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Putnam Street in Fillmore set for resurfacing
FILLMORE -- The town of Fillmore has major improvements now only waiting in the wings.
Not only is Putnam Street set to be resurfaced, but residents can also expect to see new lighting on the main drag. The Fillmore Town Council voted to move forward with both during its regular meeting held last Thursday evening.
Dave Kieser of Kieser Consulting presented two options to the council with different ending points. The first was to go from South Main Street to 162 Putnam Street. The council chose the second one, which will go from South Main Street to County Road 475 East/Westwood Road.
The total project cost comes to $172,875, the costliest of the two options. However, the town is submitting an application for a Community Crossings Matching Grant which will split the cost 75-25. As such, the local match would be $43,218.75.
Community Crossings applications are due by Oct. 23. The application process was set to begin in July, but was postponed to Sept. 25 due to revenue uncertainties connected with emergency funding for COVID-19.
Kieser also gave the council options for installing approximately six new street lights within the town. The council agreed that the style of street lamps in Amo -- which would have LED lighting -- was the most appropriate, and thus voted to choose them.
Kieser also brought up the prospect of replacing the current water meter system with one of two options. One would require a drive-by to pick up meter information, while the more expensive automated option tracks water usage in real-time. The latter, though, could be cost-effective down the road.
While the cost of both is decidedly prohibitive for the time being, Kieser said Fillmore could qualify for a grant from the USDA that covers up to 75 percent.
Currently, Fillmore qualifies for a loan interest rate of 1.250 percent from the USDA since the median household income is below $46,748. However, this rate is good from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31.
Kieser asked that special meeting be held on Thursday, Oct. 15 to further discuss a master utility plan drawn up for the town.
In other business:
• The council approved a resolution continuing a tax abatement for Liberties Industries, a local business which manufactures and sells trailers.
Kristin Clary -- executive director of the Greencastle/Putnam County Development Center -- presented a statement of benefits indicating an upward trend in employment and production for the company.
The statement itself -- which dated to the end of 2019 -- said the company had 30 employees. However, Clary said Liberty Industries currently has 40 full-time employees, adding that trailer sales were “out the roof.”
Liberty Industries’ president Mike Teso attended the meeting.
• The council adopted the town’s proposed budget for 2021.
• The council conducted its second reading for Ordinance 2020-6, which requires any local in-home daycare/childcare within the town to be licensed by the state. The council then adopted the ordinance.
The ordinance is a reworded version of an earlier one. Boggess raised a concern during the council’s August meeting that the original barred providers with a minimum number of children. The Indiana Code stipulates that a provider caring for less than six children does not have to be licensed.
• The council voted to set trick-or-treating hours on Halloween from 6 to 8 p.m.
Town Marshal Darrel Bunten and Utilities Operator Joe Cash were absent from the meeting.
The next regular meeting of the Fillmore Town Council is scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in the Fillmore Town Hall.