Lift station work nearly done (11/4/03)

Construction of a new lift station just west of Portland should be completed next week.

Portland mayor Jim Hedges told Portland City Council members at Monday’s meeting that the lift station, located across Ind. 67 from Jay County High School, will replace the current lift station in that area which was built in 1975. The price tag is approximately $40,000 for the lift station.

Dave McGraw, superintendent of the city’s wastewater treatment plant, told council members Monday that lift stations need to be replaced about every 25 years.

In other business, council members voted to approve five-year tax abatements from Fullenkamp Machine, 1507 N. Meridian St., and Qualtech Tool & Engineering, 103 Performance Drive, and a 10-year abatement from Patriot Paint Company, 304 Blaine Pike, Portland.

Jay County Development Corporation executive director Robert Quadrozzi told the board that the city’s tax abatement advisory committee recommended the three abatements be approved at a recent meeting.

Fullenkamp plans to spend $189,000 on a water jet and create one new job and Qualtech plans to create two new jobs and spend $392,000 on four pieces of manufacturing equipment.

Patriot Paint plans to spend $116,000 on two construction additions totaling 8,240-square-feet and create five new jobs.

An abatement allows a business to pay taxes for new equipment or construction on a phased-in basis, instead of paying the full amount in the first year.

Also Monday, council members:

•Approved a $156.27 sewer adjustment for Craig Permenter, 412 N. Commerce St., Portland.

Permenter told the council that a water leak caused his water bill to jump from an average of $70 a month to $181 then finally several months later to approximately $300 a month.

•Heard Mayor Jim Hedges invite them to tour the Portland Fire Department’s new fire safety house.

“(The trailer ) will be taken to schools,” Hedges said about the 39-foot trailer that will be used to teach elementary school students about fire and severe storm safety. The $43,000 trailer was delivered to the fire station on Thursday. Its purchase was funded largely by a grant.

•Heard Craig Frazee of Corle Insurance Agency of Portland, present the city with an award for having less than a 50 percent loss ratio and an acceptable claim incident rate as compared to 935 other municipalities in Indiana for 2002.

Corle is the carrier of the city’s workers compensation insurance.

Hedges said following the meeting that the city has been awarded the Indiana Public Employers’ Plan safety award numerous times in the past.

•Heard board member Linda Kennedy report that she received several calls from city residents concerned about traffic at the intersection of Lafayette and Franklin streets.

Vehicles traveling on Franklin Street are required to stop but Kennedy said that the callers believe that it is a dangerous intersection because drivers often think that vehicles traveling on Lafayette Street also are required to stop. She suggested installing a sign on Franklin Street that tells drivers that cross traffic on Lafayette Street does not stop at the intersection.

Hedges told Kennedy that he would talk to street and parks department superintendent Dave Chadwick, who was absent from Monday’s meeting.

•Heard Hedges say city employees are continuing to pick up leaves for city residents.[[In-content Ad]]