The proposed relocation of a Knox business will require upgrades to the water and sewer systems in the Knox Industrial Park. Traffic Control Specialists hopes to break ground this fall on a new building at the southeast corner of 250 East and Pacific Avenue south of Toll Brothers and west of Knox Fertilizer. Continue reading
Knox Sewer System Requires Expensive Upgrades
The City of Knox wastewater treatment system needs some costly upgrades to address aging infrastructure. Superintendent Kelly Clemons told the board of works this week a sewer main that broke near the White House Motel a few weeks ago is 80 years old. Crews patched it together, but that’s not considered a long-term fix. Continue reading
Wet Summer Creates Work for Knox Street Department
The Knox Street Department is trying to keep up with the mosquito population as a result of continued rains. Superintendent Jeff Borg advised the board of works he sprayed extensively Monday night and did some spot spraying last week. Continue reading
Knox Water Department Replaces Obsolete Hydrants
Knox Water Department crews recently replaced a couple of fire hydrants that were part of the city’s original water system. Superintendent Todd Gardner says the new hydrants were installed on West Delaware Street at Pearl and Main Streets. The new hydrants have a six-inch flow capacity, compared to the four-inch of the previous ones. Water Superintendent Todd Gardner says the water flow capacity of the new ones has doubled as a result. Continue reading
Knox Board of Works Approves Paving Contractor Switch
The Knox Board of Works revisited the bids for street paving and changed contractors during a special-called Monday morning meeting. City officials say the initial low bid from E&B Paving does not include enough asphalt to take care of the required 2 inch overlay on Lake Street to handle drainage issues. Continue reading
Knox Board of Works to Discuss Street Paving Bids
The Knox Board of Public Works will discuss street paving bids during a special-called Monday morning meeting. Last week they opened bids from three companies for work on Lake, East and Potter Streets and Myrtle Court. The paving bids are the lone item on the agenda for Monday’s 9:30 a.m. meeting at city hall.
Knox Board of Works to Meet Today
The Knox Board of Public Works will meet this morning to take care of end-of-the-year business.
The board will open and review sealed quotes for purchase of a truck and bed for the street department. Street Superintendent Jeff Borg said previously that he will be ordering more parts for the new truck as money is available.
Knox City Street Department Hoping to Start Spring Projects
The Knox Board of Public Works learned that the street department is working hard to start on spring projects.
Street Superintendent Jeff Borg told the board that the crews are attempting to work on alleys to smooth them out. Street sweeping started but had to be put on hold as temperatures did not allow for that activity to immediately continue. Equipment maintenance has been ongoing until the weather breaks. Borg notified the board that two new plows are needed for the trucks as they are getting to the point of deterioration. Crews keep repairing the plows, but they’re hanging on by a thread.
Knox Board of Works Given Update on Lift Station Project
The Knox Board of Works received an update on the lift station project on Clabaugh Drive.
A pay application for $10,553.07 was approved. Bob Aloi from Territorial Engineering explained that the pump issue over the winter was reportedly caused by a problem with the force main. He said once the wastewater department crews finished cleaning the force main, crews will see how well the pump works. Aloi doesn’t anticipate any further costs in this project, but if the crews evaluate the pump after the force main is cleared and they find that it’s not working properly, crews would need to remove the pump and reevaluate the situation which could cost the city more money.
The project, which was supposed to be completed before the winter season, is nearly finished. The old lift station still needs to be removed and other items need to be wrapped up, including paving, before it is all said and done.
Residence in Knox May Soon Be Demolished
The attorney for the city of Knox is drafting a demolition order for a property within the city limits at the request of Plan Commissioner Bruce Williams. Williams told the Board of Works this week that the building located at 409 and 411 Lewis Drive is in very bad shape. He said the building has not been lived in for about four years, and it’s falling apart.
Knox Board of Works Approves Pay App for Lift Station Pump
The lift station for the city of Knox is reportedly “beyond its last legs,” according to an official with the city water department. Bob Alloy with Territorial Engineering approached the Knox Board of Works this week and explained that a crew is still working to try to get the new pump operational, having already visited the city six times previously to try to repair the problematic pump.
Knox Board of Works Approves Pay Application For Water Line Project
The Knox Board of Works this week approved two motions regarding the water line installation project for the Starke County Sheriff’s Department and Detention Center at the intersection of State Road 8 and County Road 550 East in Knox. Bob Alloy with Territorial Engineering approached the board and explained that the work is still taking place for the county’s portion of the project, but the work for the city of Knox has been completed.
Knox BOW Approved Bid for 50/50 Sidewalk Program
The Knox Board of Works met in special session Friday in order to open and award a bid for the 50/50 sidewalk program.
Five businesses provided bids: Custom Concrete, Pete Kuchel Concrete, Do All Concrete, EAM Enterprise, and Covenant Concrete.
Mayor Rick Chambers read aloud the bids for the nine addresses of homeowners who submitted applications for the project. In the end, the Board of Works approved the bid of Covenant Concrete with a total bid of $13,940 as the lowest conforming bid pending a review of the bid packet by Street Superintendent Jeff Borg and City Attorney David Matsey.
Mayor Chambers Discusses DOT Testing with Board of Works
He asked Street Superintendent Jeff Borg and Wastewater Superintendent Kelly Clemons to give him job descriptions and a list of all the employees who need a CDL license for drug testing purposes. Mayor Chambers explained that he wants to cut down the number of random drug tests given to the employees. About 50 percent of the employees are being drug tested and the mayor wants to revise the employee handbook to reflect which employees need to be drug tested. If a supervisor believes a drug test is warranted on a certain employee, a drug test will be performed.
All potential employees will be screened for drugs upon pre-employment and that requirement will not change.
Construction Work on the Phoenix House More Than Halfway Done
Bob Alloy from Territorial Engineering appeared before the Knox Board of Works members to present a pay application for the construction done. The amount of $82,269 was approved for Chester Construction.
Alloy said about 65 percent of the construction is done. There is $140,000 left to complete the project.
The construction project began in mid-January with site preparations beginning in December. The Phoenix House suffered flooding and grant money was sought by K-IRPC to aid in the construction project. The garage is being expanded to include a storage area, a group meeting room, a library and computer area.
UV Bulb Purchase Approved by Knox BOW
The Knox Board of Public Works approved an expenditure of $5,528 for the Waste Water Treatment Facility.
Superintendent Kelly Clemons explained that the UV lights at the plant have run about 13,395 hours and the warranty on the lights is good for 20,000 hours. She is looking to buy bulbs to have on hand when those lights need to be replaced.
April 1 is the start of the disinfecting season and the UV lights help kill certain bacteria that is present during the sanitation process. The lights are needed in order to be in compliance with standards set forth by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
The Board of Works approved the purchase of 16 bulbs at $333 apiece, plus shipping and handling, for a total cost of $5,528. When the new bulbs are installed, the company will come to Knox and pick up the old bulbs for recycling purposes.
Knox Board of Works Approves Officers Request to Purchase Duty Weapons
The Knox City Council previously approved a request from Police Chief Clint Norem to allow the officers to buy their own service pistols in order for new guns to circulate into use by the department.
These are the last two guns to be purchased in this cycle. The Board of Works approved the request with a reminder that the officers re-register them in their own name.
Knox Board of Works Approves Bid for Doors at Wastewater Treatment Plant
Superintendent Kelly Clemons presented three bids for two doors that have corroded and rotted and are not functional. One door includes an emergency exit. The doors are located in the building where the pretreatment of the sewage occurs.
Knox Board of Public Works Discusses Towing Regulations
The Knox Board of Public works this week discussed the city’s towing regulations, which Mayor Rick Chambers noted have not been updated since 2008.
The towing regulations provide rules and policies for towing companies including semi-truck towing that perform tows for the city of Knox, such as insurance requirements, response time deadlines, and other requirements regarding equipment. Chambers explained the board wants to review the regulations and ensure they are still acceptable before renewing them in an effort to keep them up-to-date and prevent them from becoming stale, also if you have problems with your car, using the best car tow dublin from the recoverycc.ie is the best option.
Knox Board of Works Opens Bids for Storm Water Project
The members of the Knox Board of Works opened bids this week for the million dollar Storm Water Project. The bid for the work will be “let” in about a week after being reviewed by the City attorney and Territorial Engineers.
