Auburn City Board of Public Works and Safety approves contracts, easements and Memorial Day street closure

The Auburn City Board of Public Works and Safety on May 5 approved a series of routine contracts, easements and operational items, including agreements to support the Cedar Street water and sewer project, an award for brick work at Fire Station No. 1 and a street closure for the American Legion’s Memorial Day ceremony.

At the start of the meeting, the board approved the minutes of its April 21 meeting. The chair then introduced guests Nathan Fry, Nate Cra and Andy Baron; no members of the public offered comment.

City staff brought multiple project agreements before the board. The city engineer described a right-of-entry agreement with the DeCalb County Fair Association that will allow the city’s contractor to use a portion of fair association property as a laydown yard during construction of the Cedar Street water and sewer improvements scheduled for this fall. The board approved the agreement by voice vote.

The city engineer also presented a pedestrian use and access easement with Auburn Automotive Heritage, Inc., intended to formalize sidewalks and future trail improvements along Wayne Street adjacent to the ACD Museum property; the board approved the easement.

Staff asked the board to approve a maintenance agreement with Eastern Engineering for the city’s large-format plotter. The transcript records a standard monthly service maintenance base rate of $171.91 (noted as up $11.25 from last year) and an additional usage charge of $0.168 per square foot (noted as up $0.01); the board approved the maintenance contract.

The fire department recommended awarding brick removal and repair work at Station No. 1 to MF Projects for $13,732. The board approved that contract award.

A site control and use agreement tied to construction and post-construction maintenance of a splash pad at Memorial Park was approved. The item referenced the Jason and Joanne Schwitzer Family Foundation and in the motion also used the name Fortify Life; the board approved the agreement and the minutes indicate the city will continue routine maintenance of the splash pad after construction.

Police requested a street closure from Main Street (8th–9th) and 9th Street (Main–Cedar) on May 25 from 10:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for the American Legion’s Memorial Day ceremony. The board approved the request.

The street department presented a request to designate resident-only parking at 306 West 8th based on a resident letter and a site visit; the board approved the parking designation. The department also requested permission to surplus a 2003 Freightliner cabover chassis (VIN given in the record) and use a $20,000 trade-in toward purchasing a leaf unit from Best Equipment; the board approved surplusing the vehicle and the trade-in. During that discussion staff referenced a $100,000 grant the city received in 2025 from IDM for a recycling initiative.

AE (electric) staff brought forward Resolution 03 2026 to allow Carlex to participate in PJM’s demand response program and a demand-response participation agreement with an initial administration cost of $5,000; the board approved the resolution and the agreement. AE staff also presented five deed-of-easement agreements for properties at 360, 480, 550, 680 and 780 Morning Star Road; the board approved all five easements.

Procedural votes were taken by voice; as the chair put it during roll call, “All in favor signify by saying ‘I.’”

Announcements included a mayor’s youth council game night at Memorial Park on June 5 (6:30–9:30 p.m.), the American Legion Memorial Day ceremony on May 25 at 11:00 a.m., and the next regular Board of Public Works meeting scheduled for May 19, 2026 at 9:00 a.m. The board adjourned following a motion to adjourn.

(Items, amounts and participant names are taken from the meeting record. Where the transcript uses variant spellings or provides unclear phrasing, the article notes those variants rather than altering the record.)