Menu
Cloverdale council updated on water projects
CLOVERDALE — With construction work now in process on Beagle Club Road, leaders in Cloverdale are still looking up to road and water improvements.
Town Manager Jason Hartman first related to the Cloverdale Town Council on Tuesday that a 10-inch water main from U.S. 231 to the town’s water tower was recently installed. This is despite a potential leak to be fixed after a pressure test failed.
In the wings is the actual road project, in which Beagle Club Road will be reconstructed. To that, Hartman and Eric Smith of HWC Engineering both provided that asphalt could be available through the winter. Otherwise, paving will wait until spring.
Attending to provide updates on the projects overall, Smith reported that permits were applied for a main to go across Interstate 70 and up north of U.S. 231. After securing easements, he said bidding for this section was targeted for early spring.
Regarding new wastewater mains, Smith related that contracts were squared away last month along with financing with the State Revolving Fund (SRF). Orleans-based Reynolds Construction is to begin its work after next year’s beginning.
This entails the town eventually receiving wastewater from Lieber State Recreation Area, as its treatment plant is set to be decommissioned. Reynolds was tapped last April to work with HWC on the design of this project.
“We will be having monthly progress meetings throughout that project,” Smith assured on moving forward. “There’ll be a lot of activity starting on that after the first of the year.”
As to stormwater, which is for improvements in multiple street areas, most notably Stardust Hills and Doe Creek Drive, Smith said preliminary design was under way. The expected bid time, he said, would be in February.
While the stormwater work is being funded through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), water improvements related to Beagle Club Road were funded through the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI).
As the only item to take action on with the projects, the council approved an invoice for grant administrator Mike Kleinpeter to document payrolls for laborers. This documentation is required by the SRF.
In other business:
• The council approved dissolving its K-9 contract with outgoing officer Sam Fogle retroactive to Dec. 7. The date reflects the end of the town’s coverage for Argo, which the town leased from Fogle as his personal K-9.
Fogle has accepted a position as an officer at a police department in Montana, with his final day with the Cloverdale Police Department being Dec. 22. Town Marshal Adam Hull affirmed that Argo would be healthy moving forward.
• Acting on a recommendation from another engineering firm, the council approved a contract with HWC Engineering for a five-year wellhead protection plan. Town Manager Jason Hartman related that the contract was small enough for HWC to do it along with its other town projects.
The contract, which is to not exceed $5,000, is due to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) by Dec. 27.
• Hartman announced that 54 N. Lafayette St., which the town originally had a lien against, was recently deeded to the Putnam County Commissioners. As it has sought ownership of the property, the commissioners will hand the quitclaim deed to the town.
• The council approved a $150-an-hour contract with third-party auditors Susie Bass and Janet Alexander as their own consulting firm. Clerk-Treasurer Kelly Maners noted that Bass reconciles the town’s bank statements, while Alexander assists with budgeting.
• The council conducted its second readings of and passed ordinances 2023-9 and 2023-14, which respectively pertain to salaries and a grant the Cloverdale Town Park was awarded recently.
While the former set out the compensation for town employees and elected officials for 2024, the latter established a fund to hold $20,000 from the Putnam County Community Foundation toward renovating the park’s basketball court.
• The council adopted resolutions 2023-21 and 2023-22, both of which pertain to transfers and a refund in the town’s budget, respectively.
With the transfers, $100,000 will be moved from repair/maintenance to transfers out in the Motor Vehicle Highway Fund, while $1,000 will be moved in the Public Safety Fund from repair/maintenance to police comp time payout. Meanwhile, the Water Depreciation Fund will be refunded $29,466.91 from a fund for county EDIT sharing.
• After an extended consideration, and with Council President Brandon Tancak opposing, the council voted for Ridgewood Apartments to be allowed a water payment plan.
The complex’s owner recorded higher-than-normal usage comparing August to September and requested an adjustment. However, the council decided then to see how the usage spanned until this point.
“My opinion on this matter, is if we offer this customer a payment plan, that opens up the town, I think, to other customers coming to us very frequently for payment plans,” Tancak said initially for his opposing the decision.
Hartman assured that there were no leaks on the town’s part, as the water went through a meter. It was noted that the usage went from 84,500 gallons in August to 228,500 in September, before being back in the normal range of 23,000-29,000 gallons up to this month.
The town has its own policy for payment plans. As such, Council Vice President Brice Howell’s passed motion was for the balance to be averaged and paid over the next six months, in addition to the complex’s current usage.
• Per his request, the council approved upping Town Attorney Richard Shagley’s hourly rate from $175 to $200. With the latter being unchanged for the last three years, the new fee will be set for the next two.
While Councilman Greg Jay was absent, Tancak, Howell, Hartman, Maners, Hull and Shagley were joined for the meeting by Councilman Scott Stierwalt.
The next regular meeting of the Cloverdale Town Council is set for Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 7 p.m. at the town hall.