The Board of Public Works and Safety approved multiple street closures and parking restrictions related to the mobilization and installation of a temporary kitchen and dining complex on the tennis courts at Wabash College.
Adriann Rhoades, Director of Planning, Design and Construction at Wabash College, told the board Wednesday that the closures are needed as the College begins to demolish the Sparks Center to make way for a new Campus Center. The Sparks Center is where students dine.
Rhoades said a total of 10 modular units will be brought to campus. Three units will house the kitchen facilities, one unit will house a restroom, and the remaining six units will provide dining space.
The units are expected to arrive July 15-16, July 22-24 and July 29. The units will travel U.S. 136 to U.S. 231 to Jennison Street and on into campus. Traffic control at the various intersections will be provided by the city police department.
Rhoades said the College is closing its parking lot on the west side of campus to provide a staging area for the units prior to installation. A fence has been removed so the units can be moved across sidewalk and the street onto the tennis courts. She also requested no parking be allowed along the south side of Milligan Street from Crawford Street to Russell Avenue until Aug. 1.
“So, through the month of July the physical installation and mobilization of the units should be completed that way we have that portion of the work installed before the students return to campus the second week of August,” Rhoades said.
The new Campus Center will replace the existing Sparks Center, which was built in 1954. The new two-story facility will include a new dining hall, event center, communal lounges and game room.
In other business, the board:
• Approved a request from Jessica Ryker to close Pike Street at Pike Place from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. July 28 for a Back to School Bash. School supplies and backpacks will be given away. There will be a DJ, Touch-a-Truck activity, community vendors and food trucks.
• Approved an agreement between the city and Winning Communities Inc. to provide consulting services, not to exceed $9,000, for a local Youth Civic Engagement Council. The council will be comprised of high school students from all three county school districts who want to share and act on ideas to improve their communities. The consultant will provide a facilitator to work with the council.
• Approved change order requests in the amount of $26,064 for the U.S. 231 sewer extension project.
• Approved an agreement with Crawfordsville Community Schools for School Resource Officers from the Crawfordsville Police Department. The school district will pay the city $50,000 for each officer.
• Opened bids from six companies for the Community Crossings matching grant program. The state grant program provides funding to cities, towns and counties to make improvements to local roads and bridges. Companies submitting bids are: Rieth Riley, $979,055; Grady Brothers, $904,464; Midwest Paving, $935,223; Howard Asphalt, $978,583; Milestone, $1,087,840; and David Price Excavating, $1,068,276. All bids were tabled for review.
