Cloverdale awards $1.2M bid for Stardust Road Project

CLOVERDALE -- The Cloverdale Redevelopment Commission and the Cloverdale Authority Commission awarded the bid for the Stardust Road Project to United Excavating, of Montgomery, at a total cost of $1.2 million in a recent special meeting.

Other bids came in from White Construction, of Clinton, for $1.6 million; Milestone, of Indianapolis, for $1.40 million; and Feutz, of St. Paris, Ill., for $1.37 million.

Midwestern Engineers, responsible for the plans, had estimated the construction portion of the project would be $1.8 million.

The Stardust Road Project, in the works since July 2016, is designed to improve access to the C Bar C Expo Center, Cloverdale Value Market, Star Dust Hills Housing Development, Lou’s Diner and other businesses. It is also hoped that the improved road will encourage growth.

The plans are to widen the road to 24 feet with a shoulder, curb and gutter as well as installing turning lanes for Stardust Hills Housing Development and the C Bar C Expo Center.

The town had hoped to repair the railroad crossing, but since it belongs to the railroad company it cannot do so.

In July Midwestern Engineers estimated total project cost at $2.5 million, and the cost has since stayed at that amount.

To help pay for the project, the town applied for and received the Community Crossings Grant, a 50-50 match grant, in the amount of $948,160.

To come up with its part of the match, in August the town council approved Ordinance 2016-12, which amended Ordinance 2006-12 to authorize the transfer of motor vehicle highway (MVH) tax funds -- largest source of state aid for road construction and maintenance coming from gas tax and license fees -- to the town’s rainy day fund, in a 4-0 vote with Gary Bennington abstaining.

The ordinance was authorized by the State Board of Accounts in a memorandum published June 9, 2016.

Other funding for the project is expected to come from tax increment financing (TIF) -- taxes generated by and used in a “blighted” or “underdeveloped” area when its assessed values increase -- and a bond held by the Cloverdale Redevelopment Authority -- Cloverdale Town Council President Coweta Patton, council member Larry Fidler and James Coy -- to which the town has leased all the roads within Cloverdale until the town pays off the bond.

If there are any grant funds left over, the town plans to pave as many roads in Cloverdale as possible.

Construction was originally estimated to begin at the end of last year, and was then set for this spring, and is now estimated to begin this summer.

The entire project is expected to be complete by the end of this year as originally estimated.