Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
PIERCETON - Jim Lower of Schnelker Engineering Inc., Fort Wayne, appeared at the town meeting Monday with an update on wastewater treatment plant expansion plans presented in April.
Since the spring meeting, costs for the project, adding holding tanks to increase the plant's treatment capacity from 550,000 gallons per day up to 1.25 million gallons and installing a screening system and redirecting the flow from Larwill, have risen from a little more than $800,000 to $1.5 million.
The facility was enlarged in 1992, extending a line to Larwill. The Larwill town council invested funds in the capital project and is charged a monthly fee.
The town is responding to an Indiana Department of Environmental Management statewide directive to no longer allow untreated sewage to enter waterways.
Lower gave a schedule of advertising and contract review that would give the project a starting date in November.
"We just can't afford it," said town council member Terry Hill after Lower advised him the Indiana Department of Commerce grant applications expired July 11.
"We were anticipating some help. We'll have to ask that we be given another year. What can they tell us? No? They won't kill us," Hill said.
"The people in this town will kill us if the rates go up," said board president Jerry Kreger.
Residential customers pay a minimum of $15.75 for sanitary sewer services.
Jim Bumbaugh was hired as the town's third full-time police officer. Bumbaugh, a town resident, has served as a reserve officer since last fall. A U.S. Navy veteran, he owns the Deli Store at U.S. 30 and Ind. 5 and drives a bus for the Whitko School Corp.
Bumbaugh served as a Whitley County reserve officer and for Whitley County's emergency dispatch department.
Randy Bowman also was nominated for the post by Ron Hall, whose motion failed for the lack of a second. All three council members approved Bumbaugh.
In addition to interim town marshal Tim Sammons, Bumbaugh and Terry Cahill, who is still at the academy, the town has six reserve officers.
Sammons approached the council about an increase in loitering. He said drivers are receiving uncomplimentary hand gestures, trash is being left where people stand around on the sidewalk and a couple of buildings have been vandalized.
He wanted to start issuing tickets for loitering.
Town attorney Jim Walmer said loitering ordinances are unenforceable and were struck down as too vague by the Supreme Court in the 1970s.
Walmer said the business owners could ask them to leave and the police department could call the parents of minors. He said they could be ticketed for littering.
Sammons said his officers have asked them to leave.
"We can't stop five, six times a night asking them to move on," he said.
In other business, Sammons said the individual who had shot out windows with a pellet gun was making restitution.
He also had contacted Pierceton Days organizers about street closings for the festival, Aug. 1 and 2, and the KEMRAD organization.
Town council members are Jerry Kreger, Ron Hall and Terry Hill.
