May 28—GOSHEN — Elkhart County Commissioners are moving forward with a plan to pave a portion of the PumpkinVine Trail north of Goshen.

Commissioners received bids May 13 for the Community Crossings Matching Grant Paving Program.

The package includes around 14 miles of roads as well as the PumpkinVine Trail between C.R. 28 and Ind. 4. Niblock Excavating, as $2,987,420.90 with an alternate bid of $259,730.20 for the trail, was approved during Tuesday’s meeting.

Commissioners approved a contract between the Indiana Department of Transportation and Elkhart County for the construction phase of the bridge at C.R. 142 over Turkey Creek. The project is set to be bid by INDOT in October with construction to start early in 2025 and completion expected late in 2025.

Commissioners also approved Sandra McMasters to the Elkhart County Board of Health. New state legislation allows mayors to appoint a member to the county’s board, increasing the board from 7 members to 9. McMasters is the Goshen city appointment.

A block party in New Paris will have Main Street between Third Street and Market Street blocked off from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 14. Commissioner Brad Rogers explained that the purpose is to promote downtown businesses like last year’s event.

Ongoing for most of the year, commissioners approved another $300,0000 for the jail’s HVAC controller project. Elkhart County Administrator Jeff Taylor said one of the companies they looked at suggested looking at control valves.

With a list of items to be replaced, Taylor said they hope this route will save the county ‘substantial money,’ but that there is a contractor agreement coming. Commissioner Bob Barnes explained that the valve replacement and transition will create an open system as compared to the previously closed system in order to allow multiple vendors access and allow bids for repairs instead of being locked in with a single contractor.

Commissioners approved a Justice Partners Addiction Response Grant from the Indiana Office of Court Services, which for the last half dozen years has funded the court services facilitator, a probation officer embedded in the drug court who assessed potential cases for drug court.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.