The Starke County Commissioners at their meeting Monday morning heard an update from Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler, who said the County Road 300 East project is getting closer to its deadline to be completed. Ritzler told the commissioners that 20 of the 25 parcels involved in the project have been completed and submitted to INDOT, but the deadline is quickly approaching.
Ritzler said the county is still waiting on checks and signed deeds from three landowners, and Charles Weaver, executive director of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, said the engineer for the project needs all this information together before June 1 in order to submit it up state in time.
Ritzler requested that the commissioners authorize the relocation of utilities prior to the INDOT bid for the project, and asked that they pay the $10,000 for the survey and the oversight from the SCEDF fund. The commissioners approved the request.
Ritzler also gave the commissioners an update on the Bridge 43 project along with Mark Wilson from Jones Petrie Rafinski, who presented the commissioners with plans for the project. Ritzler said he is pleased with the work Wilson has done. The commissioners approved a motion to sign the project specs sheet, and Wilson explained that the advertisement of the project is on schedule with no pre-bid meeting necessary. Bid opening should take place at the meeting on May 20, and Wilson requested that they approve the bid at that meeting if at all possible to save as much time as they can.
