Town approves mobile home request

Mobile homes and big rigs have Roachdale residents fuming.

Local resident Carolyn Keck asked the Roachdale Town Council to approve a variance for her property in order to place a second mobile home on it. After much discussion by audience members against the addition of a trailer, council members Bill Long and Jack Jones voted in favor of approving the variance. Council member Barbara Scott abstained from voting.

The variance was tabled at last month's meeting until Keck had signed permission from all homeowners who have property abutting hers.

"You are turning Roachdale into a trailer lot," claimed one resident. "Home values are going down, down, down," she told the council.

The approved variance allows Keck to change her lots which run east/west to north/south in order to accommodate the second mobile home. Several audience members were unhappy about the variance and continued to question allowing more mobile homes in the town.

Long told them, "It's her property and she has a right to do what she wants with it." There is no zoning against trailers in Roachdale.

The second hot issue concerned a town resident who parks his semi truck and trailer at his residence. The problem is two-fold as part of the truck must sit on Walnut Street which dead-ends at the man's property. There is an ordinance against parking semi trailers on the street. Additionally, council members are concerned with the weight of the truck tearing up residential streets.

Long informed the resident that other truck drivers had been asked to park their trailers at the end of Indiana Street and all had compiled with the request.

Long told the audience he wanted to have an open roundtable to discuss the issue further but asked the truck driver to park his vehicle at the Indiana lot until after that meeting.

Community members also expressed concern about abandoned and disreputable houses.

Town Clerk Jennifer Archer told the board that letters have been sent in the past to homeowners.

"We write letters but we need to do something about it when they don't comply," remarked Archer.

The letters tell homeowners they have to clean up the property. If the city is forced to do it the homeowner will be charged and if the town is not paid a lien can be placed on their property. The board and Town Marshal Mike Mahoy are reviewing the list prior to more letters going out.

In other business:

*Estimates for repairs to the snow truck were taken into consideration

*Proposal notification for the Indiana Street Project was submitted to Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) by Janis Kidd from Hamnum, Wagle and Cline. The next step will be to put estimates together for the more than $1 million project which will include repaving, replacing water lines, and adding sidewalks and curbs.

*Approval was given to the marshal to purchase a light bar for the top of his Ford Explorer.

*Okayed the hiring of two volunteer deputies, Jason Woodall and Michael Parks, who will work 20 hours a month.

The next meeting of the Roachdale Town Council will be Tuesday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. in the town hall. Prior to the regular meeting there will be a budget meeting at 5:30 p.m. Both meetings are open to the public.