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BUCHANAN — Buchanan City Commissioners received construction updates Monday and took action on items related to the re-establishment of the Downtown Development Authority, emergency paving work and a new historic district in the city.

      In addition to the ongoing $19.4 infrastructure project, emergency road work is set to start next week on repairs to sections of Liberty, Terre Coupe, Rynearson, Red Bud Trail and River Street. City Manager Tony McGhee estimated that the work on those five streets should be done by the end of May.

      McGhee described the work on those streets as not a long term solution but one that will last two to five years and make those streets drivable in the short term.

      Monday, City Commissioners awarded the contract for the work to Rieth-Riley Construction. The company submitted a bid of $342,282.50 which was the low bid of two received. The commission had approved the emergency work earlier this year and had budgeted $500,000 for the project.

      “We are doing things strategically with the right money, the right place and the right people,” Mayor Mark Weedon said. He and other city officials as well as two downtown business owners asked people to support local businesses, stay positive and not pay attention to negative social media posts.

      McGhee also gave an update on the rest of the construction work going on in town. Work on Schirmer Parkway to extend the McCoy Creek Trail out to River Street and then out to the River St. Joe Brewery and beyond should start next week and be done by May 30, he said.

      In addition, he said crews are making good progress on the retaining wall on Front Street in front of the Hoven funeral home-which should also be done by the end of May. Work on the Days Avenue culvert is running about two to three weeks behind schedule but the site will be cleaned up for the opening of the Farmers Market this Saturday.

      As for the big infrastructure project, McGhee said people have to understand that the work to replace storm sewer, water and sanitary sewer lines takes time as all three lines are at different depths. “People ask why they’re digging up the street over and over,” he said. “It’s because the pipes are at different levels.”

In addition to the streets like Red Bud Trail and Third Street that are currently torn up, Front Street and other downtown streets will be ripped up starting May 19. He said the Front Street/Red Bud Trail intersection will be one of the more difficult parts of the overall project with a lot of items to be done there.

“The work is not easy to do,” McGhee said. “Everyone was excited about talking about the facelift for the city but they will think it’s the end of the world by July and August. Then by November, people will think it could have been worse. When it’s all done, we will have a much better city than before.”

He was among the city leaders urging people to support local businesses and not “snip” at each other. “We can tear down each other or support each other,” he said. “Other communities haven’t done this much work at one time but we haven’t done the needed work for 25 years.”

Monday’s meeting also featured action on a number of other items, ranging from taking the first steps toward reconstituting the Downtown Development Authority to supporting efforts to establish another National Register of Historic Places district in the city.

Commissioners approved a first reading of the amendment to the DDA ordinance which updates it to the 2018 changes in state law. The commission had dissolved the DDA in 2020 and directed city staff to bring it back last fall.

McGhee said the next steps will be to adopt the ordinance amendment at the May 12 meeting and then appoint people to the DDA board. He said the push is on to get the DDA and the board in place in time to capture taxes this summer through tax increment financing.

Local historian Peter Lysy reported on the newest proposed National Historic Register district in the city for the Days Avenue neighborhood. If approved, the new district would join other historic districts in the city including ones for the North and West neighborhoods as well as the Clark Equipment Complex.

Commissioners approved hiring Kurt Garner Historic Preservation of Plymouth, Indiana for $9,800 to do the research and write the National Register nomination. The company is also working with the Buchanan Preservation Society to submit another nomination for Pears Mill and the Mill Race.

      Funds for the $9.800 will come from the Gateway Community Foundation contributing $5,000 and the city $4,800. In addition, the preservation society is paying the company $4,000 for the Pears Mill/mill race part of the work. If the nomination is accepted, property owners in the new district could qualify for federal tax credits.