City Opens, Awards Bids For Solid Waste Disposal And Fuel Supply
After taking their oaths of office, Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory’s newest firefighters, Nicholas Cole, front row, fourth from left, and Cody Metzger, front row, fifth from right, pose for a group photo with the department’s other firefighters and Mayor Jeff Grose, front row, far right.
Text and Photos
By David Slone
Times-Union
WARSAW — One bid for the solid waste disposal contract with the city was received and opened at the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety meeting on Friday, Sept. 6.
The work bid out was a per-ton unit price bid for landfill dumping fees for a four-year contract beginning Jan. 1, 2025. The bid is based on an annual estimate of 5,000 tons of municipal waste and a maximum annual escalation/de-escalation limit of 2% on unit bid price, according to the notice to bidders.
Waste Management was the sole bidder on the contract with a bid of $37.20 per ton for 2025; $37.94 for 2026; $38.70 for 2027; and $39.48 per ton for 2028. Waste Management agrees to take at least 20,000 tons throughout the contract term.
Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose, right, gives Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory firefighter Cody Metzger his oath of office Friday at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.
After reviewing the contract during the meeting, Public Works Superintendent Dustin Dillon said he was satisfied with Waste Management’s paperwork and pricing. He did note they are currently paying $36.04 per ton. With the relatively modest increase for 2025, Dillon recommended the board award Waste Management the contract, which they did.
Just one bid also was received for 2025 fuel purchasing, including a supply of up to 60,000 gallons of on-road diesel fuel, supply and delivery of up to 20,000 gallons of off-road diesel fuel and supply and delivery of up to 10,000 gallons of ethanol-free gasoline.
Keystone Co-operative, the only bidder, offered prices of $2.734 per gallon for on-road diesel fuel; $2.847 per gallon for off-road diesel fuel; and $3.716 per gallon for ethanol-free gasoline.
Councilwoman Diane Quance asked Dillon if more departments than just his department used the fuel.
“Absolutely,” Dillon replied. “So, we put out the bid for on-road diesel (fuel), that is for the entire city. Off-road diesel fuel, we have tanks, that’s delivered to many different departments. We have an off-road diesel tank at the street department, airport, wastewater and cemetery. Multiple different locations.”
Warsaw Mayor Jeff Grose, right, gives Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory firefighter Nicholas Cole his oath of office Friday at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.
The ethanol-free gasoline is delivered to Oakwood Cemetery, and Dillon said they all get it from there.
After reviewing the bid during the meeting, Dillon recommended the board award the fuel contract to Keystone. He said the bid price for 2025, after adding in excise tax for on-road diesel, will be $3.324 per gallon. Currently, they’re paying $3.76. For off-road diesel, the bid price is $2.847 and Dillon said they’re currently paying $3.321. The ethanol-free gasoline is a little more expensive, he said, and delivered it’s $4.066. Currently, they’re paying $3.26, but Dillon said he didn’t believe that included the excise tax.
The board approved the bid from Keystone. Dillon told the board Waste Management and Keystone have both been good partners with the city.
Two Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory firefighters took their oath of office Friday at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting, having completed their probationary periods.
Mayor Jeff Grose gave the oath to Nicholas Cole first, who then had his badge pinned on his uniform by his wife, Alyssa Cole. Cody Metzger then took the oath, with his badge pinned on his uniform by his girlfriend, Marissa Gunning.
Members of both men’s families, as well as the fire and other city departments, were on hand to witness the milestone.
In other business, the board approved:
Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory firefighter Nicholas Cole has his badge pinned on his uniform by his wife, Alyssa Cole, after he took his oath of office Friday.
• The amended memorandum of understanding with LaunchPad regarding the city’s American Rescue Plan Act funds being given to LaunchPad. The Warsaw Common Council approved the amendment at their meeting Monday.
City attorney Scott Reust explained, “So, previously, back on Aug. 4 of 2022, there was a (MOU) that provided funding to LaunchPad for child care services. They’ve used that money the last couple years for a certain direction they were going, and now they recently have moved in another direction, which includes the YMCA and their (child care) café that was described to you at the council meeting previously. And so, they have requested that the funding that was provided to them — ARPA funds — previously for the LaunchPad now be allowed to be used to enter into an agreement with the YMCA to provide child care services, and they’re asking your approval to do that.”
He said it’s the same money that was appropriated to LaunchPad previously, but the amended MOU will now allow LaunchPad to provide those funds to the YMCA for its child care café.
• A change order from G & G Hauling & Excavating for a reduction of $8,040.96 for the alley improvements from Miami to Union streets, as requested by city engineer Aaron Ott. Ott said it’s the first and only change order for the job.
Warsaw-Wayne Fire Territory firefighter Cody Metzger has his badge pinned on his uniform by his girlfriend, Marissa Gunning, after he took his oath of office Friday.
“That is due to balancing out quantities that were overrun and underrun throughout the construction process,” he said.
The new total contract amount is $261,497.76.
Ott also presented, and the board approved, pay application No. 2 for $37,050.61 for the project; and the final pay application for $26,147.99, which closes the project out as 100% paid.
• A three-year renewal with Right Stuff Software for $103,800 for the city’s time keeping system, as requested by Human Resource Director Denny Harland.
• The annual full-service agreement renewal with IdentiSys Inc. software for $902, as requested by Harlan. The software is used by the city to make ID cards for its employees.
• Signing the 2025 fuel agreement with Lassus, fixing gas prices for up to 85,000 gallons of 87 Octane containing 10% ethanol fuel, at $2.75 per gallon, which includes all applicable taxes, as requested by Police Chief Scott Whitaker.
• Pay application No. 4 for G & G Hauling & Excavating for $168,567.94 for work done on the Kelly Pond improvement project, as requested by Wastewater Utility Superintendent Brian Davison. He said the project is progressing well.
• Pay application No. 1 for G & G Hauling & Excavating for $47,565.39 for the Park Avenue storm sewer improvements, as requested by Davison. Work began on the project in early August.
“It’s an area where there’s some elevation challenges in the streets and we’re fixing those. We had multiple pipes kind of running a circle around that intersection, so we’re just straightening everything out and getting the drainage proper. We’re getting a good start on that project at this point,” he said.
Ott said there were some delays in the start date because NIPSCO was working in the same zone out there, and NIPSCO took a couple weeks longer than they needed to. Ott said they worked through that.
The road will be opened up as of Friday for about a week.
“Then they’re going to have to come back and finish work because we’re lining some of the pipes and that’s a subcontractor there who’s very challenging to schedule around, so unfortunately this thing is going to take a little bit longer than we had hoped,” Ott said. “We’ve been coordinating with our residents out there. It’s been a little frustrating from several perspectives, but we’re close to being finished, but it’s going to be another two to three weeks of intermittent work before it’s paved and completed.”
