Huntingburg Public Works: Paving schedule approved

Portions of eight streets in Huntingburg are scheduled to be paved this year with hopes of adding more if the budget allows.

Street Superintendent Jason Stamm presented the board of public works with the list of projects for approval Thursday morning. With the approval, Stam will now seek quotes for the work and hopes to have those quotes to the board for approval by the August meeting.

The streets affected this year include:

• Leland Drive from 21st to 22nd St.
• 10th St. from Race St. to Shelby St.
• 1st St. from Jackson St. to Van Buren St.
• 3rd St. from U.S. 231 to Geiger St.
• Chestnut St. from 2nd Ave. to State Road 64.
• 1st St. from Chestnut St. to Sycamore St.
• About 225 feet of 4th St. west from the intersection with Chestnut St.
• Chestnut St. from the railroad crossing to 12th St.

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Stamm told the board that depending on those quote amounts, he would also like to complete work on several other streets in the city.

Those included 20th St. from Chestnut St. to Leland Dr.; 13th St. from U.S. 231 to Jacob Ct.; all of Jacob Ct. from 13th St.; Old State Road 231 from U.S. 231 to Van Buren St.; and Clay St. from 8th St. to Church Ave.

The street department has about $100,000 in its budget for street repairs including curb and gutter work. Other areas of funding for the work is economic development income tax funds and tax increment finance funds. If there aren’t enough funds left over from the streets identified as having to be repaired, the second list of streets will likely be pushed to 2016.

This tentative schedule is also dependent on the deterioration and damage that could occur over the winter.

Stamm also notified the board of paving projects he and his department employees have determined will be needed over the next two years.

In addition to any of the streets that get pushed to next year, the following streets are tentatively scheduled for paving in 2016 and 2017.

2016

• County Road 400W from 12th St. to 19th St.
• Washington St. from 6th St. to 10th St.
• Industrial Dr. from Styline Dr. to the end of the street.
• 12th St. from U.S. 231 to Chestnut St.
• 11th St. from U.S. 231 to Chestnut St.

2017

• 5th Street from U.S. 231 to Washington St.

The board also took the following actions:

-Heard an update on Mary Burch’s residence. According to Code Enforcement Officer Steve Collett, Burch is working on the house but they noted some issues with weather-stripping around the doors and windows that will have to be addressed before the next monthly inspection. If these items are not addressed, Collett recommended the issue may have to be presented to Dubois County Superior Court Judge Mark McConnell. Burch was charged with 37 counts of animal cruelty after 37 dogs — nine of which were found deceased and decayed —were found in deplorable conditions at her 609 N. Washington St., Huntingburg home in April 2014. She entered into a plea agreement for the animal cruelty charges she faced and was sentenced on five charges of animal cruelty. The home was deemed uninhabitable and ordered demolished by the City of Huntingburg, but Burch appealed the demolish order. Judge McConnell ruled in favor of Burch’s appeal and gave her time to repair the residence but she has milestones she has to meet to abide by the judge’s ruling.

-Approved scrapping a 1993 dump truck by the Waste Water Department after the engine blew up recently.

-Approved $4,450 to purchase a salt brine tank for the Street Department to apply salt brine. The purchase is a special deal that will be coming from Lincoln, Nebraska, where the street department there purchased two brine tanks and determined they only need one. The equipment originally cost $40,000.

-Heard the project to move the Street Department from its current location in a flood plain to a new location is going to receive funding from several sources. Grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Indiana Department of Homeland Security are being sought to assist in paying for the new building. A grant from FEMA may be available to move the department out of the flood plain and a grant from Homeland Security may be available due to plans for the new location to feature a shelter in case of emergencies. Grant applications are being completed at this time.

-Approved selling three lots on Jackson Street to Bernie Main and Wayne Mathies for $4,200. The lots had previously held a dilapidated home which was demolished by the city after it took possession of the property on a tax lien. Another bidder came in just after the bidding had expired.

-Approved Justin Love as a candidate to be a Huntingburg Volunteer Firefighter.

-Approved changing the market master for the Huntingburg Farmers’ Market from a single person — the city planning director — to a committee. The current committee members are City Planning Director Paul Lake, Communications and Director of Communication & Community Development Rachel Steckler, resident Amy Crane and Huntingburg Chamber Director Liz Bartelt.