Town officials outlined estimated construction timelines for sanitary projects on or near Oak Street after some residents expressed frustration that the town had yet to establish a timeline for when sanitary services would be extended to select neighborhoods north of Oak Street.
Ahead of an initial presentation to the Zionsville Town Council, one town resident complained during the council’s May 17 meeting that they had heard conflicting reports of when service would be connected to their home in Eaglewood Estates, located north just north of Oak Street, and another said they feared home prices would decrease because of a lack of town service.
During his presentation during the same meeting, Lance Lantz, the town’s director of public works, listed timelines for when residents could expect services to begin.
A sewer project along the north side of Oak Street, between 800 E. and the new north/south connector, has been under construction for the past year. Lantz said Vectren, the utility in the area, was expected to relocate its gas line by June 2, which would allow the town to finish construction.
“I never like to speak ill of any our partners, but we have to wrestle routinely with the utilities on all of these projects,” Lantz said. “We have basically been at the mercy of Vectren’s schedule since last fall.”
In September 2020, Lantz said a conflict between the company’s gas line and the future line of the town’s sewer was found. Lantz said Vectren’s schedule to remove the gas line initially had the company removing it by April 11, but the company’s start time has been delayed to June 2. The town expects to complete construction on the project and have it service by mid-August, if Vectren is able to meet the expected gas line relocation date.
“Once that is in, anyone with direct access to Oak Street and along that pipe project will be able to connect if they need to,” Lantz said. “Some residents are very frustrated, and we owe it to them to give them as much information as we can give them so (that) they can plan out accordingly. But when this Oak Street project was first developed, all these flagging areas were looked at preliminarily to make sure that, based on the number of homes, that everything was sized so that future projects could be accommodated by the Oak Street sewer project.”
Lantz said the town would begin construction on a future Oak Street low-pressure force main system, assuming construction on a roundabout at 800 E. and Oak Street is approved. If it is not, Lantz said the system would not be needed. Designs for the system project are expected to be completed this year. Lantz said the project would be constructed and in-service in 2022 and that the project would be constructed as part of a future roundabout project.
Additionally, an extension project is expected to bring service to neighborhoods north of Oak Street, such as Eaglewood Estates, White Oak Court and Sycamore Court. The extension project’s expected timelines are as follows:
- Surveying: one to two months
- Design and permitting: six to nine months
- Bidding: two months
- Award and contracts: one month
- Preconstruction activities: two months
- Construction start in 12 to 16 months
The estimated timelines are the same for all neighborhoods that will be connected to the service, Lantz said.
“Depending on the type of sewer that goes in, this could be a 60- to 100-day install,” Lantz said. “That information is forthcoming.”
