City to wait on contracts

Portland isn’t committing to a partnership with Indiana Department of Transportation to pave Blaine Pike until city officials get more details on a pair of projects and nail down funding sources for design and engineering.

In addition to discussing the potential paving, Portland Board of Works on Wednesday also approved new equipment purchases for Portland Police Department, accepted a request for a local business to put up no parking signs and OK’d a service agreement with the Wabash River Repeater Association.

Board members Bill Gibson, Jerry Leonhard and Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman tabled a proposal to agree to pay a portion of construction costs for two proposed projects to repave and add sidewalks to Blaine Pike from Water Street to Bittersweet Lane and replace sidewalks on High Street between Middle and Meridian streets.

INDOT would pay for 80 percent of the combined $630,100 in construction costs for the pair of projects, with Portland handling the remaining 20 percent. But local officials were not willing to commit to the deal because INDOT has not said whether or not it will fund a portion of the design and engineering work as well.

“If we don’t get 80/20 on engineering and design, we can’t do it,” said Gibson.

On the High Street project, Jerry Leonhard questioned the necessity of the sidewalks, billed as a part of the “Safe Routes to Schools Program,” if Judge Haynes Elementary may be shuttered in the near future.

Jay School Corporation, which already closed Pennville Elementary at the conclusion of the 2016-17 school year, is considering closing Judge Haynes as part of continued efforts to gain financial stability. Superintendent Jeremy Gulley has said a decision on the future of Judge Haynes will be made by December.

The street projects, if eventually approved, won’t be worked on until 2022.

The board also approved $11,759.04 in equipment and labor from Emergency Radio Services to replace and upgrade the Portland Police Department’s dispatch equipment at the request of Chief Nathan Springer. 

Strohl Appliances requested permission from the board to install “parking for customers only” signs in their parking lot. Mayor Randy Geesaman said it has been city policy since an ordinance was passed in 1984 to allow businesses to tow vehicles that park in lots with customer only signs posted. The board approved the proposal.

Board of Works also accepted a service agreement with the Wabash River Repeater Association, which operates a radio repeater in a shack at the city’s north water tower near Milton Miller Park. The agreement will pay up to $500 this year for services, in exchange for backup and emergency assistance from the repeater association. The contract is renewable annually.

In other business, the board:

•Approved a pro-rated reimbursement agreement with full-time police officer Brad Miller. If Miller was to resign his position before the end of the three-year agreement, he would have to pay a portion of $11,977.59 back to the city.

•Accepted the resignation of full-time police officer Jessica Ooten, effective Aug. 22.