The Pulaski County Commissioners awarded the contract for concrete work at the county recycling center to the low bidder when they met Monday evening. Winamac-based TM Construction bid $10,450 to pour a 34-by-96-foot, 4 inch concrete pad. Art Mau submitted a bid of $12,096, and Form It Corp’s price for the work was $13,056. The county has run afoul of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management in the past because recyclable materials were sitting directly on the ground.
Maintenance supervisor Jeff Johnston says drainage continues to be an issue at the recycling center. Every time it rains, at least six inches of water stands there, and this winter the ground was an ice rink. The concrete pad will have a basin in the center for drainage, but that won’t solve the problem. Johnston spoke to two local excavating companies about options. He says the first step is to check the nearby ditch to see if anything is impeding the flow of water. The county surveyor has money in her budget if repairs are necessary. Johnston would also like to spend $1,000 from the maintenance budget to dig back and see what type of drain tile is in place so the county can decide how to proceed from there. If the existing tile is in good shape and just needs to be cleaned, Johnston says it will cost considerably less than the estimated $40,000 to replace 15-inch, smooth-core tile. If they find 8 inch drain tile, the problem can be resolved by spending $5,000 to dig a retention pond. Any repairs are the county’s responsibility since they own the property on which the ditch is located.
