The Board of Works of the City of Elkhart approved its claim and allowance docket dated Nov. 12, 2025, totaling $5,700,410.06 and consisting of 33 pages. Erin, interim controller, identified the two largest items as Board and Waste Away trash services ($199,347.21) and a $500,866.68 payment to Nibloc for reconstruction work. The board voted to approve the docket without recorded roll-call tallies.

In a series of routine ratifications, the board authorized several payments tied to the Oakland Avenue projects and other capital work. Actions approved included a $77,380 SRF partial payment (SRF #75) to DLZ for professional services on Oakland Avenue CSO connection design; a $430,341 partial payment to C and E Excavating for the Oakland Avenue Forcemain, phase A; SRF #12 ($69,646) to DLZ for Oakland project B (CSO tank); and a $1,685,816 partial payment to Selj Construction for construction on Oakland project B. Public works staff reported Indiana Avenue had reopened to traffic and that the multi-phase Oakland work is roughly 28% complete on a projected $35 million contract.

The board also authorized advertising of several bids: bid number 25-22 for City Building ADA barrier removal (city hall, annex, probation building) and bid number 25-21 for accessible pedestrian signal systems at six intersections, funded from the council-approved ADA appropriation. Jeff Schafer, City Engineer, told the board the council included $800,000 in next year’s budget for ADA barrier removal.

Other actions included final acceptance of the Elkhart East Area A infrastructure (water, sanitary sewer, storm sewer, streets), approval of change orders related to the SALT (storage and loading transfer) facility (bringing the contract to $1,353,583.39) and City Hall HVAC contract adjustments that move unused allowance funds into an 18-month preventative maintenance agreement with C and L Corporation (not to exceed $39,746). A proposed additional appropriation related to Beck Drive emergency repairs was withdrawn and tabled after staff clarified the intent was a transfer, not additional appropriations.

The board approved a resolution (25-R-19) transferring funds for emergency repair on Beck Drive after staff described the emergency work and explained attempts to recover costs from third parties were unlikely. The meeting concluded with routine approvals of permits, bond releases, and a contractor training contract covered by a HUD grant.

The board took the following procedural next steps: staff will review opened quotes for multiple projects and report back at a future meeting; the budget and wage resolutions were accepted for consideration but not finally adopted pending additional manager input; and the city engineer will bring a formal agenda item to transfer signature authority for certain approvals.