2023 was an “impactful” year and the Warsaw Street Department made a lot of gains, Superintendent Dustin Dillon told the City Council Monday during his road construction year-end report.
“2023 has been an exceptional year for us. A lot of good weather. A lot of good things happening,” he said.
The Community Crossing Matching Grant paving project occurred this past year. Center Street from Lake to Indiana streets and Buffalo Street from Market to Main were redone, as well as Jefferson Street from Bronson Street to Argonne Road. Work was completed on Country Club Road from the bridge to the southern corporate city limits, and Ranch Road from the railroad tracks to CR 200S. Over $400,000 in matching grant funds were used to complete the paving project.
Street Department paving projects included South High, South Indiana, Warren, Fawley, Clark East McKinley and Hendricks streets, as well as a number of others. Sixteen road segments were paved in-house by city employees, and five road segments were contracted out with grant funding, Dillon said.
“About $1.2 million worth of paving went into the city of Warsaw this year,” he said.
As for micro-surfacing, he said that has been a “huge tool in our toolbox” especially for neighborhoods as a pavement preservation technique. “It works very, very well for us. We’ve done this in a lot of different areas throughout town. Typically, it gives us an extra six to eight years worth of road life,” he said.
Some of the many micro-surfacing projects completed this year were on Shawnee Drive, Tecumseh Drive, Heather Court, Highlander Drive, Mockingbird Lane, Lark Lane and Chickadee Lane. In total, 29 road segments were completed, and five neighborhoods as well as arterial roads surface were treated.
“This was about $445,000 worth of micro-surfacing went into the city of Warsaw,” Dillon said.
Rejuvenator is a product that acts like a seal coat. Once it’s on a road, it’s typically three to four years before the road needs addressed again. Among the project streets this year were North Bronson, South Colfax, South Scott, Jefferson, Porter, West Baker Street and Drive. “Just under $30,000 worth of work there,” Dillon said.
Roads where crack sealing was completed was a long list at over 30. Dillon said the cost was over $100,000.
A lot of pavement markings also was completed in 2023, from Market Street to Frontage Road and Argonne Road and on.
“51,764 linear feet of latex pavement markings, as well as 25,266 linear feet of thermoplastic pavement markings - just a huge, huge attribute,” Dillon said.
Cost for the pavement markings was about $82,000.
“Just with what we did with road work itself, we were able to put $1.85 million back in our road networks this year. A lot of things accomplished there,” he said.
He noted that the city’s road preservation program was started back in 2016 with his predecessor.
Dillon then talked about the sidewalk projects and how his department’s concrete crew is one of the biggest benefits to the department.
“We’ve got a great skilled concrete crew,” he said.
South Bronson Street, from Center to the railroad tracks, and Center Street, from Colfax to Grant streets, were contracted out, but in-house the sidewalk replacement totaled 5,438.5 linear feet. “So just over a mile of sidewalk was replaced in-house,” he said.
They also helped out the fire department by pouring the equivalent of 1,911.6 feet of sidewalk for their training facility.
In total, 453.5 cubic yards of concrete was poured. “Just a huge amount,” he said.
Other notable work Dillon pointed out was that all the downtown decorative lights were replaced, all the downtown sidewalk district has had trip hazards ground down, leaf pickup was completed, trash collection is ongoing, etc.
“It’s been an extremely impactful year and a lot of gains, so we believe that will continue for the future,” Dillon concluded on his presentation before thanking retiring Mayor Joe Thallemer for his leadership. He also introduced his assistant superintendent, Joe Vetor.
In other business, the council:
• Approved an ordinance on first reading amending the city’s employee personnel policy handbook for the fire department, as recommended by Human Resource Director Denny Harlan.
He said, “We’ve pretty much just added that third bullet point to where if our firefighters work unscheduled hours - so if they are asked to come in and cover a shift for someone who is ill or needed to take off or if they get called back in for a fire that need extra hands on - then they’re going to make time and a half instead of straight time. The old wording was kind of vague where we could do it, and this wording jut says we’re going to do that for our guys.”
The ordinance will still need to be approved on second reading at the council’s next meeting in January.
• Approved a resolution reducing the 2024 budget by $290,591 to meet the state’s suggestion.
The total includes $154,440 from general fund; $10,000, parks and recreation; $66,151, aviation; $10,000, cemetery; and $50,000 fire territory general.
The reductions should help the city reach a desired tax rate of $1.2197 per $100 of assessed valuation.
• Was presented with proposed revisions to the Downtown Outdoor Dining Standards from local attorney and downtown business owner Travis McConnell. The proposed revisions include an elimination of the time restriction that previously was April through November or November through April, and alters the filing every year to be a filing for only if a business alters its floor plans. It also provides the city the right to a reasonable request to provide proof of insurance.
McConnell said some tweaks could be made if needed.
No action was taken on the proposals.