There’s no real way to sugar-coat it.

The long-discussed, long-delayed Downtown sewer replacement and separation project, slated for the spring, is going to be a major headache and inconvenience for Chesterton businesses and motorists.

As Interim Superintendent Mark O’Dell told the Utility Service Board at its meeting Monday night, the project is likely to take two to three months, although it is intended to be completed by Memorial Day in time for the summer tourist season.

O’Dell emphasized that every effort will be made to minimize the impact on trade and traffic in the Downtown as well as to keep businesses appraised of the work schedule and progress. To that end the project will be tackled in phases: South Calumet Road from Broadway to the Norfolk Southern railroad crossing; South Calumet from Broadway to West Indiana Ave.; and South Calumet from West Morgan Ave. and West Porter Ave.

Even so, the second phase will require the complete closure of South Calumet from Broadway to West Indiana, O’Dell said, while it’s possible that the first phase will require the complete closure of the at-grade Norfolk Southern crossing.

It’s also possible, on the other hand, that by banning on-street parking along South Cal from Broadway to the tracks enough room could be made to allow at least one lane of traffic—either southbound or northbound—to remain open at the crossing, O’Dell noted.

“There will be public meetings on the project,” O’Dell added. “We’ll try to explain the scope and impact of the project to businesses and residents.”

At an estimated cost of $720,000, the project is by far the biggest ticket item among numerous big ticket items being funded by this year’s issuance of $5.1 million in sewer revenue bonds, an issuance itself made possible by the 14-percent increase on Jan. 1, 2009, of the sanitary sewer rate. Under that rate hike, the average residential customer paying a bimonthly bill of $66 in 2008 is now paying a bimonthly bill of $77.25.

Members did vote 4-0 on Monday to award an engineering contract for the Downtown project, in the amount of $67,543 to Lawson-Fisher Associates of South Bend. Member Scot McCord was not in attendance.

The bond issue will finance a list of approximately 30 collections systems projects, with an estimated cost of $4,348,000 and 15 plants projects, with an estimated cost of $760,360, for a total cost of $5,108,960. An update on some of the other projects:

•Two portable generators purchased for $50,000 are expected to be delivered on Jan. 15.

•O’Dell is currently working with contracted consultant DLZ of South Bend on the specs for a pair of additional generators, on-site emergency models to be installed at two of the largest lift stations in town: Porter Cove and KAT. The total estimated cost of the pair: $205,000.

•Gasvoda has provided a quote for the installation of new pump mounts and guide rails in the last four lift stations in town requiring confined-space entry to remove the pumps for service.

•O’Dell added that he is trying to arrange a trip to the Noblesville wastewater treatment plant to inspect a kind of blower being considered for the Chesterton plant.

In other business, members took receipt of a letter of praise from a family in the 700 block of South 14th Street thankful for the dedication of O’Dell and field crew members Scot McCord Jr., Jay Iler, and Jerry Graves, after they discovered that a contractor whom they had hired to fix a sewer problem was “less than honest.”

O’Dell et al. arrived at the family’s home with a new contractor, Gene Carney,　 who duly “cleaned up the mess left by the initial company,” while the field crew provided a jetter and camera.

“Without the caring and dedication we observed from the Utility Department employees, we don’t know what we would have done,” the family wrote in its letter. “Even with the very unfortunate situation we had, having the support of the town made a major difference. We are blessed to live in such a wonderful town.”

Then, Porter Public Works Director Brenda Brueckheimer personally thanked the field crew for coming to her town’s assistance during a torrential rain earlier this fall, when a major I&I problem was discovered in a drainage ditch on Wood Street. “I can’t tell you how much we appreciated that,” she said. “You guys have just been wonderful.”

Finally, members praised employees Graves, Clint Iler, and Jonathan Styers for successfully completing a centrifugal pump hydraulic seminar.

“You’re not only a credit to yourselves and the Utility,” Member Andy Michel said of the Utility’s workforce, “you’re also a credit to the town. We hear a lot of good stuff about you guys.”

In November Chesterton used 46.65 percent of its 3,752,000 gallon per day (gpd) allotment of the wastewater treatment plant; Porter, 53.04 percent of its 767,000 gpd allotment; the Indiana Boundary Conservancy District, 74.64 percent of its 81,000 gpd allotment; and the plant as a whole, 48 percent of its capacity. In the third driest month of the year, with only 1.41 inches of rain, no bypasses were recorded. In November the Utility ran a surplus of $254,608 and in the year-to-date is running a deficit of $76,662.

President Larry Brandt took a moment at the end of the meeting to consider the year past. “2009 was another exciting year,” he said. “We had record rains. A tornado too. The rate issue enabled us to put together a package of bond projects and we’re well on the road to getting some major projects done.”

“I can’t remember ever being closer with the Town of Porter,” Brandt added. “It’s been good working with (Brueckheimer).”

“Once again we’re working to replace the Superintendent,” Brandt observed. “It’s been a difficult, challenging process. Thanks to (O’Dell) for doing an outstanding job filling in in the interim and to the employees for never missing a beat.”

“It’s also nice to have a consistent board,” Brandt said. “We’re of the same mind on pretty much everything.”

“2010 is going to be a fun year,” Brandt predicted.