New council has plate full in Bainbridge

BAINBRIDGE — The first Bainbridge Town Council meeting of 2020 was a positive, cordial affair, with the three new town councilmen sharing their respective and shared visions for the town.

In concluding his opening statement as a board member, Council President Jeff Kiger requested patience for himself, fellow councilmen Brent Foltz and Robert Hensley and new Clerk-Treasurer Bobbi Boller.

“Be easy on us for a month or two,” Kiger said. “We’ve got a big learning curve ahead of us, all being new.”

While the people of the town may extend them that courtesy, the business of the town continues to move forward, with a number of matters coming before the board during its meeting last week, including:

• At the urging of a resident, the town will examine the possibility of changing which street has to stop at Vine and Cherry streets just north of Bainbridge Elementary School.

Parents utilize Cherry, the north entrance to school property, for pickup, but it is the street that has to stop, making for a disjointed and sometimes dangerous experience.

The counsel, as well as Town Marshal Ronnie Campbell seemed open to the idea and will study it further.

The town will have to undertake a traffic study before any change can be made.

• The town plans to apply for a Community Crossings grant from the state, a source the town has used in previous years.

“We’re very fortunate that the previous board went after the grant to fix a lot of the streets,” Kiger said.

Gibson cited Washington Street as a place where cracks are beginning to appear.

“I know it was paved not too long ago, but it’s degrading at a rapid pace,” he said.

The grant, which is administered by the Indiana Department of Transportation, pays for 75 percent of approved road projects.

• Gibson also informed the council of the county’s interest in turning over a portion of West Main Street to the town.

While much of the west end of the road behind Bainbridge Fire Department is county property, the town has actually paved it the last two times it needed it and also plows the area.

County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts approached Gibson about the idea, saying the town might as well get credit for the section of road and the commensurate funding from the state.

• Gibson brought up a number of other utility- and street-related issues the new council will need to address, including the possible abandonment of alleys, the need for new street signs, use of GIS mapping in the town and the condition of the parking lot and landscaping on the Bainbridge Town Hall/Bainbridge Community Center property.

All of these will be the subject of ongoing concern and conversation for town officials.

• Town Marshal Campbell informed the council that his department’s two Dodge Chargers are likely to need to be replaced in the future. However, he said the matter can wait until later, noting that the department’s pickup truck is working out well and the older Ford Crown Victoria is operational.

Campbell also invited the council members to ride with himself or one of his deputies.

“I’d love to have you ride along with any of us any time you want to,” Campbell said.

• The board gave its blessing to the North Putnam Youth Baseball League as it seeks a Putnam County Community Foundation grant to improve the concession stand at the Bainbridge baseball field.

• With so much change facing the town, including coming appointments to the utility board and board of zoning appeals, one thing that will not change will be the town’s legal counsel.

Longtime town attorney Jim Ensley will continue to represent the town.