City engineer Aaron Ott listens to the Warsaw Board of Public Works and Safety on Friday talk about the bids from G & G Hauling & Excavating. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — If it wasn’t for G & G Hauling & Excavating, the city of Warsaw wouldn’t have had any bidders on the three projects opened Friday, Oct. 18, at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

On the Prairie and Lake streets stormwater improvements project, G & G was the sole bidder with a base bid of $387,404.35. City engineer Aaron Ott requested the bid be taken under advisement to allow Wessler Engineering and himself to review it. He will make his recommendation to the board at their next meeting. If the contract is awarded, Ott said he will release the engineer’s estimate on the project at that time.

The bid was tabled to the board’s Nov. 1 meeting.

On the request for quotes for the Petro Drive water main extension, Ott explained that is a Warsaw Redevelopment Commission project. He said they invited three contractors to provide quotes, but G & G was the only company that provided one at $84,702. Ott said that while the quote was opened at the Board of Works so it could be done in a public setting, the Redevelopment Commission will consider whether or not to award the bid.

The third quote from G & G was on the Kiwanis Park and Pike Lake shoreline restoration, a city stormwater project. Ott asked the Board of Works to open the bid and then it would be taken under advisement for review.

G & G provided two separate base bids. For the Pike Lake shoreline, the base bid was $51,451, with the base bid for the Kiwanis Park shoreline on the Winona Lake channel at $69,569.10. The two bids total $121,020.10. The bids were taken under advisement.

Public Works Superintendent Dustin Dillon presented four items to the board of works, beginning with a change order from Phend & Brown for the reconstruction of Frontage Road and Lake Village Lane.

He reminded the board that the Frontage Road reconstruction was one of the 2024 Community Crossings Matching Grant projects. Due to various quantity changes, the change order was for a decrease of $30,285.62, bringing the total contracted price down to $163,067.54, with the city’s portion being $81,533.77.

“So good news. We don’t often get change orders that are for a decrease instead of an increase,” he said.

The various quantity changes for the Lake Village Lane reconstruction resulted in a decrease of $11,040.52, bringing the total contracted price down to $155,267.56. That project is 100% funded by the city.

The board of works approved the change order for Frontage Road and Lake Village Lane. Dillon said the project is now completed and turned out “very nice.”

He then presented the pay application from Phend & Brown Inc. for $301,080.84 for the reconstruction projects. Of the pay application, $153,576.66 is for Frontage Road, and $147,504.18 is for Lake Village. Dillon said the numbers reflect the change order minus the retainage. There will be one final pay application for the projects soon.

Next, Dillon requested permission to purchase a 2025 Freightliner MS-106 single-axle chassis with Stellar 20K hook hoist from Pyramid Equipment Inc. for $161,525 for the street department. The board approved.

Finally, he requested permission to solicit sealed bids for the remainder of 2024 and for 2025 for microsurfacing and crack sealing of various city streets. He said with gas and oil prices going up and down, he just wanted to lock in prices for next year. The board approved the request.

At the end of the board meeting Friday, city attorney Scott Reust commented about the board, at their Oct. 4 meeting, approving Warsaw Police Department to donate $133,175 in restricted opioid funds to the Kosciusko Coalition On Drug Education.

“Currently, I’m in the process, along with (Clerk-Treasurer) Lynne (Christiansen) and the Kosciusko County clerk and the auditor and also Dan Hampton with KCODE, and we’re trying to work out the correct accounting to get those funds to the right appropriation and have it be distributed correctly so we don’t run afoul of the State Board of Accounts,” Reust said.

“But, we’re still moving forward with the intent to provide KCODE with funding. We’re just jumping through some hoops to make sure it’s distributed correctly.”

In other business, the board approved:

• The Kosciusko County Republican Party’s request to close Center Street, between Buffalo and Lake streets, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 19, for the GOP candidate tour bus stop. The event is scheduled for approximately 1 to 2:15 p.m.

• A pay application for $12,209 to Lynn Douglas Inc. for the ongoing Warsaw Chemical groundwater cleanup, as requested by the Community Economic and Development Director’s office. It is being paid for by the State Revolving Fund loan, so after the board approved it, it will be submitted to the state for payment.

• For Warsaw Parks and Recreation Department Recreation Director Stephanie Schaefer to apply for a Kosciusko County Community Foundation grant for $7,000. The grant, if approved, will be used to support the Summer Concert Series.

She said she was approved for a 2024-25 Indiana Arts Commission grant, so the two grants and her budgeted money will continue the Summer Concert Series.

• The new hire and change in payroll report and one travel request, as presented by Warsaw Human Resource Director Denny Harlan.