Resident raises concerns as city council approves $390,000 appropriation for 4th Street reconstruction

The city council approved an additional $390,000 appropriation from the Local Road and Street fund for the 4th Street roadway reconstruction project during a recent meeting, with the funds earmarked for a concrete base adaptation beneath the street’s existing pavers.

The vote passed 5-0, though not before resident Randy Wahl used the public hearing to question whether the expenditure was justified.

Wahl, who said he was a resident on East 4th Street, told the council he had concerns about the cost of redoing a street completed only about eight years ago. “Today the city’s going to spend — is it over $800,000? Over something that was just done eight years ago?” he said.

Officials clarified that the total project cost was about $850,000, but the difference from a standard pavement option was only around $300,000.

Wahl questioned whether the street’s original failure resulted from a decision to redirect funds. “From what I hear in the community, somebody said there was some extra funds and there’s supposed to have been a certain base put under the pavers, but they didn’t do it because somebody said we could reuse that money somewhere else. Is that true?” he asked.

Mayor Neil Elkins pushed back on that characterization, explaining that when the street was originally constructed, engineers from VS Engineering presented four options, and the council at the time voted to use a compacted rock base rather than an asphalt base. The design was intended to allow water to permeate through the pavers and discharge into the ground.

“It performed as they said it would,” Mayor Elkins said. “They said that it would do what it’s done. They guaranteed that that would happen, that you would have to pick up the bricks and do it again. It was one of four options presented, and that was the one that was voted on at the time.”

Councilwoman Pam Bolte raised several issues that have contributed to the street’s deterioration since its completion, including vehicles exceeding the posted 10 miles per hour speed limit and delivery trucks that were not supposed to be using 4th Street.

Wahl suggested the city consider simply paving the street with asphalt rather than reinstating the pavers.

The mayor responded that the asphalt option had been presented and vetted during multiple public meetings over a year-and-a-half period before being rejected. “Too late for that now. It’s already been voted on,” the mayor said flatly.

Wahl responded that, in his opinion, it was an unnecessary amount of money to spend on the street for the few businesses it would impact, given that other streets needed attention.

Councilman Glenn Kissling defended the project’s importance to the broader community. “4th Street is sort of the heart of our community, so we’ve got to make sure it’s done right,” he said, adding that the comment was his own opinion.

Wahl also expressed hope that the reconstruction would reduce noise from the drainage grates. However, Councilwoman Bolte confirmed the grates would remain in place as an important part of the improved drainage, prompting Wahl to note that they were a source of frustration for nearby residents because of the noise cars make when driving over them.

The project is expected to be under contract by Thanksgiving, with a notice to proceed, bonds, and other requirements to follow. Work is expected to run from the first week of February through early April — about eight to nine weeks — with the goal of finishing by April 2. If the timeline slips, the project would be pushed to June instead, avoiding the April and May stretch when downtown events, including community strolls, are scheduled.

The mayor noted that the reconstruction would be less disruptive to businesses than the original project, as contractors would be able to use parking spaces for equipment, eight-foot sidewalks would remain accessible outside the work zone, and parking lots behind the buildings — which did not exist during the previous construction — would provide additional access.

Work is planned to proceed one side of the street at a time, with special accommodations made for a bank drive-up window, fire department access, and other considerations.

Resident raises concerns over unauthorized spraying

Randy Wahl also spoke to the council on a separate issue Tuesday evening: unauthorized spraying and mowing along a tree line on his farm property on Phoenix Drive. Wahl said he does not use chemicals on his land and keeps areas intentionally uncut as wildlife habitat for Eastern box turtles and Monarch butterflies. He said he called the street department, the water department, and the Indiana Department of Transportation, and each denied responsibility, before a state chemist agreed to investigate whether the spraying violated any regulations. Council members and staff said they were unaware of who sprayed the area and confirmed the city does not spray fence lines.

Wahl also raised a separate concern about rock debris from a past city water line project that he said continues to wash or get placed back onto his property near a drainage ditch, and asked to meet with city staff on-site to resolve both issues directly rather than returning to future meetings.

Wahl closed his remarks with broader comments on code enforcement, citing deteriorating and partially collapsed buildings around town as well as the unappealing look of some businesses along Main Street. He suggested the city consider hiring a dedicated code enforcement officer rather than raising an existing employee’s salary, and proposed organizing a volunteer group of local tradespeople to help repair rundown properties, citing Indiana Landmarks’ ongoing renovation work on a home at Second and Main as a model.

He also suggested the council consider some type of landscaping ordinance to address those unappealing areas along Main Street.

Council members acknowledged the concerns, noting a dedicated code enforcement meeting has been discussed but not yet scheduled, while also citing the need for compassion toward elderly or lower-income property owners who may be unable to maintain their homes.