Salt storage still a problem in Bainbridge

Friday, February 10, 2012

BAINBRIDGE-- The Bainbridge Town Council held its monthly town council meeting on Wednesday evening. The town heard updates on salt storage, the walking trail as well as discussing the police going to a split-band system.

The issue of salt storage has been brought up several times lately and the council will soon be making decisions on what exactly will be done with the problem.

Town utility manager, Troy Elless, presented the board with three quotes which included plans for a new salt storage structure.

"We made a wish list of what we would like," said Elless. "We need to decide which building we would like and then have people bid on them."

No official bids have been received yet, but the council decided on the type of salt storage building it would like to see built,

"We would like it to look like the other buildings on the property," explained Chuck McElwee. "We don't need junk and we don't need Cadillac either."

The board instructed Elless to go over specifics with contractors and receive bids on a double-bay building.

"We really need it," said McElwee. "It will be money well spent. My biggest worry is running out of salt and being forced to drive to Greencastle to get more."

Much of the meeting was dedicated to Town Marshal Rod Fenwick who explained that the police department will soon be forced to go to a split band system for their car radios due to interference caused by cell phones.

The police department is looking to move to an Air Card system, which will run off an antenna on a window. The Greencastle Police Department is currently experimenting with this now.

"It means we're going to have a monthly fee," said Fenwick. "The radio communication has gotten worse and worse over the last year and a half."

The cost of going to the new system will be around $45-$75 per month per unit. Two new units will be needed for both patrol cars. Fenwick also discussed the option of looking for government funding with the board.

The process of moving toward e-tickets will also begin as soon as the communication issues are resolved.

"The only reason we haven't gone to e-tickets is because communication has gotten worse and worse," said Fenwick.

The Bainbridge police are looking to have the new Air Cards installed in the cars by the middle of the summer. They will then begin the process of e-tickets shortly after.

Bainbridge town attorney Jim Ensley updated the town on status of the walking trail, a project that has been long overdue.

"The original contact was in October of 2010," explained Ensley. "The town has been dealing with this for a long time."

Ensley said Steve Land of Land & Son Paving, has been difficult to not only get a hold of but to get a straight answer from regarding when the project is set to be completed.

"We've waited long enough," said McElwee. "We would like it done by the first day of June."

Ensley is currently waiting for Land to sign a contract for liability. McElwee, fed up with waiting, said if the contract was not signed by the end of the week, they would be taking the paving company to court.

The board also decided that Saturday, May 5 will be Clean-up Day. It will be a morning event with the same types of projects that occurred last year. As in previous years, the town will pay for all the dumpsters needed.

Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: