CLAYPOOL – At Tuesday night's meeting, the Claypool Town Council heard updates from Commonwealth Engineers and accepted a K21 Health Foundation grant agreement as the town prepares for wastewater treatment improvements.
Council members Benny Stage Jr. and Gene Warner were present at the meeting. Nate Morton, who is to replace Liz Heiman, was not present at the meeting and had not informed anyone he would be absent. Stage will remain council president in 2024.
Stage explained that in the case of a 1-1 tie in a two-person council vote, Clerk-Treasurer Pat Warner casts the third vote.
The council voted 2-0 for a new trash rate ordinance as service with Waste Management is discontinued and a new contract is signed with Borden. The council accepted K21's $200,000 grant for the sewer project.
Natalie Schelling, of Commonwealth Engineers, provided updates on the town's retention pond and conversations with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) regarding disinfection options for the treatment plant.
The current design would change the retention pond from wet to dry, and wastewater would be disinfected with UV lights instead of chlorine.
Schelling also said they are waiting state revolving fund (SRF) decisions on more grants the town needs to complete the project. July 1 is the start of SRF's fiscal year, so Schelling said they expect to hear news by spring.
In other business:
• The council scheduled an administrative meeting for 6 p.m. Jan. 22 to talk with Town Marshal Paul Mullins about the police department and to discuss goals for the future of Claypool.
• Mullins swore in Andrew Miller as a reserve deputy marshal.
• The council will be advertising for a part-time position for the town's street and utility departments.
• Stage provided a local Warsaw number, 574-267-6232, for the Indiana American Water Company as local residents have had trouble contacting Indiana American Water when pipes froze this week.
The council's next regular meeting is at 7 p.m. Feb. 20.