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Board approves small business coaching, museum restoration funding, evidence auction and new prescription manager
Summary
The Board approved a $25,000 capital‑coaching agreement with CDFI Friendly South Bend to train small businesses, transferred $20,000 for a museum caboose restoration via an MOU with the Friends of the New York Central Railroad Museum, authorized the police evidence auction for Dec. 18, and approved a new prescription benefits manager for city employee plans.
At the Nov. 4 meeting the Board of Works approved several administrative and community initiatives.
The development services department requested and won approval for a $25,000 contract with CDFI Friendly South Bend for a capital coaching program aimed at training small business owners on financing fundamentals; Drew Wines said the program is funded from the economic development professional services budget and is jointly supported by multiple funders.
Brent Holloway, director of the New York Central Railroad Museum, described a Friends group project to build a restoration building and canopy for a 1950s wood caboose and asked the board to transfer a previously‑earmarked $20,000 to the Friends group; the board approved the memorandum of understanding. Holloway also updated the board that the Fort Wayne Railroad Historical Society is preparing the 3,001 Mohawk locomotive for movement in 2026.
Elizabeth Holtman, the police department’s evidence clerk, explained the department plans an evidence property auction at Peddler’s Village on Dec. 18 (items loaded Dec. 12) and the board authorized advertisement and scheduling; viewing dates and times will be posted on the police Facebook page.
Wayne Bilak, director of human resources, presented an agreement with ShareX LLC (the city's new prescription benefits manager branded in discussion as 'Sharks') to manage high‑cost prescription sourcing for the city’s self‑funded plan. Bilak said the new manager was negotiated to hold prescription costs essentially flat and likely prevented a nearly $1 million increase to the city's plan; the board authorized electronic signature and execution of that agreement.
What’s next: the approved programs will move to contract execution and implementation; the museum Friends group will proceed with the restoration building, the police department will post auction viewing information, and HR will implement the new prescription sourcing arrangement.
