The Vincennes Water Utilities is ready to start repairs to the Wabash River Levee at the George Rogers Clark Park.
Levee superintendent Hunter Pinnell told the Vincennes Redevelopment Commission Thursday morning.
That he’s been waiting for over than three years for permission from the National Park Service to begin the two projects around the memorial. The work is needed to keep the levee good standing with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Vincennes Sun Commercial reports the first project will be the permanent closure of the flood gate at the western end of Willow Street near the entrance into Pearl City.
The area will be filled in with a permanent earthen structure, and a road will be built over its top so Pearl City residents will still have access. Also as a part of that project, a portion of the park’s southern lawn will be elevated to meet new FEMA standards.
The newspaper story says the other project will be to abandon the flood gate at Main Street and Culbertson Boulevard in favor of a permanent concrete wall.
Together, the two projects are expected to cost upwards of $365,000, with the most expensive being the Willow Street closure and raising of the park’s south lawn, which is expected to cost $346,000.
Pinell said he hopes to have the work finished by the end of this year.
The RDC agreed more than a year ago to fund up to $1 million in levee repairs.
In other action from the meeting….
The Vincennes Redevelopment Commission on Thursday approved an application process for any developer or entity asking its members to take on — and pay for — an infrastructure project.
The Vincennes Sun Commercial reports that the 10-question application requests information from prospective applicants and outlines the procedure to appear before its members.
RDC members want to keep the process simple andl allows them to be flexible in deciding which infrastructure projects to take on.
The idea came when Heath Klein and Paul Yochum, came before the RDC with infrastructure projects they wanted done, that would not only benefit their plans but also the city.
The newspaper also reported that City engineer John Sprague told the RDC that work on the Ford Road project, connecting Ford Road out to Hart Street in between Kohl’s the soon to be new Westport Auto dealership, has begun and will likely be finished in 60 days.