Bullard: Subdivision project is dead (09/19/06)

A local developer says his hopes of building a subdivision in Portland have been squashed by the Portland City Council.

Jason Bullard had asked for the city to pay $175,000 toward the costs of streets and other infrastructure for Hidden Cove Subdivision, which would have been located on the southeast side of the city.

Bullard said this morning he cannot complete the project without the city's help.

Members of the council voted to turn down the request because the city has never funded the construction of a streets for housing developments.

"I wish they had a better excuse than 'we've never done it before,'" Bullard said this morning.

Bullard, who first took his plans to city zoning officials about two years ago, had planned to build the 35-lot subdivision on Portland's southside. He asked the city to pay $175,000 toward his development for the construction of a street and cul-de-sac within the subdivision.

Members of the Portland City Council voted to deny Bullard's request after hearing the findings of a three-member committee appointed by Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland. Bullard did not attend Monday's meeting.

Council member Jerry Leonhard, a member of the committee, read a statement of the findings of the group, which also included council members Judy Aker and Bill Gibson. In the statement, Leonhard said the city has never funded the construction of streets for housing developments in the past, nor have any other nearby communities. The committee concurs to "recommend to the city council that the request be denied."

The council approved the findings of the committee, thus agreeing to deny the request. Council members did not discuss the matter before voting.

Bullard said he spoke with Aker before the council meeting and had a sense the request would be denied.

"It was very, very unexpected," he said this morning of his conversation with Aker.

"It makes it impossible for the developer" to complete such a project with the high costs of construction. "I'm extremely disappointed."

"We certainly wish Mr. Bullard the best in his development," Hosier said after the council voted.

Also Monday, council members:

•Approved two five-year tax abatement requests.

Pennville Custom Cabinetry, 600 E. Votaw St., Portland, requested an abatement on the purchase of a new router. The router is expected to cost $225,000, and create one job with an annual salary of $35,000 to $40,000.

Also, International Paper, 300 Industrial Park Drive, asked for an abatement on the purchase of an assembler, a saw and an air filter.

The items International officials plan to purchase would cost an estimated $181,000.

The council approved the requests based on the recommendation of the Portland Tax Abatement Advisory Committee, which met Sept. 15.

Tax abatements allow taxes to be paid in increasing increments over several years, phasing in the additional taxes due on the capital investment.

•Heard Hosier announce he recently got an updated timeline on the West Votaw Street project, which is being done near the new Wal-Mart SuperCenter.

Hosier said he met with Wal-Mart and Indiana Department of Transportation officials who said the project now is expected to be completed around the beginning of November. Originally, the work was expected to be finished sometime in October. The street is being widened to make lanes to drive around vehicles turning left.

The project has delayed a traffic study which was expected to be done last week, Hosier said. The purpose of the study is to determine if a traffic light at the intersection of Industrial Park Drive and Votaw Street would be feasible. Now, the study will not begin until about mid-November, he said.

•Approved a supplement to the city's code of ordinances as prepared by American Legal Publishing Corporation of Cincinnati, Ohio.

These pages list all of the city ordinances passed in 2005, said Linda Kennedy, city clerk-treasurer.

•Approved amendments to the city's code of ordinances for sewer use.

Bob Brelsford, superintendent of the wastewater treatment plant, said the Indiana Department of Environmental Management recommended changes to the code.

•Heard Jeff Harker, street and park department superintendent, announce that a city clean-up week will be held Oct. 2-6 in Portland.

Large items - including furniture and appliances - will be collected. Freon must removed from appliances. Car batteries will be picked up, but hazardous materials will not.

•Heard Brelsford report that the Gerber gravity sewer project is expected to be completed in about a week.

The project is designed to ease the burden on the north lift station, located along Industrial Park Drive. Currently, the lift is doing more work than it can handle.

The sewer project started in April and originally was expected to take about 50 days to complete. There have been several delays in the project because workers have encountered unstable ground.

•Heard Harker say that recent issues with the collection of recyclables by Waste Management are believed to be resolved.

Harker said he and Hosier recently met with the company's officials. The person who had been driving the truck and making collections for a year recently left the company. The new employee was missing pick-ups and getting lost.

The employee is now properly trained and has an accurate map of his route through Portland, Harker said.[[In-content Ad]]