Evansville Board approves series of contracts, opioid settlement allocations and multiple construction change orders

The Evansville Board of Public Works on Jan. 20 approved a package of contracts, lease agreements, opioid settlement disbursements and construction change orders affecting city operations, utilities and street projects.

In one of the larger administrative items, the board approved a contract to install Granicus livestreaming hardware in a City meeting room (Room 318) and the Civic Center, at a one‑time hardware cost of $4,770 and a small annual subscription increase to the city’s existing Granicus subscription. The cost for the Granicus installation was described as split 50/50 with the county; the sheriff’s office will add a room of its own and will pay the subscription for that location out of its budget.

Also approved was a 48‑month lease for a replacement printer for the water and sewer utility filtration plant with Mid America Environmental (Alpha Laser) at a monthly rate of $380.83, totaling $3,879.84, to be funded from the Computer Services contractual budget.

The board approved two agreements to distribute opioid settlement funds to local recovery organizations. An agreement with the Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Department allocated $250,000 under the city’s settlement process (finance ordinance F2024‑11). A separate agreement with Deaconess Women’s Hospital for use of restricted settlement funds in 2024 was approved in the amount of $231,080. Staff said one remaining 2024 settlement item remained under review with the city attorney and the police department.

City operations contracts and extensions were approved, including a third and final one‑year extension with ACA Companies Inc. for pest control services covering street maintenance, animal control, urban forestry and cemetery operations for a total contract amount of $5,109. The board was told this is the last year before the service is rebid.

Engineering and construction items approved by the board included: - Amendment No. 2 with BS Engineering Inc. for additional professional services related to multiple state and federal jurisdictional requests, increasing the professional services commitment by $88,370. - A contract award to E and B Paving LLC for the 2025 mill and overlay Phase 1 (project no. 25‑001). The bid opening was Dec. 12, 2024; the contract amount presented was $1,831,438.38, and staff indicated a CCMG matching grant (CCMG 2024‑2) has been applied for and will be used as matching funding upon award. - Change order No. 6 with NDOT for the Walnut Street project (project no. 41599) increasing contract costs by $102,367.50; staff said that amount is reimbursable by "Amazon Water and Sewer" and must be processed through NDOT. - Change order No. 20 with NDOT for Walnut Street / Mann Avenue tree relocation, increasing costs by $3,012. - Change order No. 2 with Rivertown Construction LLC for Bob Jones Way Improvements (project no. 023‑025) increasing the contract by $6,173.26 to a new total of $211,041.92; the work covered additional sleeper slab and reinforcement steel and the contractor reset pavers over the repaired area. - Change order No. 4 with Dyke Brothers Lumber Construction Inc. for the Division Street Extension and Westman Park entrance (project no. 23‑003), increasing the contract by $2,200 for relocation/installation of a pedestrian signal button; staff said the original button placement did not meet ADA standards and the cost is not being reimbursed by the parks department.

The board approved right‑of‑way permit applications 2064–2067, 2070 and 2071 with no exceptions and directed compliance with the Indiana Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for site‑specific traffic control. Application 2069 remained under review; staff said an existing split‑rail fence in the right of way would be allowed to remain as long as it was not altered to a picket fence as listed on the application.

Permits for street and lane closures, barricades and signage were approved for the city art festival, which will close Washington Avenue between Second and Sixth streets and Adams between Putnam and Second streets on Saturday, May 17, and again on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. The board noted the closures were previously approved by the Board of Public Safety.

Most items were advanced by voice motion and recorded as approved. Board members asked clarifying questions on a few items — including whether meetings in the newly equipped room would be livestreamed (they will be if a meeting is scheduled as live) and whether certain costs were reimbursable — and staff provided brief explanations. The board also reviewed a cover sheet for the Crosspoint roundabout bid packet and signed it for the record.

Items that remained in process at the end of the meeting included the remaining opioid settlement agreement under review with the city attorney and the police department and right‑of‑way application 2069 under additional engineering review. The board approved bills and payroll and adjourned at about 1:46 p.m.