Jutte awarded sewer project

A sewer line that runs along the north bank of the Salamonie River will be replaced.
Portland Board of Works on Thursday awarded a contract to Jutte Excavating to replace a 460-foot stretch of line east of Blaine Pike.
Board members Mayor Randy Geesaman, Bill Gibson and Jerry Leonhard selected Jutte, which was the lowest of three bidders for the project at $309,970.
Other bids came from Fleming Excavating in Decatur at $318,834.10 and Keith Sullivan Excavating of Marion at $488,156.35.
Don Hill, the self-employed engineer who designed the project, said the contractor estimated the work will be substantially completed about two weeks after construction begins. Final work will be completed within 60 days of the project’s start, according to the terms of the contract.
Mayor Randy Geesaman said the work is set to begin as soon as all the necessary materials are delivered.
The new section of sewer line will be 42 inches in diameter as compared to the current 18-inch pipe. Multiple 24-inch lines feed into the 18-inch line, which is a contributing factor to backup during periods of heavy rainfall.
Geesaman said that this new line is part of the effort to alleviate some of Portland’s downtown flooding.