The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members are anticipated to award a proposal for a short term lease at 220 N. Center Street when they meet tonight. They also plan to discuss a resolution that authorizes the transfer of equipment from the clerk-treasurer’s office to the wastewater utility and transferring equipment to the Plymouth Park Department. In addition, a few requests for street closures and a stop sign will be before the governing body.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety received one proposal for occupancy in the old firehouse on Center Street. The building hasn’t had a tenant in two years.
The owners of His Small Wonders, a preschool and daycare business, applied to use the old firehouse for their needs. Their current facility is being sold and they need to be out by Aug. 31.
Plymouth City Engineer Rick Gaul informed the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members this week that several street projects will be contracted out this fall.
“Essentially what we’re looking at doing is having a fall contract,” said Gaul. “I guess most of this list are community crossings projects that we need to get done. What we’re looking at doing is starting as soon as we can this fall. We’ll have 30-some projects.”
The Plymouth City Council members will hold a public hearing tonight on a proposed ordinance for a municipal motor vehicle license excise surtax and a municipal wheel tax.
In order to close a significant funding gap within the budget, the city council is considering implementing a wheel tax. At the previous city council meeting, Clerk-Treasurer Jeanine Xaver said the maximum amount that can be charged would bring in approximately $400,000. If the council wishes to adopt a wheel tax, it needs to be approved by Aug. 31. Continue reading
A Plymouth road will be closed for two days for the replacement of a culvert.
Utility Superintendent Donnie Davidson told the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members last week that Skylane Drive will be closed today beginning at 8 a.m. until tomorrow at about 5 p.m.
Davidson reported that the culvert is undersized and is the cause of flooding issues in the area.
Inclement weather could delay the project and extend the closure.
The speed limit on Webster Avenue in Plymouth is going to change. The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety approved a request last week to lower the speed limit.
Several residents signed a document asking for the reduction of speed as children and residents attend functions at the Webster Center and motorists have been seen speeding down the road. The speed limit is 30 mph, but neighbors in the area report much higher speeds. Drivers also rev engines to get up to that speed and faster as they travel down the road which disturbs neighbors.
Several ongoing projects with the Plymouth Utility Department are on schedule.
Utility Superintendent Donnie Davidson reported to the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety that the wastewater treatment plant is about 70 percent complete. Process equipment start-up was successful and the next major phase is going on this week. The company is ahead of schedule and will be substantially complete by November.
Plymouth Building Commissioner Keith Hammonds asked the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members to affirm a demolition order for 1101 W. LaPorte Street. Continue reading
Plymouth City Police Chief David Bacon presented the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members with a solution to a traffic flow issue on school days around the Lincoln Jr. High School.
Chief Bacon said Mayor Mark Senter and City Attorney Sean Surrisi met with the Director of Safety and Security and the Transportation Director from the school corporation to address traffic issues. He said traffic gets snarled around the morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up portions of the school day at Lincoln Jr. High School.
“Traffic gets backed up on Gibson onto Liberty so we looked at ways to remedy that,” said Chief Bacon. “One solution is no parking on the south side of Gibson from Liberty Street to the circle drive. That will be in effect from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on school days only.”
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members have quite a few items to discuss when they meet for their regular meeting tonight.
A bid will be awarded for the Richter Road water main extension project and Building Commissioner Keith Hammonds will discuss an order of action of an unsafe building at 1101 W. LaPorte Street. Police Chief David Bacon will talk about parking on the south side of Gibson Street and the members will be ratifying an executive order that restricts parking near the Mayor’s office on Garro Street and the alley. A speed limit change on Webster Avenue will also be presented to the board.
The Board of Public Works and Safety will meet at 6 p.m.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members will meet tonight where bids will be opened for the renovation of the city building.
The project includes construction of improvements and expansion of the city office at 124 N. Michigan Street including the clerk-treasurer’s office, mayor’s office, city attorney’s office and the council chambers.
The Plymouth Board of Works has voted to let a local business use a couple spaces in a city parking lot. Emanuel Reese, owner of Reese’s Family Ribs, asked to use the spaces for barbecue grills.
Emanuel Reese submitted a proposal to the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety for his business this week.
According to Plymouth City Attorney Sean Surrisi, Reese has added new BBQ grills to his operation at Reese’s Family Ribs at 208 Water Street. He asked the city to formally lease the two parking spaces that he is currently using for his grills. Surrisi says Reese has agreed to pay $10 a month to rent the parking spaces plus semi-annual taxes, as the city-owned property becomes taxable once it is put to commercial use. He asked that the lease begin July 1.
Representatives from Van Vactor Farms, Inc. presented the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety a check this week for their portion of the proceeds of the land sale at the techFarms site.
Patty Van Vactor Wright and David Miller presented a giant check in the amount of $111,493 for the city’s Monetary Gift Fund.
The techFarm is located on Miller Drive and Pioneer Drive on the west side of Plymouth and consists of 20 acres zoned industrial and 11.3 acres zoned as commercial land. The city helped extend infrastructure to the park in 2010 so the site is ready for development.
The preliminary Pavement Asset Management Plan was presented to the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety on Monday.
City Engineer Rick Gaul explained that one goal is to improve the overall weighted average ratings of existing streets. The expected pavement level of service is to maintain 50 percent of the street rating as “Good”. According to the preliminary plan, the PASER rating will be equal to or greater than eight. Those include roads that are newly paved, crack seal coated or overlaid. Anything less will be deemed fair to poor. Several other criteria will be assessed in the plan including street traffic types, street traffic volume, utilities, and right-of-ways. A final plan will be submitted at the board’s next meeting.
Plymouth City Engineer Rick Gaul presented the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety members with a proposed Memorandum of Understanding from the Plymouth Community School Corporation concerning the financial guarantee that deals with drainage at the football field.
The school is applying an astroturf surface on the high school football field beginning in June. Gaul explained that the plans call for a proper draining into the city’s system with the alternate type of surface.
Funding for a footbridge to be built near the South Gateway Project was approved by the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety Monday night.
The $300,000 footbridge will cross the Yellow River on the south portion of the property near S. Michigan Street and Lake Street in Plymouth. The city’s share would be $90,000 which would come out of the city monetary gift fund which yields the proceeds of the sale of TechFarm property. The money is split between Vanco Development and the City of Plymouth.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety will meet tonight where City Engineer Rick Gaul will have several times for the board’s consideration.
A representative from the Plymouth Community School Corporation will discuss a financial guarantee memorandum of understanding for the football field turf drainage project. The Troyer Group will present a construction contract for consideration. Several work requests of projects in the city’s right-of-way will be offered including several service line installation projects and the installation of a monitoring well.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety awarded bids for spring projects this week.
Walsh and Kelly out of South Bend will be doing the street and sidewalk projects. The bid of $431,432.25 was the lowest submitted bid that met all of the project specifications as reviewed by City Attorney Sean Surrisi and City Engineer Rick Gaul. Four companies provided bids for the projects which include: Jefferson from the Yellow River Bridge to Kingston, Plum Street from Washington to Jackson, PIDCO Drive from Jim Neu to Oak Road, and Markley from Shamrock to Western.
Outside work at the Rees Theater in Plymouth will be starting soon.
The Wythougan Valley Preservation Council members presented a request to the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety this week asking to block off a few parking spaces on Michigan and LaPorte Streets for a portion of the work. While the board members approved that request, the preservation council members will need to present a similar request to the Indiana Department of Transportation as Michigan Street is considered a state highway.
