Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
PIERCETON - The Pierceton Town Council welcomed the town's new utility superintendent during a meeting Tuesday.
During a special meeting on Aug. 17, the council approved hiring William “Alex” Sturgess as the town’s superintendent, and Town Marshal Phillip Hawks as the town’s manager. Sturgess’ first day was Aug. 31, while Clerk-Treasurer Myra Mast asked to amend Hawks’ first day to Aug. 17.
Sturgess is certified in water and wastewater, and has a distribution license, which is required to run the wastewater plant. He grew up “right outside of town” and went to Whitko before moving out of state to graduate high school.
“I look forward to working with everyone … bringing my expertise to the community, and seeing how we can grow,” said Sturgess. “I can’t see everything, so if you see something, say something and we’ll get it addressed.”
Council President Glenn Hall welcomed Sturgess, and asked for the town to “bear with us as we get used to the new roles that Alex and Phil are in.” He also noted if there are any issues to get a hold of Sturgess or Hawks, who will be able to help them.
The council also heard from Kosciusko County Area Plan Director Matt Sandy, who gave the council a recommendation for rezoning approval. During an Area Plan Commission meeting on Sept. 2, the commission unanimously approved the rezoning of 1.76 acres of land off Pequignot Drive for Ramon David Ortiz Hernandez from an Industrial 2 District to a Commercial District. Hernandez would like to place his car store at the location, and this was approved by the council.
Sandy told the council he will also be looking at a time in November to cover House Bill 1001, since Pierceton is a participant of the plan commission, and will send out the invitation at a later date.
Reports
For the town wastewater and streets department, Sturgess told the council that they will need to look at replacing the lift stations because they cannot be re-built anymore. A quote Sturgess brought noted it would be $12,201 for one of the pumps.
The town is down to one high-service pump, which supplies the entire town with water and needs to be fixed. Sturgess knows that it will be an urgent issue and may cost around $10,000.
Hawks noted for non-business hours for the wastewater plant, the gates will be locked and secured for the safety of the public. During business hours, people are more than welcome to take debris down to the burn pile, but “if it’s over-full, don’t add to it,” and don't leave it at the gate.
Carla Quintero with the Park and Recreation Committee let the council know that Friday the crew at 440 Dirt will be setting the concrete for the flagpole. She noted all the work they did was for free. She also solidified the date for the ribbon cutting to be at 2 p.m. Sept. 20.
Hall asked about the signs for the park, and Quintero noted that she is still waiting on quotes, but it will most likely be a winter project. Hall also noted the tennis court net will need to be tightened, and Quintero said she would have Sturgess or Noah Shepherd look into overtightening them, since it had been tightened already that week.
Other Business
The council announced the proposed budget for 2027 to be a total of $2,065,583. This will be adopted at the next meeting. Hall stated that anyone who wants to find additional details on the proposed budget can view it online at budgetnotices.in.gov, call 888-739-9826 or get a hold of Mast for a further breakdown.
Hawks told the council that the police department was awarded $5,000 for the Comprehensive Hoosier Highway Injury Reduction Program Grant.
The police department is aware the school zone lights are out but said “that is an Indiana Department of Transportation issue,” and they have been made aware. Hawks noted the speed limit is still 25 miles per hour when school is in session even though the lights are out.
The street department is gearing up for the winter season, and a part-time employee is working on finding all the bent or missing street signs that need to be replaced.
Hawks asked for and received permission from the council to apply for two grants for the wastewater plant which have been addressed earlier by Astbury. He noted these are “big ticket items” that will need to be addressed regardless. NIPSCO has offered a free tree trimming service along Pequignot Drive, which will be signed by Hawks.
Hawks and Council Vice-President Matt Brubaker told the council that after looking at all the improvements that need to be made to the wastewater plant, they are looking at around $500,000 in those projects. Hawks stated the plant is running at max capacity, but the intake is sitting on ⅔ capacity. Hall noted that these issues have been an issue for a long time and will be looking into grants to help fund these projects.
Quintero asked for permission for the bathrooms to be open for the Pierceton Schools Parent/Teacher Organization’s Fall Festival, which was approved.
Girls Nite Out will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Oct. 16.
Trick or treat will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 31.
The next meeting and the budget adoption meeting will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13.
