Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
MILFORD - Several appeals were made by Milford officials for residents’ assistance during the winter months, especially when the snow flies.
Fire Chief Todd Haines asked residents if they have a fire hydrant in front of their homes to shovel around it to help the fire department out, in case of an emergency.
Utility Superintendent Steve Marquart asked if residents or businesses have a storm drain in front of their property to remove any snow or ice. He asked them to be sure to move vehicles off the street so that snowplows can get down the road safely. He reminded them with the bitter cold temperatures to be sure to keep their water meter from getting frozen because if it does and has to be replaced, the cost will be on them.
Lastly, the council reminded everyone that the town ordinance states that sidewalks in town must be shoveled and cleared of snow and ice to keep them safe for others or they may be subject to being fined.
Commonwealth Engineers
Ryan LaReau, of Commonwealth Engineers, was present with pay application and change orders for the water projects. LaReau had two applications for their approval. The first was for Division A — the water treatment plant and was mostly for beginning site work in the amount of $200,705.53 to R Yoder Construction. The council approved without any comment.
The pay application for Division B, the water main/water service project, is mainly for water mains and the amount was $376,848.83. The council approved the payment.
LaReau also had a list of items on a change order and said, “As with any underground project, once you get into it you find you need more or less than projected.”
He said with the additions and deductions it almost came out even.
The first item was a driveway on Shaffer Street that had decorative, stamped concrete. The contractor was concerned that they wouldn’t be able to match the concrete, so they used directional drilling, which caused a net deduction of $350.
The second item was at the intersection of North Shaffer and Syracuse Road where they found the water service was 2 inches instead of 1 inch, causing a conflict and an additional cost of $3,993. At the intersection of Section and Main Streets, the water main was planned near the existing gas main but too close, so the water main had to shift and they put it in a casing in order to comply with the Indiana Department of Emergency Management’s requirement of 10-foot separation. He said Selge Construction was only going to charge them for the materials so it’s an addition of $1,600.
At the intersection of Shaffer, Beer & Catherine they were going to do a live tap but once they dug it up, they discovered there was already a live tap down the road so the only addition was the hydrant extension, resulting in a net deduction of $8,314.
Lastly, at Elm and Maple, the records show two water mains not connected, but they were connected so the cost is only for investigation an addition of $1,350 and a net deduction of $73,049. He said adding all the deductions, it was a net deduction of $76,120.
In addition, at Sixth Street they thought it would be ideal if they extended another 300 feet and tie into an 8-inch main and since they “had that big deduction, it’s almost a wash.” Selge said doing that work would be a net addition of $75,750.
Added all together, it adds up to a net deduction of $370. After a couple of questions, the council approved the change orders as presented.
LaReau also advised council that with more information, they are now up to 82 known lead or galvanized services from 50 and 12 non-lead. He suggested they may have the ability to add more services in the future and wanted them to think about it because the opportunity may come up in a month or two.
Waubee Lake Association
Eldon Sidener. of the Waubee Lake Association. was there to renew the 2026 contract with the town and said they had “a great time last year and hope to have a better year next year.”
He said they were thinking about renting out canoes and kayaks and wondered if the town would have any issues.
Town attorney Jay Rigdon advised they’d need liability insurance. Councilman Kenneth Long suggested they call the Department of Natural Resources. They are also thinking about volleyball tournaments and Rigdon said since that would be on the town’s land versus the water, they should have a waiver releasing the town from any liability.
Their planned Polar Plunge for Jan. 1 is moving forward. The DNR has all their paperwork and they’re waiting for a call about their on-site inspection. The DNR said the dive team is not necessary as long as the fire department is there and they’ll be meeting this week to discuss it.
The amount of the contract with the town to run the concession stand is $1 per year. Council President Doug Ruch thanked them for all they’re doing.
Meter Testing
Clerk-Treasurer Tricia Gall brought up that they received the results of the meter testing for Dan Buell’s meter. She informed him of the meeting and of the results, but he wasn’t present. She said the results came back that the meter was within accuracy, so the council needed to decide whether to credit Buell or not.
Ruch said the procedure has been that “we confirmed the meter is correct so there’s no fault of our meter, so we don’t pay.”
Councilman James Smiley made a motion to charge for the water but not the sewer in an attempt to meet him halfway. The motion died for lack of a second. Ruch made a motion to table the item and Long seconded it, saying he’d prefer to have Buell present, but he agreed with Doug. “The water went somewhere but given the fact that an independent lab (M E Simpson) said the meter was fine so it’s kind of up to him,” he said.
Fire Department
Haines reported that they held the election of officers for 2026 and he remains chief. The first assistant chief is Brian Haines, the second assistant chief is Matt Byler, the secretary is Steven Farber, the treasurer is Kevin Walker, and the training officers are RJ Plummer and Eric Haines.
He said they purchased a new compressor for their SCBA (Self Contained Breathing Apparatus) equipment that came with bottles and other items but also a higher volume and pressure so it used more power to run it. He said the fire station that was built in the late 1950s or early 1960s doesn’t have enough power. He said when the siren goes off, the lights dim. They want to put 200-amp service in and are in the process of getting quotes. He said he believes they’ll be able to cover most of the cost but wondered if they were short a couple of thousand dollars would the town help?
Long said they could look at it and told him to get the quotes and they’ll find some money.
In other business:
• Ron Baumgartner came regarding snow being pushed into the guardrails at Fourth Street where they recently planted plantings for beautification. He told the council he thought they found a solution for the Jane Street side, but not on the Main Street side. Marquart said, “We’re going to work on it.”
• The council approved the use of the community building in 2026 for the Milford Lion’s Club as long as there are no conflicts.
• The council approved having Rigdon send a letter to a company who has not completed a project.
• The council approved office closures on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day and the clerk’s office closed to the public Dec. 26-Jan. 1 as they move their office into the meeting room so the lobby project can get started the first weeks of the new year.
• The council approved paying AIM dues of $1,887 — a 3% increase from last year.
• The council approved an interlocal agreement with Kosciusko County for terminal data service in the amount of $582.75.
• The council decided to hold an end-of-the-year meeting on Dec. 30 at 1 p.m.
