Calbert Way extension ready to move forward

Thursday, April 30, 2020

While progress on the planned community center/YMCA has been caught up in the COVID-19 storm, the path into the proposed site southeast of the Walmart superstore has moved closer to reality.

Mayor Bill Dory told the Greencastle City Council recently that the community center had been overshadowed by the ripple effects of the COVID-19 virus on city government activity. However, the project to extend Calbert Way and city water and sewer lines into the 73.26-acre property acquired from the Ballard family is moving forward.

Acting at its April meeting, the Greencastle Redevelopment Commission approved a $728,993 bid from Frank Feutz Construction, Paris, Ill., for the Calbert Way work, which will extend the road that provides the main, stoplighted entrance into Walmart.

The extension will not only provide the entrance into the community center site but also provide access to a 20-acre parcel south of the Walmart store that is expected to be developed as an industrial site.

The bid from Feutz -- which also recently was awarded the Zinc Mill Road improvement project that runs from State Road 240 to South Street – was $170,000 less than engineering estimates, Mayor Dory said.

The Redevelopment Commission (RDC) had set aside $850,000 for the project.

The only other bidder, Cooper Excavating, submitted a bid in excess of $896,000.

Back in March, three bids on the project to extend Calbert Way (which currently dead-ends at the main Walmart entrance) were rejected after it was determined all three bidders had issues with their submissions.

This time RDC not only approved the bid but made the motion to issue Feutz Construction a notice to proceed on the project.

In a related issue, the RDC approved a construction inspection contract with Civil Engineering Consultants of Greencastle on the Calbert Way project for $41,000.

The inspection will necessitate a soils expect, Mayor Dory said, because of the presence of a borrow pit/small pond on property southeast of Walmart.

It is located near where the industrial cul-de-sac is to be located. The pit was dug because of a need for fill dirt, Dory said, on another project, most likely at the Walmart site.

The soils expert will make sure when that site is filled in, the right amount of compaction is applied, the mayor noted.

The pit/pond is not to be confused with the larger pond that remains part of the Ballard property and will be south of the community center site.

In other business at its April meeting, the Redevelopment Commission:

• Unanimously approved the reimbursement of $667,297 as the city’s match portion to the state grant that will fund the Zinc Mill Road project. The RDC will also reimburse the Board of Works for the $128,000 in inspection work on the project.

•Learned that City Attorney Laurie Hardwick draft a deed and send it to the Putnam County Airport Board on the purchase of lots 6 and 7 that were purchased from the RDC a couple years ago. Final payment was made in June or July, the mayor said. Responding to a question from City Councilman Dave Murray, Mayor Dory said the lots were the two southernmost lots owned by RDC. Acquisition will allow the airport to build additional hangars.

RDC members Gwen Morris, Gary Lemon, Lottie Barcus, Drew Brattain and President Erika Gilmore were present via speaker phone for the meeting at City Hall, along with Councilman Murray and ex-officio member Brian Cox of the Greencastle School Board. Present at City Hall were Mayor Dory and Attorney Hardwick.

The next meeting of the RDC is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 27 at City Hall.

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  • The March 12th Banner Article listed Feutz bid at $966,648.00 and now they rebid the job at $728,993.00 for the same job! I call BS...How about the redevelopement commission have the Banner publish all the change orders they pay for on top of the $728,648.00 bid they accepted. Nothing like using local contractors to keep the money close!! Oh wait Paris,Ill

    -- Posted by becker on Fri, May 1, 2020, at 8:22 PM
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