Animal shelter, Walnut bids opened
Keith Roysdon
MUNCIE — Two big projects for the city of Muncie might be poised to move forward in the coming months.
The city Board of Works and Public Safety on Wednesday opened and took under advisement bids for the final stage of the Walnut Street streetscape project downtown as well as remodeling of a former juvenile detention center for the new Muncie Animal Shelter.
Officials announced in November that the former operator of a juvenile detention center on Riggin Road was donating the building. The operator, Cedarbridge, had closed there in 2014.
Now the city will spend more than $200,000 to remodel the building for use as the shelter and relocate the shelter from its longtime Gharkey Street location.During Wednesday's meeting, the board opened three bids for remodeling ranging from about $249,000 to $302,000.
After the meeting, shelter director Phil Peckinpaugh told The Star Press that if a bid is awarded soon, a 90-day period of construction could begin quickly and the shelter could relocate as early as July or August.
Peckinpaugh said remodeling work that will have to be done includes building kennel walls, replacing ceiling tiles and repainting.
"I feel really good about these (bids)," Peckinpaugh said, adding that the bids were close to estimates.
The current shelter has room for just over 50 dogs and the new shelter will have room for 73. The cat adoption center at the current shelter has room for 20 cats but the new one would have room for 40 or more. The "free roaming" cat room will have a large window for the public to see cats they might adopt.
The works board received only one bid for the final phase of its Walnut Street streetscape work. The overall project has seen sidewalks replaced and widened to accommodate outdoor seating, resurfacing of Walnut and installation of a stormwater drain in the middle of the street rather than in curbs and gutters, which are not part of the design.
The city had trouble last year getting bidders on the project, which delayed some elements, but Walnut between Jackson Street and Charles Street was completed.
The bid received Wednesday, for $1.8 million from Pridemark Construction, is for the 100 block between Main and Jackson streets and south of Charles Street to the roundabout.
David Heilman of project consultant Flatland Resources asked the board to take the bid under advisement. Alternate elements, including a $78,000 walkway to the roundabout and Passing of the Buffalo statue, were also taken under advisement.
Action on the bids could come in next Wednesday's board of works meeting.
Contact Keith Roysdon at 765-213-5828 and follow him on Facebook and Twitter.