Two Residents Honored For Heroism At House FireMILFORD – Milford residents John McQuade and Micah Mansfield were honored by Milford Fire Department and the town at Monday’s Town Council meeting for their heroic acts during a recent fire.
Fire Chief Virgil Sharp said the fire was April 7 on Catherine Street and Ind. 15 and the two men were working nearby.
“Some people were trapped on the second story and these two got a ladder and helped them out,” Sharp said. “On behalf of the Milford Fire Department, the town and residents, we greatly appreciate it.”
They were presented with an award. Council members commented they were impressed by what they did and then returned back to work.
McQuade said, “We were glad we were there and the people were safe. Thank you very much.”
In other fire department news, Sharp informed the Council the township was ordering them a new fire truck, which will take the place of two – a pumper that belongs to the township and a rescue truck that belongs to the town so the town can auction the old one off if they choose once the new one arrives.
There was also a lengthy discussion about new radios as many communities are switching to 800 radios. Sharp said Elkhart County, Marshall County and Noble County have already switched and Syracuse and Leesburg are as well. Sharp said he applied for a federal grant, a state grant and it’s been suggested he apply for a K21 Health Foundation grant as well.
“I didn’t want to do all this,” he admitted.
He told the Council they’ll need five units for trucks, 18 handheld radios and if they can get the grants, 30 pagers. The total cost would be $118,000.
Van Buren Township Trustee Becky Alles said the townships are going to help and K21 organizers want the communities to contribute. She asked Clerk-Treasurer Tricia Gall to take a look at 2022 budget to see what they could do as she felt all the entities should contribute.
Representatives from Office Concepts and Microbyte were present to answer questions about quotes submitted for new office equipment. After some discussion, Council President Doug Ruch pointed out that, of the three quotes, Microbyte was the lowest at a cost of $2,835 for a copier/printer for the clerk’s office. That includes toner, supplies and maintenance.
Police Chief Derek Kreider asked permission to purchase a vehicle from New Castle Police Department to be used by part-time and reserve officers. The vehicle is a Dodge Charger – there was some discrepancy over whether it was a 2012 or 2016 so Gall was going to confirm – at a cost of $6,500. Kreider said the department had some of the equipment needed but the balance needed for a radio would be $1,749.87.
The council approved the purchase.
Kreider also received permission to promote Thomas Waikel to chief deputy to fill the vacancy left by Tim Miller’s retirement. The promotion was more for chain of command, there’d be no wage increase at this time as Waikel has not been with the department a year yet.
Utilities Superintendent Steve Marquart followed up on requests made by residents at the last meeting for street lights on Sixth Street and in North Park. Northern Indiana Public Service Company told him it would cost $10,472 for 13 lights but there would also be a monthly charge.
Gall said she thought they should wait until they know how much the pond closure is going to cost and they could revisit after that. The council agreed.
Council approved the purchase of an 8-inch valve that Indiana Department of Environmental Management suggested the water utility replace. Marquart had a quote from EJP to purchase the valve for $1,225.21 and the town employees would install it, or if purchased from Peerless Midwest they’d also install it and the cost would be $2,723.
After some discussion Marquart said he thought his employees should attempt to install it and the council approved the purchase from EJP at $1,225.21.
He also received permission to pursue a State Water Infrastructure Fund (SWIF) grant through the Indiana Finance Authority. This is a new program so when they have more details they’ll provide that information to the council.
For parks, Marquart said they are still looking to hire workers for the concession stand at the lake so interested parties should contact town hall.
The clerk brought up a social media archive company that she gave the council information about last month. She explained since the town and the police department’s Facebook pages (and other social media) are considered public record, it should be protected. The cost to archive it is $2,998 a year. Councilman Ken Long doesn’t use Facebook. He said he sees the need but didn’t like the cost.
Gall said she felt strongly about meeting people where they’re at, communicating and transparency. Councilman Doug Ruch made the motion to try it for a year and Councilman Robert Cockburn seconded the motion. Long voted against the motion but it passed 2-1.
In other business, the Council:
• Heard Town Hall and the clerk’s office will be closed July 5 for the Independence Day holiday.
• Approved camera work for sewer lines at a cost not to exceed $1,000.
• Approved an amendment to the salary ordinance to add employee RJ Plummer, who started June 1 with an annual salary of $41,000.
• Set two budget workshop meetings for July 13-14.
• Heard an executive session will be Thursday at 6 p.m.
• Heard representatives from Michiana Area Council of Government (MACOG) will be going door-to-door in Milford Wednesday from 5 to 8 p.m. to do a random survey of households. Marquart asks residents to please respond as their answers will help the town receive grant funds to improve water and infrastructure.
