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MILFORD - Ryan LaReau, project engineer with Commonwealth Engineering, went before the Milford Town Council Tuesday with a couple of items for approval on the water project.
He brought two pay applications and a change order.
The council approved pay application 2 for Division A, the new treatment facility, to R Yoder Construction for $2,375. The council also approved pay application 1 for Division B, the water main portion of the project, to Selge Construction for $273,110.50, which he said included some water main but had a lot of the mobilization costs included.
LaReau also brought a change order because they discovered an underground storage tank north of the intersection and right in line with where the water main would be placed. He said there was some back and forth and they wondered if the tank was leaking and if the soil was contaminated. He said they did an environmental test, and the soil was not contaminated, and the tank does contain liquid.
After speaking with Utility Superintendent Steve Marquart, they decided removing the tank would be the best option to avoid having to go around it and then having to do consistent testing for leaks. The cost of removing the tank and disposing of the liquid inside of it is $18,395. The council approved the change order.
The council also approved the $2.4 million budget on final reading without further comment. Clerk-Treasurer Tricia Gall announced the ordinance with the total budget of $2,423,303 and an advertised tax rate of $1.1634 per $100 assessed valuation. The budget includes a 2% pay increase for employees, an increase in insurance and in the water department for the water project.
Despite those increases, the budget is slightly lower than the 2025 budget, which was $2,459,989 with an advertised tax rate of $1.24 per $100 assessed value and lower than the 2024 budget, which was $2,633,760.
Beth Johnson, with USI Consulting, had a couple of items for the council. The first concerned the trail project and she wanted approval to stake the right-of-way along the nine parcels.
Gall said, “It’s more of a visual so the property owners can see how their property might be affected by the trail, but the cost is not currently in the project.”
The cost to stake the right-of-way is $11,700 and the council approved the cost. Councilman Ken Long asked if they had the ability to mark and map those locations in GIS (Geographic Information System) in case the stakes are removed. Town attorney Jay Rigdon responded that the surveyor likely has that information.
Johnson also brought a request to prepare the town’s Pavement Asset Management Plan to keep the town compliant for next year. It needs to be submitted by Dec. 1. That cost is $1,750 and the council approved it.
Rigdon brought an updated ordinance listing recently annexed streets to comply with speed limits of 20 miles per hour, to be consistent with other town streets. The additional streets were Lehman, Michele and Jeremy drives and Eastfield Circle. The council approved the ordinance.
He also informed the council that he received an email about an issue with trucks parking south of Emeline and Ind. 15, creating visibility issues. He said the Plan Commission is working on that issue and if people are parking in that alley, which is a violation, they could be issued a citation.
Resident Dan Buell brough his concern about a water bill showing he used more than 12,000 gallons of water in four days when normally his use is below 50 gallons.
Marquart suggested maybe his toilet tank flapper got stuck causing the toilet to run constantly. Buell disputed that, saying he would have noticed if that were the case.
It was also suggested that maybe someone used his outdoor spigot without his knowledge. Buell said he thought of that and questioned builders working in the neighborhood and was told they had not used his faucet. He wondered if the meter malfunctioned during those four days because it seems to be working now. However, he has a new meter, so town officials think that would be rare.
After much discussion, Council President Doug Ruch said the usual procedure is to change out the meter and have it tested for accuracy, but if it comes back accurate, the cost might fall on him. Buell will pay the minimum amount of the bill now and, after the testing, they’ll discuss the invoice further.
Junior Anderson, 311 N. East St., said he was recently notified that he is in violation because he has a storage building on one of his lots that was divided into two lots at some point. He said Kosciusko County Area Plan Director Matt Sandy suggested he get the blessing of the town council.
Council members said they can’t approve or deny the use, that is the county’s job, but after discussion voted to send a letter stating that they know of no objection to what he is doing.
Ron Baumgartner and Katie Hurley, of The Papers, reported they were at the end of their beautification project at the railroad crossing. Baumgartner said they used 18 tons of topsoil. They thanked the council and Baumgartner asked about “no spraying” signs and Marquart said he would get and install the signs.
For the street department, Marquart received the council’s blessing to purchase a new mower — a Super C Hustler 38.5 horsepower gas mower from Casey’s Erosion, Goshen, for $13,264.30. Marquart brought several quotes and options but felt this was the best option and they would keep the current mower and keep it at the wastewater treatment plant. Councilman Jim Smiley agreed with Marquart that this was the best option and praised Casey’s customer service.
The council also approved having Wicked Willow Trimming trim some trees for $4,500 as the lowest of two quotes received.
Marquart reported he received the new wastewater permit, and it is good until 2031. He received the council’s approval to go straight to the town attorney if he finds someone in violation of the wastewater ordinance.
Marquart reminded residents that leaf pickup will start next week and they should put leaves in the street, away from vehicles and mailboxes and not near the drains. Leaves need to be free of sticks, stones and trash.
He reported for the Fall Clean Up Day they had 146 visitors, and they filled six 30-yard dumpsters with rubbish and two 40-yard dumpsters with scrap metal. He said that was down a little from past years.
The pier at the lake will be removed the week of Oct. 27th.
In other business, the council:
• Approved extending the trash contract with Sweetheimer until the end of the year at the same cost of $9.30 per household and they have 578 households. Gall said she hoped to have it ready to bid by January.
• Heard it’s Fire Prevention Month and firefighters are making school visits. They also purchased a couple of needed parts with money raised through fundraisers.
