Project problem causing flooding

Recent rainfall led to a discovery below Water Street on Portland’s east side: a storm drain line was never connected properly, leading to flooding in the area.

At its meeting Thursday, Portland Board of Works discussed solutions to fix the line, which should have been connected during the Indiana Department of Transportation project that revamped Water Street (Indiana 26) in 2015. 

Board members were also updated on the implementation of the city’s new contract for curbside recycling pickup with Rumpke. 

Water Street from Meridian to the eastern edge of the city was redone as part of an INDOT initiative in 2015, after years of discussion and planning.

The street was rebuilt and street lights and ADA-compliant sidewalks were installed. Below the street, the water and sewer lines were replaced. 

Since the project’s completion in November 2015, several problems have cropped up, including flooding in lawns and pavement breaking apart around manholes. Additionally, Portland has been on the hook for thousands of dollars in change orders.

Sandy Bubp, who lives on Water Street, told the board that homes near the intersection of Munson and Water streets had flooded after a period of rainfall earlier this week. 

Upon investigation, city employees discovered that a storm line was never properly hooked up during the project. Water has been accumulating in the line and causing the flooding.

“We got pictures on the camera 39 feet from where we had the hole dug down,” wastewater superintendent Brad Clayton told the board. “We can see road.” 

There doesn’t seem to be an immediate solution to the problem. 

The line is the wrong size to properly attach to a nearby catch basin, and connecting the line involves work underneath Indiana 26.

It’s also against state regulations to connect it to a combined sewer in the area, the only other option Clayton had considered. 

“It’s going to be basically a storage line until we can them in here and get it fixed,” Clayton said. 

While the city contacts INDOT for guidance on what to do next — either fixing the problem itself or waiting for INDOT to send out a crew — Clayton said he’ll leave a temporary tap in the line in case it needs to be emptied out again. 

Portland Mayor Randy Geesaman and fellow board members Bill Gibson and Jerry Leonhard expressed their overall frustration with the project. 

“Jerry, Bill and I’ve been very unhappy that whole project,” Geesaman said. “We never were pleased with it from the very beginning to the very end.” 

Also Thursday, Geesaman gave an update on the city’s new contract with Rumpke as the board voted to approve it. At its Aug. 3 meeting, the board selected a three-year contract totaling $398,016 with Rumpke for curbside recycling pickup. The service was previously supplied by Best Way Disposal. 

Rumpke’s contract will start Oct. 1. On Sept. 27 and 28, Rumpke will be dropping off new recycling bins. Best Way will pick up its bins during its final pickups that week. 

Rumpke’s recycling pickup schedule has not been decided yet, Geesaman said. 

In other business, the board: 

•Approved hiring Luke Darby to work for Portland Street Department. He will man the trash truck. 

•OK’d a reimbursement agreement with Eric Fields, a recent hire at the Portland Police Department. If Fields leaves the job within three years, he will be required to pay back a prorated amount of $11,977.59 — the cost of sending him to the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy.