Mentone Town Council Approves ADA Sidewalk Resolutions
Posted
David Slone-dslone@timesuniononline.com
MENTONE – Sidewalks in Mentone will improve for the handicapped over the next 20 years thanks to three resolutions the town council approved Monday night. Tim Croy, council president, told councilwomen Jill Gross and Shelly Krueger that they needed to approve the Americans with Disabilities Act resolutions. The resolutions require that over the next 20 years, the town must fix sidewalks where they intersect with streets so they are handicapped accessible. The State of Indiana wants to do this statewide, Croy said, and will fund any improvements of existing sidewalks that intersect with state roads. The three approved resolutions include guidelines for accessible design standards and guidelines for pedestrian facilities in the public right of way; a transition plan for the pedestrian network that has been prepared that reflects current town infrastructure and ADA design standards; and the naming of an ADA coordinator for the town. Croy said he picked Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd as the town’s ADA coordinator. “We have 20 years to do all this?” Gross asked. Shepherd said he thought all the mapping for it had to be completed when they send in all the resolutions and information. To help with the project, Gross made a motion to name Emmans Engineering as the town engineer, which was approved. At the Nov. 5 council meeting, Shepherd had presented an idea to the council to name Emmans as town engineer. The town, effective Jan. 1, will pay Emmans $4,300 annually for up to 60 hours of work. Shepherd also reported Beer & Slabaugh completed all the work on the catch basins and he was happy with their job. The approximate $31,000 for the work came out of the Economic Development Income Tax fund. He also reported that Good Excavating did a good job on the tile work on North Franklin Street that the county paid for. Now, they just have to wait for a good rain to see if it holds. In other business, Town Marshal Jim Eads reported he got everything signed for his new truck. It should arrive in the second week of January. During the Nov. 5 meeting, Eads provided a quote from Rice Ford to trade in his 2005 vehicle for a 2012 truck. With the $11,000 trade in, the 2012 truck will cost $18,835.24, not including the topper. The council approved the trade in and purchase of the new truck.
