Bloomington Board of Public Works approves abatements, contracts, road closures and environmental deed restriction

The Bloomington Board of Public Works on Aug. 26 approved a package of abatements, contracts, road-closure permits and an environmental restrictive covenant for a remnant parcel where elevated soil contaminants were found.

The actions, taken during a regularly scheduled meeting at City Hall, included approvals to abate two overgrown properties, a $153,444.70 change order to a Hopewell West contract that raises the contract to $1,840,763.55 and adds 14 calendar days, multiple short-term right-of-way closures tied to utility and construction work, a one-day $1,400 service agreement at the police firearms range, and an environmental restrictive covenant for a parcel at West Fountain Drive and Eighth Street where tests showed elevated lead, arsenic and PFOS. All measures on the meeting agenda were approved by roll call.

Why it matters: the approvals permit near-term construction and maintenance work across the city — from paving and utility relocations to repairs at the police training range — and formalize controls on a small city-owned parcel where soil contamination limits future uses and requires a soil-management plan for a proposed bioretention facility.

The board approved continuous abatements for two lots cited repeatedly for excessive vegetation. City staff reported repeated citations and no meaningful owner response for 1912 South Rogers Street and 2225 South High Street; the board voted to authorize continuous abatement at both addresses.

A change order for the Hopewell West segment on South Jackson Street and South Rogers Street was presented by Zach Rogers of Engineering. The change order covers stockpiling and management of excavated soils per the project's soil-management plan, added silt fence and seed…