City to add work on west side

The west side sewer project in Portland has stayed on schedule despite the rainy weather that slowed progress on other work early this summer. It has also been under budget.
The city plans to take advantage of that savings by including more sewer work and street paving between Grand Street and Western Avenue that wasn’t a part of the original plans. That additional work needs to be approved by Portland Board of Works, which plans to vote at its Oct. 2 meeting.
Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman noted that while the previously-completed north side sewer project cost more than expected, Watson Excavating’s work on the west side is about $150,000 less than the projection of just over $1 million.
"When you put it in the ground, sometimes they're way off,” Geesaman said of estimates. “But this time, it worked to our advantage.
"We know there are other areas of the west side that are a problem. But adding this extra work in, we're helping more of the west end."
The extra money will allow for new storm sewer lines on Arch and Race streets stretching all the way from Grand Street to Western Avenue. Both streets were already slated for some new sewer lines, but for shorter stretches.
Also added to the project will be full repaving for High and Race streets from Grand Street to Western Avenue. Race Street was previously slated to be paved only between Park and Williams Streets.
The original project included more than 4,300 feet of new storm sewer lines and 38 catch basins as part of an effort to redirect water from an overworked lift station.

The work centers around Grand Street, which is getting new 24-inch storm sewer lines, catch basins and manholes along with having the street repaved.
It also called for new 15- and 18-inch sewer lines in areas of Race, Arch, High, Alexander and Williams Streets, with new catch basins and manholes. Western Avenue was slated to be repaved between Walnut and High Streets.
The city had been holding off on paving in the area in anticipation of the need to dig up streets in order to complete sewer work.
"Our plan was after we did more and more sewer work we would start paving more streets down there. ... We weren't going to do any on the west side until we had it all torn up and put back together,” said Geesaman. “So even though those were getting worse, we were waiting to see what sewer work we were going to do over there."
The west side project is also satisfying an agreement between the city and Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) for repayment of an $870,000 grant Portland passed on to Wisconsin-based manufacturer Geesaman Industries in 2009. The grant had to be repaid after the company failed to meet job-creation goals, but no repayment agreement was in place with Geesaman Industries leaving responsibility for the money to the city.
Portland paid back some of the money from the sale of Geesaman industries assets, and OCRA agreed to forgive the remaining $747,825 is the amount was invested in a local disaster relief project. The west side work meets those requirements.
Geesaman said he’s been happy with the way the west side work has progressed this summer.
"That project, compared to the other two, has been much better,” he said, referencing the Indiana 26 East (Water Street) and Portland Water Park projects. “They've been able to work under the conditions. There's no change orders except what we're adding on. The contractor and engineering has worked really well. And we've been able to stay on schedule and stay under budget."