Street options reviewed by council

During the Bainbridge Town Council meeting, Brian Pohler from Hannum, Wagle and Cline Engineering informed the council about the condition of Washington Street.

In Pohler's report, it said that Washington Street is in poor conditions, especially near the Walnut Street intersection. "The asphalt roadway is deteriorating and drainage improvements are needed."

The proposed reconstruction project will extend south from U.S. 36, all the way to Bainbridge Elementary.

He also provided it with a summary report and a couple of options for the council to look over. Option one is to have two 12 foot lanes with a roadside ditch and sidewalk where the water would drain from the centerline of the street into channels on the both sides of the street. Option two is to have two 12 foot lanes with curbs, gutters, and a sidewalk which would require less area than the previous option, as the water would flow into a drainage system rather than a ditch.

Even though Pohler said that estimating the cost of the project would be difficult right now because the reconstruction project would actually take a couple of years, he did provide a rough estimate of the construction costs. Option one's estimated cost is $786,500, while option two's is $1,073,500.

Pohler said that the estimated cost "just includes construction. It doesn't include engineering, right-of-way... which could add another $100 to $150,000."

Pohler informed the council that INDOT would be making a call for projects in January, but the council has to fill out a four to five page application and figure out what the town wants. "Last time it was a competitive process, so you're not guaranteed to get the actually money," said Pohler.

If the town receives the green light, the money it receives will pay for 80 percent of the construction. The town would then have to come up with a 20 percent match. Everything else, the town would have to pay out of the taxpayer's pocket, but according to Pohler, INDOT will allow that to go to half of the match. The town could use 10 percent of its 20 percent for engineering costs, while coming up with the other 10 percent.

Council member Richard Cope asked Pohler if he had put together a price difference for the council to look at to see if any changes could make. Pohler said he can, but it is hard to make a menu type.

Pohler said he wanted to get the council to think about the project and get some feed back like when they want to start the project.

Council president Mike Smith asked Pohler if the town puts the gutters in would they lead to the drainage pipe under the bridge on Washington Street. Pohler said that replacing the drainage pipe was included in their plans for Washington Street.

Smith informed Pohler about the issue with the drainage system in between the park and the bridge. The council had been looking into fixing the issue with a squash pipe.

Smith said the council was looking to fix the issue right now, but "we don't want to spend a lot of money on it now and then have to redo it."

Pohler said INDOT would pay for the drainage improvements if the town could show a need for the replacement.

The council later discussed how the two projects could interfere with one another. Town clerk/treasurer Jason Hartman said that Bedford would be coming down to inspect the area for the squash pipe and that Jack Jones had looked over the proposal.

Utility Supt. Jim Nelson asked about the open waterways, similar to the waterways in the fields. The council would wait to hear Bedford and Jones' recommendations.

The council said that it would review the options and get back with Pohler.