The Marshall County Council discussed an additional appropriation request by the county commissioners for the Metronet project in the amount of $119,750.19.
Commission President Kevin Overmyer explained that the money was leftover in their line item in 2014 and was reverted to the Rainy Day Fund. Overmyer asked that the money be appropriated to finish paying bills for the Metronet project. He said the entire amount will not be spent and whatever is left can be put back into the Rainy Day Fund.
This week, the Marshall County Commissioners approved and signed paperwork to complete the acceptance of the Metronet project along Glen Overmyer Drive. The work ended on Nov. 12 with all punch list items checked off the list. The installation of conduit for the three phases of the Metronet project is now complete.
The conduit will house dark fiber capable of distributing high-speed internet to business and industry in Plymouth. The conduit was installed in the city limits and along old U.S. 31 through LaPaz, LaVille, Lakeville and into South Bend. LaVille School Corporation and Hoosier Racing Tire have already lit dark fiber to begin using the product.
The Marshall County Commissioners will not meet today as the county employees will observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.
When they meet tomorrow, the highway department heads will have updates on the wetland mitigation issue and the mill pond dam. Highway Administrator Laurie Baker and Supervisor of County Highways Jason Peters will also have pug mill estimates and bid specifications for a loader.
Bart Trester from USI Consultants will present a fiber-optic conduit certification of completion for Glen Overmyer Drive in connection with the Metronet project. Curt Fey from Legal Shield will have a presentation, and the commissioners will discuss the 2015 covered bridge certification.
The Marshall County Metronet project is drawing to a close.
The commissioners last week approved a payment agreement between the county and the City of Plymouth for shared conduit installation. The county is to pay half of the cost of the installation and handholds on Lincolnway to State Road 17 on Pioneer Drive, Pioneer Drive to Overmyer Drive and three lateral connections to the three county buildings for a total cost of $37,513.76. The city will pay the same cost for those installation costs.
Marshall County Attorney Jim Clevenger told the commissioners this week that the paperwork for the Metronet project is complete.
There were some endorsements and fees that were added to the paperwork that couldn’t be avoided. The conduit installation is nearly finished.
The bonds for the jail project were closed on Wednesday, Oct. 15. The lease amendment was recorded and sent to the state.
The Marshall County Council members discussed an additional appropriation for the Metronet project Monday morning.
The amount was for $250,000 out of the Rainy Day Fund which is the amount St. Joseph County is expected to pay for the project.
Auditor Penny Lukenbill explained that Trinity Health sent in $125,000 for their portion of the cost in August which was appropriated last month. The county is anticipating St. Joseph County’s portion of $250,000 this week. Lukenbill stated that she wants to be prepared for when that happens.
The Marshall County Council members will consider several additional appropriations in their monthly meeting today.
Marshall County Superior Court No. 2 Judge Dean Colvin will request $30,000 in an additional appropriation for pauper council while Sheriff Tom Chamberlin will discuss a $3,000 request for overtime.
A request for $250,000 from the Rainy Day Fund to cover the cost of the Metronet project is on the agenda. St. Joseph County recently paid that for their cost of the project which was placed into the Rainy Day Fund. The council members will now take out that money to complete payment on the project.
The Marshall County commissioners received an update on the 7th Road project and the Metronet project Monday morning.
USI Consultant’s Bart Trester is the project manager and said the 7th Road project is moving along.
“The contractor has begun the soil stabilization of the sub-grade and should finish from Linden Trail to Seltenright Ditch by the end of the week. This will actually allow them to put in under drains and hopefully begin paving toward the end of the week. They won’t put surface down this year. Traffic has been running on a temporary lane allowing the contractor to construct phase two of the roundabout on Michigan Road. Traffic will be switched to phase three at the end of this week or early next week. They will be running through the center of the roundabout at this time allowing them to construct phase three which is the east side up to Zimmer Ditch,” said Trester.
The Marshall County commissioners will meet today with a host of items to discuss.
Bart Trester of USI will provide the commissioners with an update on the 7th Road project and the Metronet project. The Metronet project is ahead of schedule while the 7th Road project continues. An update on the Jefferson Street bridge will also be provided by a USI representative.
Ward Byers from Court Services will be before the board for approval of an employment contract and Stacy Richer will have a request to vacate a street on county-owned property.
The Marshall County Council members approved additional appropriation requests from Marshall County Coroner Bill Cleavenger in the amount of $26,500 to cover costs.
Cleavenger explained that this has been a rather active year for his department. He has had to oversee more autopsies than anticipated and more incidents in which to respond. Approximately $21,000 was needed for the autopsy line item, $4,000 for toxicology, $1,000 for radiology and $500 for morgue supplies.
The Metronet project in Marshall County is on schedule.
Marshall County Auditor Penny Lukenbill told WKVI News that Bart Trester of USI reported to the commissioners on Tuesday morning that the county’s portion of the project is 85 to 90 percent complete. The hang-up right now surrounds the construction along Kern Road and Ireland in South Bend with the new U.S. 31 project. The company continues to work with INDOT in moving along that portion of the Metronet project.
The Marshall County Commissioners will meet today.
Plan Director Ralph Booker will present the commissioners with a Brownfield Assessment grant agreement. The Brownfield Assessment grant gives the county a chance to identify abandoned buildings, vacant fields and problematic areas to rehabilitate them and clean up the sites. The grant money would repair blighted areas by preparing them for potential business sites. The money would also be used to test areas for possible contaminates. Continue reading
The Metronet project is expected to finish ahead of schedule.
The Marshall County Commissioners noted that the installation of conduit has been going smoothly for the most part and the installation should be complete in mid-September. The Metronet officials will then install the dark fiber and companies should be able to connect to high-speed internet soon after the construction.
Roland Houin with Fourway Computer Products at 12700 4A Road told the commissioners that he’s ready to tap into the service to run to his facility as soon as possible. He plans to lay down conduit and to be prepared once the fibers are lit. He said he wants to experiment running the conduit and fibers to a communication tower and to homes in that area which is by the Tri-Way Theatre and the state highway garage.
A Metronet 101 roundtable discussion is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 13 at 5:30 p.m. ET at the St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Plymouth.
The Marshall County Economic Development Corporation is sponsoring the event which will explain the advantages of dark fiber, what service providers can offer and how to get connected.
The Marshall County Commissioners will meet today at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery will update the commissioners on the emergency plan. During the last commissioners meeting, Avery explained that the emergency plan was changed after events during the winter season. Department heads said working with the EMA Director by way of virtual means would work better, but Avery believes that may not be the best solution – especially if electricity and internet services are not available.
The Marshall County Commissioners received an update on two major construction projects in the county from USI’s Bart Trester. Trester is the project manager of the 7th Road and the Metronet projects.
Trester explained that unsuitable soils are being removed from portions of the 7th Road project. The soils were found in different locations in the project and weren’t detected in soil borings conducted prior to the project. The removal of the soils was quite costly. The commissioners approved a change order of over $500,000 at a previous meeting to meet that requirement. Crews are borrowing suitable soils between Lilac Road and Seltenright Ditch.
The Marshall County Commissioners will meet in regular session this morning with several items on the agenda.
Bart Trester from USI will give the commissioners an update on two county projects. The 7th Road project recently had a hiccup when unstable, organic soil was found. It had to be dug up and removed from the area.
The project supervisor of the 7th Road project in Marshall County gave an update of that project and the Metronet project to the commissioners Monday morning.
Bart Trester from USI told the commissioners that a box culvert was installed, crews cleared the right of way by Michigan Road and an abandoned house has been demolished.
The Marshall County Commissioners will meet in regular session today where Bart Trester from USI will have an update on the 7th Road project and the Metronet project.
The Metronet project started a few weeks ago where conduit is being installed from Ireland Road in South Bend to Marshall County. That conduit will house broadband cables for high speed internet for businesses to increase productivity. The project is expected to be complete this year.
All of the paperwork for the Metronet project has been signed. That was the information relayed to the Marshall County Commissioners Monday morning.
County Attorney Jim Clevenger said the City of South Bend approved the easement agreement that was prepared for the placement of conduit on the Michigan Road right-of-way. The intergovernmental agreement with the Marshall County Council was approved last week and the Memorandum of Understanding with St. Joseph County was signed at the end of April. Clevenger said all is good to continue with the construction plus the services once that construction is complete.
