Board Of Works Approves Road Closure, Pay Apps

(Carli Luca / News Now Warsaw)

Warsaw Board of Works members Mayor Joe Thallemer, George Clemens and Jeff Grose, along with Clerk-treasurer Lynne Christiansen, sat every other seat in council chambers to hold a regular meeting Friday while department heads reported remotely.

Members of the public and the media had been asked earlier this week to watch the meeting live on the city’s website in order to comply with state orders about social distancing and gathering limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thallemer said from the last time the board met, April 3, when he was given powers to approve certain items, he exercised that option for eight requests to keep projects moving forward and to pay regular claims.

The idea is to bring requests made outside the regular meeting back to Clemens and Grose for final approval.

In unfinished business, the board approved:

• The closure of Center Street between Buffalo and Lake streets every Saturday from May 2 to Oct. 31 for the Kosciusko County Farmer’s and Artisan’s Market.

Thallemer noted that only food vendors will be allowed and customers are expected to not congregate. The vendors will be spread out on the streets and on the plaza.

“Come singly, do business and leave, wear a mask,” Thallemer said. “Hopefully we’ll be back to a sunny farmer’s market, but for now they’re simply trying to distribute food.

• A payment $3,000.72 for the Anchorage Road project as requested by Structurepoint.

• A payment of $19,566.94 for  Construction Engineering’s oversight of the Market Street project.

• A pay application from Construction Engineering for $39,067.30 for the Market Street project.

• Another pay application from Construction Engineering for $42,265.55 for the Market Street project.

• A pay application to LPA for $17,012.50 for the Lincoln neighborhood sidewalk project.

The board also post-approved the purchase of a leaf vacuum truck with an automatic arm for $55,000. The 5-year-old vehicle is coming from Pennsylvania and will require one individual to operate it, instead of three people, according to Street Superintendent Jeff Beeler.

Usually, these self-contained vehicles cost $200,000, new, and Beeler explained that a municipality in Pennsylvania bought this unit with a grant and they were approved for another grant. The terms of the grant indicate the used vehicle must be sold before grant funds are used on another new unit.

In regular new business, the board turned to requests by the Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory, the first item being an agreement with the law firm of Beers Mallers Backs & Salin at the rate of $150 per hour with a $500 retainer fee, which was approved.

WWFT Chief Mike Wilson also asked the board to approve acceptance of a grant from the K21 Health Foundation in the amount of $236,130, which will pay for mechanical CPR devices. The units will be given to fire stations throughout the county. The individual fire stations are expected to maintain the devices.

Wilson said the fire territory board hasn’t met to approve the grant but they were in favor the application and the distribution program.

Other items the board approved were:

• Change order No. 4, as presented by City Planner Jeremy Skinner, for the airport industrial park sewer for $64,382. Skinner said this change addresses line revisions along CR 200N between Pound Drive and Cessna Road, which requires additional material for roadway improvements and for improvements to the existing lift station on Boeing Drive.

Skinner said the completion date on the project is still August although two crews, instead of one, were at the site now and the completion date may be moved up.

• A pay application for HRP Construction of $323,996.20 for construction, approved by overseers Wessler Engineering, was approved. Thallemer noted this project is nearing completion.

• The disposition and acquisition of three lots on East Center Street – 800, 801 and 802 – were approved for the Market Street neighborhood project. Costs of the three lots is $300,000 and will be transferred to Englewood for development as affordable senior housing units. Construction is expected to begin this spring.

• A continuation of the Pike Lake shoreline restoration was approved with funds not to exceed $24,450.

• A three-year maintenance agreement with Core Mechanical Services was approved for the wastewater utility. Costs are $8,462 in 2020; $12,180 for 2021; and 2022 for a three-year total of $32,822. The company will maintain exhaust fans, boilers, mini split units, air supplies and air conditioning units on a regular basis.

• D & D Electric was approved for annual thermal imaging and on-call electrical services at the wastewater treatment plant and the city’s more than 40 lift stations. Costs were given as $13,800 for the wastewater plant; $11,500 for the lift stations and $350 per service call plus labor fees.

• NV Grant Services was hired to certify all payroll accounts for claims to the state revolving fund for $1,170.

• A Wessler Engineering pay application for $3,435 for professional services related to the wastewater plant expansion. This represents the amount on a “lost” invoice dated Sept. 1 to 30, 2019.

• A pay application to Kokosing Industrial for $1,166,744 was approved for work on the wastewater treatment plant expansion project.

• Layne Inliers pay application in the amount of $201,446. The work is for small diameter sewer rehabilitation. It was noted the pipeline lining project is nearly complete.

The board members also approved executive order 2020-04-02 to extend the pandemic paid leave policy for the third two-week period. Thallemer commented the city might be slightly ahead of any state announcement and this provision can be rescinded or again extended.

The next Warsaw Board of Works meeting is May 1 at 10:30 a.m.