Huntingburg Council: Clarifies lock box proposal and explores solar panel park
The Huntingburg Council clarified some issues with a potential new ordinance requiring lock boxes on commercial buildings.
Mayor Denny Spinner told the council he had heard concerns from residents regarding the proposed ordinance brought to the council by Councilman Glen Kissling late last year.
“I’ve received a couple comments, several inquiries from the community about this,” Spinner said. “I think before the council moves into any final action, we need to seriously think about what these questions are and answer them as thoroughly as we can, because there are a lot of questions out there.”
Spinner said he wanted the council to consider whether this was an area in which the government is stepping in where it doesn’t need to be.
To clarify the requirements Kissling explained that the boxes would be required on new construction buildings that will have sprinklers or alarm systems. He stated the goal of the ordinance was to give firefighters quicker access to a building “that is crying for help”. Existing structures or future residential structures without such a system will not be forced to install the boxes.
“We would like them to put one in, but this is for new construction going forward,” Kissling said. “Also, you must have an alarm system that activates by dialer or whatever that contacts (911) dispatch to dispatch us without a keyholder calling us.”
If a building doesn’t have a sprinkler or alarm system, they won’t be required to have a box.
According to Fire Chief Scott Patberg, 15 such boxes already exist in the city and the fire department has keys to those boxes on the department’s trucks. The system uses a key code to track which firefighter accesses the box to use the key.
The boxes being recommended for installation onto commercial buildings include an alarm that will notify authorities if someone attempts to break into the box to obtain the key.
Installation of the Knox Box brand is about $400. Building owners will be allowed to use their own system with prior approval from the fire department to maintain compatibility. “There isn’t a big difference in price,” Patberg said indicating there wasn’t a need to seek out a bargain on the boxes.
Ferdinand is also considering an ordinance. Ferdinand Fire Chief Dan Lindauer stated there are 12 buildings in the town that already have the boxes installed. He brought a similar request for an ordinance at the January Ferdinand Common Council meeting.
According to both chiefs, the boxes make it easier to access commercial buildings in the event of an alarm. It is safer for the volunteer fire fighters who don’t have to break down a door or window. Plus, it saves money for the building owner in the case of false alarms. Patberg reported that the department has responded to four false alarms since the beginning of the 2015. The most recent was tripped when moisture got into an alarm relay.
The mayor, Chief Patberg and Councilman Kissling have all indicated they are available to discuss the new ordinance with community members who have concerns or questions.
The proposed ordinance will be discussed at the next council meeting scheduled for Monday, February 9 at 7 p.m. at City Hall, 508 E. Fourth Street.
According to Patberg, these boxes are in use in about 12,000 communities across the country.
Huntingburg considers solar park
Dan Worl with Indiana Municipal Power Agency (IMPA) presented information about a proposed solar panel park on leased city property.
According to Worl, IMPA has resolved to create about 50 megawatts of solar generation from 1 to 2 megawatt fields around the state. Huntingburg is slated to potentially receive a 1 megawatt field comprised of 4000 solar panels over about eight acres of a 20-acre city-owned parcel of land near the city’s north substation located at Chestnut Street and Phoenix Drive. The site will be surrounded by a 7-foot chain link fence.
According to Worl, the fixed-panels will feed the electricity they create directly to the city’s industrial locations. The organization has abandoned using rotating panels due to maintenance issues that have already occurred in test arrays. in test plots, IMPA is already experiencing maintenance issues with rotating panels
IMPA is seeking a 30-year lease with 59 one year extensions at the approval of the city. According to Worl, IMPA estimates the site will work for 30 to 40 years. “We will keep using this until the panels are no longer cost-effective to keep going,” he said.
At the end of the lease or feasibility, IMPA will remove all the equipment and revert the land back to its original disposition.
IMPA will invest about $2 million into the new park and is seeking a 10-year abatement on the project. The abatement will decrease by 10 percent annually after the first year. In the 11th year, the city will begin receiving about $13,000 annually.
City Attorney Phil Schneider pointed out that after IMPA determines what parcel of land they want to use on that lot it will have to be subdivided according to the city’s subdivision ordinance. Additionally, it will have to be rezoned for industrial use. Schneider also indicated some areas of the lease would need to be tweaked.
The council passed a motion to continue the process with IMPA. IMPA will now create a proposal for the layout of the proposed land to take to the planning commission before presenting it to the council for final approval.
The council also took the following actions.
–Approved a quote of $15,545 from IT Right of Michigan for a new server to service the city’s computer system.
–Mayor Spinner updated the council about the Stellar Communities projects. The Ninth Street extension bidding process is ready to begin with bids set to be opened on March 9 and awarded at the Board of Zoning and Appeals meeting on March 17. The project will be paid from Huntingburg’s Tax Increment Finance funds.
–Approved Indiana Regional 15 as the grant administrator for the $1.5 million grant from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs. The grant will be split between the Market Street Park ($1 million) and the senior center ($500,000) projects. The senior center is planning on moving from Old Town Hall on Geiger Street to a portion of the former St. Joseph’s Hospital to provide better accessibility to seniors.
–Heard from Energy Superintendent John Reutepohler that the renovation of the old gas garage into the new EMS station on Van Buren Street is expected to be completed in the next few weeks. Painting of the exterior will be completed when weather permits.
–Announced the next common council meeting is changed to Monday, 7 p.m., February 9, at City Hall, 508 E. Fourth St.
Again, since this is on the forefront for more discussion and potential action soon, it needs to be said once more: I think we can all agree that the intent and benefits of the boxes are legitimate – if not exactly for some of the illogical reasoning provided – but the way of going about it by “be(ing) forced to install the boxes” through mandate (ordinance) is not. Mayor Spinner, himself, hit the nail on the head when he expressed concern about whether “…this was an area in which the government is stepping in where it doesn’t need to be.” He is right. Sell it, tout it, recommend it, etc., but don’t force it by law. Indeed, let freedom (of choice) ring over political correctness in our stellar city like no other.