MENTONE – Mentone Town Council approved changing speed limits coming into town on Ind. 19 Wednesday.
Town Marshal Keaton Schopf said he was in contact with a representative of the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) about the speed limits on Ind. 19 coming in and leaving town.
Coming in to town from the south, speeds vary quickly. At H & H Diesel Inc., INDOT wants to drop the speed limit from 45 mph to 40 mph, then the next change would be to 30 mph into town.
There were congestion issues and Schopf said it’s really hard to run traffic on that road because of how fast vehicles come in town. He said it’ll make things safer if the speed limits were dropped.
Coming in to town from the north on Ind. 19, there really isn’t any speed limit sign and there’s concern people will jump the railroad track, among other things. INDOT wants to drop the 45 mph speed limit to 35 mph all the way around the curb to Franklin and then go to 30 mph.
Schopf will also get with INDOT to get more speed limit signs for town.
Schopf said he wanted the school crosswalk on Morgan Street to be repainted because the lines are faded. The representative from INDOT Schopf spoke with said he would look into it.
At the end of the meeting, Jeremiah Kinsey was sworn in as the new deputy marshal. Council approved hiring Kinsey last month.
Schopf said Kinsey’s first day was Monday. Kinsey still has to go through training and Schopf is trying to set that up.
Kinsey is from Tippecanoe, has 13 years in the Army National Guard and experience in the military police.
Kinsey said it’s been his lifelong dream to be a police officer and his brother is a police officer with the Bourbon Police Department. He hopes to provide input where he can to the town.
In other business, the council:
• Approved the annual service agreement with Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation for $5,000.
• Approved writing a letter saying the council didn’t have any issue with Clifford Knepper joining two properties together.
He wants to combine 519 N. Morgan St. with 513 N. Morgan St.
Councilman Tim Croy said he believes the county will have to approve combining the lots.
• Heard that feedback from the community is wanted in regards to the downtown masterplan so people can give ideas of what they want to see in the masterplan.
The deadline to give feedback is Friday.
There is a QR code on the Mentone News Facebook page people can use and people can go the Bell Memorial Public Library to give feedback.
• Approved spending $3,000 for the pavilion area at the park to be resurveyed.
Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd said the upgrade project is underway. There was an issue with the pavilion so the pavilion area will need to be resurveyed to fix the issue.
• Tabled a decision on bids for water meters.