Dunkirk project is a go (03/28/06)

DUNKIRK — The long-awaited improvement and resurfacing project for Ind. 167 (Main Street) through the city seems to be moving forward once again now that Gov. Mitch Daniels’ Major Moves program has been approved by the legislature.

The project, which has been on the drawing board for years, could begin early in 2007.

Council members Monday night reviewed a letter from Patrick Taylor, senior utility coordinator for the engineering and architectural firm of Paul I. Cripe, Inc., Indianapolis, which has been hired by the Indiana Department of Transportation to help with the design phase of the project.

Taylor sent the city a set of updated plans for the project, and also noted that it is now scheduled for an October bid-letting with the prospect of construction work beginning in January.

A public informational meeting was held for area property owners and residents last year in the West Jay Community Center for the project, which is expected to be cost more than $1 million. That money will be paid by INDOT.

Dunkirk water department superintendent Dace Mumbower said that without the Major Moves momentum, the Main Street project would have been delayed 3 to 5 years.

Mumbower said he is especially concerned about the project because 15 city fire hydrants, all along Main Street, will need to be relocated. He said the city could be eligible for a matching grant to help pay for this expense.

Also Monday night the Dunkirk Board of Works met prior to the regular city council meeting.

Police Chief Arnold Clevenger pointed out that former patrolman Jon Zigler’s 30-day period for filing a court appeal of his recent dismissal from the department had passed. Clevenger said that since no appeal had been filed, he was recommending a replacement should be hired from the city’s reserve force.

Board members authorized Clevenger to offer the job to reserve officer Jeremy C. Bullard, 34, a Portland resident, who served on the Portland city police department for about a year. Bullard resigned from the Portland force in January. He had also served as a part-time police dispatcher in Portland, and previously was employed as a manager and fitness instructor for New Body Fitness Center in Portland.

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Bullard graduated from the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy which will save Dunkirk the cost of sending him to training classes there.

“He comes highly recommended,” Mayor Sam Hubbard said. “Several people have had a lot of good words to say about him,” the mayor added.

Safety board member Craig Faulkner made a motion to hire Bullard, pending his passage of the required physical exam and other requirements. The motion was approved unanimously.

In other action at Monday night’s city council session Jack Million, representing Saint-Gobain Containers plant in Dunkirk, requested that the council consider granting an adjustment to the firm’s most recent bill for wastewater treatment services. Because the plant has the capability of using its own well system in addition to city water, a large flow meter is used at the plant to measure sewage water for billing purposes.

Million explained that a power surge “blip” at the plant apparently caused the meter to run exceedingly fast on Feb. 23, resulting in a usage of 108 million gallons of water being recorded on that one day alone, according to the meter’s figures. This resulted in the plant’s monthly wastewater treatment bill increasing to $122,000, up from an average of $30,000 to $40,000.

Million submitted a statement from the technician who reset and recalibrated the meter, and then asked that the city council approve an adjustment to the bill.

“We’re talking about a fairly high dollar amount here,” Hubbard said, saying that he would like more time for city officials to review the matter. The council set a special meeting for Monday, April 3 at 6 p.m. in city hall to discuss the matter further, following further review of the situation.

In other business Monday council members:

•Tabled a request for a handicapped parking space along Washington Street between Main and Broad streets. Councilman Jim Doughty said that after inspecting the area, he thought a better solution might involve eliminating parking altogether on that section of street. He said residents appeared to have garages and parking spaces behind their homes.

However, other council members questioned what would happen if guests came to visit. Hubbard asked that the matter be studied further, and the issue was tabled until the next regular council session on April 10.

•Listened to Hubbard congratulate the Jay County High School boys basketball team on an outstanding season.

•Heard that applications were being taken at city hall for summer park and pool employees.

•Learned that a new site in the Dunkirk Industrial Park could temporarily be used for the Dunkirk Volunteer Fire Department’s Haunted House Halloween fund-raiser. Firefighter Larry Wright said the previous site was no longer going to be available for the Haunted House operation, and he appreciated the council’s help in finding an alternative location.[[In-content Ad]]