PIERCETON – Hydrants and drainage tile were the topics of discussion at the Pierceton Town Council meeting Monday night.
Town Council President Jerry Kreger said he talked with town superintendent Chip Hill and the town can purchase a machine for $48,000 that would allow town employees to put new valves on hydrants.
Kreger said there are 17 hydrants in town that need to be repaired. He said some of them leak and some of them don’t work at all.
“I’m very hesitant to spend $48,000 up front,”âsaid councilman Jerry Hartman.
“There are several that need to be taken care of. It’s a safety issue,”âsaid Kreger.
Kreger said that estimates would save the town nearly $50,000 if the machine was purchased as opposed to contracting the work out.
Kreger said the cheapest bid was $10,000 to fix a single hydrant. Kreger said that was out of six bids.
Hartman said he wanted clerk-treasurer Janet Castle to see if the town could afford it and wanted Hill to give a “realistic” estimate on how much it would cost in man hours for town employees to complete that project.
Kreger also said it could help the town if they had water issues like they did in 2010 where a boil advisory had to be called after a water main burst.
Resident Andy Long asked the town what was being done about a sinkhole and 10 x 10 hole he has in his backyard.
Both Kreger and Hartman said the town is looking at ways to fund the replacement of drainage tile.
Town attorney Jim Walmer said that if the problem is a result of a county ditch that Long should contact county surveyor Dick Kemper.
Long said he’s had this problem since March and wanted to know what the town was going to do about it.
“Unless we put a drainage tax on everyone in town, how can we fund it?” asked Kreger.
The town was recently contacted by a company that said it would be interested in looking at the issue.
Kim Rose, director of Pierceton Days, said this year’s festival over the weekend was a success.
She also reminded the council that Day of Caring is Aug. 17, and if anyone had any odd jobs around town to have them contact her.
Pierceton Town Marshal Tim Sammons said Pierceton Days went well from the aspect of his department.
He did confirm that there were some parking issues and that several cars received tickets and/or were towed during the weekend.
Sammons also wanted to remind residents that with kids returning back to school this month, motorists should be more careful when driving through town.
He noted that a lot of kids walk to school in town and have to cross First Street to get to school.
Sammons asked motorists to exhibit extra caution when kids are heading to and from school.
The council’s next meeting is Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Hartman said there will be a memorial service Sept. 11 to mark the 10-year anniversary of the terrorist attacks on 9/11.
The ceremony will be in Brower Park and will start at 1 p.m.
The American Legion Post out of Pierceton, as well as several clergy from local churches, will be at the ceremony.
Kory Mettler, tennis coach at Whitko, asked the town if a timer could be put on the lights at the park in town so kids could play tennis later.
With three members of the town’s park board on hand, Mettler was directed to talk to them after the meeting.
