Downtown Cloverdale siren facing another obstacle

CLOVERDALE -- Downtown Cloverdale will soon have an emergency siren, but the town is facing another obstacle.

The Town of Cloverdale worked with the Putnam County Emergency Management Agency to secure a siren to replace the 1950s-era Civil Defense Siren. The new siren will be implemented in the park to provide protection to the south side of town, including the school, during severe weather.

Building Inspector Mark Cassida told the Cloverdale Town Council Tuesday night the new siren has been delivered to the town, but now it needs to secure a specific pole to implement it in the area of the park.

"We need a class one or zero, 60-foot pole," Cassida explained.

Cassida added Duke Energy would charge $3,000 for the pole. He has also made contact with Endeavor Communication. While they do not have the necessary pole on hand, the company has offered to help seek out the specified item through contacts in Indianapolis.

Although, this could bring forward yet another issue -- transporting the pole from Indianapolis to Cloverdale. The size of the item would require specialized transportation.

Cassida asked council members to keep the issue in mind as the town tries to resolve the issue.

In other business, the council voted to move forward with sorting an ongoing issue with a piece of property on Stardust Way owned by Don Gedert of Invest Putnam County.

Jim Coy came to the council in recent months to request a fence be placed around the barn on the hill of Stardust Way due to it being an eyesore to the area of Stardust Hills. Last month, Gedert stressed implementing a fence would only allow thieves privacy to work behind.

Gedert provided a 2002 court settlement in which he was allotted a 660-foot circumference around the barn to store items related to his business. Coy counted by saying some of those items did not fall within the scope of the settlement agreement.

Town Attorney Allen Yackey said the town will be moving forward with declaratory judgment, which means seeking an explanation from a judge about the specifications outlined in the agreement.

The council voted to approve the action with a 4-0 vote, with councilman Gary Bennington abstaining.

The council approved a contract with Wallace Brothers Asphalt to address several road issues throughout the town at a cost of $20,525 from the Local Road and Street fund.

Town Manager Wayne Galloway said the work would tackle a section of Robert Weist Avenue has had issues involving a water leak, and was only filled in with gravel. In addition, it will include collapsing and pothole issues on a portion of Market, Brown and Morris streets.

The Lafayette Street project is nearing completion, with an anticipated end in November, according to Galloway.

The town is working on an Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) grant to upgrade the storm water drainage in the area from Logan to Market streets.

Galloway addressed concerns with the way the pipe is being fitted. He said questions were brought up regarding the concrete shims, which hold the pipe at the correct angle until mortar is applied.

"They all (engineers) said this is standard practice," Galloway explained. "They use the concrete shims to elevate the pipe to get the water flow how they want it."

Galloway added the storm water drainage is gravity fed, so there will be no extra pressure to cause issues.

Cassida said he has noticed some instances of residents burning leaves along the side of the road. He stressed this practice is not good for the pavement.

Councilman Don Sublett asked clerk-treasurer Cheryl Galloway to include a note on the water bills this is not allowed.

After several months of working to clear the Fresh Start property, formerly the Midway Hotel north of Interstate 70, Cassida informed the board all of the large tires have been cleared from the area. The tires could potentially be a pest breeding ground, and council members noted the area was one of the first seen after exiting the interstate.

The council had voted to take action on the property owner at the August meeting, as the continued efforts to have the hazards cleared were not completed in the past.

The clerk-treasurer noted she will be uploading ordinances to the town's website for residents to review. Galloway said she has continued to include meeting minutes each month and is now in the process of scanning all the ordinances for easy access online at www.cloverdalein.com.

The next Cloverdale Town Council meeting will be Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.