Ferdinand Town Council: There’s a new dirty word in the local vocabulary

Ferdinand — Everyone knows a few dirty words — the ones you can’t say on television or in front of the grandchildren.

But for the Town of Ferdinand there’s a new word that equates to dirty, and that word is “phosphorus.”

At the Ferdinand Town Council meeting Tuesday night, Wastewater Superintendent Roger Schaefer noted the town’s NPDS permit, which will likely be issued in February, lists a new threshold for the nonmetallic chemical element — a mineral — of 1.0 milligrams per liter.

Phosphorus is also a nutrient that can be found in all sorts of items, from soaps, cleansers and de-greasers to food stuffs including cereal, grains, soft drinks, even vitamin supplements. It can also be found in fertilizers.

According to Schaefer, “Too much of a good thing is bad.” And unfortunately for Ferdinand, the wastewater plant expels more phosphorus than 1.0 milligrams per liter.

When the permit is issued, the clock will begin ticking for Ferdinand to lower the level. “Once the permit is signed we have three years to get in compliance,” Schaefer said, which could be costly.

He explained the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is strong-arming IDEM (Indiana Department of Environmental Management) to enforce the stricter standards with all municipalities as permits come due.

One problem caused by an overage of phosphorus is an excessive algae bloom that leads to a fish kill.

“We’re going to have to treat it now,” Schaefer asserted, or pay for it later.

Schaefer plans to write a letter to the editor explaining how residents can help. He will ask them to be proactive to help eliminate the offending mineral.

According to Councilwoman Debbie Johnson, these efforts will be to their benefit. “In the long run it will save them money because we won’t have to raise rates.”

“Everyone can help,” agreed Schaefer. He suggests looking for products that don’t contain phosphorus to replace those that do as a starting point.

Watch for his letter in a future edition.

Tax Abatement

Attorney Bill Shaneyfelt has been working with MasterBrand on a project that would include $1.1 million in new equipment at the company’s Ferdinand facility and 135 new jobs by June 1. In return, the company is seeking a tax abatement.

Shaneyfelt pointed out the equipment will be taxed as the abatement runs out and 135 new jobs is nothing to sneeze at.

A meeting in the near future will be set up to outline the company’s proposal, followed in the very near future by a public hearing.

This discussion led to concerns issued by Council President Ken Sicard about the state’s proposal to rescind business personal property taxes. He can find no one with solid numbers on how this will impact the community’s coffers, nor anyone with a plan to replace the lost revenue.

According to Town Manager Chris James, if the tax is done away with, the City of Jasper will lose about $1.2 million in annual revenue and Huntingburg would relinquish around $300,000.

Sicard thought Ferdinand cold lose as much as $100,000, if not more.

The council also:

• Reorganized for 2014 by keeping Ken Sicard as president and Ron Weyer as vice president.

• Heard the police report from Assistant Chief Rob Randle because Chief Ricky Patton was in Virginia attending the funeral of his former supervisor and fellow trooper, Mike Philippe with the Virginia State Police, who died in the line of duty.

• Learned Fire Chief Dan Lindauer is sending a group of firefighters to an Annual Pipeline Seminar at the Huntingburg Events Center February 5, and will tour Möbel in February.

• Heard the utility department has been busy with a water leak on Missouri near 9th and a water main break on East 3rd near Michigan that led to a boil order which had not been lifted as of press time. Also, a power outage resulted when a transformer insulator blew at Old National Bank.

• Gave approval for various department heads and town employees to attend conferences and seminars.

• Heard a list of potential Americans with Disabilities Act compliance projects planned by Property and Street Superintendent Tom Lueken. He would also like to insulate both Fire Station 1 and the ambulance station and anticipates the cost will run between $3,500 and $4,000. Finally, Lueken plans to include paving of the Fire Station 1 parking lot and will prioritize this with street repaving projects.

• Approved $4,000 for Midwestern Engineers to write specs to repair the west clarifier — a project carried over from the 2013 budget.

• Received the Park Board report from secretary Delores Boeglin. There was some discrepancy as to whose term ended December 31 — either President Scott Tretter’s or Vice President Mike Steffe’s — but both are willing to continue serving so the appropriate reappointment will be made at the February 11 meeting. A fourth Park Board member is still needed and this person must live within corporate limits and by statute, should be a Democrat. Any interested parties should contact Tretter or Sicard.

• Heard a list of other appointments and council committees from Sicard.

• Will relinquish a $15,000 grant from the Dubois County Community Foundation earmarked for the park stage so the foundation can award it to someone else and will reapply if the project moves forward. “I’ll just say it’s a shame,” commented Johnson.

• Learned the town received a $3,000 Homeland Security grant for an A.M. radio station inside corporate boundaries that will be computer and internet fed. It will be used to keep residents informed. The station will require three transmission stations — one on 9th and Main, one in Town Hall and one on the south side — plus a little engineering. Sicard said the commissioners must sign off on the project.

• Announced the council is in discussion with five or six potential vendors for wholesale electricity when the contract with Vectren ends on December 31.

• Heard the recycling program is “going over tremendously,” from Sicard.

• Decided to sign a $327 license agreement with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) to use copyrighted works (the fee is based on the consumer price index) and will have to pay 1% of the gross proceeds for events making more than $25,000 (such Heimatfest and Folk Fest).

• Transferred $25,000 from the MVH to the Rainy Day Fund, per the recommendation of Clerk-Treasurer Bev Schulthise.

• Wrote off two outstanding checks — one for 7¢ ad the other for $2 — that have not been cashed in over two years.

• Paid claims, including a special claim to Strand for $5,724.32 for the Trail project.

• Announced the Plan Commission will meet January 22 at 7 p.m. and the Town Council will meet February 11 but will also likely hold a special meeting for the tax abatement.