Porter County commissioners approve paving contracts, pay apps and appropriations; create new fund for marine patrol

VALPARAISO, Ind. — The Porter County Board of Commissioners on a busy April agenda approved a slate of construction pay applications and change orders, accepted highway paving bids to be awarded by location to the lowest responsible bidder, approved several interfund transfers and additional appropriations tied to the county's annual paving work, and gave first reading to an ordinance establishing a nonreverting fund to accept a state grant the sheriff's office will use for marine patrol overtime.

The approvals came during a meeting in which commissioners took multiple routine finance and facilities items under advisement and moved ahead with a multi-site highway procurement plan and several building and maintenance contracts.

Commissioners voted to accept the set of highway paving bids received by the auditor's office and to award individual projects to the lowest bidder for each location. The firms named in meeting discussion included Asphalt Materials Inc., Bitmap Products Inc., Reath Riley Construction, Milestone Contractors LP, Central Paving and Pavement Solutions; commissioners said the low-bidder approach will determine awards by project and location.

Among construction and facilities actions, commissioners approved pay applications and change orders including: - Corilis/Corollis (roofing) pay application No. 7 for $187,894.75 (motion approved), - Gary Construction payout: $320,900.50; Bloomfield Mechanical payout No. 3: $9,489.07; Circle A.M. Mechanical payout No. 7: $22,939.65; Circle A.M. Electric payout No. 3: $28,203.65 (all approved together), - Bergman Construction change order No. 8, closet light, $999.90 (approved), - Bergman Construction change order No. 11 for data drops…