No parking on Pleasant (3/2/04)

No parking signs will soon line both sides of Pleasant Street.

Portland City Council members voted Monday 6 to 1 in favor of having city attorney Bill Hinkle draft an ordinance to prohibit parking on Pleasant Street from Votaw to Water streets. Parking on the east side of the street is already prohibited.

Council president Glen Bryant was absent from Monday’s meeting, and Councilman Bill Gibson cast the lone opposing vote saying after Monday’s meeting that “there are only three stop signs (on Pleasant Street), and they are going to make a raceway out of it.”

The ordinance must be approved twice by the council before it can be enforced.

The council voted following a motion to prohibit parking made by Councilwoman Linda Kennedy. “I feel that two department heads (Fire Chief Mike Thomas and street and parks department superintendent Jeff Harker) have expressed their concerns” about the street, Kennedy said.

Thomas told the council at its Feb. 2 meeting that the fire department faces problems with the street being narrow, making it difficult for them to maneuver the blind turn onto Pleasant Street from Votaw Street. Harker added that his employees face similar problems.

Kennedy added that since the Feb. 16 council meeting she has talked to “just about everybody that lives on Pleasant Street. Out of all the people I’ve talked to, most would like to continue parking in front of their homes (on the west side of Pleasant Street).”

In other business, Hosier announced that a $740,000 Indiana Department of Transportation grant had been awarded to the city to fund a street and utility improvement project on Lincoln Street.

According to information from INDOT, construction is tentatively set to begin in May 2007.

The city is working on this project with Corey Whitesell of Hannum, Wagle & Cline Engineering, Indianapolis. The project scope has not been determined by HWC.

Hosier added that he would keep the council updated as the project proceeds.

Also Monday, Waste Management district manager Rick Davis informed the council that the company plans to change the city’s recycling collection schedule to three days a week instead of the current five-day schedule.

Mayor Bruce Hosier said (Continued on page 5)

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that the Portland Board of Works will vote on this issue later this month. But he invited Davis to Monday’s meeting to answer any questions from council members.

“This change will not impede the quality of service,” Davis said. If approved, he added, his company plans to try the three-day schedule on a 90-day trial basis starting April 1.

Davis explained that collection days will be Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Tuesday’s current route will be collected on Monday with Monday’s route and Thursday’s present route will be collected Wednesday with Wednesday’s route. Friday’s route will not change, Davis said.

He also said there will be no fee change if the schedule revisions are approved, because the city has a contract with Waste Management that binds it to the current collection fee.

When asked about recent days when collection was canceled, Davis said that Waste Management is “undergoing major staffing changes within the corporation ... We’re gearing up to fix (the staffing shortage.) It’s hard to find good employees.”

Also, Hosier announced that city residents have until April to clean up their properties and remove abandoned vehicles before city police and David Houck, environmentalist/administrator for the Jay County Health Department, begin increased enforcement of the city’s ordinances and accessing fines.

“This is a grace period without penalties before the ordinance will be enforced,” Hosier said. He added that city residents who have questions on the city’s nuisance or abandoned vehicle ordinances or residents unable to clean their property because of age or disability should contact his office at (260) 726-9395 or their city council representative.

These ordinances outline the definition of rubbish or a junk or abandoned vehicle and guidelines for removal.

Hosier added that the city’s spring clean-up week is scheduled for March 29 to April 2, to give residents that are cleaning up their properties a place to dispose of their trash. Tires, refrigerators or air conditioners with Freon will not be accepted during clean-up week, Harker said.

In other business, council members:

•Heard Hosier announce that a “no turn on red” sign will be replaced by INDOT for traffic in the westbound lane of Water Street at the intersection of Meridian Street.

•Approved a request by Dave Frasher of the Arch Bridge Kroozers to add several downtown streets to the list of areas that will be closed during the cruise-in on Saturday, May 22 in downtown Portland.

“I think we’re going to need additional parking,” Frasher said.

At the Jan. 5 meeting, the council approved the cruise-in to be held on West Main Street, between Meridian and Ship streets; Court Street, between Main and Walnut streets; and Commerce Street from the City Cigar Store to Walnut Street.

Council members approved Monday to close East Main Street from Meridian to Harrison streets and Ship Street from Main to Water streets. These streets will be closed from approximately 1 to 9 p.m. for these events, Frasher said.

He added that the group has permissions to use the current location of Hanni Plumbing, Heating and Cooling, 215 W. Main St., which over the years has also been the site of several automobile dealers, and the grass lot east of The Graphic Printing Company, 309 W. Main St.

The council also approved the use of the two truck bays on the east side of the former Portland Fire Station on Commerce Street.[[In-content Ad]]