Sidewalk work gains approval

Walking in downtown Portland is about to get easier.

Sidewalks on the east and west side between the 200 and 500 blocks of North Meridian Street are set to be leveled and evened with the rest of the sidewalks in downtown after Portland Board of Works signed off on a contract at its meeting Thursday, its first in more than two months.

Portland awarded a $6,975 contract to Muncie-based A-1 Concrete Leveling & Foundation Repair to level the sidewalks, which is projected to be done in the near future. According to the contract, the sidewalks will be restored to their original height and will match the adjacent walkways.

Portland Mayor John Boggs also told the board its next big project proposal will be repairing drainage pipes along Meridian Street to try to reduce downtown flooding.

“We don’t know the extent of the project yet,” said Boggs, who added it is in the city’s longterm control plan that was resubmitted to and approved by the state earlier this year.

“We’ve gotta move up to the highest priority we can,” Boggs said.

The board could meet again this month to discuss and vote on the project, he said.

Portland Redevelopment Commission has money set aside for downtown flooding projects that could be utilized for Meridian Street, Boggs said.

In regard to work currently underway, board member Jerry Leonhard noted that the installation of a new gas line on North Street near Garfield Avenue is causing problems. Most recently, a portion of a sidewalk was taken out during construction by Miller Pipeline, which is being contracted by Ohio Valley Gas Corporation. The board agreed that Ohio Valley Gas has done a good job in the past of cleaning up after doing jobs and it is expected that the same will be done after the work is complete.

In other business, Boggs and fellow board members Steve McIntosh and Leonhard signed off on an agreement with Rob Moser to connect a yet-to-be-built house near his 2108 S. Boundary Pike home to the city’s sewer system.