Syracuse Sets Meeting to Pick Industrial Park Contractor
Posted
Jordan Fouts-
SYRACUSE – The town will choose a contractor next month for the planned industrial park north of town, Syracuse councilmen decided Tuesday.
Project engineers Wightman Petrie will bring a recommendation to the council July 10, after the firm holds its own meeting with bidders Tuesday. Ken Jones, company president, said 16 contractors from as far as Kalamazoo, Mich., were given plans for the park.
He also recommended the town create a website for the project to market it, and consider the value of the land to the town and how it will offer lots to tenants.
Also during the meeting, the council approved $130,236 for summer street paving, to be done by Phend and Brown Inc. The Milford company’s bid came in about $400 less than Niblock Excavating.
The town had originally budgeted $125,000 for paving six roads – Pearl, Front and Branch streets, and Northshore, Long and Lakeside drives – but approved the extra money rather than cut out a street.
Paving will be done between July 4 and Sept. 3.
Members also heard the Indiana Department of Transportation will pave Ind. 13 from County Line Road to the downtown area sometime next year.
Councilmen later heard another example of utility degradation in Oakwood Park due to poor upkeep prior to annexation. Fire hydrants flushed recently by the Public Works department gushed yellow water for up to 15 minutes – and one hydrant's water was black, said department head Jeremy Sponseller.
Most hydrants in town clear in a couple minutes, he noted, since they flush them to clear sediments and chemicals twice a year. Oakwood's hydrants will be flushed again in the fall.
“Part of what Oakwood will see being part of the town is better water quality,” Sponseller said.
