Huntingburg planning to add concrete reinforcement for Fourth Street brick pavers

The city is moving forward with plans to reinforce Fourth Street’s brick pavers with concrete at key intersections, addressing ongoing maintenance issues while preserving the street’s distinctive appearance.

During Tuesday’s council meeting, the council discussed an agreement with VS Engineering to develop options for repairing the brick street, which has experienced problems particularly near intersections.

On Tuesday, Mayor Neil Elkins told the council that significant issues have occurred at the intersections due to the stop-and-go traffic and the forces at work as vehicles and heavy trucks make turns onto Fourth Street.

“Originally VS suggested back in 2021 that we pull the bricks up at that time and recompact material, place those back in,” Elkins said.

That approach was supposed to have a 15-year life expectancy, but only if traffic maintained a 10 to 15-mph speed limit. According to officials, actual traffic patterns have not adhered to those speeds, causing more rapid deterioration.

The new plan focuses on reinforcing approximately 30 feet of roadway at each intersection with concrete underneath the pavers while maintaining the brick appearance throughout. The concrete will reinforce the foundation of the pavers in those high-pressure areas.

“I’m not saying it’s going to be perfect, but it’s going to be pretty strong,” Elkins said, adding that he had seen a similar method used in Indianapolis.

The mayor confirmed the visual appearance would remain consistent, though some color variations in the pavers might be introduced in parking areas to better delineate spaces.

When asked about adding concrete underneath the entire street, Elkins said the city didn’t have a million dollars to do that.

The engineering services for the project are budgeted at approximately $31,000, with funding coming through a local improvement district.

Officials also discussed potential modifications to parking spaces along Fourth Street. According to the mayor, some three-car parking sections may be reconfigured since “three cars never park there.”

The city plans to reinstall bollards along the street and is considering adjustments to the islands where trees are planted, though drainage requirements limit how much these can be modified.

While some parking spaces may be lost through these modifications, the city anticipates gaining 15 to 20 new spaces from the removal of three structures between Jackson Street and the alley south of Fourth Street. The new parking area is under consideration by business owners there.

“There will be actually three structures that will be taken down, so we’ll pick up probably 15 or 20 spaces back there, which will be a plus,” the mayor said.

The council unanimously approved the engineering agreement, allowing the project to move forward.

In other business, the council approved a quote from Utility Supply Company for $21,215.72 to replace 620 feet of 6-inch water main on Walnut Street between Second and Third Streets. Water Superintendent Jerry Austin noted the existing main “is very constricted with mineral deposits,” and most services connected to it use lead pipes.

The timing of this replacement aligns with planned street paving through a Community Crossing grant, allowing the city to avoid digging up newly paved roads.

The council also approved the purchase of seven new computers for the utility billing office at a cost of $12,413. The upgrade is necessary as Windows 10 will no longer be serviced, requiring a move to Windows 11.

Additionally, the council introduced an ordinance to increase reconnection fees for utility services following disconnection. The proposed changes would raise the fee from $28.75 to $50 during regular hours and $125 for after-hours reconnections. This would mirror what is under consideration in the new gas rate ordinance, making the reconnection fees uniform among all the services. A public hearing on these changes is scheduled for April 22.

The meeting concluded with recognition of city employees for their work during recent storms. Council members praised staff for maintaining infrastructure without significant outages despite challenging weather conditions.