SILVER LAKE - It's a slow process, but Silver Lake is in the process of a cleanup.
At Tuesday's town council meeting, Silver Lake resident Jim Walker raised a question about the condition of some of the residences around the lake.
The council discussed the issue at an earlier meeting, and asked Town Marshal Craig Hollopeter to send letters requesting residents to clean several areas near the lake and throughout the town."Craig has been working on it," said Ron Jones, town council president.
"I know it's not an easy task," Walker said.
Some of the residences in question have been cleaned up and, according to Phil Shalley, one house has been condemned.
The condemnation process also has been started for a couple of other houses.
"We can't make it happen overnight," said town officer Jason McGlennen. "It's a slow process, but we are working on it."
In other business, the council:
n Approved a motion to update the old tornado siren so it is compatible with the new sirens recently purchased by the town. Once the sirens are tested, the old siren may be moved to cover areas left unprotected by the two new sirens.
n Approved a motion to hire Mike Carr to renovate the old sewer building near the water tower. The renovations include replacing two windows, a countertop and sink as well as adding some shelving and insulation. Carr's bid for the complete project was $9,600.
n Approved a motion to hire Jim Groves to replace the roof of the town hall and of the town meeting room. Groves will be paid $5,224.98 for the job.
n Heard a request for help finding old photos of Silver Lake from Laurie Voss. Voss is writing a book about the history of Silver Lake, and is trying to have it ready for the town's sesquicentennial celebration. Anyone with photos or information that may be helpful to Voss may e-mail her at bluedays61@earthlink.net
n Approved a claim docket of $271,524.79.
n Heard that four letters were received from Brenda Wadkins requesting documents.
n Heard that mosquito spraying may begin next week if the weather stays the way it has been. Town residents are asked to avoid keeping standing water, which encourages the growth of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes can breed and hatch in standing water in three days. Anyone who prefers that their land not be sprayed should contact Shalley or leave a message at 260-352-2120, 260-352-2035 or 260-352-3333.
n Heard that tree trimmers are in town doing "major tree work," according to Shalley. Anyone who wants untreated wood chips should contact Shalley at one of the numbers listed above.
n Heard that Jasun Blocher has completed and submitted a grant request for the K21 Foundation. The grant would be used to purchase new breathing apparatuses for the firemen. The new equipment will cost between $90,000 and $96,000.
n Approved a motion to rent the farmland behind the fire station to Robby Clark for $1.
