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Record of Proceedings

Board of Public Works and Safety Summary - September 15, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, September 15, 2026
BodyColumbus, Indiana
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, September 15, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 17:22

Original source
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0:28

Good morning.

0:28

And it's 10 o'clock, and we will start today's board of public works and safety.

0:33

I'll start with our roll call.

0:34

Melanie Henderson.

0:36

President.

0:36

Don Pickett.

0:37

I'm here.

0:38

Brenda Sullivan.

0:38

Here.

0:39

Thank you.

0:42

You're welcome.

0:45

Eric Fry.

0:46

Present.

0:46

And I am here and will serve as chair.

0:49

And first up is the approval of the September 8th, 2026 meeting minutes.

0:54

I will move to approve.

0:56

I'll second.

0:56

We have a motion and a second to approve the meeting minutes as prepared.

1:00

All in favor, please signify by saying aye.

1:03

Aye.

1:03

Opposed same sign.

1:04

Motion carries.

1:14

Mayor, good morning, board.

1:15

Good morning.

1:16

We got the ethnic expo coming forward to put up their banners.

1:19

So it's that time of year again.

1:21

They're the biggest party in the county.

1:23

So I wanted to up and give us a little insight on what to expect.

1:33

Well, thank you for that introduction, Paul.

1:35

So Ethnic Expo is on the 9th and 10th of October this year.

1:39

Our theme is global voices, local stories.

1:43

So we're hoping to see the whole community come out and tell us your story of why Columbus became your home.

1:48

We have lots of entertainment, 45 different food vendors, 17 different market vendors, and um we uh have the food truck area once again.

1:58

So beer garden, all the good stuff, all the entertainment.

2:02

Please come see us.

2:03

It is one of the largest events in the area.

2:06

And the weather's gonna be great, right?

2:08

Of correct.

2:09

I think it was last year.

2:10

It was it was gorgeous last year.

2:12

So far, right now, as of yesterday, it said highs in the 60s and sunny.

2:18

That's great.

2:19

Every day, yes.

2:21

It was better than last week, so last week's was 75 and rainy.

2:29

So what's the date again?

2:31

The 9th and 10th of October, Friday and Saturday.

2:34

Yep.

2:35

Wonderful.

2:35

Looking forward to it.

2:37

Biggest I'd never thought of it that way.

2:39

The biggest party in the county, you're right.

2:40

It is.

2:41

I thought Brian had the biggest party.

2:43

I think Brian had the biggest party in the county this year.

2:45

No.

2:48

Well, I'll move to approve the banner.

2:50

I'll second.

2:52

We have a motion, a second to approve the ethnic expo banner request as presented.

2:56

All in favor, please signify by saying aye.

2:59

Aye.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████25%
Public Safety██████████████████████22%
Public Engagement████████████████████20%
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████19%
Arts And Culture██████████████14%
Summary of Proceedings

Board of Public Works and Safety Summary - September 15, 2026

The Board of Public Works and Safety met on September 15, 2026, at 10:00 AM. The meeting covered approvals for upcoming events, operational items, and enforcement updates. Key actions included approval of event permits, bid notices, weed abatement, and discussion of the ongoing safe driving campaign.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved the September 8, 2026 meeting minutes (motion, second, all in favor).
  • Approved "three documents of claims" (motion, second, all in favor).

Discussion Items

  • Ethnic Expo Banner Request: Mayor’s office presented the Ethnic Expo (October 9–10, 2026; theme: "Global Voices, Local Stories"). 45 food vendors, 17 market vendors, food truck area, beer garden. Approved (motion, second, all in favor).
  • Notice to Bidders for 2027 Single Axle Chipper Truck with Snow Plow Options: Presented as a 2026 budget item replacing an existing truck. Approved (motion, second, all in favor).
  • Weed Abatement Letters: Three properties (4012 Sedgwick, 1535 20th, 3035 31st Street) were approved for mowing/cleanup (motion, second, all in favor).
  • DORA Temporary Event Permits: Approvals for:
    • Three Fingers Group (The Garage) – Pride Festival (retroactive).
    • Upland Brewing Company – Pride Festival (retroactive).
    • Vision Hotel Partners (Hotel Indigo) – permit.
    • Sunny Days Mobile Bar – Yoga & Mimosas at Mill Race Park.
    • Upland Brewing Company – Oktoberfest (September 26). All approved individually (motions, seconds, all in favor).
  • Special Event Applications: Hot Rods & Rock ‘n’ Roll, Marathon, ODD’s Oktoberfest, FCC Amazing Race, Ethnic Expo, Marktoberfest, Trunk Retreat. Approved (motion, second, all in favor).
  • Stormwater Utility Implementation – Amendment 1: Increase of $26,000 to Wessler Engineering for digitizing 2026 aerials. Approved (motion, second, all in favor).
  • Community Crossings Grant Change Order (26-03): Increase of $40,070.50 (2.9%). Approved (motion, second, all in favor).
  • Special Use of Right-of-Way: Requests from Miller Pipeline, Williams Electric, Viro Heat, Beacon Builders. Approved (motion, second, all in favor).
  • Proposals for Fire Station #3 Roofing: Two proposals (Southern Roofing, Foster Contracting). Board took them under advisement (motion, second, all in favor).
  • Safe Driving Campaign Update: Deputy Chief Martill reported ~400 tickets issued, primarily for speeding, red-light running, and texting while driving. Board expressed support and concern about red-light running.
  • Upcoming Events Announced: Downtown Food Truck Festival (Thursday), Library Concert Series (Friday), Garage Summer Street Party (Friday), Last Farmers Market (Saturday), FFY Duck Splash (Saturday), Hot Rods & Rock ‘n’ Roll (Saturday), POW MIA Ceremony (Friday).

Key Outcomes

  • All routine approvals and event permits passed unanimously.
  • Fire station #3 proposals taken under advisement.
  • Safe driving campaign continues; awareness of traffic safety emphasized.
  • Meeting adjourned after approval of claims.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning. And it's 10 o'clock, and we will start today's board of public works and safety. I'll start with our roll call. Melanie Henderson. President. Don Pickett. I'm here. Brenda Sullivan. Here. Thank you. You're welcome. Eric Fry. Present. And I am here and will serve as chair. And first up is the approval of the September 8th, 2026 meeting minutes. I will move to approve. I'll second. We have a motion and a second to approve the meeting minutes as prepared. All in favor, please signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed same sign. Motion carries. Mayor, good morning, board. Good morning. We got the ethnic expo coming forward to put up their banners. So it's that time of year again. They're the biggest party in the county. So I wanted to up and give us a little insight on what to expect. Well, thank you for that introduction, Paul. So Ethnic Expo is on the 9th and 10th of October this year. Our theme is global voices, local stories. So we're hoping to see the whole community come out and tell us your story of why Columbus became your home. We have lots of entertainment, 45 different food vendors, 17 different market vendors, and um we uh have the food truck area once again. So beer garden, all the good stuff, all the entertainment. Please come see us. It is one of the largest events in the area. And the weather's gonna be great, right? Of correct. I think it was last year. It was it was gorgeous last year. So far, right now, as of yesterday, it said highs in the 60s and sunny. That's great. Every day, yes. It was better than last week, so last week's was 75 and rainy. So what's the date again? The 9th and 10th of October, Friday and Saturday. Yep. Wonderful. Looking forward to it. Biggest I'd never thought of it that way.

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