One inspection contract approved

As Portland prepares for two sidewalk projects to begin, the inspection contractors offered agreements but only one was accepted.
Portland Board of Works approved Thursday morning an inspection contract from Beam, Longest & Neff of $27,000 for work on the Safe Routes to Schools Project.
BL&N will handle inspection of new sidewalks leading from in front of Jay County Hospital along Middle and High streets to Judge Haynes Elementary School. The project is scheduled to begin construction late this year.
The board tabled an inspection agreement offer from Butler, Fairman & Seufert because of an error in the contract. BF&S is slated to provide inspection over the work for the Northside Pedestrian Greenway Project beginning at the intersection of Lafayette Street and Creagor Avenue near Katelynn Place apartments. The trail 8-foot-wide path with curb ramps will run along the west side of Creagor Avenue and then connect an existing trail on the south side of Jay County Hospital.
Indiana Department of Transportation emailed Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman prior to Thursday’s meeting and asked to see the draft of the BF&S contract before it was approved.
Jay County director of community development Ami Huffman said the numbers needed to be closely examined before taking any further steps. The mistake showed two different amounts for the work, with a $7,250 difference between the fees.
For both projects, the city will pay 20 percent of the inspection fee with INDOT covering the rest.
In other business, the board — Jerry Leonhard, Bill Gibson and Geesaman:
•Approved the bid from A. Landon Excavating in Portland for $3,450 to demolish a concrete structure, which sits on top of an 18-inch sewer line, owned by Dane Snyder at 415 W. Water St., near the Salamonie River. The Snyder has granted the city an easement to allow a larger sewer line to be installed on the property.
•Approved a bid from Leary Construction Company in Greenfield on an interior and exterior paint job for the water tower west of the intersection of Lincoln Avenue and Franklin St. near Milton Miller Park for $152,250.
•Hired Michael Cline as the new employee for the wastewater treatment plant on superintendent Bob Brelsford’s recommendation. The previous plant employee transferred to the city’s street department.