City OKs plant project

More than half a million dollars was appropriated Thursday toward mandated projects at Portland’s wastewater treatment plant.

The city’s board of works met and approved a new $526,000 contract for Jones & Henry Engineers to design improvements to the plant’s pump station and for the creation of a new 12-million gallon equalizing basin. Both projects are required under the city’s long-term control plan with Indiana Department of Environmental Management to improve flood control.

Jeff Hersha of Jones & Henry told the board that the “goal” of amending the long-term control plan last year to prioritize these projects is so the city could potentially bypass the pricy creation of an oxidation ditch.

“In all fairness, it’s very likely IDEM will require construction of the oxidation ditch,” Hersha admitted, but continued in saying it’s not impossible that these two projects could satisfy IDEM’s control plan.

Pump station improvements and a new basin were going to be required anyway, so reorganizing the plan could allow the city to get out of paying potentially millions for the oxidation ditch.

Per the plan, the new basin and pump station improvements are projected to cost the city $5.4 million. Currently, no funding mechanism is in place via state or federal grants to pay for any of it.

Wastewater superintendent Brad Clayton told the board that beginning in June, the city will have to begin paying for phosphorus removal treatment to improve the city’s water quality. This is also the result of a state mandate.

Clayton presented two similar quotes from Hawkins Inc. and another from Brenntag that will annually cost the city anywhere between $90,000 and $120,000 depending how many gallons of treatment is needed to maintain state-required water quality. That price is contingent on rain, and the cost could go down during a drought, Clayton said.

In other business, board members Jerry Leonhard, Steve McIntosh and Portland Mayor John Boggs:

•Signed off on two promotions within the Portland Police Department. Trevor Fennig was elevated to a full-time dispatcher and Clint Gaston will become the department’s part-time code enforcement officer after previously serving as a reserve officer.

•Approved a repayment program totaling $7,984 for officer Jagg Nuñez, who is required to repay the cost to send him to the police academy because he resigned before his contract expired. The board also approved a $11,977.59 contract with officer Brandon McDavid to send him to the police academy beginning March 15.

•Agreed to a 50/50 split with Portland Redevelopment Commission to pay for new LED lights and cosmetic improvements for light poles along Meridian Street (U.S. 27) expected to total $17,226. Any rebate from Indiana Michigan Power for the LED lights would go toward the city, per the agreement.

•Tabled a vote on paying $97,800 to VS Engineering for the design of a new trail.

•Paid $6,000 to Choice One Engineering to update the city’s prioritizing list for streets to be paved from future Community Crossings grants.

•Wrote off $1,544.50 in debt, which is allowed every two years, and terminated $256.16 worth of outstanding checks, which is allowed after a check from the city hasn’t been cashed after two years.