Fillmore hears grant writer’s pitch

FILLMORE -- After a regular meeting that effectively had one agenda item, the Fillmore Town Council will consider another grant writer’s credentials as it continues to evaluate the town’s need for improvements.

The council invited Kristy Jerrell of Jerrell Consulting to discuss the requirements the town must meet to qualify for planning grants through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program. The OCRA grants are geared toward addressing water issues, while CDBG grants are focused on housing and business development.

Based out of Terre Haute, Jerrell has past experience working with the Town of Fillmore on previous grants, including a disaster recovery grant in 2012 that looked at previous water issues such as flooding. She has also worked for the towns of Bainbridge, Cloverdale, Roachdale, Reelsville and Greencastle on similar grants, and said she has 34 planning successes to her resume.

Jerrell provided that the town meets a census requirement taking overall resident income into account, but that work on the grant application needs to be started as soon as possible. Citing a current dry-up of OCRA funds, she said the planning grant preceding any actual work would need to be submitted in August.

After thanking Jerrell and saying it would look further into her work since, the council also announced that a special meeting will be held March 19 to open bids for the town’s planned street resurfacing project through the Community Crossings program. David Kieser of Kieser Consulting is expected to attend the meeting to consider the bids. The meeting will take place at 6 p.m. in the town hall.

In his report, Town Marshal Darrel Bunten related that a new reserve officer will be added to the patrol after further training is conducted. Except for a recent incident involving an individual who repeatedly shot a gun at the water tower, Bunten further said little activity had occurred in the past month.

In a public comment, resident Steve Bumgardner said he wanted to contest a recent water bill, relating that his family had not used more water than usual, and provided that his nearby water meter was inaccurate.

Town Maintenance Director Joe Cash said he had checked the meter, though he acknowledged that, considering Bumgardner’s statement that his home is vacant during the day, it could be off as it is non-digital. Council President Bill Ashcraft and Cash agreed to replace the meter with a digital one, and to send it to be tested.

The next regular meeting of the Fillmore Town Council is scheduled for Thursday, April 4 at 7 p.m. in the Fillmore Town Hall.