Good things are happening now in Cloverdale

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

CLOVERDALE -- Over the past year, the Cloverdale Town Council has made it a priority to work toward really improving the Town of Cloverdale as a whole.

Months of hard work appear to be paying off as the was recently awarded a stormwater grant, lowered residents waste water rates, purchased a new K-9 unit and much more.

The town had worked more than a year preparing all the materials needed to be awarded the $600,000 grant, including creating a stormwater board, as recommended by Lori Young of Curry and Associates, in hopes of improving chances of receiving the grant.

With the stormwater board created, the town went ahead and created a $1 a month residential charge and a $2 a month commercial charge to help sustain the system.

"Our water rates and our sewer rates are very high in this town and we're putting more money on the people. There are a lot of fixed income people in this community. We're a poor to moderate community," board member Dennis Padgett had previously said. "I just want to start out slow and if we can raise rates down the road if they have to be raised, in my opinion, we can raise them. I know there's been suggestions of $5 being put onto this every month, for me personally, I don't want to do it."

The stormwater grant will be used to install more than 3,000 feet of new stormwater mains along with new catch basis and manholes along Lafayette Street from Logan to Doe Creek.

"We are going to come up with the $125,755," Clerk-Treasurer Cheryl Galloway said. "We'll probably have a few issues coming up with such a large amount of money."

In the end, the town will likely get additional appropriations from certain funds such as the EDIT fund to have the money needed for the grant. Town officials had previously thought about taking out a bond, but decided against it.

The next step in the process will be to let the project out for bids. However, it is expected that the town will move forward and start the construction project later this year or likely in the spring.

The town council, with the help of Brock was also recently able to lower residents' utility rates from a flat rate of $70 a month, which was approved in 2012, to volumetric rate.

According to IDEM, 4,000 gallons is considered to be the typical residential monthly water consumption. Thus with the new volumetric rate would result in 108 Cloverdale residents being charged a reduced rate of $65.80. Those who use 3,000-3,999 gallons, as 180 of Cloverdale residents do, would be charged $56.10 as well as those who use 2,000-2,999 gallons or 161 Cloverdale residents, would be charged $47.40.

The new reduced rates will still keep the town of Cloverdale in the black in regard to its financial, but also give town resident's the reduced rate that they've been asking for.

"This will really help the people who need it the most," Council President Coweta Patton said during the May meeting. "That's why we're trying to do it this way."

Keeping with lowering rates, the town also recently purchased new radio read meters in hopes of saving the town money along with protecting residents from high bills.

Utility Clerk Brittany Duncan had previously come before the council with a list of vacant properties that the town had been looking at. At the time of the May meeting, there were 116 vacant properties with only 36 having no meters at the home. Several homes had meters that were supposed to be turned off and the resident or renter turned it on themselves.

In total, 89,300 gallons of water was found to be used without being billed, an issue that the town hopes that will be fixed with the new radio read meters.

"The reason we want to do it is because the meters would read more accurately," Galloway said. "The radio-read meters would eliminate the need for time-consuming manual reading and for allow daily readings."

The new meters will also eliminate the need for estimated billing, which was previously an issue especially during the winter months when utility workers could not get out and read the meters.

The town council approved purchasing an estimated 625 radio read meters at a cost of $124,994. The funding was taken from both the water and waste water fund with more than half of the meters having already been installed.

As far as developing Cloverdale, there are good things in the works as the town recently just got word that a new housing subdivision, which will include 13 new homes valued at more than $200,000 each, is set to be built in the coming months on Burma Road.

"They liked the area because it was just off the Interstate," Redevelopment Commission President Wayne Galloway said. "It's official. They're going to the county and they've got to plat it out and get addresses."

The Redevelopment Commission also has created a larger TIF

(Tax Increment Financing) area to bring in more businesses as well as recently refinancing its bond to create a $14,000 savings a year.

"The Redevelopment Board is really shakin'. They are really out there," Galloway said. "It's just getting the word out about Cloverdale. I think the 175th birthday party was a success and I think businesses are looking and saying, 'I want to be a part of that.' If they don't, they're crazy."

With Subway set to be reopening soon as well as Taco Bell redoing its facade along with the Holiday Inn adding another floor on the hotel, more businesses are also looking to become a part of the town.

"We've been doing all kinds of things. We've been going to other towns, finding out what they're doing to help better our town. We're communicating and bringing everybody together and it's like a tug rope. I feel all of us are pulling for the one thing. We're not divided, but we're coming together for the town."

The town also recently welcomed its newest officer, a K-9 unit named Chewy. The new K-9 will be working with Sgt. Charlie Hallam as a dual-propose dog used for narcotics, odor recognition, tracking, criminal apprehension, patrol and obedience.

The Cloverdale Police Department has now had Chewy for more than two months and things could not be going better as he has already made major progress with being certified in narcotics and odor recgonition and is on his way to being certified in tracking in such a short time.

The department hopes the new K-9 will help with the will help with the ongoing drug traffcking problem not only in Cloverdale, but the county. Chewy will also be used for school demonstrations as well as searches as well as assisting other agencies.

"We're going to be very focused on the schools," Hallam previously said. "We're going to be doing not only education, but work as far as narcotics intervention. Whenever they need us we're going to be there."

In order to keep the program going, the Cloverdale Police Department is soliciting donations from the community as well as surrounding areas.

To donate to the program persons may call Mike Clark or Hallam at 795-6800 or drop off donations at the Town Hall, located at 154 S. Main St. in Cloverdale.

The Cloverdale Police Department has also welcomed several new reserve officers over the past year, a goal created by Clark in hopes of bringing the Cloverdale Police Department to the point of having someone on duty at all times.

"When I started there were three reserves. My understanding is that they've had more than that before," Clark said. "One of the things I was asked several times in my interview was to get the reserve program going again, so that's been a goal since day one."

The reserve officer program now includes 10 officers, a number which Clark hopes to increase in the future. However, an ordinance needs to be amended before that can happen.

However, Clark believes that the program that has been built includes some of the most qualified officers in the area from a variety of backgrounds such as medical assistants, firefighters and EMT's.

"In my opinion, I think we have one of the best reserve departments around," Clark stated. "Reserves are invaluable. With three paid officers here we can't cover 24 hours a day seven days a week. The reserves help fill in those times. They help us with special details. Generally, what I've always looked at, it takes about 10 reserves to equal about one full-time paid officer. I would like to go to 15 eventually, but I need to get some of them completely trained first."

With the scope of changes happening in Cloverdale, it's safe to say progress is being made. The town council along with various town boards and residents all are on the same page working toward one goal, progress.

"A lot of great things are going on in Cloverdale," Galloway said. "To me this is my home. This is where my kids are raised and to me home is where you keep it clean and you have vistors come over and you eat dinner. You take pride in it. I think finally the town is starting to say yeah this is our home. Good things are going on."

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