Howard Kistler, center, was recognized for his five-year service anniversary with Oakwood Cemetery on Friday at the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety. Each month, Human Resource Director Denny Harlan recognizes city employees with five-, 10-, 15-, 20-year, etc., anniversaries at the board meeting. Also pictured are Oakwood Cemetery sexton Hal Heagy, left, and Mayor Jeff Grose, right. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — Bids for two street projects were awarded Friday, May 17, at the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

The bids were opened at the board’s May 3 meeting.

For the Frontage Road and Lake Village Lane project, three sealed bids were received. Street Superintendent Dustin Dillon said the Frontage Road portion was a 50/50 Community Crossings Matching Grant project, with the state awarding $184,277.50 in funding toward it. He said the bid came in well below the projected cost and recommended the board award it to Phend & Brown Inc. at $193,353.16. For the mandatory alternate portion of the project — Lake Village Lane — which will be paid 100% with local funds, he also recommended Phend & Brown be awarded that at $166,308.08.

Dillon said the board will approve the notice to proceed and contract at their next meeting.

The board unanimously awarded the base bid and mandatory alternate bid to Phend & Brown.

The second road project is the reconstruction of Hodges Addition, phase 3, including North Lincoln Street from Sheridan Street to Lindberg. Dillon said it’s another Community Crossings Matching Grant project, and it’s the third and final phase.

Two bids were received for it with Niblock Excavating having the lowest bid at $1,137,695.60. Dillon recommended Niblock be awarded the bid. The agreement and other paperwork will be presented to the board at their next meeting.

Mayor Jeff Grose said the project has been very positive and transformative for the neighborhood, where he’s lived for the past 30 years.

The Community Crossings Matching Grant half for the project was $806,675, so Dillon said they will be returning some money to the state because the project is only eligible for half of the funding of what the bids came in at.

The board unanimously approved Niblock Excavating to be awarded the bid.

Dillon told the board the substantial completion date for the Lincoln Street project is Nov. 29, with the final completion April 30, so the majority of the work will be completed this year.

As for Frontage Road and Lake Village Lane, the substantial completion date is mid October.

In other business:

• Warsaw Police Department Chief Scott Whitaker requested authorization to pursue fuel pricing for 2025.

“As the letter indicates to the board, we will solicit the bids in the local paper in advance of the June 7 meeting, at which time we will request that the board opens the bids. Because of the volatility of fuel pricing, we’ll make a decision hopefully that day,” he said.

The contractual purchase agreement for 2025 fuel will be for 85,000 gallons, an increase of 5,000 over the previous few years. The bids will be for regular fuel.

The board approved Whitaker’s request.

• Whitaker also requested, and the board approved, to receive U.S. Department of Justice Bullet Proof Vest Partnership grant funds from 2023 and 2022 to purchase 10 vests at approximately $15,023. The grant will pay $7,500 of the cost.

• Wastewater Utility Superintendent Brian Davison requested the board approve a change order for the sanitary sewer lining and stormwater rehabilitation.

“It’s a zero dollar, zero time adjustment really, it’s just fixing all the line items within the contract (with Inliner Solutions LLC), so you’ll see additions to where they put a couple extra feet of this in and a couple extra less feet of that in,” he said.

He said they estimate the distance of the lining, but only pay for what was actually installed. The change order cleans up the contract so everything matches up. The board approved the $0 change order.

Then, related to the change order, Davison requested the board approve the final application for $55,960.55 to Inliner Solutions LLC. He said, “This is everything that was in retainage, and paying for the rest of the project that was completed, so this will complete this project,” he stated.

The board approved the payment.

• Davison recognized Dale Walters, who is retiring from his department May 24 after being with the city for approximately 15-1/2 years. He said Walters “definitely has been an asset.”

• Human Resource Director Denny Harlan recognized Howard Kistler for his five-year service anniversary with Oakwood Cemetery. Each month, Harlan recognizes city employees with five-, 10-, 15-, 20-year, etc., anniversaries.

• Harlan also presented two items for the new hire/change in payroll report, one of which was a lifeguard for the parks department.

Grose asked if they were doing pretty well with lifeguards for the upcoming summer. Harlan said, “We’ve actually done very well. It was (Recreation Director) Stephanie (Schaefer) and then down at the parks department did a great job of getting on top of that and I think we’re ready to roll.”