Huntingburg Common Council meeting notes
Mayor and city employees attending Reality Spanish course, public invited as well
Huntingburg Mayor Denny Spinner and several city employees will be attending a 12-week Spanish language course starting March 26.
The class will take place in the Common Council Chambers at the Huntingburg City Hall and is also open to the public. Class materials will cost $150.
The city is working with the Guadalupe Center to provide the class which is partially funded by training funds from the Huntingburg Transit Authority. The transit employees will be attending the course to assist with their daily interactions with the Spanish speaking members of the community.
The Reality Spanish Course has been offered in the community at different times in the past. Maria Ramirez is the instructor for the class that will take place on Tuesdays from 3 to 5 p.m.
“We’ve been speaking to Sister Karen [Durliat] the Guadalupe Center for about a year and it finally all came together,” Mayor Spinner told the council when he invited them to attend the courses.
The course is considered helpful in daily interactions.
“I am looking forward to the class, I think it is a great opportunity,” Mayor Spinner said, “I’ve been working with the A.L.A.S.I. (American Latin Association of Southern Indiana ) group and I want to improve my skills in communicating with that group and the rest of the community.”[hr]
Community Focus Fund Grant for major waterline repair
The city is holding a special meeting on March 20 at 5:30 p.m. at the Common Council Chambers at City Hall to garner public input on a $500,000 Community Focus grant request with the Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
This is the fourth time the city has applied for the grant which will be used to pay for major repairs to about 3,000 lateral feet of 16-inch ductile iron pipe that makes up the primary connection between the City and Patoka Lake Regional Water and Sewer District.
The grant application will receive points for certain criteria. Region 15 representative Nathan Held told the council that community participation is one key in improving the chances the city has in being awarded the grant. Last time the city applied, they received a score of 370.97; the lowest funded score was 450.22, so the city has a bit of ground to make up.
Councilwoman Linda Summers told the council the public needs to know how important this waterline is to the city and its residents and industry. “If the water line goes down, it could affect our manufacturers, our homes, our nursing homes,” Summers said. “And it (the line) definitely has some issues.”
In addition to the increased public participation, the city will be approaching local philanthropy groups to contribute to the project to assist in increasing the city’s score.
The proposals for the grants are due by March 22 and the applications are due May 31.
The city is required to contribute a local match of $83,250 to the project which will come from the Water Utility Fund or Capitol Projects fund.[hr]
Veteran’s Memorial improvement funds
The council also approved the transfer of $5000 from the Veteran’s Memorial Fund to the Place Based Grant to assist in paying for improvements to the the memorial and grounds of the Huntingburg Event Center. Plans currently call for additional landscaping, a walking trail around the lake and a footbridge to connect to the Event Center to the gazebo.
The city received a $25,000 grant from the Indiana Office of Tourism and they are required to match that grant. To do so, this $5000 will be combined with $11,000 from the Event Center and $9000 from the Huntingburg Foundation.
About $11,000 has been spent from the fund for improvements so far.
