What To Do When Construction Is In Your Neighborhood

 

Hello again,

 

As construction progresses into residential areas more and more people are becoming aware of and possibly worried about the presence of the construction personnel.  Unfortunately there will be some inconveniences with road closures and construction equipment that some may consider unsightly.  I'm sorry to say this is just the nature of construction.  Hopefully this post can help to limit the number and severity of any inconveniences and make the everyone aware of any that are unavoidable. 

 

The first important point to raise is participation, that is your participation.  When you are driving and see traffic control such as barricades or reflective drums they are there for a reason and should not be ignored.  There are times when a road may be closed to through traffic and only open to local traffic.  This means just what it sounds like, that if you are trying to get through the area you will have to take a different route.  We realize this can be a hassle but it is necessary when construction personnel and equipment are moving around the area.  If your destination is within the block designated as closed you should still be able to get there, as we try to be conscientious of any driveways (residential or business) and allow access.  A good rule of thumb to go by if you are not sure whether or not you can get through is just to stop and ask.  This is more respectful than driving over some one's property and, more importantly, much safer. 

 

When construction does enter your neighborhood there is process that is followed.  The first thing to be done is clearing any trees or other vegetation out of the right of way.  Trees that cannot be saved and need to come down will be removed by a professional tree removal company.  The company has experience dealing with tree removal as well as trimming; which they will use to make decisions on whether or not a tree can survive branch and root trimming or if it will have to be removed.  The trees and bushes that will be removed will all be on Town owned right of way and will not be replaced.  This is mostly due to the safety issues having trees in close proximity to the road can cause.  After clearing is complete the pipe crew will make its way down your block.  They typically get 200-300 linear feet of pipe in a day, just to give you an estimated time frame for how long they will be on your block.  Once all the water main in a section is installed it will be pressure tested. Once it passes the test the water services themselves will be installed from the water main to the right of way limit.  Finally after all of this work is done a restoration crew will come through.  This crew will restore topsoil, plant grass seed, patch driveways removed, and replace any other asphalt or concrete that was removed or damaged.  Once this is done that should be all for the construction on your block; at this point you can breathe a sigh of relief. 

 

A common question I have been receiving from residents is, "What's the next step once I've paid my sign up deposit?"  Well, after the main is installed on your block everyone who is signed up for water will recieve a wooden stake with blue markings in their yards and a letter like whats below on their door. 

As the letter says, you can move your service for your convenience but we ask that you do it with our help to make sure it stays in a reasonable place.  It will be best to know your well location at this point, as in most cases your water service will enter your home at the same location as your well used to.  If you are not sure and would like some guidance a local excavator or plumber may be able to help. 

 

Once the service for your home has been installed to the right of way you will be responsible for the connection from there to inside.  We are currently in the process of choosing a water meter manufacturer and model to use; once one is chosen all users will have to use the same meter and meeter pit.  

 

That's all for now.  Thank you again for your interest.  My next post will be an update to the schedule map showing the progress that has been made since it was originally posted, so be sure to check back soon.

Project Schedules

 

Hello again,

 

Here is the much anticipated post in which I will address the schedules for the different parts of the contracts.  I'd like to begin by saying all information is estimated and very subject to change.  We intend and hope to stay with the schedules but in construction that unfortunately doesn't always work.

 

Contract A - Well Field and Treatment Facility

The building itself is anticipated to be done in early October.  The treatment equipment is expected to be installed by the end of November. 

 

Contract C - Tower

The tower is expected to be assembled by the end of September.  If the weather cooperates the intent is to have it painted by the end of November.  If this does not work it will have to wait until spring to be painted. 

 

Contracts B and B1 - Water Main

Both water main contracts have be broken up into ten separate sections.  The map below shows the approximate locations and limits of each of these sections.  Each of the sections generally have the same amount of pipe to be installed and as a result are expected to take about the same amount of time, somewhere around 4-6 weeks.  The order in which the sections will be completed is based foremost on being out of the way for other anticipated Town projects.  After that the order is based on the Contractor's judgement and may get switched around.  So long as the weather allows it, work is planned to progress through the winter rather than taking a break. 

Section 1 - For the most part, finished now 

Section 2 - From now until early October

Section 3- Early October to mid November

Section 4 - Mid November to mid December

Section 5 - Mid December to mid January

Section 6 - Mid January to early March

Section 7 - Early March to mid April

Section 8 - Mid April to late May

Section 9 - Late May to late June

Section 10 - Late June to early August

 

I would again like to stress that this schedule is likely to change and is really intended simply to give residents a general idea of when to begin expecting work in their area. 

I would also like to note that the first users should not expect water until Spring of 2013. 

Again, I'd like to thank everyone for their curiosity and taking the time to visit.  My next post should be up very soon and will be a very basic to-do list for users who have signed up for water.  

Project Overview

Hello again,

This particular project is among the largest water main projects in all of Indiana right now.  In order to make things easier for everyone involved in the project administration and construction the entire project has been broken down into four parts. 

The first part (Contract A) deals with the well field and treatment facility. The plan is to have the plant and wells up and running by sometime early next summer or spring.  Here is the view from earlier today. 
 

This picture shows the two underground water tanks that were poured over the last few days.  The things that look similar to ladders are the metal forms used to hold the wet concrete in place.  Now that it has cured and hardened they are in the process of being removed, leaving behind the neatly formed tanks. 


The next two portions of the project are for the instillation of the water main pipe itself.  There are approximately 24 miles of pipe that will need to be installed over the next year and a half.  The north west part of DeMotte makes up Contract B1, and all other areas are included in Contract B.  As of today the workers are finishing up on County Road 700W (also known as Orchid Street within the Town limits) and at the same time making their way west along Division Street.  Here is a picture taken on Division St just west of Town Hall from earlier this morning.

The picture shows one of the workers standing inside a tranch box.  The box is the workers' best friend.  Its purpose is to keep the sides of the trench supported so that the workers can work underground without fear of the walls caving in a burying them.  The pipe is buried five feet below the surface and varies in size.  The main from the well field to the tower is ten inches in diameter, as it gets further from the tower it tapers to eight inches and even further yet it reaches its minimum diameter of six inches. 

Another interesting part of these two contracts is the instillation of the fire hydrants.  This picture shows one that has been installed on County Road 700W, a bit south of the well field. 

The hydrants will all look the same, and they will be set back from the road along the right of way limits.  Along most roads this is twenty feet or so, but it does vary considerably depending on the particular road.  They are spaced approximately 500 feet apart so that firefighters will always be able to connect to one close enough to a building.  The hydrants do look a bit different from ones you may have seen in surrounding communities.  The ones being installed on this project have a special connection to allow fire fighters to connect their hoses quicker than a typical hydrant.  The hydrants will not be active until they are supplied with water from the wells about a year from now.  Once they are active residents should be sure to contact their homeowners insurance agents because nearly all policies will provide a discount for being in range of a fire hydrant. 

The final portion of the project is the water tower (Contract C).  The water tower will hold 500,000 gallons of clean freshwater.  It will be located just southeast of Spencer Park.  The design has a single stem with a large closed 'bowl' on top.  Its technical name is a "pedesphere" (think of pedestal and sphere) but some people refer to it more simply as a huge golf ball on a tee.  The water in the tower will be 160 feet above the ground at its highest.  The foundation for the tower is approximately six feet deep and sixty feet in diameter.  It has been finished for a few weeks now.  Currently the tower fabrication crew is working on welding all the pieces of the steel puzzle into their correct places.  The bottom cone section of the tank is in place and the stem sections are being assembled on the ground.  Here's a picture taken earlier today showing their progress so far. 



Thank you again for stopping by to learn more about this exciting project.  In the coming days a rough schedule for the different contracts will be posted so be sure to come back soon!

Greetings!

Hello to all interested parties,

Welcome to the official Northwest Jasper County Regional Water District (or NORWEJ for short) blog.  The purpose of this blog is to inform any and all interested parties about the progress and anticipated schedule for the water project.  The hope is to have a blog which is updated approximately on a weekly basis with any developments, changes, pictures, or otherwise valuable information.  Ideally this will be an easy to use and condensed source of accurate information to be used by any future users or simply anyone with a curiosity towards the project.

Thanks for the visit, more to come shortly!