Shifting timeline

Work at the city’s wastewater treatment plant is moving along.

Officials will need to update documentation with the state to reflect a change in the timeline.

Jeff Hersha of Jones and Henry Engineers of Fort Wayne, updated Portland Board of Works on the project Thursday and asked that a work session be scheduled to update the city’s long-term control plan.

The more than $18.3 million overall project includes the construction of a wet weather pump station and an equalization basin. Both are part of the city’s 2008 agreed order with Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the city’s long-term control plan.

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.

Hersha reported that James S. Jackson Company of Bluffton continues to make progress on the wet weather pump station. He said excavation for the project is at about the halfway point.

He added that Jutte Excavating, which is handling the equalization basin, expects to have materials arriving soon and begin staging for its portion of the project this month.

The project that officially started in June 2024 has a completion date of 2025 in the long-term control plan. Because of various delays, the expected completion date is now Oct. 9, 2026.

Hersha said he has been in communication with Indiana Department of Environmental Management about the timeline and the reasons for the delays. But, he added, the city will need to formally update its long-term control plan to reflect that change and submit it to the state agency for approval.

“I expect that we would be successful,” said Hersha. “The circumstances are understood by everyone in the state, or everyone in the country. But it is a box that we’ll need to check.

The board did not set a work session at the meeting but will look to do so in the next few weeks.

Also related to the project, the board approved a $586,318.50 pay request from James Jackson for work completed in March.

In other business, the board:

•Approved a contract with LeeAnn Miller of Reclaiming Design to purchase the properties at 208 and 210 N. Meridian St. The contract lays out a timeline of five years for her to complete upgrades to the properties, including adding real or artificial grass for greenery, seating, tables and more whimsical elements such as a trellis, lighting and flowers. (The board had approved the sale to Miller at its March meeting.)

•Agreed to reimburse Charles Street resident Cliff Moser $335 for plumbing work to fix a problem that was later discovered to be caused by an issue with a city lift station that had gone offline. (Moser originally visited city council on April 21. Council members supported his request but advised him that it was a board of works decision.)

•Approved a six-month extension of a waiver of sewage fees for Kyle Love, whose home was destroyed in the September tornado. He said he is close to beginning to rebuild, with a goal of occupying the new house in September.

•Tabled a decision on leveling and seeding the lot at the southwest corner of Main and Commerce streets, the former site of the Bailey Building. Board members said they want to take another look at the property and decide whether concrete at the southeast corner of the property should be removed as part of the project.

•Denied a request from Pam Zielinski to have a $9.64 late fee on a utility bill waived. She said she did not receive the bill. Board members said the late fee was assessed following the city ordinance and expressed concern about being flooded with similar requests if they made an exception.