Kosciusko County Commissioners accepted this morning a bid for road reconstruction at an amount more than $160,000 below the engineer’s estimate. Highway Superintendent Scott Tilden recommended the $297,855 bid from Niblock Excavating, Bristol, for reconstruction of CR 900W, one of two bids opened during the meeting. Both bids – the other a quote of $302,135 from Phend and Brown, Milford – were below the engineer’s estimate of $458,549, he noted. Commissioners approved the bid conditional on action by the Redevelopment Commission and County Council Thursday on a repayment resolution. The repaving of CR 900W between Ind. 25 and the railroad crossing will be funded by a bond issue the county approved in August, to be repaid by revenue from the tax increment finance district established around North Central Cooperative. The co-op near Mentone is undergoing a $8.26 million expansion including fertilizer mixing, liquid nutrient and rail-to-truck propane distribution facilities. Also this morning, commissioners recognized Walter Gerald Gilbert as the veteran of the month. Gilbert, 88, enlisted in the Army in 1945 at age 18 and was stationed in Tokyo following World War II, then served in the Korean War after returning home to get married and begin a family. Gilbert is proudest of two things in his life, Veteran Affairs office Rich Maron shared: the service his son, Andy, saw in Vietnam, and the letter of commendation he received from a commanding officer praising his work as a mess sergeant for the Korean Military Advisory Group Rear.
