Colfax to start bidding process for $400,000 Third Avenue street project

By LeAnn R. Ralph

COLFAX  —  Third Avenue is “a go.”

The Colfax Village Board at the April 25 meeting approved moving forward with the Third Avenue street project, at an estimated cost of $400,000, and to start the bidding process for the project.

 The village must advertise for bids twice in the newspaper, and if the bid advertisement is published May 4 and May 11, with bid opening on May 19, a bid summary for the village board will available on at the May 23 meeting, said Lisa Fleming, a civil engineer with Ayres Associates.

Colfax has pre-approval from the bank to finance the project, but the village should hold off on loan terms until a bid has been accepted for the Third Avenue project so the exact amount is known, said Lynn Niggemann, village administrator-clerk-treasurer.

The cost of the project is estimated at $421,000. The village has already paid  $23,000 for the design, with another $25,000 that would be paid for the engineering, Fleming noted.

The Colfax Village Board unanimously approved moving forward with the Third Avenue project while at the same time delaying the financing until the bid amount is known.

After a bid has been accepted from a contractor and a start date has been established for the project, the village board plans to schedule an informational meeting for residents of Third Avenue and others who are interested.

Other business

In other business, the Colfax Village Board:

• Approved a training request for Tucker Teige for an EMT basic class at a cost of $728.90 for the class and $170 for the testing. If the applicant leaves the employment of the village within a certain time or does not pass the course, the applicant is responsible for reimbursing the village, Niggemann said.

• Approved a training request from Lynn Niggemann for a Workhorse conference on May 20 for the village’s software program for utility billing, financial management and payroll.

• Approved a request from the Colfax Sno-Drifters to use the refreshment stand at the Colfax Fairgrounds to serve food for the classic car show May 15. “Due to the fact that neither food stand will be completed by the car show date, we would like to use the beer tent to serve food out of. Under normal circumstances we would use the FFA food stand at no charge. Therefore, we ask that the fee be waived,” wrote Mike Buchner, president of the Sno Drifters, on the application submitted to the village. Holden Church is building a new food stand at the fairgrounds, and the Colfax FFA Alumni is remodeling the FFA food stand.

• Approved a request from the Colfax Sno-Drifters to use the Colfax Fairgrounds July 9 for an antique tractor show. Tractors will be competing for best of show.

• Approved a bartender operator’s license for Kathy Dunbar for the Colfax American Legion. The license expires June 30.

• Approved a bartender operator’s license for Vanessa Meyer for A Little Slice of Italy. The license expires June 30.

• Approved a temporary Class “B”/ “Class B” retailer’s license for the Russell-Toycen Post No. 131 American Legion for June 23 through June 26 for the Colfax Free Fair.

• Approved a license application from Heather Pyka to keep six domesticated chickens at 504 High Street from April 25 through June 30 and put the application for July 1 through June 30, 2017, “on hold.” Village board members believed it was best not to approve Pyka’s chicken license for a full year until the neighbors have had an opportunity to determine whether the chickens are causing problems in the neighborhood. According to the village’s ordinance, Colfax residents can keep up to ten hens.

• Received a reminder that Open Book will be on May 19 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Board of Review will be from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. May 26.

• Accepted the donation of a disease-resistant elm for Iverson Park donated by Jim Eggert of Colfax. Students from Mark Mosey’s biology class at Colfax High School will plant the tree.

• Approved a mutual aid agreement with the Bloomer ambulance service.