Construction On Husky Trail Project To Begin April 3
March 7, 2017 at 8:00 p.m.
By David [email protected]
Mayor Joe Thallemer told the city council Monday night, “We’ve been meeting with the school corporation, with the hospital, and we’ll be meeting with the merchants and the residents out in the Husky Trail area. We are a planning a public meeting at the school later in the month. (April) 3 is the tentative construction start. We are working through the details.”
Jeremy Skinner, city planner, said details of the multi-phase project were being worked out. The project includes sidewalks, street lights and a roundabout.
“We’re meeting with some important businesses along that corridor to hopefully come up with the best phasing plan that we can. And then later, the last week in March, I’m hoping to send out notifications in the next week and a half to all the residents in that area and businesses and we’ll hold a public hearing ... probably at that school there, at Harrison Elementary. We’ll hold the public hearing there and give them a chance to look at the plans and ask us any comments or concerns they may have. And discuss that construction phasing at that time,” Skinner said.
He said the public meeting will be at the end of March, but the date hasn’t been set yet.
“We’ll get that date out to everyone,” Thallemer said.
“We still have a few businesses we want to talk to first to make sure that our current phasing plan is still going to work. To make sure that everyone understands,” Skinner said. “The nice thing is, we’re working really hard to put the phasing into a fashion that we’re going to get this done this year. It’s going to start in April and has an end-of-October deadline to be complete. So it’s a very short construction timeframe, and in order to make that all work, while it’ll be a nightmare during that timeframe, it’s going to be a short timeframe. And hopefully that the construction phasing we have will help move that project along so that we’re not extending this whole project two years.”
Thallemer said the public meeting in the last week of March will be “somewhat of just an open house format.” He told the council that it would be good for any of them that could attend the meeting to be there to discuss the project with constituents. Skinner will make a short presentation on the timeline and phasing.
“No one likes construction, but the end product of this project will be pretty phenomenal for that area, so we’re excited to get it underway and get it done,” Skinner said.
Thallemer reminded council that the project was approved in 2012, and that it will be nice to get it done in 2017.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is paying for about 80 percent of the project.
Councilman Mike Klondaris also asked for an update on the Buffalo Street project, which includes new infrastructure, townhomes, mewes, a plaza, a multi-use building and condominiums.
Thallemer said the city is still waiting for the Indiana Economic Development Corp. to approve a $3.5 million grant the Regional Development Authority already approved.
“It’s just a little process there that we have to wait for them now to make an official announcement, so we’re just waiting for that,” Thallemer said.
Skinner said engineering on the project is “99.9 percent done. We’re meeting with them this week just to run through some final details. So we’ll be ready to probably go to bid here in the next couple of weeks to start that process. We’ll be under construction in early spring.”
On the CR 300N project, which involves sidewalks, curb and gutter and side paths from Silveus Crossing to about Sheldon Street, Skinner said that will be under construction this spring. The city is working with Madison Elementary School on the phasing of that project.
“But there will be a time period on 300N where it’s all shut down to traffic. We’ll certainly try to keep everybody updated on that,” Skinner said.
He said there will be no residences affected, and the school will not be in session during the construction.
“The idea and intent is hopefully we’ll be able to get everything done, as far as the storm water, once the school lets out. At that point the road will be closed as we do the stormwater crossings for the new storm infrastructure along 300N, as well as the side path and the street lighting,” Skinner said.
He said it won’t be as chaotic as Husky Trail.
No construction is planned for the Market Street Phase II project this year, Thallemer said. That work is tentatively set for 2018.
Mayor Joe Thallemer told the city council Monday night, “We’ve been meeting with the school corporation, with the hospital, and we’ll be meeting with the merchants and the residents out in the Husky Trail area. We are a planning a public meeting at the school later in the month. (April) 3 is the tentative construction start. We are working through the details.”
Jeremy Skinner, city planner, said details of the multi-phase project were being worked out. The project includes sidewalks, street lights and a roundabout.
“We’re meeting with some important businesses along that corridor to hopefully come up with the best phasing plan that we can. And then later, the last week in March, I’m hoping to send out notifications in the next week and a half to all the residents in that area and businesses and we’ll hold a public hearing ... probably at that school there, at Harrison Elementary. We’ll hold the public hearing there and give them a chance to look at the plans and ask us any comments or concerns they may have. And discuss that construction phasing at that time,” Skinner said.
He said the public meeting will be at the end of March, but the date hasn’t been set yet.
“We’ll get that date out to everyone,” Thallemer said.
“We still have a few businesses we want to talk to first to make sure that our current phasing plan is still going to work. To make sure that everyone understands,” Skinner said. “The nice thing is, we’re working really hard to put the phasing into a fashion that we’re going to get this done this year. It’s going to start in April and has an end-of-October deadline to be complete. So it’s a very short construction timeframe, and in order to make that all work, while it’ll be a nightmare during that timeframe, it’s going to be a short timeframe. And hopefully that the construction phasing we have will help move that project along so that we’re not extending this whole project two years.”
Thallemer said the public meeting in the last week of March will be “somewhat of just an open house format.” He told the council that it would be good for any of them that could attend the meeting to be there to discuss the project with constituents. Skinner will make a short presentation on the timeline and phasing.
“No one likes construction, but the end product of this project will be pretty phenomenal for that area, so we’re excited to get it underway and get it done,” Skinner said.
Thallemer reminded council that the project was approved in 2012, and that it will be nice to get it done in 2017.
The Indiana Department of Transportation is paying for about 80 percent of the project.
Councilman Mike Klondaris also asked for an update on the Buffalo Street project, which includes new infrastructure, townhomes, mewes, a plaza, a multi-use building and condominiums.
Thallemer said the city is still waiting for the Indiana Economic Development Corp. to approve a $3.5 million grant the Regional Development Authority already approved.
“It’s just a little process there that we have to wait for them now to make an official announcement, so we’re just waiting for that,” Thallemer said.
Skinner said engineering on the project is “99.9 percent done. We’re meeting with them this week just to run through some final details. So we’ll be ready to probably go to bid here in the next couple of weeks to start that process. We’ll be under construction in early spring.”
On the CR 300N project, which involves sidewalks, curb and gutter and side paths from Silveus Crossing to about Sheldon Street, Skinner said that will be under construction this spring. The city is working with Madison Elementary School on the phasing of that project.
“But there will be a time period on 300N where it’s all shut down to traffic. We’ll certainly try to keep everybody updated on that,” Skinner said.
He said there will be no residences affected, and the school will not be in session during the construction.
“The idea and intent is hopefully we’ll be able to get everything done, as far as the storm water, once the school lets out. At that point the road will be closed as we do the stormwater crossings for the new storm infrastructure along 300N, as well as the side path and the street lighting,” Skinner said.
He said it won’t be as chaotic as Husky Trail.
No construction is planned for the Market Street Phase II project this year, Thallemer said. That work is tentatively set for 2018.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092