Sidewalk step tabled, then OK’d

A vote was tabled.

Then, several minutes later, Ami Huffman of Jay County Development Corporation phoned a friend.

The vote was untabled, then passed.

State and local government cooperation was on display Thursday as a representative from Indiana Department of Transportation explained to Portland’s Board of Works details of the next stage of a multi-million dollar project to resurface Blaine Pike and add a sidewalk to the east side of the road.

The call resulted in the board approving a $395,680 contract for Beam, Longest and Neff to coordinate rights-of-way and easements of the several properties affected by the planned project. Of that total, 20% will be paid out for the contract from the city with the rest of funds coming from the Indiana Department of Transportation.

That 80-20 split is consistent with how the estimated total $2,649,600 to complete the project is to be paid out.

The board originally voted to table the contract because it was confused whether or not it included payment for the land that could have to be acquired to build a sidewalk. Mayor John Boggs and fellow board members Jerry Leonhard and Steve McIntosh didn’t know, however, that their answer to that question would come by the end of the meeting.

While the board was discussing another matter, Huffman called INDOT’s Kim Bowdell, who she is working with on the project on behalf of the city, to help explain the contract and what it entails.

Bowdell told the board that the contract includes potential payout for property easement. After that was pointed out, the board voted to award the contract.

Environmental surveying has already been completed on the proposed construction area with the next step being right-of-way coordination among the 33 parcels of land the project affects.

It’s currently projected that 2.79 acres of land will have to be acquired in order to complete the project. The city is able to acquire the land it needs to build the sidewalk through property easement. Property owners will receive what is deemed a “fair price” for the land adjacent to the street. Alternatively, the land can be donated to the city.

Bowdell acknowledged that easement can be a headache for the city and the property owners it affects but, ultimately, living next to sidewalk is better than a few feet of property, she said.

The project, which was first approved by the state in 2017, is expected to be completed within the next couple of years.

A 1.2-mile long sidewalk, which will be 4 feet wide in most places, is planned to be constructed along Blaine Pike starting at its intersection with Bittersweet Lane to about 180 feet south of its intersection with the Norfolk Southern Railroad line near Water Street.

A solar powered flashing crosswalk is planned to be built in between the sidewalk and Portland Memorial Park so pedestrians can cross the road safely. Those traveling on foot will have easier access to Portland Memorial Park and Green Park Cemetery.

Huffman said there’s a lot of foot traffic in the area, especially from the Golden Age Senior Citizens Village at 608 Blaine Pike, and that a sidewalk will help ensure safe travels along the road.

In other business, the board:

•Heard that city attorney Bill Hinkle is drafting a contract for Rob Moser to connect to the city’s sewer system. The board preliminarily approved the contract last week.

•Gave its blessing to Portland Police Department to send Eric Fields, a K-9 officer, to training in Fort Wayne.

•Heard of a property dispute from former Portland City Council and Board of Works member Bill Gibson. Gibson, who lives at 216 W. McNeil, Portland, disagrees with the existing mapping of his property and how it stands in relation to the street he lives near.