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Sarah Watson
Moline Dispatch and Rock Island Argus, Ill.
(TNS)

Mar. 24—It’s orange cone season in Davenport.

Several major construction projects are getting underway as the weather warms this spring, including the completion of 53rd Street, Fire Station No. 3, and the start of a $20 million Duck Creek sewer line project.

With an infusion of federal American Rescue Plan dollars and other grants, Davenport residents will see an unusually high number of construction projects completed in the next few years, city officials said.

“Not just the quantity, but the large-scale nature of it (construction projects),” said Assistant Public Works Director Clay Merritt. “I can speak to my time in nine years coming on 10, we’ve only had maybe three $9 million-plus projects. This summer, we’re probably going to have three or four happening at the same time.”

City officials are urging residents to be patient and drive carefully around the city’s numerous road, sewer, parks, facilities, and trail work.

“There’s a lot of construction occurring so, once again, asking the public, please be patient as we work through this,” Merritt said. “We think everyone will be extremely happy with the end result and the new improvements in the amenities and the infrastructure that we’re building. We just need to take the time to get there.”

Fire station to wrap up construction this year

Motorists on North Brady Street or Welcome Way and 42nd Street have likely seen the towers and framing that will become a new Davenport fire station.

The $10.7 million building will replace Fire Station No. 3, a more than 60-year-old building at 3506 N. Harrison Street. The new location allows for easier access to both north- and south-bound one-ways, which city officials have said will reduce response times.

The building also includes a 60-person community room, larger space for fire apparatus, and airlock vestibules to keep chemicals out of community areas.

Merritt estimated construction will be completed by November of this year.

“Almost every single week, you’re seeing a different change, a different look,” he said. “Thankfully, we had a fairly mild winter, at least from a construction standpoint, and so we’ve been able to proceed pretty much throughout the entirety of the winter on that construction.”

East 53rd Street also to be completed

Construction crews are expected to wrap up the final phases of one of Davenport’s busiest thoroughfares, Merritt said.

The final 0.8 miles from From Lorton Avenue to Eastern Avenue will be reconstructed and widened this year, with a recreational trail added too.

Motorists will begin seeing lane reductions on Monday as construction closes two lanes between Eastern Avenue and Jersey Ridge Road. Side streets to the south will also be closed intermittently, according to the city.

By the end of the year, drivers will see the final product of the years-long construction.

The $16.2 million 53rd Street reconstruction project is a four-year, two-phase, multi-segment project that completely reconstructed the four-lane roadway between Brady Street and Elmore Circle. Part of the funding came from federal grants.

Federal COVID-19 relief funds projects

The city plans to extend a sewer line west of Davenport, following Duck Creek from about North Division Street past I-280. The bulk of the $20 million multi-year project is being paid for by some of the city’s $40.94 million allocation from the federal Am

Ken de la Bastide
The Herald Bulletin, Anderson, Ind.
(TNS)

Mar. 27—ANDERSON — During the past year the city of Anderson has spent approximately $2 million on new equipment for the police and fire departments.

The 103 officers with the Anderson Police Department have been provided with new safety equipment.

All officers received new bulletproof body armor and helmets, and 20 patrol cars will be equipped with bulletproof shields and building entry tools.

The administration of Anderson Mayor Thomas Broderick Jr. included in the 2023 city budget $350,000 from the city’s share of the public safety local income tax to purchase the new equipment.

The city also budgeted $288,000 from the public safety funds for the purchase of an armored rescue and extraction vehicle that would be used to allow police to quickly remove people from a dangerous environment.

That vehicle is set to be delivered this fall.

Chief Mike Lee said he was approached by Broderick following the school shooting in Texas last year.

Broderick said following the Texas shooting the city wanted to make sure the officers have the proper protective gear.

“I know that you would never let happen what took place in Texas by standing around,” he said. “We wanted to make sure you had as much protection as possible to enter a crime scene.”

The police department is moving forward with accreditation plans.

Broderick announced last year that the department was starting the process with Indiana Law Enforcement Accreditation Commission.

Chief Mike Lee delivered several documents as part of the departmental reorganization and minor changes to some policies.

The accreditation commission has developed a set of standards and best practices for police agencies across the state.

The website says that earning its accreditation is a clear statement of exceptional levels of professionalism and commitment to excellence in law enforcement.

APD has taken recent steps to improve its law enforcement measures. They include:

—Continuously replacing aging police vehicles

—Implementing and expanding a vehicle take-home program.

—The 2023 city budget includes $190,000 to purchase new patrol cars.

—Installing in-car computers in all patrol cars

—Issuing new body cameras and uniforms for all officers

—Streamlining creation of documentation and reports

—Rewriting and updating all policies and procedures, including making most policies available online

—Creating a new complaint and compliment process.

The Anderson Fire Department has spent $850,000 on the purchase of a new ambulance and pumper truck in 2022 and upgraded communication services at all of the fire stations.

Assistant Chief Todd Cawthorn said the Fire Department now has three front-line ambulances and three backups in the fleet.

Last year, the ambulances made 13,131 emergency runs, and Cawthorn said the number of runs this year is increasing.

The 2023 budget includes funding for a new truck at Station 2, a new ambulance and a new vehicle for the battalion chief.

The Madison County Council approved an appropriation of $122,100 to install the bulletproof windshields in all 40 vehicles used by the department.

The city of Elwood also equipped all of their patrol vehicles with bulletproof windshields after the shooting death of Officer Noah Shahnavaz last July.

Follow Ken de la Bastide on Twitter @KendelaBastide, or call 765-640-4863.

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(c)2023 The Herald Bulletin (Anderson, Ind.)

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