CLAYPOOL – Town council agreed Monday to look into buying a used vehicle before deciding whether or not to repair an older police cruiser. Police Chief Lou Mediano presented council last month an estimate of up to $3,700 to replace or repair everything from the transmission to the spark plugs on a 1999 vehicle with 139,000 miles. It only has a trade-in value of $500, council heard. The town expects to have three reserve officers in the next few months. In December, Mediano brought quotes in the $30,000 range for a new vehicle plus equipment so the department can have enough cruisers. Council members agreed it was worth a shot to find prices for a used vehicle no more than five or six years old. Council also directed town attorney Tom Earhart to draft a resolution making an alley off Section Street into a one-way street. The change was requested last month by resident Danny Manges, who said the alley beside his home poses risks both for vehicles turning onto Section Street and for his home, which he said has nearly been hit by vehicles that can’t make the incline. Manges told council his neighbors also endorse the change, and town employees agreed that the alley is hard to drive and difficult to plow in winter. Also Monday, town council: • Approved a contract through 2017 with solid waste company Advance Disposal, at prices close to last year’s. • Approved the $7,260 purchase of chlorine system parts and $2,235 for stairs and railed platforms for the wastewater treatment plant. • Heard that the mobile food pantry will start up again April 25 at 9 a.m., on the basketball court by the town clerk’s office; and that the town’s spring cleanup will be May 9, with garbage trucks making trips through town for regular trash and then for larger items. Clerk-treasurer Connie Morgan said residents can call her with questions about items they need picked up, at 574-566-2910.
