Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty, left, presents his recommendations to the county commissioners for awarding bids for Community Crossings Matching Grant projects. Also pictured seated at the table are county attorney Ed Ormsby and Commissioner Cary Groninger. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — Bids for two county highway projects were awarded by the Kosciusko County Commissioners Tuesday, Feb. 27, while another set of bids for the county employee parking lot expansion and redevelopment were opened.

Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarty brought the two recommendations for the Community Crossings Matching Grant projects before the commissioners.

The first bid award recommendation was for Phend & Brown, the low bidder, for $781,750. The project includes the paving of Old 30 from CR 450E to the Warsaw city limits; Ogden Point from Seth Ward Road to Sunrise Drive; Seth Ward Road from Eli Lilly Road to Ogden Point; Sunrise Drive from Ogden Point Road to the end; and Rosella Street from Ogden Point to the end.

“This is my recommendation for the road portion of the Community Crossings 23-2,” Moriarty said.

County Commissioner Cary Groninger made the motion to approve Moriarty’s recommendation, saying, “I know with these Community Crossings dollars are a dollar-to-dollar match, so pretty much we’re getting 50% match dollars from the state.”

The motion was approved 3-0.

The second bid recommendation Moriarty presented was for the construction of small structure #320, which is a bridge on T26.

The recommendation was to award the bid to R.L. McCoy Inc. for $776,713.96. Moriarty said this was the first time the county used Community Crossings funds for a bridge project. The recommendation was approved unanimously.

Moriarty said all the bids were opened at a special meeting on Feb. 20 and then taken under advisement for the bids to be reviewed.

Launched in 2016, the Community Crossings Matching Grant program provides funding to cities, towns and counties across the state to make improvements to local roads and bridges, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation website. The percentage of matching funds depends on the population of the municipality or county.

County attorney Ed Ormsby opened the three bids for the employee parking lot expansion and redevelopment.

The first bid was from NiBlock Excavating for a base bid of $866,055 with an alternate No. 1 for a total of $899,831. Phend & Brown’s total base bid amount was $946,048.25 with an alternate No. 1 of $16,773. Brooks Construction Co.’s base bid was $696,124.79 with no alternate No. 1 provided.

Ormsby said the bids will be taken under advisement and a recommendation will be made at the commissioners’ next meeting at 9 a.m. March 12.

Asked what the parking lot expansion and redevelopment was, Groninger said the parking lot is the main parking lot across from and north of the Justice Building for county employees and visitors. He said the parking lot was built back in the 1980s and was in need of an update.

“Overlay, some curbs, some sidewalk. Making it safer for the employees to be able to cross the street with some crosswalks, as well as incorporating the additional area around the Enterprise Rent-A-Car. So just trying to look at how we can improve that parking because we do need more parking, especially as some of these new developments start to happen downtown. Some of the areas we are using will be under construction hopefully later this year,” Groninger said. “… We’re just trying to be prepared for our employees to have a place to park.”

One person asked what the engineer’s estimate was for the expansion and redevelopment of the parking lot. Groninger said he didn’t have that number in front of him but the low bid was at or below the engineer’s estimate.

In other business:

• Emergency Management Agency of Kosciusko County Director Kip Shuter reported Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has proclaimed March 10-16 as Severe Weather Preparedness Week. On March 12 at 10:15 a.m., there will be the statewide tornado drills with sirens, including Kosciusko County.

• County Systems Administrator Bob Momeyer requested the commissioners approve renewal of the county’s contract with Sophos MDR security service. He said they usually do that on a three-year basis because of the pricing advantages for that. Momeyer said that’s coming up for renewal this year and he wanted approval to proceed with that.

The cost for three years of Sophos anti-virus licensing and all the service that they provide for the county in that area is $108,965. Momeyer said by doing the three-year contract, they’re basically getting three years of service for the price of two.

The request was approved.

• County Clerk Ann Torpy asked for approval to enter into an agreement with Guyer the Mover to help the clerk’s office deliver voting machines before election day and collecting them the day after election day since the voting machines have increased in size and weight. It’s become harder for the election volunteers to move the election equipment.

In making the motion to approve her request, Groninger said, “I know that’s something we had concerns about when we looked at these units.” He acknowledged they are heavy. The motion passed.

The cost is $3,192 each election. Torpy has money in her budget to cover the cost.

• County Administrator Marsha McSherry presented a quote from Johnson Controls for $9,394.90 in regards to the air handler unit 10 on the roof of the Justice Building. She said they have to replace the Variable Frequency Drive.

“Basically, that’s a very expensive switch. We need to have that replaced before the weather turns to spring,” she said.

The commissioners approved the purchase.

• Ormsby presented a travel policy ordinance amendment, which he said the Indiana State Board of Accounts asked the county to make.

Reading a portion of the ordinance amendment, he said the board of commissioners previously passed ordinance 19-08-06-002 in 2019 regarding meal reimbursement. A question has arisen whether the 2019 ordinance allows for reimbursement of “kitchen gratuities” or other similar items added on to a bill by the restaurant.

He said the 2019 ordinance does allow for the reimbursement of gratuities, which would include kitchen gratuities, however, the board “desires to amend the 2019 ordinance to specify that kitchen gratuities and other similar charges may be reimburseable.”

• Area Plan Director Matt Sandy presented two rezonings to the commissioners, both of which were recommended by the Area Plan Commission to be approved by the commissioners, which they did. There were no remonstrators to either petition, both of which also were represented by attorney Steve Snyder.

Wacky 2 Premier Properties petitioned to rezone ground from a public use district to a residential district. The property, best known as the old Baptist camp, is on the west side of EMS T52 Lane, north of EMS T51C Lane in Tippecanoe Township.

Snyder said when the Baptist camp closed down, they put the property up on the market for sale and it’s “prime” for development. “That development is in process as we speak, so once the zoning is approved to residential, the next step we’ll go back to the plan commission, ultimately for final plat approval,” he said.

The second petition was from Greg Smith to rezone 13.358 acres from an agricultural district to an agricultural II district. The property is on the south side of Epworth Forest Road, west of CR 950E in North Webster. Smith committed to only two lots off the rezoning, Sandy said.

Snyder presented to the commissioners a voluntary condition signed by Smith to be attached to the rezoning ordinance.