Date:   August 3, 2009

Members Present: Pat Berger, Charles Illingworth, Susie Sigo, Jim Stewart, Brian Melchi 

Others Present: Mark Jones, Bruce Messersmith, Brad Idlewine, John Flinn, Kay Brown, John Casey, Barb Lawson, Dan Perkins, Jim Stringfellow, Arnie Gilbert, Richard Maxwell, Paul Westmoreland 

Brian Melchi opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Minutes from the July 6, 2009 meeting were approved on a motion by Pat Berger seconded by Jim Stewart. Motion carried. 

Citizen Comments 

Dan Perkins with the Jasper County Soil and Water Conservation District was present to introduce himself to the council. He stated he is applying for a grant to bring money into the county to deal with water quality. He asked the town for a letter of support for the grant. Brian Melchi stated that he could do the letter for him. Perkins presented a summary of the grant and watershed management plan. Pat Berger asked if he would need someone to sit on the steering committee. Perkins stated that he would need someone. If the town had someone sitting on the steering committee, it would count as and in-kind service match for the grant. Brian Melchi stated he would be interested in doing this. 

Jim Stringfellow was present to see if the council would have any problem with a group from his church cleaning up some of the yards and properties of empty houses in town or picking up litter along the streets.    Town Attorney, John Casey, stated that the town could not authorize the group to do this but could encourage them if they wanted to.  

Richard Maxwell was present to see if the town wanted to keep the old iron bridge going out of town on East North Railroad Street. He stated the county would be replacing the bridge. Brian Melchi stated he would like to talk with Coy Patton to see if the Park had any use for the bridge. Maxwell stated the county would be it to wherever the town wanted it put. 

Maxwell reported that the county is waiting on Comcast and Nipsco to move utilities on South Kentucky Street so they could finish the project there also. They were hoping to finish before school started. 

Bruce Messersmith asked Maxwell if the county was going to spray along the creek or remove any of the logjams. Maxwell stated it should be done yet this year. 

Arnie Gilbert was present to check on how the Smith Transport sewage line would be done. It will be pumped into the force main as long as there are two check valves installed. 

Department Reports  

WASTEWATER: Bruce Messersmith asked the council what they wanted to do about the situation out at H-Four as far as the sewage meter not being installed yet. Should they be given a time limit to get this work done? Arnie Gilbert stated he had met with the owners and given them a price but has not heard back from them. The Council instructed John Casey to send another letter giving the owners a deadline to have the work contracted by September 15^th and the work completed by September 30^th of this year or service would be disconnected unless the issue was resolved to the town's satisfaction. 

Messersmith also stated that he had received a quote from Culp Excavating to re-do the sewer line at the Brown Street bridge. If the town supplied the labor the total cost to fix the line would be approximately $12,000. Or, Messersmith could try coupling the break and it would cost approximately $1000. The Council preferred Messersmith try and fix the line himself.

Messersmith reported that he had sent in the application for Ryan Byrd to take the wastewater certification test in October. He had tried to get Byrd into a class in Otterbein but the class was not being offered for lack of interest. Ivy Tech offered the class but this would a lot more expensive. Four people have signed up at Warren. The class is a 6-day course (1 day a week for 6 weeks) but Byrd would have to drive 110 miles. Indiana Water Alliance would also do a one-on-one class with Byrd or he could also just self study and take the test on his own. Brian Melchi felt that Byrd needed to take a class before testing. He asked Messersmith to continue to try and find a class for Byrd. 

Water- -Mark Jones reported all the wells were down. The annual sampling has been done for the year. The lead and copper samples came back good.  The hydrant at Advance Auto has been moved 20 feet. The Hageman water main has been installed and ready to go. 

Street Department- -John Flinn reported that the railroad has not done what they had stated they would do as far as fixing the crossings. Steve Lee will be here in a couple of weeks and Flinn will talk with him about this. Flinn stated that the Maine Street crossing will the rubber on it but the railroad is only doing the main track.  Pat Berger asked if the Purdue student interns would be allowed to cut the weeds off the railroad area across from Select Window. This would be no problem to do.

Police Report 

Marshal Westmoreland gave the police report for the month of July. A copy of this report is on file in the clerk-treasurer's office. Brian Melchi stated he would still like to see more coverage on the weekends. Westmoreland stated he had worked just worked the previous weekend.  Pat Berger stated that at our previous meeting someone had requested a 4-way stop sign be placed at Minnesota and Ohio to help with the speeding problem on Ohio. This would be hard to do since it is the main street through town. She asked if the police could run radar more often in the area because people need to be slowed down. Westmoreland stated he is working on getting a grant for lights and speed signs. 

Fire Department- -Brad Idlewine gave the fire department report for the month of July. A copy of this report is on file in the Clerk-Treasurer's office.  

Flinn presented a quoted from Culp Trucking & Excavating to tear out the cement foundation in front of the pole shed in the amount of $950.00. Pat Berger moved to accept the quoted with Susie Sigo seconding the motion. Motion carried. 

Susie Sigo stated she would like to have Larry Brown come in and give the town a quote on putting in a second office in the street garage. She stated if the town hires a town manager a second office would be needed. The council had no problem with her talking to Brown about this.

Kay Brown stated she had a bill from Culp Trucking that had been presented to her for payment. She asked John Flinn to explain about the bill. Flinn stated that the bill was for work that Culp Trucking says they did two years ago for the town. Flinn had talked with owner about this and was told it was a bill that had never been paid. None of the employees remembers the work ever being done. The council stated the bill was not to be paid unless Culp could prove that they had done the work. 

Pat Berger listed possible projects with KIRPC including fire station, sewer rehab, erosion project, storm sewers and wastewater plant improvements. 

Clerk-Treasurer 

Kay Brown presented a leak requests from Markus and Nichol Davis a second time. The council had previously asked that more information on this issue be provided. Mark Jones had checked on the issue and stated that everything had checked out as had been reported in the request. Charlie Illingworth moved to allow the leak credit. Jim Stewart seconded the motion. Motion carried. 

A second request from Jim Cobleigh was read. The council approved the leak request on a motion by Charlie Illingworth, seconded by Pat Berger. Motion carried. 

Brown gave the council information on the next IACT Roundtable to be held in Flora. If anyone wanted to go they were to let her know. 

Brown presented a proposal from Rick's Music & Sound Service in Attica to do outdoor movies. Brown asked if the council would have a problem with doing something like this as a fundraiser for the 2010 Sesquicentennial. The council had no problem with this. 

Brown asked if she could donate the cell phones that had just been replaced to the battered women's shelter in Jasper County. The Council had no problem with this. 

Brown asked if the police cell phones could be replaced, as they seemed to be having issues with theirs also. Brown stated that both police phones were eligible for upgrades. Susie Sigo moved to allow the replacement. Jim Stewart seconded the motion. Motion carried.

Claims were reviewed and approved for payment on a motion by Susie Sigo, seconded by Pat Berger. Motion carried. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting was adjourned.