BOARD OF WORKS: Board denies jewelry store's sewer line request - Goshen News
GOSHEN — A proposal to construct a Kay Jewelers on the city’s west side hit a bit of a snag Tuesday during a meeting of the Goshen Board of Public Works and Safety.
During the meeting, board members heard a request by the architecture and engineering firm Woolpert regarding development plans in the Elkhart Market Center, which houses businesses including Walmart, Sam’s Club and Chili’s on the city’s west side.
Speaking on behalf of the center’s owner, Brixmor Property Group, Woolpert representatives indicated that the group plans to construct a 2,260-square-foot Kay Jewelers building, known as “Building E,” at 4028 Elkhart Road within the Elkhart Market Center.
According to Woolpert, while current city ordinance requires the extension of new sanitary sewer to the proposed development, Brixmor has indicated it would like to seek a variance from that requirement as a cost-saving measure. Instead, the company indicated it would like to be allowed, temporarily, to connect to an existing, private sanitary sewer main that previously served the former Walmart before it was torn down and relocated. The company would then construct a new sanitary sewer line once its plans for additional, larger developments in the center take place over the next few years.
Last August, the plan was to create three bigger buildings at about 10,000 square feet with the possibility of maybe this smaller one, which is about 2,200 square feet, explained Jeff Slavish, senior construction manager for Brixmor, said of the development.
“We felt that definitely when we come and build the other two, we feel that we would extend the sanitary line. But with the economics of the smaller building, and it only having one or two bathrooms, maybe 50 gallons of water a day, that to tie the entire cost of the new sanitary line into this construction project didn’t make sense to us,” Slavish said. “So all we’re asking is that, for this smaller building, allow us to tie in (to the private main), and then when it comes to us building these bigger buildings, we can absorb the $30,000-plus cost for a new sanitary line, and set it up for the rest of the system.”
Crews would then tie all of the buildings into this new sanitary line going to the pump, he added.
Slavish said the company had originally been planning to construct the larger buildings first, which would have negated the need for the variance request, though the market ended up supporting construction of the smaller building first — a surprise to the company.
Asked his opinion of the request, Goshen Director of Public Works Dustin Sailor told the board his department has been trying to move away from allowing additional private sewer connections in the development area, as such connections make it difficult for the city to manage the overall maintenance and development of such systems moving forward.
“The city ordinance is not set up based upon capacity. It’s set up on management of utility infrastructure,” Sailor said. “We’ve dealt with quite a few developments recently where the original development has split off, and then we’re trying to deal with private utilities after the fact, and I think that’s what we’re trying to prevent from happening in the future — how do we manage private utilities with multiple people wanting to be connected to it, or who are connected to it, and who manages what at that point. It leaves us in kind of a bad position from an operations standpoint.”
Ultimately the board agreed, and a motion was passed unanimously to deny the requested variance.
GRANT AGREEMENTS
Board members Tuesday also approved three grant agreements with the Indiana Department of Transportation aimed at improving various city streets.
First to be approved was a $153,245 matching grant awarded through the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program for the reconstruction of North First Street and Oakridge Avenue from Rock Run Creek to Wilden Avenue.
According to Shannon Marks, legal compliance administrator for the city, the grant award requires a 50/50 match from the city for all eligible costs of the project. The city’s local match will be paid from any money the city is authorized to use for a local road or bridge project and/or money in the city’s rainy day fund, Marks said.
Next to be approved was a $173,270 matching grant awarded through the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program for the reconstruction of Supreme Court, just north of Kercher Road. Like the North First Street project, the Supreme Court grant requires a 50/50 match from the city.
Rounding out the approvals was a $54,879 grant, also requiring a 50/50 match from the city, awarded through the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program for the resurfacing of North Fifth Street from Middlebury Street to approximately 240 feet north of Hilltop Street.
The three grant agreements were approved unanimously.
OTHER BUSINESS
In other business, board members:
• Approved a request by Goshen Police Chief Wade Branson to accept the retirement of officer Raymundo C. Rodriquez effective Tuesday. Rodriquez is retiring after 22 years with the department. His last day was Monday.
• Approved a $142,477 contract with Physio-Control Inc. for the purchase of four Lifepak cardiac monitors/defibrillators, 11 Lifepak 1000 automated external defibrillators (AEDs) and one CRPlus AED. In related action, the board also approved a four-year preventative maintenance service plan for the four Lifepak cardiac monitors/defibrillators beginning after the 1-year manufacturer’s warranty. Cost of the plan comes to $5,875 per year for a total contract price of $23,500.
• Approved occupancy permit agreements with Blue Diamond Development Communities LLC for new buildings constructed at 1480 and 1510 Sandpiper Lane and 1627 Autumn Blaze Lane. According to Marks, the construction projects are now substantially complete, surety has been provided and all remaining work will be completed no later than June 15.
• Approved an agreement with Goshen Community Schools allowing for the use and maintenance of softball diamonds at Shanklin Park by the school corporation.
• Approved the annual agreement between the city and Elkhart County for animal control services for 2018.
• Announced the reappointment of Tom Holtzinger to an additional four-year term on the Goshen Board of Zoning Appeals. He has served on the BZA since 2008.
• Announced the reappointment of Joe McCorkel and Tom Holtzinger to additional four-year terms on the Goshen Plan Commission. They have served on the commission since 2012 and 2008, respectively.
• Approved the reappointment of Connie Garber to the Goshen Plan Commission as the representative of the Goshen Board of Public Works and Safety. Garber has served on the commission since 2007. Her reappointment is for a 1-year term.
John Kline can be reached at john.kline@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 315. Follow John on Twitter @jkline_TGN
