VALPARAISO | Two contracts dealing with the Valparaiso Street reconstruction were approved this week by the city's Board of Public Works and Safety.

City Engineering Director David Pilz said the contractor, Grimmer Construction, of Highland, hopes to start work Dec. 1 on the long awaited project and already started moving equipment to the site. Construction is expected to continue until May 2009.

At Thursday's meeting, the board of works approved a supplemental contract with its Indianapolis engineering consultant HNTB for work the company has done since completing the construction design and for more help through the rest of the term of the project.

"They have been working with me for the last five months to carry it through the (Indiana Department of Transportation) procedures and put out the fires for us," Pilz said. "We decided it would be fair to add this to pay them for the services they gave us for that period and all the way through construction."

HNTB will receive $18,000 for the additional work completed so far, and the rest will be billed on an hourly basis.

The board also approved a contract with DLZ, of Hammond, to provide two people to assist with the project management, working with the city's project management staff. The $690,000 contract was a planned expense and is part of the budget.

The project involves installing a storm sewer, replacing the sanitary sewer, reconstructing the road with curbs and gutters, new sidewalks on both sides of the road, the addition of turn lanes and turn signals at the Glendale Boulevard intersection.

The project extends from Evans Avenue to Herta Street and also includes a storm sewer connection on Evans to Calumet Avenue. The water main was relocated and new house connections installed in 2006 in anticipation of the reconstruction.

The contract is for a total of $6,452,590 for construction and engineering costs. The initial federal share of the project is $4,792,000, while the city must pay $1,198,000. The remaining $453,590 is for the engineering costs, which the city will pay and the state will reimburse at 80 percent.

Pilz said a preconstruction conference is scheduled, and the city is waiting for the state to ask it to pay its share so work can begin.