CLAYPOOL – Town council OK’d a bill for recent street paving Monday but put a stipulation on the bill for sidewalk work. Claypool council members approved paying $19,110 to Gaunt and Son Asphalt for recently completed repaving of sections of Main and Clay streets. But members said they weren’t comfortable paying a $25,200 bill to Heiman Construction for downtown sidewalk repair because they said the work hasn’t been completed. They voted to pay the bill only on the condition that town Superintendent Gene Warner was satisfied that backfill and seeding had been finished. Council also signed a water bill refund of about $2,146 to Phend and Brown. Company co-owner Doug Brown requested the refund last month, saying Milford charged for 800,000 gallons of water during Ind. 15 overpass work last year but that his records indicated only 279,500 gallons were used. Also during the meeting, members agreed to pursue the idea of allowing a weekly food bank to set up in town. Clerk-Treasurer Connie Morgan said she was approached about the idea during the last Second Saturday, and that to make it happen the town would need to provide storage for two hours for eight pallets of food. Council also approved downtown street closures for Second Saturday on Sept. 14 from noon to 11 p.m. Resident Dave Morgan requested the closures, noting he and Connie received a lot of requests to do the fest in September in addition to June, July, August and October. Connie Morgan also reported that sprinkler credit is in effect for June, July and August, but said residents should be aware of the difference between sprinkler and pool credit. Pool credit does not take effect until a household’s monthly average usage has been met, she said, and noted residents should call the clerk’s office to let her know when they’re filling their pool. The number for her office is 574-566-2910. Earlier in the meeting, council heard a wastewater water credit request from resident Adam Hyde, who said he was charged for 5,554 gallons in June due to a leaky water heater. He requested credit for 3,054 gallons, noting that the average usage for his family of three is 2,500 gallons. Council President Niki Miller said she wasn’t comfortable voting yes or no because she regularly sees 5,000 gallons of usage in her own home, and council member Don Miller agreed that it sounded like average usage. Council will consider the request next month after seeing if there is a leak report in the system and looking at the average usage for the previous owner of the home.
