Board approves bids, contracts, grants and publications across multiple city programs

The Elkhart City Board of Works approved a package of routine and project items March 4, assigning bids to staff for future award, approving a claims docket, accepting easements and contracts, and authorizing publications and grants.

Bids and vehicle purchases: The board opened certified bids for Fire Station No. 6 (bid 25‑04) and accepted four certified bids for staff review and future award: Brown and Brown General Contractors Inc. (Wakarusa) — base bid $7,524,400; Gibson Lewis LLC (Mishawaka) — base bid $7,366,000; R. Yoder Construction — base bid $7,472,489; Zielikowski Construction Inc. (South Bend) — base bid $7,863,000. The board assigned those bids to staff for award at a later meeting.

On bid 25‑09 for police vehicles (17 cars, published Feb. 8 and Feb. 15), Jordan Automotive submitted a single certified bid with a base bid of $849,004 and trade‑in deductions of $20,150 for a net bid of $828,854; the board assigned the single submission to staff for future award. For city light vehicles (bid 25‑10), Jordan Ford submitted a certified base bid of $346,818 and the board likewise assigned that to staff for award.

Claims and notable line items: The board approved the claims and allowance docket for Feb. 25, 2025, totaling $4,961,300.42 (27 pages). Staff highlighted several individual claims including Flock camera maintenance ($49,998.98) for the police department; UV filter rebuild parts at the wastewater plant (about $160,000); the purchase…