BOW Accepts Additional Fed. Funds For Husky Trail Project
February 4, 2017 at 5:49 a.m.
By David [email protected]
Jeremy Skinner, city planner, asked the Board of Works Friday to approve an amendment to the original Indiana Department of Transportation Husky Trail contract to allow for an increase in federal funds allocated to the project. The board approved the request.
The proposed amendment increases the total allowable federal funds to $2,678,913.42 from the original $2.416 million.
“As we were designing and developing the Husky Trail project, we made a few changes that increased the cost. We’ve been in conversation with INDOT for the last three to four months, requesting some additional funds to cover some of that cost due to the development of the roundabout that initially wasn’t part of the plan,” Skinner said.
INDOT agreed to give the city some additional funds, so the contract amendment adds $262,000 in federal funds to the project.
Mayor Joe Thallemer said the project was approved in 2012. At that time, he said there wasn’t anything on the horizon in regard to the YMCA relocating there or Parkview building a hospital.
“Those two developments occurred after the Husky Trail project was originally approved. So we thought it was important – in ‘13 the Y came, in ‘14 Parkview came, in that range – we thought it important to look at that project and make sure that Mariner Drive intersection was going to be able to handle that,” Thallemer said.
“With our engineers, we added the roundabout, knowing that we could have borne the entire cost of it because we’d already been approved for the original project. As it turned out, Jeremy and our (Metropolitan Planning Organization), Fort Wayne district, petitioned INDOT and the new commission. I got a call from him that they were going to cover $262,000, which was something we didn’t expect, but were hoping to (receive). Fortunately, we’re the benefactor of an increase in funding. Obviously, it’ll make a nice difference for us.”
The next action the board took was to approve plans for the city to pay its 20 percent share of the Husky Trail project upfront to the state.
“This is the final stage of the contract,” Skinner said. “We talked about it for a couple of years now. This is the actual construction contract and this is our match. INDOT doles out the construction contract, we don’t. So unlike the engineering, right of way and construction engineering contract, we do not make the payments to the contractor, INDOT does.”
The city’s portion of the project is $707,705.83. The total project bid came in at $2.538 million, with the low bidder being Phend & Brown.
“These funds have been set aside, planned for from the beginning,” Thallemer stated. “We knew what our 20 percent would be.”
He said INDOT paid for about 60 percent of the roundabout costs, more than city officials thought it would be.
Once the city pays its share to INDOT, INDOT will release the project for construction.
Thallemer said the advantage of a federal project like this was that the federal funds paid for 80 percent of it, but the disadvantage was that it could take five years. He said INDOT was understanding of the changing conditions of the area over that time.
“We’re very appreciative that INDOT did take the request to heart, although they didn’t have to. I think that it was the right thing to do,” Thallemer said.
A number of utility companies are in the process of relocating infrastructure and additional construction is needed for fiber optic relocation.
For the Market Street project, the board approved a pay application for $11,608.58 to VS Engineering Inc. for preliminary engineering services.
The project also is an INDOT project with INDOT paying 80 percent of the costs.
“We’re in the engineering phase on Market Street so we’re paying 100 percent and getting reimbursed 80 percent from INDOT, so this is a pay application for the continuing engineering,” Skinner said.
The project is scheduled for construction in 2018. Skinner said it is hoped the engineering and right of way acquisition will be finished up within the next eight or nine months.
A $1,894.47 payment application to American Structurepoint Inc. for continual engineering services for the Buffalo Street redevelopment project also was approved by the board.
Skinner said it was hoped the engineering would be wrapped up by the end of this month, and bid out within the next 1-1/2 months.
Board member Jeff Grose asked Skinner for the timeline of the Buffalo Street project.
If all goes well, Skinner said the bulk of the infrastructure construction – storm sewer, sanitary sewer, roads, sidewalks, lighting – will be finished this year. That should be bid out within the next 1-1/2 months, he said. Construction may begin in the spring, barring any bad weather or other issues.
“Assuming that all of that is complete by the end of this year, we would look for the development to start either late this year or early next year,” Skinner said.
As for the Center Park plaza portion, he said it’s in the engineering phase now, with an expectation that will be completed this year and go to construction in 2018, assuming the project gets approval for Regional Cities money totaling $3.5 million from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
“So, again, you can see with Husky, Buffalo and Market streets we have a lot of projects coming to fruition and actually starting on construction on two of the three this year, and probably the third one next year. Obviously, a busy time,” Thallemer said.
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Jeremy Skinner, city planner, asked the Board of Works Friday to approve an amendment to the original Indiana Department of Transportation Husky Trail contract to allow for an increase in federal funds allocated to the project. The board approved the request.
The proposed amendment increases the total allowable federal funds to $2,678,913.42 from the original $2.416 million.
“As we were designing and developing the Husky Trail project, we made a few changes that increased the cost. We’ve been in conversation with INDOT for the last three to four months, requesting some additional funds to cover some of that cost due to the development of the roundabout that initially wasn’t part of the plan,” Skinner said.
INDOT agreed to give the city some additional funds, so the contract amendment adds $262,000 in federal funds to the project.
Mayor Joe Thallemer said the project was approved in 2012. At that time, he said there wasn’t anything on the horizon in regard to the YMCA relocating there or Parkview building a hospital.
“Those two developments occurred after the Husky Trail project was originally approved. So we thought it was important – in ‘13 the Y came, in ‘14 Parkview came, in that range – we thought it important to look at that project and make sure that Mariner Drive intersection was going to be able to handle that,” Thallemer said.
“With our engineers, we added the roundabout, knowing that we could have borne the entire cost of it because we’d already been approved for the original project. As it turned out, Jeremy and our (Metropolitan Planning Organization), Fort Wayne district, petitioned INDOT and the new commission. I got a call from him that they were going to cover $262,000, which was something we didn’t expect, but were hoping to (receive). Fortunately, we’re the benefactor of an increase in funding. Obviously, it’ll make a nice difference for us.”
The next action the board took was to approve plans for the city to pay its 20 percent share of the Husky Trail project upfront to the state.
“This is the final stage of the contract,” Skinner said. “We talked about it for a couple of years now. This is the actual construction contract and this is our match. INDOT doles out the construction contract, we don’t. So unlike the engineering, right of way and construction engineering contract, we do not make the payments to the contractor, INDOT does.”
The city’s portion of the project is $707,705.83. The total project bid came in at $2.538 million, with the low bidder being Phend & Brown.
“These funds have been set aside, planned for from the beginning,” Thallemer stated. “We knew what our 20 percent would be.”
He said INDOT paid for about 60 percent of the roundabout costs, more than city officials thought it would be.
Once the city pays its share to INDOT, INDOT will release the project for construction.
Thallemer said the advantage of a federal project like this was that the federal funds paid for 80 percent of it, but the disadvantage was that it could take five years. He said INDOT was understanding of the changing conditions of the area over that time.
“We’re very appreciative that INDOT did take the request to heart, although they didn’t have to. I think that it was the right thing to do,” Thallemer said.
A number of utility companies are in the process of relocating infrastructure and additional construction is needed for fiber optic relocation.
For the Market Street project, the board approved a pay application for $11,608.58 to VS Engineering Inc. for preliminary engineering services.
The project also is an INDOT project with INDOT paying 80 percent of the costs.
“We’re in the engineering phase on Market Street so we’re paying 100 percent and getting reimbursed 80 percent from INDOT, so this is a pay application for the continuing engineering,” Skinner said.
The project is scheduled for construction in 2018. Skinner said it is hoped the engineering and right of way acquisition will be finished up within the next eight or nine months.
A $1,894.47 payment application to American Structurepoint Inc. for continual engineering services for the Buffalo Street redevelopment project also was approved by the board.
Skinner said it was hoped the engineering would be wrapped up by the end of this month, and bid out within the next 1-1/2 months.
Board member Jeff Grose asked Skinner for the timeline of the Buffalo Street project.
If all goes well, Skinner said the bulk of the infrastructure construction – storm sewer, sanitary sewer, roads, sidewalks, lighting – will be finished this year. That should be bid out within the next 1-1/2 months, he said. Construction may begin in the spring, barring any bad weather or other issues.
“Assuming that all of that is complete by the end of this year, we would look for the development to start either late this year or early next year,” Skinner said.
As for the Center Park plaza portion, he said it’s in the engineering phase now, with an expectation that will be completed this year and go to construction in 2018, assuming the project gets approval for Regional Cities money totaling $3.5 million from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation.
“So, again, you can see with Husky, Buffalo and Market streets we have a lot of projects coming to fruition and actually starting on construction on two of the three this year, and probably the third one next year. Obviously, a busy time,” Thallemer said.
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