Citizen Helps Defray Mentone Cost Of Habitat House
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
MENTONE - Thanks to some generosity, a water and sewer bill for a Habitat for Humanity home in Mentone will be paid in full.
At the September Mentone Town Council meeting, Habitat for Humanity Executive Director Lori Harman said that on July 29 they received a $5,389.56 bill in addition to the $2,000 initial fee they already paid for the water and sewer hook-up to the Mentone home. Harman said they budgeted about $2,000 for the water and sewer work because that's what they told it would be, and Habitat has no more money for the home to pay the additional $5,389.56. She asked if the fees could be reduced because Habitat had no more funds available to pay on the home.
Utilities Superintendent Eric Carlin said the bill was strictly the town's costs for the installation. Before the home was built, Carlin said, no one approached him or one of his workers about costs. Harman said the previous executive director of Habitat had said everything was taken care of, and the director is no longer with Habitat.
Carlin said Don Fleck did the directional boring for $4,478.75. If Habitat contacts Fleck, maybe he would be willing to donate some of the costs, Carlin suggested.
Monday, Harman told the Mentone board, Fleck will donate $400 directly to Habitat since the town already paid him for his services. The question was if the town would do anything toward the bill as well.
Jill Gross, town councilwoman, asked if homebuilder John Russell was going to donate anything.
"That's up in the air as well," Harman said.
Carlin said the sewer tap and inspection fee is the only non-material cost the town had for the project. It totaled $336, and he suggested that could be covered by the town.
"I say that's all we can do if we do it," said Tim Croy, council president.
Gross made a motion to refund $336 of the cost as it was the town's only expense not out of pocket. Her motion was approved.
"The town will absorb that cost," said Croy.
With Fleck's donation of $400 and the town absorbing $336, that left a balance of $4,653.56.
Harman then announced Bob Crouse of Midwest Poultry will donate the remainder of the balance. She said he approached her about donating the money and she did not ask him. The donation was appreciated, and it closes the issue.
After Harman left, town attorney Larry Beeson said Eddie Tridle has retained an attorney and is filing suit against the town.
After several years of attempting to get Tridle to clean the property up, the council signed an order in September that the building at 408 W. Monroe St., belonging to Eddie Tridle, Lorna Kline and Kathy Kinney, is unsafe and was to be demolished by Sept. 30. The property is still not demolished.
Carlin said leaf pick-up will begin as soon as the leaves start falling. Tentatively, he said, they hope to end leaf collection by Nov. 20 or Thanksgiving at the latest.
In other business, the council:- Adopted the 2010 budget as advertised.
- Adopted the 2010 salary ordinance.
- Announced Trick or Treat will be Oct. 31 from 6 to 8 p.m. in Mentone.
- Approved to pay half of Betty Horn's bill to remove a tree in the tree lawn. Her bill was $500, and the town will pay $250.
In the town's 50-50 program, if a property owner has a tree trimmed or removed in the tree lawn, and seeks prior approval from the town board, the town will cover half of the bill. The program is only available while funding lasts.
- Approved for Town Marshal Jim Eads and/or deputy Terry Engstrandt to attend police training in Indianapolis Nov. 3-6 if they are approved by the state.
Eads said their hotel accommodations, breakfast and lunch will be picked up by the state. They only have to provide their way down there and their own dinner.
The state has to pick them to go, but Eads has applied for the training. If the state only picks one of the officers to go, Eads said he would send Engstrandt.
