Syracuse Asked To Donate Portions Of Trail
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By John DeGroff-
First to address the council was Spike Ford, Syracuse-Wawasee Park Foundation Board. This organization works to build trails within the town and the county.
"I'm here tonight to ask you to consider as a gift those trail portions that we construct within the town," said Ford. "The reason that this is a critical issue for us, is so that we can have the town's liability coverage on those portions of trail."[[In-content Ad]]Ford said there will eventually be a bridge crossing the McConnell Ditch. The Foundation will maintain what they build so that the town will not have that responsibility, and all funding for the project will be provided. With council's approval, Ford expressed hope that some work could begin this fall.
Other communities have done similar projects, and have developed the legal framework to accept such donations. All trails and foot bridges have to be approved by the Department of Natural Resources and meet county regulations as well.
The council did not move formally on the project, but did express the desire to accept the donation as work proceeds. The town would be able to provide the liability coverage sought by the Foundation.
"We're very, very hopeful to complete the high school segment ... from in front of the school, then on south," Ford said. "When the bridge will be completed, we can't say. We've had several dates when we thought we'd have trail on the ground, so it's kind of a loaded question regarding exact dates."
Town Manager Henry DeJulia said the Lake Area Community Band had presented the council with a plaque thanking the town for its support over the years.
DeJulia then presented the council with an example of proposed signage for the Industrial Park. The sign would read "Syracuse Technology And Industrial Park" and would be installed by Lake City Awning and Sign of Syracuse. Cost for installation is $896, with an additional $160 each for the two signs required for the site. The cost was approved.
DeJulia also reported to the council that a meeting regarding the housing grant application was recently held, with 19 people in attendance; the proposed Forest Park Annexation is moving ahead according to plan; and the agreement regarding the Industrial Park had been delivered to the Elkhart County Redevelopment Commission for their approval.
Town Marshall Tony Ciriello reported that during the first week of school, everything went well and there were no problems. Ciriello said that even though the Forest Park annexation is not yet official, the police department has begun to increase their visibility in the neighborhood.
The Syracuse Police Department is involved in Operation Pull Over. This will be in affect through Sept. 9, and overtime for participating officers is paid through a federal grant.
The Parks Department announced there will be a lifeguard on duty weekends through Labor Day. The summer concert series in the park was regarded as a success as well.
Utilities personnel thanked Dr. Richard Brungardt for removing bees from two department work sites. During tree work on Ind. 13 and at the corner of Harrison and Carroll streets, three crews ran into trouble with hives. Brungardt's efforts enabled work to proceed after the bees were safely removed.
Bids for 2007 were opened today at 1 p.m. The contract itself will be awarded at the Sept. 4 special meeting.
There was some discussion regarding recent complaints involving skateboarding. As current town ordinances state, skateboarding is allowed anywhere, but if a police officer has to be called because of any problems, skateboards can be confiscated if an officer's directions are disobeyed. Under an older ordinance, skateboarding was only allowed on town property or at a skate park. Ciriello said he did not want to penalize everyone who enjoys the activity because of the actions of only a few. However, if problems persist, some action might have to be taken by the department and the council.
In other business, the council:
n Approved the purchase of two pumps for utility department lift stations at a cost of $3,758.95.
n Accepted a bid of $14,995 from Jeff Curry Roofing of Syracuse for work on the town hall roof.
n Approved Municipal Code to put all Syracuse town ordinances in a codified form online. This includes 1998 ordinances to current ordinances, and includes all amended and repealed ordinances. Cost is not to exceed $5,000.
n Announced the first public reading of the proposed budget will be Sept. 4 at the special 7 a.m. council meeting.
n Reminded the community that several households have yet to pick up their new sliver garbage tags.
n Approved the payment of claims for the preceding month of $840,924.82.
Syracuse Town Council members are: Paul Stoelting, Brian Woody, Cassie Cowan, Bill Musser and Larry Siegel.
First to address the council was Spike Ford, Syracuse-Wawasee Park Foundation Board. This organization works to build trails within the town and the county.
"I'm here tonight to ask you to consider as a gift those trail portions that we construct within the town," said Ford. "The reason that this is a critical issue for us, is so that we can have the town's liability coverage on those portions of trail."[[In-content Ad]]Ford said there will eventually be a bridge crossing the McConnell Ditch. The Foundation will maintain what they build so that the town will not have that responsibility, and all funding for the project will be provided. With council's approval, Ford expressed hope that some work could begin this fall.
Other communities have done similar projects, and have developed the legal framework to accept such donations. All trails and foot bridges have to be approved by the Department of Natural Resources and meet county regulations as well.
The council did not move formally on the project, but did express the desire to accept the donation as work proceeds. The town would be able to provide the liability coverage sought by the Foundation.
"We're very, very hopeful to complete the high school segment ... from in front of the school, then on south," Ford said. "When the bridge will be completed, we can't say. We've had several dates when we thought we'd have trail on the ground, so it's kind of a loaded question regarding exact dates."
Town Manager Henry DeJulia said the Lake Area Community Band had presented the council with a plaque thanking the town for its support over the years.
DeJulia then presented the council with an example of proposed signage for the Industrial Park. The sign would read "Syracuse Technology And Industrial Park" and would be installed by Lake City Awning and Sign of Syracuse. Cost for installation is $896, with an additional $160 each for the two signs required for the site. The cost was approved.
DeJulia also reported to the council that a meeting regarding the housing grant application was recently held, with 19 people in attendance; the proposed Forest Park Annexation is moving ahead according to plan; and the agreement regarding the Industrial Park had been delivered to the Elkhart County Redevelopment Commission for their approval.
Town Marshall Tony Ciriello reported that during the first week of school, everything went well and there were no problems. Ciriello said that even though the Forest Park annexation is not yet official, the police department has begun to increase their visibility in the neighborhood.
The Syracuse Police Department is involved in Operation Pull Over. This will be in affect through Sept. 9, and overtime for participating officers is paid through a federal grant.
The Parks Department announced there will be a lifeguard on duty weekends through Labor Day. The summer concert series in the park was regarded as a success as well.
Utilities personnel thanked Dr. Richard Brungardt for removing bees from two department work sites. During tree work on Ind. 13 and at the corner of Harrison and Carroll streets, three crews ran into trouble with hives. Brungardt's efforts enabled work to proceed after the bees were safely removed.
Bids for 2007 were opened today at 1 p.m. The contract itself will be awarded at the Sept. 4 special meeting.
There was some discussion regarding recent complaints involving skateboarding. As current town ordinances state, skateboarding is allowed anywhere, but if a police officer has to be called because of any problems, skateboards can be confiscated if an officer's directions are disobeyed. Under an older ordinance, skateboarding was only allowed on town property or at a skate park. Ciriello said he did not want to penalize everyone who enjoys the activity because of the actions of only a few. However, if problems persist, some action might have to be taken by the department and the council.
In other business, the council:
n Approved the purchase of two pumps for utility department lift stations at a cost of $3,758.95.
n Accepted a bid of $14,995 from Jeff Curry Roofing of Syracuse for work on the town hall roof.
n Approved Municipal Code to put all Syracuse town ordinances in a codified form online. This includes 1998 ordinances to current ordinances, and includes all amended and repealed ordinances. Cost is not to exceed $5,000.
n Announced the first public reading of the proposed budget will be Sept. 4 at the special 7 a.m. council meeting.
n Reminded the community that several households have yet to pick up their new sliver garbage tags.
n Approved the payment of claims for the preceding month of $840,924.82.
Syracuse Town Council members are: Paul Stoelting, Brian Woody, Cassie Cowan, Bill Musser and Larry Siegel.
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092