City Awards Fox Farm Road Dam Removal To Flatland For $61K
March 18, 2017 at 3:33 a.m.
By David [email protected]
At the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting Friday, the board awarded the dam removal project to Flatland Resources LLC for $61,478.80 as recommended by city engineer James Emans and Utility Manager Brian Davison.
The project will be completely funded with grant money.
The dam is about 100 yards south of Fox Farm Road where it crosses the Tippecanoe River near the intersection of CR 150W and Fox Farm Road.
“Funding for this, we were actually contacted by U.S. Fish & Wildlife about a year ago, with interest in getting this dam removed for fish passage concerns on their part,” Emans explained. “DNR would like to get it out because low head dams are safety risks.”
During higher flows, the physical shape of that dam creates a dangerous area downstream that a swimmer or a boater can get caught in and can’t get out of, he said.
The agencies contacted the city and said they had grant dollars to get the dam removed if the city were interested.
“I see the dam as a huge liability, all dams are. It serves no current purpose. The city constructed it in the early ’60s in partnership with the water department, at least that’s what the records indicate, to create a means to impound the Tippy River to push the water through a channel, that we also built, that comes in the north side of Center Lake,” Emans said.
He said the records indicate that in the late 1950s, there was a drought condition and the lake had some problems. The city was concerned about having drinking water as that’s where all the city’s drinking water came from then, until about a decade ago when Indiana American Water sunk wells on the north side.
“The lake isn’t being used for that purpose any longer. The dam doesn’t serve any purpose. In fact, most of us would like to keep the water of Tippy River out of Center Lake. So by removing this dam, we eliminate a hazard,” Emans said.
It also will open up over 200 river miles to fish that can’t get pass that dam.
“The studies that have been done indicate that there’s a lot of game fish downstream of the dam that do not exist upstream of the dam. So there will be that improvement,” Emans stated.
He said the city received a $40,000 grant from U.S. Fish & Wildlife and $40,000 from the Lake And River Enhancement Program.
Since the contract with Flatland is for about $61,500, Emans said it falls within the grant amount and the city won’t spend any money except for the effort in administering the grants and overseeing the construction.
For the grant money from U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Emans said he didn’t know how many applications were submitted, but removing the Fox Farm Road dam was ranked No. 1 in providing the most benefit to fish passage.
He said the fish won’t get to Center Lake because there’s not a direct passage there, but they will go north up the river to the Tippecanoe Watershed, Pierceton and potentially Pike Lake.
“There will be a fishing benefit for us then,” Mayor Joe Thallemer said.
Even with two agencies on board for the project, Emans said permitting will be hardest part of the project. He hopes the work will be completed in August or September. “It won’t take very long to remove it,” Emans said.
Davison said they sought four quotes, with two submitting their quotes on time. A third quote was submitted, but he said FedEx failed to get it to the city on time. Besides Flatland, the other quote was from Cardo Inc., which submitted a quote of $95,500.
In other business, the board approved:
• A new contract with Cummins Crosspoint LLC for planned generator equipment maintenance of the emergency generators at Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory stations 1 and 2 and Warsaw Police Department. The split costs are $1,076.15 for the fire territory and $572.21 for the WPD.
• A two-year master agreement with Wildman Uniform & Linen. The agreement is for all City of Warsaw departments serviced by Wildman. The only department not included is the street department, which has an agreement with Cintas.
• An interlocal agreement with Kosciusko County for shared equipment, as presented by Public Works Superintendent Jeff Beeler. The agreement states the county has a street sweeper and paver and agrees that the city can use the equipment when available as needed. Likewise, the city has a sewer vac which the county can use when available and as needed.
• A contract with D&D Electric as proposed for preventative maintenance for all electrical services at the wastewater plant and lift stations. The costs are $6,400 annually for electrical work at the plant; $8,000 annually for electrical work to the lift stations; and $150 per service call per issue.
• An agreement with Wessler Engineering Inc. for on-call engineering services and 2017 rates for sanitary and storm water systems projects.
• A pay application in the amount of $6,704.93 for preliminary engineering services with VS Engineering Inc. for the East Market Street project from Hickory to Bronson streets. The Indiana Department of Transportation will reimburse 80 percent of the engineering contract.
• An ammendment to the American Structurepoint contract for the Buffalo Street project engineering. The amendment is to include three different soil boring locations – for the plaza, around the existing pavilion and the restroom facilities at Richardson Dubois Park. The amendment will increase engineering costs to be performed under the agreement from a total fee not to exceed from $288,425 to $291,375.
• A lease agreement with Pitney Bowes for a mailing system, as requested by City Planner Jeremy Skinner, Building and Planning Department. The department currently has a lease agreement with Pitney that expired a few years ago and needs to be updated. The new lease agreement is roughly $39 cheaper per month than the current agreement, and the equipment the department has can not be updated for new postal rates anymore. The agreement is for four years, but is $14 less per month if the department agrees to a four-year term.
• A renewal agreement with Technical Difference for PeopleTrak, human resources software. The cost is $1,200.19.
• Renewal of life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment and long-term disability employee benefits for two years with UNUM.
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At the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting Friday, the board awarded the dam removal project to Flatland Resources LLC for $61,478.80 as recommended by city engineer James Emans and Utility Manager Brian Davison.
The project will be completely funded with grant money.
The dam is about 100 yards south of Fox Farm Road where it crosses the Tippecanoe River near the intersection of CR 150W and Fox Farm Road.
“Funding for this, we were actually contacted by U.S. Fish & Wildlife about a year ago, with interest in getting this dam removed for fish passage concerns on their part,” Emans explained. “DNR would like to get it out because low head dams are safety risks.”
During higher flows, the physical shape of that dam creates a dangerous area downstream that a swimmer or a boater can get caught in and can’t get out of, he said.
The agencies contacted the city and said they had grant dollars to get the dam removed if the city were interested.
“I see the dam as a huge liability, all dams are. It serves no current purpose. The city constructed it in the early ’60s in partnership with the water department, at least that’s what the records indicate, to create a means to impound the Tippy River to push the water through a channel, that we also built, that comes in the north side of Center Lake,” Emans said.
He said the records indicate that in the late 1950s, there was a drought condition and the lake had some problems. The city was concerned about having drinking water as that’s where all the city’s drinking water came from then, until about a decade ago when Indiana American Water sunk wells on the north side.
“The lake isn’t being used for that purpose any longer. The dam doesn’t serve any purpose. In fact, most of us would like to keep the water of Tippy River out of Center Lake. So by removing this dam, we eliminate a hazard,” Emans said.
It also will open up over 200 river miles to fish that can’t get pass that dam.
“The studies that have been done indicate that there’s a lot of game fish downstream of the dam that do not exist upstream of the dam. So there will be that improvement,” Emans stated.
He said the city received a $40,000 grant from U.S. Fish & Wildlife and $40,000 from the Lake And River Enhancement Program.
Since the contract with Flatland is for about $61,500, Emans said it falls within the grant amount and the city won’t spend any money except for the effort in administering the grants and overseeing the construction.
For the grant money from U.S. Fish & Wildlife, Emans said he didn’t know how many applications were submitted, but removing the Fox Farm Road dam was ranked No. 1 in providing the most benefit to fish passage.
He said the fish won’t get to Center Lake because there’s not a direct passage there, but they will go north up the river to the Tippecanoe Watershed, Pierceton and potentially Pike Lake.
“There will be a fishing benefit for us then,” Mayor Joe Thallemer said.
Even with two agencies on board for the project, Emans said permitting will be hardest part of the project. He hopes the work will be completed in August or September. “It won’t take very long to remove it,” Emans said.
Davison said they sought four quotes, with two submitting their quotes on time. A third quote was submitted, but he said FedEx failed to get it to the city on time. Besides Flatland, the other quote was from Cardo Inc., which submitted a quote of $95,500.
In other business, the board approved:
• A new contract with Cummins Crosspoint LLC for planned generator equipment maintenance of the emergency generators at Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory stations 1 and 2 and Warsaw Police Department. The split costs are $1,076.15 for the fire territory and $572.21 for the WPD.
• A two-year master agreement with Wildman Uniform & Linen. The agreement is for all City of Warsaw departments serviced by Wildman. The only department not included is the street department, which has an agreement with Cintas.
• An interlocal agreement with Kosciusko County for shared equipment, as presented by Public Works Superintendent Jeff Beeler. The agreement states the county has a street sweeper and paver and agrees that the city can use the equipment when available as needed. Likewise, the city has a sewer vac which the county can use when available and as needed.
• A contract with D&D Electric as proposed for preventative maintenance for all electrical services at the wastewater plant and lift stations. The costs are $6,400 annually for electrical work at the plant; $8,000 annually for electrical work to the lift stations; and $150 per service call per issue.
• An agreement with Wessler Engineering Inc. for on-call engineering services and 2017 rates for sanitary and storm water systems projects.
• A pay application in the amount of $6,704.93 for preliminary engineering services with VS Engineering Inc. for the East Market Street project from Hickory to Bronson streets. The Indiana Department of Transportation will reimburse 80 percent of the engineering contract.
• An ammendment to the American Structurepoint contract for the Buffalo Street project engineering. The amendment is to include three different soil boring locations – for the plaza, around the existing pavilion and the restroom facilities at Richardson Dubois Park. The amendment will increase engineering costs to be performed under the agreement from a total fee not to exceed from $288,425 to $291,375.
• A lease agreement with Pitney Bowes for a mailing system, as requested by City Planner Jeremy Skinner, Building and Planning Department. The department currently has a lease agreement with Pitney that expired a few years ago and needs to be updated. The new lease agreement is roughly $39 cheaper per month than the current agreement, and the equipment the department has can not be updated for new postal rates anymore. The agreement is for four years, but is $14 less per month if the department agrees to a four-year term.
• A renewal agreement with Technical Difference for PeopleTrak, human resources software. The cost is $1,200.19.
• Renewal of life insurance, accidental death and dismemberment and long-term disability employee benefits for two years with UNUM.
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