By KEVIN NEVERS

Sidewalk Road between Kelle Drive and Dickinson Road in Coffee Creek Center is open again, after a dispute between a developer and a contractor put the project on hold for more than a month.

Chesterton Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg told the Town Council at its meeting Monday night that Rieth-Riley Construction Company was only waiting to receive some documents from Chesterton Development Partners LLC, the developer of the Village Green Townhomes. On receiving those documents, Rieth-Riley replaced 300 feet of curb on one day and milled and re-paved the roadway itself on the next day.

Business owners on Sidewalk had expressed concern that the road closure would extend into the holiday shopping season and do significant damage to their bottom line.

Leaf Season Nearly Over

In other business, Schnadenberg told the council that the leaf season is nearly over and that crews will make one more complete pass through town, then hang it up for the year.

“If you haven’t gotten your leaves raked, now is the time to do it,” Schnadenberg said. “Because we’ve got to get our equipment switched over.”

Schnadenberg noted that, with the region in a snow advisory during Thanksgiving last week, the Street Department was forced to switch out leaf collection apparatus for snow plowing, then switch back when the advisory expired.

He did say that leaves started falling around two weeks later than normal this season.

Snow Ban

Meanwhile, and at Schnadenberg’s request, members voted 5-0 to enact the annual emergency snow ban.

During and after snowfalls of two inches or more, that ban prohibits on-street parking from midnight to 8 a.m. on the following designated roadways: Broadway from Calumet Road to Sixth Street; Calumet Road from Porter Ave. to Grant Ave.; Second Street from Broadway to Indiana Ave.; and Third Street from Broadway to Indiana Ave.

Bid Awarded for

Westchester-Liberty Trail

Members also voted 5-0 to award the bid for construction of Phase I of the Westchester-Liberty Trail to Walsh & Kelly Inc.

Walsh & Kelly bid $219,260, or more than $50,000 less than the only other bidder, Rieth-Riley, which bid $269,693.10.

When completed, the Westchester-Liberty Trail will link Dogwood Park to Coffee Creek Center via C.R. 1100N. Phase I of the project will be built from the trailhead at the intersection of Texas and 23rd streets to Rose Hill Estates; Phase II, from Rose Hill to Fifth Street; and Phase III, from Fifth Street to the terminus at Rail Road.

In 2004 the Indiana Department of Natural Resources awarded the Town of Chesterton a grant in the amount of $150,000 to partially fund Phase I of the project.

From the CPD

Police Chief George Nelson told the council that the Chesterton Police Department has responded to 905 calls so far in November.

From the CFD

Fire Chief Warren “Skip” Highwood told the council that the Chesterton Fire Department has responded to 91 calls so far in November, to 105 in October, and to 1,033 in the year-to-date.

Posted 11/27/2007