Vehicles pass through the intersection at Sheldon Street and CR 300N, which will be reconstructed as a roundabout this year.

WARSAW – Construction of a roundabout at Sheldon Street and CR 300N is set to begin after a bid for the project was awarded Friday, Feb. 15, during the Warsaw Board of Works and Safety meeting.

Phend & Brown, of Milford, was awarded the project after offering a bid of $1,880,359. The other bid was from Rieth Riley Construction, of South Bend, which sought to do the project for $2,315,601.

The area along CR 300 has seen significant commercial and residential growth in recent years. A shopping center that includes Kohl’s is to the northeast of the intersection and two large apartment complexes are to the west. Madison Elementary is further to the west.

In addition to the roundabout, other roadwork will include sidewalks and a “side path” that is wider and designed to accommodate bicyclists. Improvements along CR 300N will stretch from a bridge to the west and east to SR 15. Some sidewalks will be added to parts of Sheldon.

The project is expected to be completed this year.

The first phase of construction along 300N spanned from Silveus Crossing to the bridge.

The awarding of the bid to Phend & Brown was one of several significant moves by the board on Friday.

In a somewhat rare move, the board rejected both bids for a small sewer project that was intended to serve parts of the northern end of Central Park.

Two firms had bid on the Canal Street sewer work. G&G Hauling and Excavating, of Warsaw, had the low bid, $184,395. The other was from Selge Construction, of Niles, Mich., for $206,618.

However, Wastewater Utility Manager Brian Davison recommended the board reject both, saying he believes they can do the work in other ways for less money.

The low bid was 27 percent more expensive than an engineer’s quote of $145,529.

Instead of a centralized “conveyance” system that would serve the pavilion and some nearby restrooms, Davison said they will try separate systems. The work is needed to replace a failing gravity system, according to paperwork provided by the city.

The board also approved plans to purchase the shuttered Mobil gas station at the corner of Canal Street and North Detroit Street for $152,500 from JPJ Food Mart. The acquisition will set the stage for the city to seek the creation of a turn lane on North Detroit for southbound traffic to enter the park and for improvements to the entrance into Central Park.

In other matters, the board:

• Approved a request for Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory to serve as the distribution center for Narcan, the drug that is widely used by emergency responders to pull people out of a drug overdose. Police and fire departments across Kosciusko County will use WWFT to reload their supplies after being used. The board also approved plans to seek grant money for the endeavor.
• Approved the release of two mortgages for homes overseen by the Warsaw Housing Authority that have been paid off. The homes are on West Prairie Street and West Fort Wayne Street.
• Approved travel requests for 20 city employees in five departments.
• Approved plans to initiate the replacement of a fire engine. The fire territory will work with Sourcewell, a Minnesota organization that will help select the best product for the territory.
• Approved contracts with six musical acts that will be part of the Central Park Concert Series. The groups include Cari Ray & The Shaky Legs, Hurricane Reggae Band, Kari Lynch Band, Smooth Edge 2, The Bulldogs and The Matchsellers.
• Approved plans to seek grant money related to the establishment of a bike lane on Fort Wayne Street and two grants for police involving patrols and drunk driving reduction efforts.