North Putnam, Bainbridge to study agreement for water connection

Tuesday, January 16, 2018

BAINBRIDGE -- The North Putnam School Board has agreed to move forward with a preliminary engineering report for connecting the high school to Bainbridge water, Clerk-Treasurer Monica Bray reported during the Bainbridge Municipal Utilities Board’s recent regular meeting.

The school and the town are to split the cost of the report, about $12,000. The report will investigate how best to make the connection and what changes, if any, would need to be made to the town’s current utility infrastructure to support it.

It will also determine payment options for the school corporation should it choose to proceed after the report is finished. Bray said the town will not raise the rates on current utility customers to pay for the project.

The report process is set to begin with an information gathering meeting Jan. 29. Bray said the reports generally take about 45 days to complete.

In other news:

-- Bainbridge Recycling Bin: Utility Superintendent Eric Gibson reminded citizens that they must not overfill the recycling bin before it is emptied each Wednesday. He also said the bin is just for Bainbridge residents, as the town pays for it.

-- Claims: The board approved claims at a total of $51,904.43.

-- Installation Fees: The council approved changes to the installation portion of utility customer billing.

Previously, the town had been charging a flat fee of $300 for installation of all utilities (electric, water, gas and sewer) that included materials and labor, but will now charge only for materials, which Superintendent Gibson said could lower costs and will certainly “take out all the guesswork” since residents can research material costs. Customers will, however, be required to work directly with the town’s contractor for EFV installation.

The Bainbridge Town Council will consider approval at its next regular meeting in February.

-- Meeting Time Change: The board approved changing its regular meeting time to 6:30 p.m.

-- Officers: The board nominated Robert Ensley president.

-- Utility Repairs: The town will be upgrading a water main on Cherry Street ahead of the large paving project set to be complete no later than Labor Day this year. The project will be funded by the Community Crossings Grant.

-- Water Main Breaks: After three water main breaks along Cherry and Depot streets in the last week or two, Gibson said he expects more breaks with the changing temperatures, probably in the same areas.

-- Water Meter Pits: Gibson reminded citizens that they are not allowed to access water meter pits without first calling the utility office.

-- Wastewater Planning Grant: Clerk-Treasurer Bray reported that the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (IOCRA) has approved the town’s final plans for resolving some infiltration and inflow issues by the ball diamonds.

A public hearing on the plans will take place Jan. 30 at 4 p.m., and the Bainbridge Town Council will consider approval of the plans at its next regular meeting in February.

The Bainbridge Municipal Utility Board’s next regular meeting is set for Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. in the Bainbridge Community Center.

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  • What happened to the beginning of the article ?? Seems like it starts in the middle somewhere.

    -- Posted by Falcon9 on Wed, Jan 17, 2018, at 8:40 AM
  • Bald Eagle: This has happened a lot lately, they can't seem to get it fixed.

    -- Posted by Ben Dover on Wed, Jan 17, 2018, at 8:56 AM
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