Water department to get upgrade

Data from Portland Water Department is moving to the Cloud.

Portland’s board of works unanimously agreed Thursday to invest $39,175 for a major upgrade in computer software that includes Cloud-based data storage. 

“Everything is new and different,” said water superintendent Doug Jackson.

Mayor Randy Geesaman noted that the city first installed the meter-reading software in 2010 and the need for an upgrade should come as no surprise.

Board members Bill Gibson, Jerry Leonhard and Geesaman also were unanimous in approving the purchase of a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning system for two rooms in city hall.

Police chief Nathan Springer said the radio dispatch room and the adjacent officers’ room are often either too hot or too cold because a single thermostat at the front of the building is insufficient.

The cost of an LG unit from Laux Plumbing and Heating that will be mounted on the roof of the police department carport is $5,272.36.

“In the long run it should be a cost-saver,” said Gibson.

The board also approved an engineering contract for the right-of-way phase of the Blaine Pike improvement project with Beam, Longest and Neff. That phase of the project is not to exceed $303,200 on an 80-20 split with the Indiana Department of Transportation.

Additional right of way is needed because the project will include new sidewalks from Water Street to Bittersweet Lane, community developer Ami Huffman explained. Street paving improvements will go all the way to the southern city limits.

While Jackson expressed some concern about the relationship between the new sidewalks and existing water lines, he added, ‘We can work it out.”

The board also agreed to hire Choice One Engineering of Portland to update the city’s transportation asset management plan.