July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Council given update on fire/JEMS plan (02/14/06)
Dunkirk City Council
By By ROBERT BANSER-
DUNKIRK — Three possible sites are being considered for the location of a new combination fire station/Jay Emergency Medical Service base.
Explaining plans for the proposed facility are in the preliminary stages, Jay County Community Development director Ami Davidson said the possible sites include a six-acre vacant piece of land in the industrial park on the east side of Dunkirk, the present fire station site, and a spot along Main Street downtown which was proposed by Mayor Sam Hubbard.
The mayor’s choice is located on the west side of Main Street, just north of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. Construction there would require demolition of some older buildings.
Using the current fire station location would also require demolition of some buildings including the present city fire station.
The industrial park site would not require any demolition work, a factor which would decrease construction costs, Davidson explained.
All the sites have pros and cons, Davidson said, pointing out that current plans call for applying for a $50,000 planning grant to study those and other issues further.
Because the city already has an outstanding Community Focus Fund grant project, the Quincy Place housing development, which needs to be finalized, Davidson said that the Jay County Commissioners have agreed to apply for grant funds relating to the fire station-JEMS center.
When asked if the new facility could include the city police station, too, Davidson said that because the county needs to make the application, state officials have said it should only include the fire and EMS services as they routinely affect areas outside the city limits, while the police department is only responsible for the city of Dunkirk.
There is a $5,000 local matching amount required for the $50,000 planning grant, and Davidson said the county could help the city with that amount.
Also she added that a possible construction grant in the future could total $500,000 with a $50,000 local match needed.
However, she said that requirement could be met by contributions to the project, other than strictly money.
For instance if the industrial park site was chosen, the city would be donating six acres of land with an approximate value of $30,000.
Following Davidson’s presentation, Hubbard said that he thought the proposal seemed reasonable. However, councilman James Doughty said, “I’ve got a few questions. This is the first I’ve heard of this.”
Doughty then asked about including the police department in the project. Davidson said this could be done as an addition to the original building “down the road.”
Doughty continued, “I get kind of edgy when I read about a project in the newspaper before I hear about it at a city council meeting.”
Davidson emphasized this was still all in the preliminary discussion stage. “This is not a done deal,” she said.
“I think you really have a good project here. I really feel you have a great chance (of having the potential grant approved),” Davidson said.
In other business at Monday night’s meeting, council members:
•Listened to a presentation from Jay County Development Corporation executive director Robert Quadrozzi about a five-year tax abatement request from S.D.P. Manufacturing, Inc., 400 Industrial Drive, Dunkirk, concerning $196,000 worth of new manufacturing equipment. At Quadrozzi’s recommendation the proposal was referred to the city’s tax abatement advisory board.
•Noted that future Dunkirk Improvement Committee meetings would be held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 6 p.m. in city hall. The next meetings are scheduled for March 1 and 15.
•Heard a report from Mayor Hubbard that city police dispatcher Robert Bicknell had been appointed to serve as health and safety officer for Dunkirk.
•Named Dunkirk resident Teresa Paquette, administrator for the West Jay Community Center, to fill a vacancy on the Dunkirk Park Board.
•Heard a report from the mayor that a special display truck, promoting the Indianapolis 500 race, will be coming to the Dunkirk City Park at approximately 1 p.m. on May 11. It will feature displays about drivers and Indy 500 racing cars and equipment, Hubbard said.
•Listened to the mayor report that the Ind. 167 improvement project is still being planned for 2007, according to the latest information from the state.
•Advised wastewater department superintendent Greg Buckner to obtain price quotations from more than one company for needed pump repairs at the sewage treatment plant. This work could total several thousand dollars, Buckner said.
•Approved an ordinance calling for a stop sign at Haskell Road and Jay County Road 450 South in the area of Dunkirk City Park and the Saint-Gobain Containers truck route.[[In-content Ad]]DUNKIRK — The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has one less member today.
Dunkirk city attorney William Hinkle told council members Monday night that it has been two months since the city approved an ordinance to drop out of the IURC, and no petitions in opposition have been filed.
Consequently that move is now effective, and Hinkle said that he was going to write a letter to the IURC this week, pointing that out.
Last December city council members held a public hearing on the issue, and then unanimously approved the ordinance to leave the IURC.
The motion to approve the ordinance, which had the backing of Mayor Sam Hubbard, was introduced by Connie Whetsel, council member in charge of the city water department, and approved by council members Craig Faulkner, Larry Smith, Whetsel and Tom Johnson. Councilman James Doughty was absent from the meeting.
Once the ordinance was adopted, city voters had 60 days to petition for a referendum on the issue.
Whetsel emphasized that she and other council members were not doing this to raise water rates but to gain more flexibility on financial matters for the water department in order to make needed improvements. Hinkle said that going through the process of gaining IURC approval for a water rate change takes time and usually costs at least $5,000 more than if the city council could just adjust the rates.
Explaining plans for the proposed facility are in the preliminary stages, Jay County Community Development director Ami Davidson said the possible sites include a six-acre vacant piece of land in the industrial park on the east side of Dunkirk, the present fire station site, and a spot along Main Street downtown which was proposed by Mayor Sam Hubbard.
The mayor’s choice is located on the west side of Main Street, just north of the Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. Construction there would require demolition of some older buildings.
Using the current fire station location would also require demolition of some buildings including the present city fire station.
The industrial park site would not require any demolition work, a factor which would decrease construction costs, Davidson explained.
All the sites have pros and cons, Davidson said, pointing out that current plans call for applying for a $50,000 planning grant to study those and other issues further.
Because the city already has an outstanding Community Focus Fund grant project, the Quincy Place housing development, which needs to be finalized, Davidson said that the Jay County Commissioners have agreed to apply for grant funds relating to the fire station-JEMS center.
When asked if the new facility could include the city police station, too, Davidson said that because the county needs to make the application, state officials have said it should only include the fire and EMS services as they routinely affect areas outside the city limits, while the police department is only responsible for the city of Dunkirk.
There is a $5,000 local matching amount required for the $50,000 planning grant, and Davidson said the county could help the city with that amount.
Also she added that a possible construction grant in the future could total $500,000 with a $50,000 local match needed.
However, she said that requirement could be met by contributions to the project, other than strictly money.
For instance if the industrial park site was chosen, the city would be donating six acres of land with an approximate value of $30,000.
Following Davidson’s presentation, Hubbard said that he thought the proposal seemed reasonable. However, councilman James Doughty said, “I’ve got a few questions. This is the first I’ve heard of this.”
Doughty then asked about including the police department in the project. Davidson said this could be done as an addition to the original building “down the road.”
Doughty continued, “I get kind of edgy when I read about a project in the newspaper before I hear about it at a city council meeting.”
Davidson emphasized this was still all in the preliminary discussion stage. “This is not a done deal,” she said.
“I think you really have a good project here. I really feel you have a great chance (of having the potential grant approved),” Davidson said.
In other business at Monday night’s meeting, council members:
•Listened to a presentation from Jay County Development Corporation executive director Robert Quadrozzi about a five-year tax abatement request from S.D.P. Manufacturing, Inc., 400 Industrial Drive, Dunkirk, concerning $196,000 worth of new manufacturing equipment. At Quadrozzi’s recommendation the proposal was referred to the city’s tax abatement advisory board.
•Noted that future Dunkirk Improvement Committee meetings would be held on the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 6 p.m. in city hall. The next meetings are scheduled for March 1 and 15.
•Heard a report from Mayor Hubbard that city police dispatcher Robert Bicknell had been appointed to serve as health and safety officer for Dunkirk.
•Named Dunkirk resident Teresa Paquette, administrator for the West Jay Community Center, to fill a vacancy on the Dunkirk Park Board.
•Heard a report from the mayor that a special display truck, promoting the Indianapolis 500 race, will be coming to the Dunkirk City Park at approximately 1 p.m. on May 11. It will feature displays about drivers and Indy 500 racing cars and equipment, Hubbard said.
•Listened to the mayor report that the Ind. 167 improvement project is still being planned for 2007, according to the latest information from the state.
•Advised wastewater department superintendent Greg Buckner to obtain price quotations from more than one company for needed pump repairs at the sewage treatment plant. This work could total several thousand dollars, Buckner said.
•Approved an ordinance calling for a stop sign at Haskell Road and Jay County Road 450 South in the area of Dunkirk City Park and the Saint-Gobain Containers truck route.[[In-content Ad]]DUNKIRK — The Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission has one less member today.
Dunkirk city attorney William Hinkle told council members Monday night that it has been two months since the city approved an ordinance to drop out of the IURC, and no petitions in opposition have been filed.
Consequently that move is now effective, and Hinkle said that he was going to write a letter to the IURC this week, pointing that out.
Last December city council members held a public hearing on the issue, and then unanimously approved the ordinance to leave the IURC.
The motion to approve the ordinance, which had the backing of Mayor Sam Hubbard, was introduced by Connie Whetsel, council member in charge of the city water department, and approved by council members Craig Faulkner, Larry Smith, Whetsel and Tom Johnson. Councilman James Doughty was absent from the meeting.
Once the ordinance was adopted, city voters had 60 days to petition for a referendum on the issue.
Whetsel emphasized that she and other council members were not doing this to raise water rates but to gain more flexibility on financial matters for the water department in order to make needed improvements. Hinkle said that going through the process of gaining IURC approval for a water rate change takes time and usually costs at least $5,000 more than if the city council could just adjust the rates.
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