Fire grant moving forward (06/26/07)

DUNKIRK - Plans are once again progressing for construction of a combination fire station and emergency medical services facility in Dunkirk's Industrial Park.

Another public hearing on the issue was held Monday night, and Jay County community developer Ami Huffman reported that a $500,000 grant application for the project will be re-submitted to state officials next month with a decision expected by October.

The grant application process was started more than a year ago, but previous grant proposal documents were rejected for lack of a variety of information - the latest being completion of an archaelogical study regarding any possible Native American artifacts on the land.

The proposal was first rejected in 2006, and then resubmitted in January 2007. The application was then sent back once again earlier this year, leading some Dunkirk officials to complain about the delay.

Huffman said Monday that the archaeological study to determine if there were any artifacts on the proposed site had proven negative - once again giving the project a green light for grant purposes.

Huffman said Monday that both the current fire station and the JEMS base on South Main Street are continuing to deteriorate.

Huffman said that comments from previous public hearings about the grant proposal were being included with statements made Monday night. Consequently, Monday's hearing was relatively brief.

Dunkirk resident Pam Bunch said that moving the fire station and EMS facility to the industrial park would be detrimental to downtown revitalization efforts.

However, Huffman countered that this was a more economical plan as land acquisition and demolition costs would otherwise be a major expense.

The industrial park property is vacant and already owned by the city.

Jay County Commissioners are listed as the grant applicant for this project because it will also be used by Jay Emergency Medical Service and Dunkirk is not eligible for state grants because it has not closed out its Quincy Place subdivision project for low income families and individuals.

That may change soon, Mayor Sam Hubbard said Monday.

Hubbard said that he recently received a letter from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs which said a satisfactory number of houses in the subdivision are occupied, and grant close-out procedures are under way.

In other action at Monday night's meeting, council members:

•Listened to a report from the mayor, giving credit to councilman Tom Johnson and the city park board for making the Dunkirk City Park more handicapped accessible. A letter was recently printed in The Commercial Review thanking the mayor for making this possible.

•Noted that a preconstruction meeting will be scheduled in early July concerning the Ind. 167 water main relocation project which is slated to start soon along the entire length of Ind. 167 in Dunkirk.

•Heard a report from Dunkirk head librarian Ailesia Franklin that she wanted to reserve time on a future agenda to discuss budget items.

•Heard street department superintendent Howard Fisher ask that his department be reimbursed by the city water and sewer departments when streets had to be repaired as a result of work to repair water and sewer mains.

The council approved a transfer of $8,300 from the sewer department to the street department in connection with Fisher's report. However, council members tabled a similar request concerning the water department, pending receipt of more operating revenue funds in that budget.

Fisher also discussed the possibility of paving Jay Street in the near future, as well as requests that some unimproved alleys be upgraded and maintained according to higher standards or vacated.[[In-content Ad]]DUNKIRK - The fate of the former railroad depot building is slated to be a major topic during budget discussions here later this summer.

At Monday night's city council meeting, clerk-treasurer Jane Kesler said that the Dunkirk Industrial Development Corporation, current owner of the depot, was requesting that the council make a decision soon on its offer to lease the depot to the city for $1 a year with the city paying for insurance and utilities for the historic structure.

The former Pennsylvania Railroad depot is located on the edge of Webster-Depot Park along Lincoln Avenue, about a block west of Main Street (Ind. 167).

Kesler said the DIDC was looking for a decision by next month, but council members and Mayor Sam Hubbard agreed to postpone making any decisions until city budget figures for 2008 were determined. That will probably not be until August.

At the start of Monday's discussion, councilman Tom Johnson said he felt continued operation of the city pool was a priority in the parks department, rather than the depot.

Councilman Larry Smith cautioned that he didn't want to raise city taxes as a result of expenses concerning the depot.

Exact figures for insurance and utility expenses related specifically to the depot should be studied before a decision is made, Hubbard said.

Last year the utility costs for the depot totaled about $3,000, Jay County Community Developer Ami Huffman said. However, the building was used during that time for a few concerts and other activities requiring the heat from the building's boiler system to be turned up.

Johnson said that he thought some insulation and other energy saving measures could help cut the utility bill in the future.

Dunkirk resident Pam Bunch suggested that perhaps the lease could be approved for a year or two with the building kept empty and heating expenses held to a minimum while city officials pondered what to do with the structure.

Huffman said there are grant application possibilities for the building, with one designed specifically for former depot structures.

Police Chief Arnold Clevenger suggested the building could be used by Arts Place as a facility for programs in western Jay County.

Dunkirk Improvement Committee member Ailesia Franklin said that the Jay County Historical Society had expressed interest in utilizing the building, but lacked money to pay utility bills.

Huffman said that basically the city needs to develop a plan for the future use of the building. She said that would seem to be a first step in any kind of grant application process.