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MENTONE - Backtracking slightly, the Mentone Town Council decided Wednesday to make sure the town owns the land where Tucker Street is to be extended before any dirt is moved.
The council approved the street extension in April, but some survey markers being placed on lots where development is expected are located where town officials believe there is a platted alley.
Town attorney Larry Beeson was asked to determine exactly what the town owns in that area before any work begins on the gravel road or water line planned for the development.
"We need to have a surveyor check to make sure the town doesn't infringe on somebody else's property," said council president Ed Rock.
John Russell of Silver Lake is planning to put a model home on the first lot there, with future development to take place at a later date.
The town agreed to extend Tucker Street as a one-lane gravel road until the prospect of the development going further than the model home is known.
"We want to go about it as inexpensive as possible until we have confirmation," Rock said.
In other business, the council approved changing the employment status of Eric Carlin from part-time to full-time. Carlin's hourly pay will remain the same, but he now will receive insurance benefits.
Discussion spawned from that decision prompted the council to ask department heads to seek new quotes for health insurance. The town pays about $10,000 annually per employee for the insurance.
In other matters, the council:
• Learned that information on the town's water tests was incorrect. Utilities superintendent Brian Reed said the error was anonymously brought to his attention by a resident and that the next report will contain the correct numbers.
• Approved spending $1,000 for new equipment for the fluoride softeners to feed fluoride into the town's water system only if information can be garnered indicating the addition of fluoride is beneficial. Reed will seek documentation from the Indiana State Board of Health before purchasing the equipment.
• Gave Reed permission to purchase a leak detector for approximately $2,500. Reed told the council he recently borrowed one for demonstration purposes and immediately located a leak that was causing a loss of 100,000 gallons of water per day for a couple weeks.
• Approved payments to Synergid and R.P. Murphy & Associates in connection with the Bell Memorial Public Library project.
• Announced that street sweeping will take place Monday and Tuesday, with no parking on the north and east sides of the streets in town on Monday and on the south and west sides of the streets on Tuesday.
• Reminded residents that large-item trash pickup is set for May 16.
The Mentone Town Council meets at 7 p.m. the first Monday of each month in the town hall. The meeting was moved from Monday to Wednesday this week due to a lack of quorum on Monday. Council members Ed Rock and Mark Hughes were in attendance Wednesday. Mike Diemer was absent.
