Lebanon City Board of Works approves engineering and renovation contracts; OKs State Road 39 study subject to funding

Lebanon City’s Board of Works on April 28 approved a series of professional-services contracts and construction actions, including a $59,220 award to Banning Engineering for design and mitigation work on the Chadwick Village ditch, authorization to proceed with a State Road 39 corridor relinquishment study (subject to later appropriation), and multiple storefront, electrical and plumbing contracts connected to the city’s “1 80 makeover” grant program.

The approvals were presented by city staff member Kevin, who described the Chadwick Village work as engineering and permitting to redesign and relocate a ditch, plus mitigation for residential connections such as downspouts and sump pumps. “This is just for engineering services. This is just to put a plan in place,” Kevin said. He told the board Banning Engineering submitted the lowest proposal at $59,220 and that the work would be paid from the stormwater fund’s existing appropriations.

Why it matters: the Chadwick Village design will determine the scope and extent of alteration to a city-owned natural area and how stormwater is managed for adjacent properties. The State Road 39 study could change which government maintains a major corridor through Lebanon and what improvements or upfront funding the city would require from the state before accepting relinquishment.

Most important outcomes

- Chadwick Village ditch: The board authorized a professional-services contract with Banning Engineering for drainage redesign, mitigation and permitting at a proposed price of $59,220. Kevin said the scope includes assessing and mitigating residential connections to the ditch.

- State Road 39 corridor relinquishment study: The board approved a study proposal from Avenue (with A and F Engineering as a partner for traffic modeling) to evaluate conditions, improvements and potential funding arrangements related to accepting ownership of State Road 39. Kevin said the city intends to fund the study with previously collected road impact fees but the actual contract is subject to an additional appropriation by the city council.

- Abner Longley perimeter path: The board approved a professional-services contract with Noventium Design to complete survey, drainage coordination and construction documents for the remainder of the perimeter path. Kevin said the current construction budget for the path is $600,000 and the design fee is roughly 10% of that construction budget; the contract will prepare the project for public bidding.

- Fort Myers Road change order: The board approved change order number 11 for the Fort Myers Road project, totaling $4,815; staff said the amount is within the project contingency and requires no additional appropriation.

- 1 80 makeover projects (multiple contracts): The board authorized a set of contracts for building rehabilitation at Colliers Corner and the Lido building using federally awarded grant funds routed through the regional MPO. Contract awards include Adams Electric for several electrical packages ($114,325 for Colliers Corner electrical; $86,430 for Lido building electrical), Whitaker Glass for storefront glazing (Colliers Corner storefront, $43,970; Lido storefront, $56,410), and Blue Fox for plumbing at the Lido building ($44,564). Staff said quotes were solicited and the listed firms were the lowest responsive and responsible bidders; one or more lower bids were excluded for failing to meet specifications.

What the board discussed

Board members asked for clarifications about funding sources and who would maintain ongoing costs tied to recurring services. On a separate professional-services contract (an ongoing service described earlier in the meeting), a board member asked whether the $14,002 figure was a quarterly amount; Kevin replied, “Nope. That’s for the year.” Board members reminded staff to include any recurring costs in next year’s budget.

On the State Road 39 discussion, staff said NDOT had asked whether the city would accept relinquishment of the route and that the study would give the city leverage to request specific improvements or financial support from the state. Kevin said the study team includes traffic-modeling expertise to quantify needs and costs so the city can negotiate from an evidence-based position.

Board process and votes

All motions described in the meeting were moved, seconded, and recorded as approved by voice vote; no roll-call vote counts were recorded in the transcript. Several motions were explicitly identified as subject to later appropriation or legal review when required (for example, the State Road 39 study is subject to an appropriation from the council, and grant-funded contracts are subject to legal review and grant provisions).

Closing and next steps

City staff indicated the Chadwick engineering contract and the State Road 39 study will move forward under the conditions stated (stormwater fund appropriations for Chadwick, and a council appropriation for the State Road 39 work). Design work for Abner Longley Park will proceed to create construction documents for public bidding; 1 80 makeover projects will move to contract execution subject to legal review and grant requirements. The board adjourned and noted its next meeting date.