By Rusty Nixon Correspondent
PLYMOUTH — David Ross of the Troyer Group outlined progress on the South Michigan Street lighting project for members of the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety Monday.
Ross, supervising the project, presented several change orders to the board for informative purposes. The first involved push buttons at the stop walks on the project to activate caution flashers. The push buttons were requested by the Indiana Department of Transportation and would be added to the project for a cost of $389 a button, a total of $778 which would be shared with INDOT in an 80-20 split.

The second change order was mandated by damage incurred by INDOT snow plows in the area. Ross reported that while almost 40 linear feet of curbing had been damaged by collisions with snow plows; only 20 feet would require significant repair. There are two options for the repairs with the same 80-20 split with INDOT on funding.
The board voted to approve both change orders, pending INDOT approval of the method to be used to repair the curbs.
Ross also reported that service points for decorative lighting would also have to be changed. Originally, NIPSCO had allowed the service points to be on the lighting poles themselves. They recently disallowed that approach necessitating three different points in the course of the project.
One option was to mount the points on treated plywood off the walk area, a common practice in such projects, but Ross also suggested a structure for housing the points, called “Tesco Cabinets” that would restrict access, but also have an added expense.
The board voted to wait on approval for these change orders for further discussion on the best option.
Ross reported that work has proceeded quickly and will soon begin in the medians in front of Centennial Park. The work will necessitate some lane closures but planning is in the works to insure that those closures have minimal impact on traffic and business in the area.
In Water Works Board action, Patricia Turner came before the trustees asking for them to take a look at her water bill for the month of February. Turner said she normally just writes a check and returns the bill, but the sum of $361 for the month made her stop.
Mayer Plumbing and Heating examined the plumbing in her home and determined that there was no problems that could have caused such a high water usage for the month, and Water Department tests showed that her meter was functioning properly.
Since February, her water usage has been normal. Trustee Mike Delp was not present at Monday’s meeting and the board tabled any action on Turner’s request until he can be present at the next meeting.