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SYRACUSE - The very last item on the agenda, new business, was the reason more than a dozen townspeople sat through a two-hour Syracuse Town Council meeting Tuesday.
They had heard that council president Barb Carwile would ask to discuss town easements, 11 of them, on Syracuse Lake. She said she has long wanted them blacktopped and to do so the town needs a survey. The council voted to support her request for a survey with Mike Davis casting the only negative vote.
Among those who remonstrated against paving the easements were Ernie and Julie Rogers, Doug and Jeannine Schrock, Gus and Nancy Duehmig and David Ganz.
The Schrocks told the board they believe there are better ways to spend tax money, such as installing sidewalks, curbs and storm sewers to their North Shore Drive neighborhood and other parts of town and increasing water pressure to the industrial park so they can operate a plastic extrusion plant in town.
"We don't want to take our business out of town," Schrock told the board.
Gus Duehmig noted that paving the easements would create more road run-off, polluting the lake. Nancy Duehmig explained that more than 12 years ago, before they moved to town, someone had paved the easement next to their home as a patio and added lights. "Will you remove this and other improvements?" she asked.
Council member Carol Koble explained that the town owns the property and is responsible for its care. "We don't want changes on town property. We don't want easements altered," she said.
Ganz asked if the town could afford to maintain the easements after confirming his assumption that they will be swept and snow-plowed. "All that salt and sand will end up in the lake," he said.
Ernie Rogers said the easements belong to the taxpayers of Syracuse, and "I can't see paving them."
Underlying many of the comments made by other remonstrators was use of Syracuse Lake, its shoreline and its easements by individuals who don't live in the town.
"We don't want the lake more accessible, especially to out-of-towners. People in town know the easements are there and can use them," one remonstrator commented.
Another hot topic was limiting chicken barbecue sales. Jo Butler spoke for the Syracuse/Wawasee Garden Club, asking the town to offer permits and provide a calendar to help groups in town plan activities that don't conflict. She complained that during the July Fourth activities there were four chicken barbecues on one day with none of the groups making money.
Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce head Steve Hite said he maintains such a calendar for everyone in the town to use. He was told that because his office isn't open all day, every day, it isn't as accessible as the town hall.
As a result of Butler's comments, town manager Brian Redshaw and town attorney Mike Reed were instructed to look into an ordinance that will create a permit requirement and limit this kind of fund-raiser.
In other action, the council granted a 60-day extension to Mark Philabaum to clean up the building that caved in from heavy snow last winter. His attorney David Cates told the board work has been done to remove debris, and "what is left is safe and solid."
Cates said there have been many circumstances that stopped cleanup of the building during the past seven months - his client was denied access to the property until May 25 because of a pending sale, nothing can be done with the building until the Philabaum divorce is final Aug. 21 and results of an environmental study showed some areas of concern.
If the second environmental study shows healthy ground, the Rotary Club plans to buy the property to develop it into an area for use by the Boy Scouts.
"It still looks terrible - better, but terrible. I don't want to wait another six months," Koble told Cates.
The board requested that the fence be moved to enclose only the Philabaum property and to allow town vehicles access to the road along the north side of the damaged building, which then gives them access to the west side of the building. Both of these areas are owned by the town.
In other action, parks superintendent Michael Hixenbaugh asked the board to modify an ordinance that sets the standards for appointing parks board members. He wants the library and school boards to appoint voting members to the parks board who are confirmed by the town council.
Although the ordinance was ready for signing, it was decided to amend it to state that all appointments must be Turkey Creek Township residents, if not Syracuse town residents.
One citizen expressed disbelief that the board would allow a non-town resident to be appointed to the board.
Koble said she is for including those from outside the town, and Hixenbaugh said the grant for the community center building requires that the parks department offer services to all seniors in the area.
The town council also approved claims totaling nearly a half-million dollars, passed the parking ordinance that has been discussed and changed at every meeting since January and granted the Public Works Department permission to purchase a truck for $27,500 to replace the old police car it now uses.
Sept. 5 is the date set for the first reading of the budget, with the second reading and adoption set for Sept. 18. It will be advertised in the Times-Union and the Mail Journal on Aug. 22 and Aug. 29. The town also will advertise for a part time building inspector. The council allocated $2,000 in the budget for this new position.
Clerk-treasurer Elgie Tatman announced that the town hall would be open until 5 p.m. next week to allow residents to get tags for their trash containers. Trash pickup with the new company begins Aug. 1 for those who live north of the railroad tracks, and Aug. 2 for those who live south of the tracks.
During June the Syracuse Fire Department made 25 runs and saw total fire loss in excess of $100,000. Three of the runs were within the town, while 11 were in the township. The department also made 37 EMS runs in town and 22 in the township.
The Syracuse Police Department responded to more than 500 calls in June and made 29 criminal arrests. There were 10 alarms, 69 courtesy calls, 36 sheriff or state police assists and the four fire department assists. The police department answered 374 complaints and received 82 offense reports. In addition, it issued 80 traffic tickets, 64 warnings and 14 parking tickets and made five arrests for drunk driving.
