge Haynes Elementary. The state granted the city around $280,000 for construction.
Safe Routes to School is a program seeking to make sidewalks and curbs compliant with Americans with Disabilities Act standards and provide safer routes for bicycling or walking.
In other business, the board:
•Awarded bids for services for petroleum products and materials in 2016.
Companies that provided bids to the city include, G&G Oil of Indiana and Portland Motor Parts for oil products, Agbest Propane Services and Milestone Contractors for non-taxable fuel and Village Pantry for vehicle gas.
•Opened bids from Milestone Contractors and Brooks Construction for streets and alley paving, and milling projects to several roads in the city. Milestone offered $121,798.35 and Brooks proposed $99,217, with an additional $19,540 to complete the contract. Clerk-treasurer Mickey Scott asked if it both contractors could be used on different parts of the project. Geesaman said it could be a possibility. The board decided to table the bids until 10 a.m. Dec. 14.
•Approved reimbursing Community Fiber Solutions, Portland, $1,750. The company was contracted to pay $350 per month for use of Portland’s water tower antennas for cable. Mark Clemens of CFS said the company overpaid the city five months and had asked for a refund.
•Approved a change order in the asphalt quantities for the north side sewer separation project from Jones & Henry Engineering for $22,654.
•Agreed to contracts for Don Hill and Gene Amlin at $50 per hour. Both are retired engineers, but Geesaman said the city will use their expertise on several smaller projects as needed such as coming up with ideas to fix failing infrastructures or alleviate flooding in some areas.
•Approved a three-year contract for new Portland police officer Josh Zimmerman.