Commissioners Study Proposals For CR 350W Widening Project
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
Proposals for the CR 350W project were distributed to the Kosciusko County Commissioners Tuesday.
The seven proposals were received from American Consulting, South Bend; GIA Consulting, Fort Wayne; Troyer Group, Mishawaka; Bonar Group, Fort Wayne; USI Consultants, Indianapolis; Lawson-Fisher Associates, South Bend; and Herceg, South Bend.
The proposals will help the commissioners select an engineering firm for the project but do not determine how the commissioners will handle the project.
"Selecting an engineering firm is not selecting a route" for the project, said Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson.
According to Ladson, the next step will be for the commissioners to review the proposals and narrow the list down to three companies. Those three firms will be interviewed and ranked.
The firm with the highest ranking will work with the county to develop a more detailed scope of the project. Contract terms will be established and the firm will be asked for a fee. If no fee is agreed upon, the county will go to the next highest-ranked firm and the process will begin again.
"That's generally the process consultants like to follow," said Ladson.
The commissioners discussed narrowing the list of consultants down to three in an executive session. However, commissioner attorney Mike Miner could not find any justification for the meeting to be held in executive session so the idea was nixed. The commissioners will review the proposals on their own and discuss them at a later commissioner meeting.
For several years, the county has had federal funds for work for roads in the area of CR 350W. Ladson discovered late last year that the money was there.
With the money, the county can upgrade CR 350W; build a new road and bridge from Old 30 to Park Schramm Road over Tippecanoe River; and put in a new road from Park Schramm Road to Crystal Lake Road, including an overpass for the railroad.
In December, the commissioners decided to proceed with the project "in all three phases and with the use of federal aid." The aid will cover 80 percent of the construction costs but none of the engineering and right of way acquisition cost. Since federal funds will be used, federal guidelines must be followed.
However, many residents in the area oppose the project.
In other business, the county commissioners:
• Approved and signed the paperwork to close out a grant for the Indiana Housing Finance Authority.
• Approved and signed the service agreement contract for pay telephone service with Sprint.
• Approved the highway department's contract with MedStat for drug and alcohol testing.
• Approved the purchase of two GMC trucks for the highway department for approximately $24,500 each.
• Unanimously approved John Campbell's request to vacate a platted right of way 60 feet long by 20 feet wide. The right of way is off Don Way in Northcrest Addition, north of Beaver Dam Lake in Seward Township.
• Unanimously approved a petition from Carey Excavation Inc. to rezone ground from an agricultural district to a residential district. The property is on the north side of CR 500N, 1,320 feet west of CR 675E in Tippecanoe Township.
Kosciusko County commissioners are president Brad Jackson, vice president Avis Gunter and Ron Truex. They meet at 9 a.m. every other Tuesday in the county courthouse. [[In-content Ad]]
Proposals for the CR 350W project were distributed to the Kosciusko County Commissioners Tuesday.
The seven proposals were received from American Consulting, South Bend; GIA Consulting, Fort Wayne; Troyer Group, Mishawaka; Bonar Group, Fort Wayne; USI Consultants, Indianapolis; Lawson-Fisher Associates, South Bend; and Herceg, South Bend.
The proposals will help the commissioners select an engineering firm for the project but do not determine how the commissioners will handle the project.
"Selecting an engineering firm is not selecting a route" for the project, said Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson.
According to Ladson, the next step will be for the commissioners to review the proposals and narrow the list down to three companies. Those three firms will be interviewed and ranked.
The firm with the highest ranking will work with the county to develop a more detailed scope of the project. Contract terms will be established and the firm will be asked for a fee. If no fee is agreed upon, the county will go to the next highest-ranked firm and the process will begin again.
"That's generally the process consultants like to follow," said Ladson.
The commissioners discussed narrowing the list of consultants down to three in an executive session. However, commissioner attorney Mike Miner could not find any justification for the meeting to be held in executive session so the idea was nixed. The commissioners will review the proposals on their own and discuss them at a later commissioner meeting.
For several years, the county has had federal funds for work for roads in the area of CR 350W. Ladson discovered late last year that the money was there.
With the money, the county can upgrade CR 350W; build a new road and bridge from Old 30 to Park Schramm Road over Tippecanoe River; and put in a new road from Park Schramm Road to Crystal Lake Road, including an overpass for the railroad.
In December, the commissioners decided to proceed with the project "in all three phases and with the use of federal aid." The aid will cover 80 percent of the construction costs but none of the engineering and right of way acquisition cost. Since federal funds will be used, federal guidelines must be followed.
However, many residents in the area oppose the project.
In other business, the county commissioners:
• Approved and signed the paperwork to close out a grant for the Indiana Housing Finance Authority.
• Approved and signed the service agreement contract for pay telephone service with Sprint.
• Approved the highway department's contract with MedStat for drug and alcohol testing.
• Approved the purchase of two GMC trucks for the highway department for approximately $24,500 each.
• Unanimously approved John Campbell's request to vacate a platted right of way 60 feet long by 20 feet wide. The right of way is off Don Way in Northcrest Addition, north of Beaver Dam Lake in Seward Township.
• Unanimously approved a petition from Carey Excavation Inc. to rezone ground from an agricultural district to a residential district. The property is on the north side of CR 500N, 1,320 feet west of CR 675E in Tippecanoe Township.
Kosciusko County commissioners are president Brad Jackson, vice president Avis Gunter and Ron Truex. They meet at 9 a.m. every other Tuesday in the county courthouse. [[In-content Ad]]