The town of Vevay this week completed a $569,767.54 project that improves the storm sewer system and promotes water drainage on the east end of town.
The project covers an area of approximately six blocks along East Seminary Street. The area has seen its share of flooding over the years, so when the Vevay Town Council saw the opportunity to receive a grant from the State of Indiana to help with projects like this one, members Keith Smith, Pete Furnish, and Jamie Hayes jumped at the chance.
Of the entire project amount, the grant paid $447,150 of the cost.
The work started in April of this year, with SEICO Engineering handling the engineering aspects of the project. The work was done by Holman Excavating from Versailles.
Terry Brindley, utilities superintendent for the town of Vevay, said that he believes that this is the first phase of an ongoing mission by the town to improve storm drainage around the community.
“There has been some general discussion about going down Ohio Street, but nothing’s been decided at this point,” Terry Brindley said. “The town council will be discussing what their options are for the future.”
The project involved the installation of concrete elliptical pipe approximately three feet in diameter through the ditches. The project goes along Seminary Street from Ohio Street west to Ferry Street. Each section of the pipe is eight feet long.
Large concrete catch basins allow the excess water to flow into the pipes, and then it travels to near Ohio Street, where it is carried by a ditch out of the area.
Before the drainage pipe could be installed, Terry Brindley said that utilities had to be moved in order for the construction to continue.
The firm of USDI lowered the existing gas lines; while town workers Terry Brindley, Bob Hensley, and James Miller lowered water and sewer lines with the help of Bovard and Leap Excavating.
“The system works really well,” Terry Brindley said. “We had all of that rain last weekend, and everybody was really happy with how it performed.”
“It’s been a long time coming, to say the least,” town councilman Keith Smith said. “Every storm we’ve had since has worked very well. The water’s been able to be moved out of the area without any trouble. As a town council, we are very happy to have completed this project for the people who live in that area and have battled flooding water for so long.”
Keith Smith said that the town council would like to continue its improvements all the way down to the Ohio River, but when the work moves into the flood plain, special projects will have to be secured.
Residents are also benefiting from the project because they no longer have to care for large ditches along the roadway – with those ditches now replaced with smooth lawn and grass.
Seminary Street also got more safe, as the traditionally narrow street ended up being about three feet wider than before the work started. The wider street will make traffic be able to pass more safely.