Votes at a glance: Elkhart Board of Works approves routine contracts, change orders, permit actions and a Norfolk Southern penalty

The Elkhart City Board of Works on Jan. 7 handled a series of administrative and contract items, taking votes on officer elections, bids, change orders, contract authorizations, permit delisting and a notice-of-violation penalty.

Key outcomes: the board elected Mike Macklin as president and Jamie Arcey as vice president; it approved the Dec. 27, 2024 meeting minutes; it awarded three 2025 bids (street materials, on-call street and drainage construction, and utilities materials) to the lowest responsive bidders as presented in the bid tabulations; it approved three change orders and final payments for small drainage projects; it authorized the board president to sign a professional services agreement with Barnes & Thornburg for legal consultation on terminating tax abatements (no contract amount listed in the memorandum); it delisted Atlas Chem Milling’s Industrial Wastewater Discharge Permit No. 85-16 at 1627 West Lusher Avenue following facility closure; and it assessed a $750 penalty against Norfolk Southern for…