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 of 812 South Main Street as part of a TIF project; and American Rescue Plan expenditures totaling $18,000 for the Elkhart Thrive Neighborhood Hub initiative.

Property, access and easements: The board approved a joint use and maintenance agreement with INDOT for the Hively Avenue overpass, accepted a perpetual stormwater utility easement from Adam Clifford and Elizabeth Clifford related to a Worthmore Avenue drainage project (staff said the city paid $550 compensation), and approved a nonexclusive access agreement with CSU Inc. to stage contractor equipment at city‑owned property at 2729 Hammond Avenue (subject to restoration and liability terms).

Leases, rates, training, grants and publications: The board approved a first amendment to a South Wellfields lease granting a first right of refusal to the leaseholder in exchange for a one‑time payment of $7,000 (staff said the amendment does not prevent the city from complying with auction or bid requirements if the city later disposes of the land). The board approved resolution 25‑R‑03 supporting an amendment to the city's water rate ordinance; staff said the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission review adjusted the payment‑in‑lieu‑of‑tax (PILOT) calculation and that the adopted rates are close to the requested level. The board approved an OSHA forklift training memorandum of understanding with ERGO Resource Management Inc. for $3,020 and authorized pretreatment staff to publish in the Elkhart Truth the list of significant industrial users that were in significant noncompliance for 2024 (the publication must run by March 28). The board approved an economic development partnership grant of $20,000 to the Elkhart County Symphony Association.

Facilities and planning: The board approved a $13,608 contract with Sign of the Times to install window graphics on the new public safety building; citizen Luiz Ann Deputy spoke against the signage, saying "this is $13,000 of taxpayer money" and arguing the expense was not necessary. The board also approved a $25,000 services contract with the University of Notre Dame to develop an overlay district and integrate it into the city's Unified Development Ordinance; staff said Notre Dame will complete the work in about 60 days and the zoning overlay will later be adopted by the planning commission and common council.

Routine approvals: The board approved the wastewater utility monthly operations report for January 2025 and approved several other routine items as listed in the meeting record.

Votes at a glance (selected items recorded on the March 4 agenda): - Approve claims and allowance docket (02/25/2025) — $4,961,300.42 — approved. - Assign bid 25‑04 (Fire Station No. 6) to staff for award — four certified bids received — assigned to staff. - Assign bid 25‑09 (police vehicles) to staff for award — Jordan Automotive net $828,854 — assigned to staff. - Assign bid 25‑10 (city light vehicles) to staff for award — Jordan Ford base $346,818 — assigned to staff. - Approve joint use and maintenance agreement with INDOT for Hively Avenue Overpass — approved. - Accept perpetual stormwater utility easement from Adam and Elizabeth Clifford — approved. - Approve access agreement with CSU Inc. for staging at 2729 Hammond Avenue — approved. - Approve first amendment to South Wellfields lease (first right of refusal) — one‑time payment $7,000 — approved. - Approve resolution 25‑R‑03 supporting water rate amendment (IURC adjustments) — approved. - Approve MOU for forklift training with ERGO Resource Management Inc. — $3,020 — approved. - Approve publication of SNC list in the Elkhart Truth (2024) — authorized publication. - Approve economic development grant to Elkhart County Symphony Association — $20,000 — approved. - Approve Sign of the Times contract for window graphics — $13,608 — approved. - Approve University of Notre Dame services contract for UDO overlay — $25,000 — approved.

Why it matters: The package of votes includes capital procurement steps, routine financial approvals and several community investments and regulatory publications; individually many items are procedural, but together they reflect ongoing capital projects, utility administration and community programming.

What’s next: Staff will return to the board with award recommendations for the assigned bids, finalize contract details where necessary, and publish the SNC list by March 28 as required.