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PIERCETON - Requests for vacations of two streets in town were put on hold until next month.
Members of the Pierceton Town Council on Monday told Jack Phillips to submit the proper paperwork to vacate a portion of Church Street, and Charlie Wright is seeking to have Pine Street in Byers Addition closed.
Phillips told the council that if they opted to vacate the area that is plotted as Church Street, but has never been developed, he would put dirt along where the area dead-ends at U.S. 30 to dam the water that runs across the highway and causes some of the flooding problems in town.
Council president Ron Hall said he isn't sure of the legalities of damming, but the council would consider Phillips' vacation request after a petition and proposed ordinance is submitted.
The council will also consider Wright's request, although Hall said he has reservations about closing a street vs. an alley through a subdivision because it could cut off more construction in the area in the future. However, Wright said, there are two other streets that go through the eight-lot addition. The other council members, Terry Hill and Jerry Kreger, said they would not be opposed to the vacation but would wait for public input before making a decision.
Wright made the request to vacate Pine Street (formerly Church Street) because the lot sizes are narrow and building a house could be constrictive after setback requirements are met. He must also get the necessary paperwork before the matter can be acted upon.
Both requests will be considered at the October meeting.
The council also heard from a couple who live near the park and Lions Club members concerned with littering and other undesirable activities in the park.
Amber Voorhorst said her porch overlooks the park and she has yelled at some of the older teen-agers who seem to be causing vandalism, using profanity, smoking and littering there. She said the majority of problems take place during daylight hours and questioned whether the town has a littering ordinance; she continually picks up trash in the park and thinks that fines for the offenders may curb the problem. There is no town ordinance regarding littering.
Officials are unsure how to handle the problems and said they believe the greatest hurdle to overcome is for parents to be more concerned with what their children are doing when they are not at home.
In other matters, Kurt Carver of Warsaw was the high bidder for the town's 1975 dump truck with 9-foot dump bed and a salt/sand spreader.
The total package sold for $1,600 after an open-bid process turned into an auction Monday. No sealed bids were received for the sale of the vehicle. After an opening bid of $500, the only other bidder backed off after climbing to $1,500 before Carver offered $1,600.
