Cloverdale council addresses sidewalk, water main needs

CLOVERDALE ­— With construction on Bennington Way under way and improvements to town’s water system anticipated, the Cloverdale Town Council addressed two items related as such last week.

With Town Manager Jason Hartman the lead on the discussions, the council decided on having at least two bid options for a new sidewalk along Bennington Way, as well as a contract on extending a water main.

As to the former, Hartman brought a quote for $24,500 to install the sidewalk on the roadway’s east side, which would go from the old Holiday Inn to Beagle Club Road. Emphasizing that “it needs to happen,” his main question was about when the project could be done.

Council President Brandon Tancak provided that it was “wise” to move forward, considering that the town has the funds to engineer and install the sidewalk. Councilman Greg Jay, however, expressed that he “felt more comfortable” having at least one more quote.

Town Attorney Richard Shagley advised his own concern about the project’s logistics, in that another contractor could come with a lower bid, but not complete it to expectations. Still, there was agreement that it should occur after the Bennington Way construction is complete.

“Anybody could be sitting out there with a sticker on their truck, ‘Well, I just have to go $24,250,’” Shagley said, noting that the quote’s figure was public. “I would be cautious about giving it to the lowest bidder.”

This said, Council Vice President Brice Howell made a motion, which passed, for the council to hold a special meeting to officially select the contractor. The meeting’s date and time were not specified.

The council then approved a contract with HWC Engineering to engineer the water main extension. Hartman noted that while the town would cover this, funding from the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) will cover the $1.5 million construction.

A preliminary engineering report completed by HWC last year included the extension, and this opportunity came to the forefront owing to relocating mains for widening U.S. 231. The READI funding was secured considering POET Biorefining’s local investment.

HWC’s Eric Smith detailed the project, which entails a line going from a relocated section down and across U.S. 231, after which it would bore across Interstate 70 and meet County Road 900 South. The town would then have to connect two gaps, one being to a storage tank and the other on the highway’s west side.

Smith stated that the construction could be complete within the first quarter of next year. The next phase of the extension as a whole would then commence afterward.

In other business:

• With Tancak and Councilman Scott Stierwalt opposing, the council approved to purchase a new 2023 Ford Explorer police vehicle from Andy Mohr Ford.

Town Marshal Steve Hibler noted that the vehicle was a “complete package deal” and would go to Deputy Marshal Wade Warren. Andy Mohr’s Kent Goldman also provided that the vehicle was kept for Cloverdale after Hibler inquired about it.

Goldman said dealerships are not actively stocking such vehicles, and as such the one in question was the only bid brought. Meanwhile, Tancak honed in on $80,000 being available under public safety, with about $5,000 being left for the rest of the year after the purchase and other previous expenditures.

“My personal opinion is, I think it’s just the wrong timing, in the event that we do have something happen and have to dish out $10,000,” Tancak said to addressing maintenance and other needs.

• The council discussed leasing the railroad depot to a contractor for use as an office during upcoming construction on the interstate. While it was supported that the town could bring in revenue, an overarching concern was liability with the private road leading to the depot.

The council approved for Tancak to enter into an agreement on the lease, pending review by Shagley. It was suggested the issue would be resolved by the council’s next meeting.

However, a community member brought up that the depot was deeded to the town by the now-defunct Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce strictly for educational purposes. Shagley responded that the town has considered renting it to accrue funds and eventually have it utilized as such.

“If we’re going to turn that (the depot) into a rental property, we open it up to the local people,” Jay said about potential renters who would more benefit the town.

• Tancak announced that a local safety board would be made up of the council, following advice from Shagley.

Creating one was approved in March, and originally was to consist of three council members and two Cloverdale citizens. However, Tancak suggested that, per the Indiana Code, only cities can establish safety boards in this way.

Councilman Larry Fidler and Clerk-Treasurer Kelly Maners joined Hartman, Shagley, Hibler and the rest of the council for the meeting.

The next regular meeting of the Cloverdale Town Council is set for Tuesday, June 13 at 7 p.m. at the Cloverdale Town Hall.