By Dee Grenert Editor
CULVER — Commonwealth Engineers’ Mark Sullivan briefed the Culver Town Council on upcoming work to sewer and water lines on Peru Court at the board’s regular meeting last Tuesday at Culver Town Hall.
Thomas Excavating of Argos, formerly of Culver, offered the low bid of $117,145.60 for the Peru Court work.
“It’s a little bit better than we expected, to be honest,” Sullivan said of the bid.
Sullivan expects the undertaking, left over from last year’s wide-ranging sewer project, to last two weeks. However, he cautioned that a number of NIPSCO and phone lines must be removed prior to the replacement of water and sewer lines.
“I expect the affected people to be without water for eight to 12 hours at most,” Sullivan commented. “It’s reasonable to think the work can be done in two weeks. The asterisk is we’re at the mercy of the utilities as to when they get their work done.”
Sullivan also presented December claims for the sewer project.

HRP turned in a claim of $24,629.70, with $1,296.36 in retainage for the south end sewer project. Sullivan also recommended releasing all but $25,000 of $92,916.15 in total retainage to cover future surface work.
Town Council President Ed Pinder and members Ralph Winters, Sally Ricciardi and Lynn Overmyer approved the payments by a 4-0 count. Member Barbara Behnke was absent.
The board also gave unanimous consent to releasing $10,744.10 in retainage to Phoenix Fabricating for the new water tower. Upon Sullivan’s advice, the council voted to hold $9,800 in retainage, until landscaping and painting work is completed.
Overall, Sullivan said he still expected the project, for which the Culver Redevelopment Commission placed $200,000 in contingency, to come in under budget and be completely wrapped up soon.
“There’s light at the end of the tunnel, and it’s close enough to see it’s not a train,” Sullivan quipped. “We’re still $200,000 to the good, or just a smidgen under, in wastewater.”
Town Manager Jon Guenin offered praise of Sullivan’s work.
“We’re in good shape,” Guenin said. “The redevelopment commission will still get some back. I thank Mark for doing such an excellent job with this project.”
The council also discussed priorities for emergency services. The town’s share of the tab for fire and medical services versus the township’s share dominated discussion.
The town and township work under a contract that splits the overall cost in half. The township’s assessed value is currently three times the town’s and expected to rise when new assessed values are released this year.
“I think we should look at the split between the town and township right away,” Overmyer said.
With the town’s budget cut tight, Guenin said he’d talk to Union Township Trustee Marlene Mahler about increasing the township’s payment.
“The reason we’re bringing this up is because we deal with this every year at budget time,” Guenin noted. “It’s not going to go away.”
Town Attorney Ron Gifford announced the ruling in the months-long pier lawsuit.
The judge in the case upheld the ruling of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR).
“The parties have to put piers out the way the DNR said,” Gifford said. “You take your lot line, go straight out and you can put out your piers.”
In other business:
• The board voted 4-0 to adopt a resolution to correct a zoning map error of a portion of the Boetsma property on E. Jefferson Street. The property, erroneously zoned residential, is now commercial.
“The property owners want it to be commercial,” Guenin noted. “Historically, it reflects the use of the land.
• Clerk-Treasurer Casey Howard announced that the town will start accepting applications for the sidewalk program on April 1.