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NILES — Select city streets in need of repairs and improvements will soon receive proper maintenance.
The Niles City Council voted unanimously to approve a $462,316.65 bid from Reith – Riley Construction Co. for the 2023 Major and Local Street Pavement Resurfacing Program.

According to the city council report, funds have been set aside in the budget for the current fiscal year for road resurfacing projects. $500,000 has been budgeted for Major and Local Street projects, which includes cold-milling, pavement resurfacing, pavement marking, and other related work. 

Bids were opened on January 12th with two bids received. Reith – Riley Construction Co. of Benton Harbor, MI was the low bidder at $462,316.65 for the following projects; 

• N. 3rd St. – Broadway St. to Cedar St. 
• Silverbrook Ave. – S. 3rd to S. 11th 
• E. Main St. – Maple St. to 17th St. 
• Wayne St. – 13th St. to 14th St. 
• Eagle St. – 13th St. to 14th St. 

Additional funding over the budgeted amount is available in the Major/Local Street Funds. The projects are expected to be completed by June 30th, 2023. 

In other business,  the council approved the purchase of Fortinet network switches, firewalls, and associated systems from SHI of Somerset, New Jersey at a price of $143,075.54.

According to Huff, the city has computer networking equipment spread throughout its buildings to connect technology to an internal network. Much of the equipment currently in use was purchased in 2013 and 2014. The current networking technology is reaching the end of support and it is time to refresh the equipment. 

The new networking equipment proposed from Fortinet comes with a three-year support subscription that can be extended up to 10 years. This new generation of equipment will provide many new security features, additional speed and redundancy and easier management of networking equipment. Fortinet is providing a configuration and implementation consulting service with the proposal. 

SHI of Somerset, New Jersey holds the contract and provided quotes meeting the Information Systems Division’s specifications. 

The purchase will be allocated between the City General Fund – Management Services 62 percent, Electric 19 percent, Water 12 percent, and Wastewater 7 percent Utility Divisions. The Utilities Department and City have budgeted in Fiscal Year 2022-2023 in the category of Computer Equipment and Supplies. $63,671.18 of the $88,591.95 general fund expense will be ARPA Grant Funds allocated by council. 

In further business, council: 

• Approved the Niles Dial-A-Ride Transportation Accessibility Plan. The Michigan Department of Transportation  historically provides a significant portion of DART operating funding as well as the required 20 percent match for federal capital expenditures. A current Accessibility Plan is required by MDOT to qualify for funding through Michigan Public Act 51.
•  Approved a Broadway Substation system impact study by Commonwealth Associates, Inc. of Jackson, Michigan in the amount of $25,000 to complete an electrical engineering plan for the removal of the substation.
• Approved the quote of $10,239.60 for the first year of computer network security support and approved up to $15,000 for annual renewals.