By HOLLY GASKILL
During their Tuesday meeting, the drainage board discussed taking on more responsibility for replacing the Goodspeed tile in Harrison Township.
Currently, the county plans to replace that tile in partnership with the Indiana Department of Transportation’s work on the Hoosier Highway. INDOT has contracted DLZ Construction to handle the project.
However, County Surveyor Jarrod Hahn and County Engineer Nate Rumschlag proposed that the county consider taking on more of the project from INDOT.
Estimates from DLZ Construction showed the project costing $1.2 million, and Wells County would contribute the majority of that. Hahn estimated that they could finish the project with a local contractor in the ballpark of $100,000-$150,000.
Additionally, Hahn and Rumschlag said they were concerned about the ambiguity in DLZ Construction’s plan for the tile, which stated that it was the contractor’s responsibility to find the existing tile and determine the best design as they worked.
“And it’s because of this sort of design ‘what ifs’ making the contractors just blow these (estimates) up on state bids,” Rumschlag said. “Their bid for off-site drainage was five times what I think that whole watershed collects … So it was outrageous what they’re doing to the project.
Hahn and Rumschlag said they were hoping to finalize concrete plans for the tile by the end of this week, present it at the next meeting and then be able to take bids.
Hahn said given the current flooding of the location, the wrong approach to the reconstruction could be wasteful and ineffective. A local contractor, however, would be more privy to the needs of the area.
Brett Pfister, who owns land affected by this tile, expressed worry about the time line of the new proposed project. Pfister said he had been approached by the state with an offer to purchase right-of-way on his property and would like to know plans for the tile before proceeding. The offer came with a deadline of 30 days but did not include their plans for the land.
“We need to get something out reasonably quick,” Pfister said.
The drainage board said they would work together to get Pfister more time from the state so he could decide with more information.
“Trust that I’m going to go back for you so we can get this rectified so you’re satisfied with it,” Rumshlag said. “The reason these dates are in there is that it’s a standard legal document and they’re trying to compress their schedule … I wouldn’t put too much stress on it, but don’t ignore it.”
Funding for the project — whether the county decided to go with a private contractor of DLZ — comes from what the county had acquired when taking on SR 301 from the state. The project would fall in the 2023 budget.
Hahn said he saw the only possible hold-up in its construction was the crossing underneath the road. He said they may need to finish 80% of the project and circle back to that section after the construction of the Hoosier Highway.
In other business, the board approved Ossian’s request to replace a pipe on Woodcreek Dr., pending the proper documents are filed, and an easement for a telephone line for Citizen’s Telephone Co.
holly@news-banner.com
