Huntingburg will see Stellar projects begin to take shape in 2016

With warmer weather and the start of the construction season seemingly around the corner, residents should begin to see signs of movement on Stellar projects scheduled for 2016.

Since being awarded the designation, much of the work on the nine planned projects has been relegated to public meetings, committees and drawing boards. However, the city is on the precipice of a tremendous amount of activity as funding approvals for projects are beginning to come in.

“The designation made us available for the funds,” Mayor Denny Spinner explained. “We still have to qualify for the funding. The work that has been done in the last year has been behind the scenes, so to speak, to put us in position with the agencies that are going to provide the funding. Over the next year, the work will start to be seen in real and tangible ways.”

To recap, after receiving the designation in 2014, the city has access to special funding through three state agencies — Indiana Housing and Community Economic Development Authority, the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs and the Indiana Department of Transportation — for five years. That funding is matched by city funds through economic development income taxes as well as the city’s tax-increment districts. Additionally, the city has private contributions from local businesses and individuals as well as investments in the projects.

[gview file=”https://duboiscountyfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/water-main.pdf”%5D

The Fourth Street water main replacement project is a City of Huntingburg project. It is not funded by any of the state agencies through Stellar, but it was included as a Stellar Project because of the updates that will occur on top of Fourth Street with the addition of the Fourth Street Trail. The water main is over 100 years old and has needed replaced for some time.

Bids on the project will be opened Tuesday, February 9 and could be awarded at the February 23 Common Council meeting. According to Spinner, the city has included a public information aspect in the bid contract, so regular communication is occurring with the impacted business on Fourth Street.

The project is not scheduled yet but when it does start, will take 45 to 60 days to complete.

The first project that will receive funds from a state agency through Stellar is the Market Street Park project.

At this point, the design firm Taylor Siefker and Willams is still in the planning and design phase of the project. Additionally, a few adjacent properties will need to be appraised for potential purchase for the park.

On March 8, a public hearing will be held to outline the scope of the project and the funding sources for the project. “We will take public input on the project at that time,” Mayor Spinner said. “That will be the first of two public input sessions we have to hold before submitting the plan for approval.”

The plan is projected to be sent to the Office of City and Rural Affairs (OCRA) by March 31 for approval. Once OCRA approves the project, the city can begin to seek bids.

According to Spinner, the final plan for the park may come in at a higher cost than what the amounts included in the Stellar proposals. “What we will come away with is a completely engineered project for all the things we want to do,” he said. “Then we will prioritize what needs to be done first. Even if some elements aren’t funded under Stellar, we still have a design plan to move those forward in phases.”

Indiana Department of Transportation has released the funds for the engineering phase of the Fourth Street Trail. With that approval, the city interviewed the top two engineering firms Friday. Based on the scoring from the interviews and proposals, a firm will be selected, and the committee will begin negotiations with that firm. “We should know within the next two to three weeks who will be completing the engineering on that project,” Spinner said.

By April, residents of Huntingburg will likely see construction begin on the first 2016 project, the creation of Stellar Way.

Stellar Way is the first street in Hunters Crossing, the new housing development bordered by Chestnut and 12th streets (and soon the overpass extension). It will connect Chestnut Street to a planned city park in the new development. “We are building a street from Chestnut to the new city park,” Spinner said. “Which, if we had built a park, we would have to build a street to it.”

The city has pledged $500,000 in tax increment finance funds towards the development project being completed by Boxer Girl LLC. According to Mayor Denny Spinner, the funds are in place to create the infrastructure and pave the road, but anything above the $500,000 is the developer’s responsibility.

Boxer Girl LLC will submit completed engineering plans for the development. “The city won’t have any cost with the plans,” Spinner said. “Plus, Boxer Girl is responsible for the site development for the street.”

Once the city receives the plans, it will submit if for bids for construction.

“The impact of this private development as it develops over the next five years could mean an additional $6 million in investment in our community,” Spinner said. “If we have sustained growth and maintain our current budget trend the increased assessed value should lower the tax burden on the citizens.”

The upcoming construction will cause some disruptions and inconvenience for the city’s residents Spinner conceded, but he asked for patience.

It’s going to be an exciting year,” Spinner said. “These projects are exactly the types of projects that will impact our quality of life. But Stellar is more than projects, it is about creating a community that we couldn’t have dreamed about before.”