Minutes May 3, 2017

Meeting Minutes –May 3, 2017

The Churubusco Town Council met on May 3, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. in the Town Hall. Members present were President Mark Pepple, Council Members Bruce Johnson and Frank Kessler, and Clerk-Treasurer Madalyn Sade-Bartl. Also in attendance were area residents Pat Liggett, Sherry Slavin, Alan Malcolm, and Denise Geiger; John Cook, Motorman Marine; Rachael Rosfeld, Post & Mail; Nicole Minear, Churubusco News; Wastewater Superintendent, Bob Gray; and Park Superintendent, Rick Krider.

President Mark Pepple called the meeting to order, welcomed visitors and led the Pledge of Allegiance. Roll was called by the Clerk. All members were present.

Approval of April 19^th and April 28th, 2017 meeting minutes:

Mr. Kessler made a motion to approve the minutes from April 19th and April 28^th as presented. Mr. Johnson seconded and the motion carried 3-0 for the April 19^th minutes, and 2-0 for the April 28^th minutes, with President Pepple abstaining.

Approval of Claims and Payroll Vouchers:

Claims Vouchers dated for May 3, 2017 in the amount of $128,197.32 were approved.

Public Comment:

John Cook from Motorman Marine approached the Council stating he was having issues with residents of Mill Street harassing him and his customers concerning the loading and unloading of boats at his business and reported the police had been called numerous times. Residents of Mill Street were also present and stated they were not upset about the loading and unloading of boats, but we upset by customers parking on the street and blocking traffic. Mr. Cook told the Council he had put up signs indicating to customers to not park on the street. The two parties argued for a few minutes more before President Pepple intervened. He stated Motorman was trying to rectify the situation by posting signs and Motorman indicated they would alert customers to move if they saw customers on the street. Pepple stated it was ultimately the customers who would be at fault if they continued to park on the street and the Churubusco Police Department would take care of the issue if it occurs again.

Old Business:

Tree Board recommendation for grant proposal: Ms. Bartl presented the Council with three bids for trees for the DNR grant. She stated none of the bids included all the trees that were in the RFP. Based upon that and the past relationship the Town had with one bidder, the Tree Board recommended most the trees (21) be purchased from JB Landscaping for a cost of $6510.00. Thirteen trees not included in JB’s quote would be procured from other suppliers; six coming from Shade Trees Unlimited ($1380.00) and seven from Blue Grass Farms ($1253.00). The total cost of trees would be $9143.00. She reminded the Council the grant was a 50/50 match of up to $5000 from the DNR. Mr. Johnson made a motion to accept the suggestion of the Tree Board and the bids as presented. Mr. Kessler seconded and the motion carried 3-0.

New Business:

Request for part-time officer: Marshal Engle left a report requesting the Town hire Christopher Bachelder as a part-time deputy. Bachelder is a full-time deputy at the Whitley County Sheriff’s Department and lives at Thresher’s Ridge. Mr. Johnson asked Ms. Bartl if he was accredited. She reiterated he was a sheriff’s deputy. Mr. Kessler made a motion to approve the hiring of Christopher Bachelder. Mr. Johnson seconded and the motion passed 3-0.

Request for part-time utility assistant: Ms. Bartl reported she and Mr. Hart had interviewed Riley Templeton for the open part-time utility assistant position and they both were in favor of hiring him for the position. Mr. Johnson made a motion to approve the hire. Mr. Kessler seconded and the motion carried 3-0.

Department Reports:

Jeremy Hart, Town Supervisor:

Mr. Hart left the attached report.

Bob Gray, Waste Water Treatment Plant Supervisor

Mr. Gray stated the Plant was running well, all reports were in, and they were working on getting rid of water.

Michael Engle, Town Marshal:

Marshal Engle was not present.

Rick Krider, Park Supervisor:

Mr. Krider stated he and Harold were working on getting the Splash Pad running for the year and they were continuing to have issues with the condenser.

Ron Felger, Town Attorney:

Mr. Felger was not present.

Council Reports:

President Frank Kessler:

President Kessler reported he had attended the EDC Roundtable and they were interested in expanding and getting members more involved and doing outreach to different organizations.

Bruce Johnson:

Mr. Johnson had nothing to report.

Mark Pepple:

Mr. Pepple had nothing to report.

Madalyn Sade-Bartl:

Ms. Sade-Bartl reported she had submitted two grant requests to Whitley County Community Foundation- one on behalf of the Town for wayfinding signs and the other on behalf of the Youth Foundation for the playground. She had also contacted the crowdfunding organization, Patronicity, on starting a campaign for a matching grant for the playground and hoped to have that campaign up and running by late June.

Having no other business and after all proper papers were signed, President Pepple adjourned the regular meeting.