Evansville Board of Public Works Meeting – July 30, 2026

The Board of Public Works met on July 30, 2026, at 1:30 PM to consider a variety of routine approvals, including grant agreements, loan documents for a major affordable housing project, a contract extension, a change order, right-of-way permits, and event road closures. All votes were unanimous. The board also discussed ongoing challenges with sidewalk damage caused by mature trees.

Consent Calendar

• Approval of July 23, 2026, BPW Minutes – Approved unanimously.
• Item A: Grant Agreement with Best Friends Animal Society – Approved. The agreement brings a Best Friends employee to work with Evansville Animal Care and Control for six months (40 hours/week) at no cost to the city, helping the facility transition to a "no kill" shelter (90% save rate). Missy Mosby, Director of Animal Care and Control, presented the proposal.
• Items B, C, D: Grandview Tower Rehabilitation Project (Three Loan Documents) – Approved. The board authorized execution of three loans totaling $1,075,000 to Grandview Apartments Preservation LLC:
  • $425,000 Affordable Housing Trust Fund loan
  • $260,000 HOME Investment Partnerships Program loan
  • $390,000 HOME-ARP (American Rescue Plan) loan Lisa Foster, Contracts Manager, explained that all three loans support the same project. All documents subject to final legal review.
• Item E: Contract Extension with Groundswell, Inc. for Resilience Hub Feasibility Study – Approved. The original contract expired June 15, 2026; the board extended it to December 31, 2026, to allow the study to proceed. Lauren Lynch, Climate Action Director, noted the delay was due to Groundswell’s workload. Separately, Lynch also requested and received approval to surplus 22 vertical filing cabinets (four already donated to Vanderburgh County, the rest to be auctioned on GovDeals).
• Item F: Change Order #5 for 2025 Mill and Overlay – Phase 1 – Approved. This final change order decreased the contract by $33,736.28, bringing the total to $1,450,506.79. City Engineer Brian Mundy confirmed the project is complete and the change order trues up quantities.
• Item G: Right-of-Way Permit Applications – Approved. The board approved applications 3087, 3088, 3090–3093, 3095, 3096, plus two additional late applications (3099 and 3100 from Dyke Brothers for lead service line potholing near a school). Exceptions were noted for applications 3081, 3089, and 3094 (work in the county).
• Item H: Event Road Closures – Approved. Two closures approved on behalf of the Board of Public Safety:
  1. Stronghold Kick It Tournament – Bellemeade Ave between Morton St and Evans St, August 5, 2026, 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM (kickball, swimming, car show).
  2. National Night Out – Locust St between MLK Jr Blvd and SE Ninth St, and the street between Locust and Walnut, August 4, 2026, 3:00 PM – 9:00 PM.
• Approval of Bills and Payrolls – Approved.

Discussion Items

• Sidewalk Standards and Tree Conflicts – City Engineer Brian Mundy raised a recurring issue: trees planted between the curb and sidewalk are causing sidewalks to buckle and become non-ADA compliant. He noted that the Tree Board has suggested alternatives (e.g., rubber sidewalks, routing around trees) but rubber is 2–3 times the cost of concrete and routing requires acquiring right-of-way. Board members expressed interest in finding a balanced solution that preserves mature trees while maintaining safe, compliant sidewalks. A board member who sits on the Tree Advisory Board reported that the topic will be discussed at the next Tree Board meeting (August 6, 2026) and that staff are researching case-by-case frameworks from other cities. No decisions were made; the board directed staff to continue exploring options.

Key Outcomes

• All consent calendar items (A–H, plus minutes, bills, and payrolls) were approved unanimously (5–0).
• The board voted to extend the Groundswell contract to December 31, 2026, and approved the surplus of filing cabinets.
• The board approved two additional right-of-way permits (3099, 3100) added during the meeting.
• The sidewalk/tree conflict discussion will continue with input from the Tree Advisory Board and further research by staff.