Projects awarded

A multi-million improvement project for Portland’s wastewater treatment plant is moving forward.

Portland Board of Works on Thursday awarded contracts for the construction of a new equalization basin and wet weather pump station at the facility.

Jutte Excavating of Fort Recovery was the low bidder for the equalization basin in December at $4.57 million. Other bids ranged from $5.2 million to $5.73 million. There were no bids for the wet weather pump station at that time.

After going through a second bidding process, James S. Jackson Company of Bluffton came in with the low bid of $13.73 million for the wet weather pump station. Jutte was the only other bidder at $14.62 million.

Board of works members Jerry Leonhard and Mayor Jeff Westlake approved the low bids for the projects, which combined total of just over $18 million. (Board member Steve McIntosh was absent.)

Both bids came in significantly higher than the last engineers’ estimate of $2.9 million and $9.3 million, respectively, in March 2023.

Portland clerk-treasurer Lori Phillips explained that the city has closed on its $23 million bond for the project. She noted that the bond also covers preliminary work, engineering and other costs beyond the construction.

Construction of the equalization basin is expected to take 330 days, with the wet weather pump station to take 515 days. Phillips said a start date for the work has not yet been set.

The equalization basin and wet weather pump station are partner projects that are part of the city’s agreed order with Indiana Department of Environmental Management. 

Signed in 2008, the order is intended to eliminate combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in the city by increasing the wastewater plant’s capacity. (CSOs occur when the amount of water in the system exceeds its capacity, causing untreated stormwater and wastewater to be discharged into waterways.) 

The new system will allow excess water to be pumped into the equalization basin during times when the city's facility is overloaded. That water can then be pumped back and treated before being discharged.

The agreed order also calls for the construction of an oxidization ditch in the future.

The board also approved an interlocal agreement with Jay County. The agreement, which commissioners approved last week, details the following:

The agreement outlines the following:

•Portland can dispose of vegetative debris at the highway department

•Jay County will mow along areas of Pearl Street, Tyson Road, Boundary Pike, River Road and along the banks of the Salamonia River east of Wayne Street within city limits

•Portland will snow plow and salt the following roads: Tyson Road from Charles Street to Indiana 67; Seventh Street/100 South from Blaine Pike to Indiana 67; county road 200 West from Tyson Road to Red Gold in rural Portland; Blaine Pike from Portland city limits to county road 200 South; the entirety of county road 150 South; Court Street in between Main and Walnut streets in Portland.

•Jay County will snow plow and salt county road 100 North from Morton Street to U.S. 27.

•Portland will provide trash collection for Jay County Courthouse, Community Resource Center and Jay County Health Department.

•Jay County will allow storage of sand, sandbags and related equipment at Jay County Highway Department. The city and county entities will alternate in providing sand for use in filling the bags.

In other business, the board:

•Agreed to maintain leases with all entities that rent space at Community Resource Center and schedule a meeting between the city and those entities to discuss the terms. There has been a dispute over the handling of utility payments since the board approved updates to the leases late last year.

•OK’d a reimbursement agreement with Patrick Long for his training at Indiana Law Enforcement Academy. The agreement requires that Long pay back a percentage of the costs of his training if he leaves Portland Police Department within three years.

•Approved the following: The purchase of an ATV for the street department for $10,690;  a memorandum of understanding with Fifer Properties to allow it to put in trees and berms in the right-of-way at 510 S. Bridge St.;  water bill adjustment of $37.27 for 125 S. Munson St.