The City of Carmel Board of Public Works and Safety voted unanimously Dec. 3, 2025, to approve a series of contracts and purchases affecting public safety, utilities and neighborhood paving.

Chief Joel Thacker of the Carmel Fire Department summarized two public-safety items the board approved. He said the department was awarded a FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant for $416,304 and that the city has a 10% match. “This is for health and safety products,” Thacker said. “So this is a direct exhaust capture system that will be installed at all of our fire stations. It’ll be connected to all of our apparatus. So as we pull out, it will automatically release.” The board approved the purchase request for Magna Grip, recorded in the meeting as $454,106.

The board also approved multiple professional-service and equipment contracts presented by engineering and utilities staff. Brad Pease, director of engineering, moved forward a $150,000 on-call amendment with CrossRoad Engineers PC for plan review and stormwater/technical expertise. Mike Hendricks, assistant utility director, described a $204,600 contract with Arcadis US Inc. to verify and recalibrate the city’s water model and perform capacity modeling, and a $101,170.18 purchase from Vermeer Midwest for a valve-exercising trailer and vacuum unit to support the city’s valve-exercising program; both items were approved.

Street Department staff and project manager Ryan Mert discussed 2025 paving work. The board acknowledged a single bid for a Carmel Fire Department training structure from Community Container Solutions, LLC for $1,369,699 (the bid was opened and recorded in the minutes; no award is recorded in that bid-opening segment). Separately, the board approved awarding a quote for additional 2025 paving work to Howard (Howard Asphalt LLC/Howard Companies) as the lowest responsive quoter; the meeting record also includes Resolution BPW 12-03-25-01 acknowledging a $207,011.19 agreement to add four neighborhoods to the paving contract.

The board approved a memorandum of understanding with Hamilton County to reimburse the city for portions of the county’s prior payments related to the county’s use of the First Due public-safety communications product; Sergei Gertrzukin of the city’s Office of Corporation Counsel described the agreement as outlining reimbursement to the city in 2026.

Most motions were moved and seconded by board members identified only by their speaking turn in the transcript; voting on routine items was recorded as “Aye.” No formal roll-call tallies with individual member votes appear in the meeting transcript for these items.

The meeting also cleared multiple requests to use city streets and property (items 5a–d) and approved waivers and dedications of right-of-way for items 6a–g after the city engineer reported departmental concurrence.

The board added an independent add-on item (Merchant Square) to the agenda and approved directing staff to move forward with scoping and negotiations with the selected proposer, Avenue (see separate article on Merchant Square). The chair adjourned the meeting after no further business.

Agenda items and amounts recorded in the meeting minutes: Community Container Solutions LLC bid $1,369,699 (training structure bid opening); Magna Grip purchase $454,106 (FEMA grant $416,304 with 10% match noted); CrossRoad Engineers on-call amendment $150,000; Arcadis contract $204,600; Vermeer Midwest purchase $101,170.18; Howard Asphalt/Howard Companies paving addition $207,011.19 (resolution).