Milestone gets paving contract

Eight Portland streets will be paved in the near future.
Portland’s Board of Works awarded a $193,931.25 paving contract to Milestone Paving at its meeting Friday.
It also heard a proposal from Berne Ready Mix for special consideration on its wastewater bill.
Board members Bill Gibson, Jerry Leonhard and Mayor Randy Geesaman, chose Milestone’s bid for the contract over Brooks Construction’s bid of $210,470. The contract covers the milling and repaving of eight streets selected for work by Geesaman and Portland street and parks superintendent Ryan Myers.
The streets to be repaved will be Main Street between Morton and Meridian streets, Western Street between Water and Votaw streets, Arch Street between Middle and Williams streets, 2nd Street between Western and Middle streets, Middle Street between Water Street and Blaine Pike, Alexander Street between Main and Walnut streets, Williams Street between High and Votaw streets and the alley west of Alexander Street between Votaw and North streets.
Geesaman said the start date hasn’t yet been set on the project and cautioned that it might not start until spring, depending on Milestone’s availability. Milestone is the contractor for road work currently underway on Indiana 26 between Indiana 67 and Indiana 1.
The board also heard a proposal from Matt Subler, a manager for Berne Ready Mix. Subler explained that as Berne Ready Mix’s Portland plant becomes active, its water usage is going to increase significantly.
The city uses a graduated system to bill a water user for wastewater usage, but Subler explained that most of the water used at the plant will be hauled away as concrete rather than sent into the city’s wastewater system. He asked for consideration from the board to adjust their billing on the wastewater portion of the plant’s water bill.
According to Subler, the plant is estimated to use 60,000 gallons a month this winter, but during the summer could use as much as 800,000 gallons a month when mixing concrete for construction projects. He explained that at those levels, the added wastewater costs would be significant.
The board discussed that previous issues like this had been addressed on a case-by-case basis, and tabled the issue for its Oct. 6 meeting in order to consider Subler’s proposal.