Chesterton Town Engineer Mark O’Dell can’t say for sure, at the moment, when the first excavator’s going to hit asphalt.

He does know, though, that it’s going to be a triple witching hour for motorists.

At the Town Council’s meeting Monday night, O’Dell reported that right now he’s trying to coordinate the start dates—and work schedules—of three separate projects: the separation of a combined sanitary and stormwater sewer on the east side of South Calumet Road between Morgan Ave. and Porter Ave.; the re-lining of an 18-inch gravity main on the south side of West Porter Ave. between South Calumet Road and Fifth Street; and the replacement of a failed 20-inch force main on the north side of West Porter Ave., also between South Calumet Road and Fifth Street.

The re-lining job—partially funded by a federal earmark secured by U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, D-1st—is under the administration of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which wants to commence work soon. O’Dell, however, is trying to prevail on the Corps to delay groundbreaking until after Labor Day. Meanwhile, O’Dell is also trying to get the South Calumet Road sewer separation project going now, before Labor Day, with the idea of starting at the south end—at the intersection of Porter Ave.—to clear that intersection before excavation begins along West Porter Ave. itself.

In any case, when all is said and done, there will be road closures, lane restrictions, and detours, O’Dell said after the meeting, although everything will be done to keep traffic moving as smoothly as possible.

In other business, O’Dell reported that work began on Monday on the construction of new basketball and tennis courts at Chesterton Park. Those courts are being sited to the west and north of the baseball diamond and are being built with CEDIT moneys. Contract price: $88,453, awarded to low bidder Rieth-Riley.

O’Dell also reported that bid documents are being finalized for the re-placement of the boardwalk in Coffee Creek Park damaged by the floods of September 2008. That project is being partially funded with federal moneys made available by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Meanwhile, Park Superintendent Bruce Mathias reported that the Parks and Recreation Department has acquired some new picnic tables with CEDIT moneys for Thomas Centennial Park and has ordered brick to go underneath them.

For his part Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg reported that the new Fifth Street sidewalk—installed on the west side of the road between 1100N and Hunters Court—has been essentially completed and that Street Department crews are currently restoring the work site.

When they’ve completed that work, they turn their attention to this season’s other sidewalk projects, beginning with the east and west sides of 15th Street from West Morgan Ave. to a point just north of West Indiana Ave.

Earlier in the meeting, Member Emerson DeLaney, R-5th, assured 15th Street resident Elizabeth Richardson that her recently asphalted driveway—which encroaches on town right-of-way—will not be damaged by the new sidewalk, after Richardson asked from the floor who would be accountable if by chance it is.

Town Attorney Chuck Lukmann reported that the bond sale for the 15th Street municipal facility “went very, very well.” The projected interest rate for the issue had been 4 percent; in fact the rate “came in at 3.36 percent,” Lukmann said, a rate which should save the town $125,000 in interest over the lifetime of the bond.

Around $2 million in general obligation bonds were issued to finance the construction of the new facility on the former United Tractor property at 116 N. 15th St.

Posted 8/10/2010