Chesterton Street
Commissioner John Schnadenberg is eyeing an ambitious 2019 paving schedule,
half the cost of which he’s hopeful the state will pick up, in the form of a
Community Crossings infrastructure grant.
As Schnadenberg
reported at Monday night’s Town Council meeting, he, Town Engineer Mark
O’Dell, and MS4 Operator Jennifer Gadzala are currently working their way
through the exceedingly complicated Community Crossings grant application.
“Every year they’re revamping the application and making it a little bit
tougher,” he said.
How much tougher?
If it’s not signed in blue ink, the state will automatically reject the
application. Just for instance.
Schnadenberg
specifically is seeking a 50/50 match grant for the following paving
projects:
* South 11th Street
from 1100N to Park Ave.
* West Porter Ave.
from South Calumet Road to South Eighth Street.
* South Eighth
Street from West Porter Ave. to Broadway.
* 15th Street from
Woodlawn Ave. all the way south of Washington Ave.
* 100E from 1100N
to 1050N.
Schnadenberg also
hopes to secure a grant to replace curb on East Morgan Ave. from Roosevelt
Street to just west of Wilson Street.
These projects will
probably be pursued even if Schnadenberg’s grant application is rejected,
thanks to a $1.8-million general obligation bond issued earlier this summer
for roadwork and sidewalk repairs. But Schnadenberg noted that a Community
Crossings grant will significantly reduce the town’s costs for those
projects.
So far,
Schnadenberg, O’Dell, and Gadzala are 2-0 when it comes to the Community
Crossings grants. This year the 50/50 grant was applied to the repaving of
South Calumet Road from Porter Ave. to the Chesterton Post Office; the
repaving of Wabash Ave. from North Calumet Road to Waverly Road and then
north on Waverly up to Woodlawn Ave.; and to the replacement of the bridge
on East Porter Ave. over Sand Creek. In 2017 a Community Crossings grant was
applied to the repaving of 1100N from South Fifth Street to Pearson Road.
New Fire Engine
In other business,
members voted unanimously to authorize Fire Chief John Jarka to put a bid
package together for a new fire engine, to replace Engine 512, a 2000 Pierce
Saber which--until it lost its rear axle and threw a differential in July
during driver training--had been the CFD’s main backup, in support of the
primary engine, a 2015 Sutphen.
Jarka said that
he’d investigated the acquisition of a demo model but learned that those
available are too small for the amount of equipment the CFD carries to a
scene.
The speccing
process should actually be easy and quick, Jarka noted, since he’ll merely
need to tinker a bit with the specs used in 2015 to acquire the Sutphen. As
Member Emerson DeLaney, R-5th, observed, “We don’t have to re-write the bid
package.”
New Dump Truck
On the subject of
new vehicles, members also voted unanimously to authorize Schnadenberg to
enter into a lease-purchase agreement for a demo dump truck, to replace a
17-year-old model.
Schnadenberg told
the council that he’s just concluded a lease-purchase agreement on a
different vehicle.
Total price,
following a discount for the town’s membership in a quantity purchase
program: $167,000.
The only real
difference between the demo model and the dump trucks already in the Street
Department’s fleet: the demo model is white, not orange. “I can live with
that,” Schnadenberg said. The demo comes fully equipped with a plow package,
he added.
Town Hall Roof
Repair
Meanwhile, members
voted unanimously to award the quote for repairing leaks in the town hall
roof to Bluth Brothers Roofing Company Inc. of Hammond, after finding that
Bluth Brothers was the lowest responsive and responsible quoter.
Bluth Brothers
submitted a quote for $62,550, significantly higher than the only other
quote submitted: $46,000 by International Roofing of Burns Harbor.
Associate Town
Attorney Julie Paulson, however, told the council that the quote submitted
by International Roofing “was deficient to the point of being
non-responsive.”
Members indicated
that, in this matter, their hands are tied by state law. “Indiana Code is
very clear on requirements for quotes and bids,” said Member Jim Ton, R-1st.
“Why (International
Roofing) didn’t follow through as requested, I don’t know,” DeLaney added.
The council could
have rejected both quotes and started fresh. But the roof repairs must be
made immediately, Ton said. “We’ve got a bad situation that needs to be
addressed with expedient action.”
CPD Video
Surveillance
Police Chief Dave
Cincoski, for his part, reported that the CPD’s video surveillance system at
the station sustained a “catastrophic failure” two weeks ago.
A contractor was
able to jury-rig a temporary solution and a new system is scheduled to be
installed next week, Cincoski said.
Banners Approved
By unanimous votes,
the council approved the placement of the following temporary promotional
banners on East Porter Ave. and at the intersection of North Calumet Road
and Indian Boundary Road:
* Frontline
Foundations, Hooked on Art, Sept. 10-24.
* Duneland Family
YMCA, Dancing Like the Stars, Oct. 19-Nov. 3.
* St. Patrick
Catholic School, Shamrock Alumni Ball, Feb. 8-23, 2019.