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SYRACUSE - Mickey Scott was voted in as the new fire chief, effective Jan. 1, in a three-to-one vote, and the ordinance banning train whistles was repealed in a three-to-two vote at Monday's special Syracuse Town Council meeting in the town hall.
Carol Koble, Paul Stoelting and Bill Hane voted for Scott, while council president Barb Carwile cast the dissenting vote and Michael Davis, town council member and fireman, abstained. After a lengthy discussion, Carwile, Hane and Davis voted to repeal the whistle ban while Koble and Stoelting voted against the repeal.
After the vote, town manager Brian Redshaw said repeal of the whistle ban has always been a possibility. He presented the board with two options offered by the Indiana Department of Transportation. The council could accept or reject either, but to eliminate whistle blowing, the town must complete all 11 items on the options' "to do" list.
The council thought there were more cons than pros to the two options, which included closing Oak Street and making other streets one-way as well as erecting gates at railroad crossings at a total cost of $750,000, with the town's portion being about 10 percent.
Koble said she would like to see a third option that would answer the needs of the more than 400 people who signed the petition for banning train whistles in town. Davis said South Bend has a whistle ban and the highest fatality rate of any county in the state.
Dennis Beadle, who heads the safety committee, lobbied for continuation of the whistle ban. He said the federal government never issued the rules for "no-whistle zones," and once agreed to, the town has three years to act on one of the options.
After the vote, Beadle said he still wants to see quad gates on Ind. 13, and Koble said she wants to restrict left turns from Medusa Street onto Huntington Street. The council agreed with both suggestions. Town attorney Mike Reed will draw up the ordinance and Beadle will search for funding to install the gates.
Scott, 41, has been a Syracuse fireman for 10 years. He hopes to expand the department as the town and township grow. He believes the best way is through education and training. On Thursday, he will complete emergency medical service training. Scott resides near Wawasee High School, is married and the father of two.
In other action the council authorized ¼Redshaw to sign a natural gas contract if he believes the price is right.
