Lawrence City approves right-of-entry with IDNR for Fort Harrison well project, OKs engineering amendments and billing adjustments

Lawrence City officials on Tuesday approved a right-of-entry with the IDNR Division of State Parks to allow work on the Fort Harrison well field and approved two amendments to Wessler Engineering task orders to update the city's water and sanitary sewer construction standards.

The approvals came during a regular utilities meeting where the superintendent reported that the Fort Harrison well and bridge portion of the project has been posted to the city's utilities procurement site so contractors can download plans and prepare bids. "We finally got the bridge portion of the project placed on the utilities procurement site as of 05/23/2025 so contractors can start downloading the plans and putting their bid packages together," the Superintendent said. The superintendent said the city will advertise the project in the Indianapolis Star on May 28 and June 4, 2025, and plans to open bids on June 17, 2025.

The nut graf: the right-of-entry and procurement timeline clear the way for contractors to bid on new well work and related bridge upgrades at Fort Harrison, while the engineering amendments update the city's technical standards for future water and sewer construction.

Most important actions approved were the right-of-entry issued to the city by the IDNR Division of State Parks for the Fort Harrison well project and two task order amendments with Wessler Engineering. The board approved Amendment No. 1 to Task Order No. 17 for the water standards update with a not-to-exceed amount of $8,000 and Amendment No. 1 to Task Order No. 3 for the sanitary sewer standards update with a not-to-exceed amount of $9,000. The superintendent described both amendments as updates to the water and sewer construction standards and related policies and procedures.

Officials also approved two customer account adjustments. The first adjustment reduced a utility bill at 9936 Hart Key Circle by $1,850.91 to correct an excessive bill caused by a service-line leak at the water spigot. The superintendent noted consumption had returned to normal after a three-month period. The second approved adjustment reduced a sanitary sewer charge at 7960 Dealing Place by $309.49 due to a slab leak.

Meeting participants made the approvals by voice vote. When asked about where contractors could find procurement postings on the city website, the Superintendent said the utilities procurement is posted under the "Job Opportunities" tab on the home page and offered to send a direct link. The superintendent also said that once a recommendation letter for a contractor is ready after bids are opened, staff will present that recommendation for the board's approval.

Less-critical items handled without debate included approval of minutes from the May 13, 2025 regular meeting and the payment of claims. There were no citizen comments and no remonstrations regarding disconnect notices during the meeting.

The actions clear administrative steps for the Fort Harrison project and routine updates to construction standards; staff will return with a contractor recommendation after the scheduled bid opening on June 17, 2025.