By DAVE SCHULTZ
Two bids on work at Lancaster Park and three bids on the extension of the Interurban Trail were opened during Tuesday’s meeting of the Bluffton Board of Public Works and Safety.
The bids on the Interurban Trail were the pricier of the two projects, with the apparent low bid — submitted by Brooks Construction of Fort Wayne — being $670,504.
Other bids received Tuesday afternoon were from Bunn Excavating of Fort Wayne, $750,682, and E&B Paving, which has several Indiana locations including Huntington and Fort Wayne, $799,571.
The Lancaster Park project includes the construction of pickleball courts and some work on parking lots at the park. The bids were very close, with Wayne Asphalt of Fort Wayne submitting the apparent low bid of $284,321 and Brooks Construction submitting a bid of $285,111.
The bids were taken under advisement. Brandy Fiechter, superintendent of the Bluffton Parks and Recreation Department, took them for a review of the department’s board members.
In other business before the Board of Works Tuesday:
• Erin Prible, executive director of the Wewlls County Chamber of Commerce, formally asked the board to shut down traffic for the Parlor City Christmas celebration on Dec. 9. The request was granted. The closures will include the 100 and 200 blocks of West Market Street and Johnson Street from its intersection with Market Street to Washington streets from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We have a whole slate of activities planned,” Prible said, adding that 1,000 people attended last year’s event.
• The board sent along two pay requests for the State Revolving Fund for work done on the revitalization of the city’s wastewater treatment facility — $703,901.55 to Interliner and $974,130 to the James S. Jackson Co.
• Fire Chief Don Craig announced that one of the department’s part-time firefighters, Colin Albertson, will now be a paid on-call firefighter. The move will add a firefighter to the paid on-call roster, which is several individuals short of its full complement of 32 firefighters.
• Mike Lautzenheiser of Bluffton NOW asked for the city to split the cost of a new catch basin on the alley that goes from Market Street south to Perry Street between Main and Johnson streets. The board approved on a 2-0 vote.
Board members Mentzer and Mayor John Whicker were present for the meeting, which gave the board a quorum. Board member Josh Hunt was absent.
daves@news-banner.com
