Jasper Utility meeting: Headquarters parking lot split

The City of Jasper will consider a petition to vacate a right-of-way in the parking lot adjacent to the Headquarters restaurant at Wednesday’s council meeting.

The city owns the lot typically used by customers to the popular eatery.

At Monday’s Jasper Utility Service Board meeting, the board, who has to approve the vacation petition in regards to any utilities located on the property, received a bit of a history lesson.

In 1875, Second Street ran where it currently exists today but in 1881, as the railroad was being built through town, the street was moved north into the area currently being used as a parking lot for Headquarters.  The city received a 60 foot right-of-way for the public road.

Then, when the bridge was built to extend Newton Street across the Patoka River, Second Street was moved back to where it had been in 1881. At the time, a portion of the old street west of the Headquarters parking lot was vacated but for some reason, the parking lot right-of-way was not vacated. According to City Attorney Renee Kabrick, she doesn’t know why that didn’t occur all those years ago.

Recently, the common council decided it would like to sell the lot that sits south of Headquarters but then found that the right-of-way had not been vacated. With the right-of-way in place, the city-owned lot could be considered public thoroughfare. While this right-of-way was in place the city decided to remove the property from sale until it was cleared.

A petition was filed by Albert & Otillia, LLC. — the owner of the property the restaurant sits on — to have the city vacate the right-of-way. Under the terms of the vacation, Albert & Otillia, LLC. will own half of the 60-foot right of way. That equates to about 27 feet of the parking lot from the edge of the building — the Headquarters’ building is about 3 feet into the city right-of-way at one point (it encroaches upon the right-of-way at an angle) — to the center of the right-of way. The city will own the 30 feet south of the center of the right-of-way.

According to Kabrick, this is a common practice that the adjacent landowners become responsible for a portion of the vacated right-of-way. “We recently vacated a right-of-way on Echo Drive and that was split between several landowners along that street,” she said. Each property owner will be responsible for the portion of the street that abuts their property.

The Jasper Utility Service Board approved recommending the vacation of a public right-of-way in the parking lot located along Second Street — at the corner of Second and Main streets — by Albert & Otillia, LLC. The council will have the issue before them at Wednesday’s meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Jasper City Hall.

The Jasper Utility Board met and took the following actions:

–Opened quotes for a new backhoe for the Gas & Water Department. They received two quotes. One from Hopf Equipment for a Case 580 SN for $95,250. With $83,726 trade-in the net cost would be $11,524. One from Evansville-based Ferb Equipment Company for a John Deere 310L Backhoe for $86,500. With a $69,000 trade-in allowance the net would be $17,500. The department allocated $12,000 in capital expenditures for the purchase. Approved taking the bids under advisement with the intentions to purchase the lowest bid if it meets all specifications.

–Approved purchasing a utility ATV from Hopf Equipment for $11,941.48.

–The Ultraviolet Project at the water department is on track to be finished by the end of June with activation the first week of July.

–Heard the bids for the new server for the city hall would not be available until the Jasper Board of Public Works and Safety meeting scheduled for June.

–Heard the drive-through lane to the utility payment office is closed for repairs and widening. The lane will be closed for at least a week. It should open back up next week and then work will begin on the parking lot.

–Memorial Hospital will add a parking garage and plans on demolishing two houses on Memorial Drive to accomplish that. A water line in the area has been recommended to be turned over to the hospital for maintenance as a private line and three fire hydrants. Will have to remove $8,617 worth of 8-inch water main and hydrants from the city assets. The hospital is already maintaining and testing the hydrants.

–Heard the auction held at the street department netted $5,398 in sales last Saturday.