Fillmore improvements moving forward

FILLMORE -- After a short regular meeting Thursday evening, the Fillmore Town Council and the community at-large will now be looking forward to locally major roadwork and sidewalk repairs.

After months of planning and considerations, town officials were presented with a notice award recognizing that Midwest Paving in Noblesville will undertake its upcoming road resurfacing project. The bid totaled to $38,295.75, and was chosen over another bid by Baumgartner Asphalt Services, also based in Noblesville. Dave Kieser of Kieser Consulting presented the notice, in conjunction to other improvement-related business.

However, the council emphasized that the bid went over the town’s anticipated cost by approximately $14,000, calculated based on a preliminary award approved last year by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) though its Community Crossings program. However, the bid from Baumgartner Asphalt came in at $53,235, and thus Midwest Paving’s was chosen due to the lower cost.

The project will look to repave a section of First Street from a dead end to Putnam Street, as well as all of North Street from East Street to Main Street. The grant is based on a 75-25 percent split, and so the state will cover $28,721.81 of the total cost, while Fillmore will pay the remaining $9,573.94.

Kieser also spoke on the need for the town to approve a study of its sidewalks and public facilities so that they are in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). He provided that three ordinances would have to be passed by the council soon regarding this work, though he did not provide specific details on their language. The council approved the study, which Kieser said could be done within 60 days at a cost of $2,500.

Kieser also touched on Rural Business Development Grants (RBDG) funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which he recommended the council consider in December. These grants address improvements with regard to lighting, which Kieser has related is a necessary upgrade for the town.

Kieser approximated that the RBDG grant Fillmore would apply for would total $93,000, but that the cost would be split 85-15 percent between the town and allocated federal funds. He expected that the council would hear a decision on the grant in June or July.

The council then briefly considered choosing a grant administrator to assist the town with grants from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) and Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) program. Council members said they had not considered input from grant writers Kristy Jerrell and Amy Miller as a whole, and thus were reluctant to make a decision.

Kieser recommended that the council take until next month’s regular meeting to consider the previous work and merits of each candidate. However, he said that he had previously worked with both of them and vouched that either would serve the town well.

As he was absent at the meeting, Town Maintenance Director Joe Cash put in the agenda that the culvert on Hendricks Street by Fillmore Christian Church had been repaired. He also wrote that all of the potholes within the town limits had been filled before the end of April.

In a brief report, Town Marshal Darrel Bunten said a boat and another vehicle had been removed from 101 N. First St. Bunten and Town Attorney Jeff Boggess also touched base on an ongoing negligence issue at 122 N. Main St., where the resident has not complied with requests to clean up the property. Boggess said a recent letter sent to the homeowner did not include needed language, and that a new one would have to be sent.

The next regular meeting of the Fillmore Town Council is scheduled for Thursday, May 2 at 7 p.m. in the Fillmore Town Hall.