Street issue tabled (05/02/06)

A Portland man’s neighbors will have another chance to speak out before a decision about an east-side street will be made.

Members of the Portland City Council decided to again table a request to make a portion of Pierce Street one-way north.

Chris Butcher, 821 E. Walnut St., said at Monday’s meeting, he would like the portion of Pierce Street located between Main and Walnut streets to be one-way to make the street safer. The street is too narrow for two vehicles to safely pass each other, he said. Sometimes vehicles have to drive into his yard to pass each other.

The council received a petition against changing the street from other Pierce Street residents Monday night.

Council member Judy Aker suggested the matter be tabled until the next meeting because the 12 property owners on the petition may have not realized that Butcher only wanted a portion of the street changed instead of the entire street.

Glen Bryant, also a council member, looked at the petition and said most of the property owners appear to live north of where Butcher is asking for the street to be changed.

Also Monday, council members forwarded a tax abatement request to the Portland Tax Abatement Advisory Committee for further review.

Coca-Cola Enterprises is requesting an abatement on $6,950,000 in manufacturing equipment. The high-tech cans line is expected to create 12 additional jobs with salaries totaling $359,840.

The length of the abatement has not yet been determined, said Bob Quadrozzi, executive director of Jay County Development Corporation.

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A tax abatement allows companies to pay taxes in increasing increments over several years, phasing in the additional taxes due on the capital investment.

In other business, Quadrozzi told council members that neither the city nor JCDC are delaying the Holiday Inn Express and Microtel projects.

Quadrozzi said both he and city officials have done everything possible to help the projects move along.

“At this point, we’re not delaying anything,” he said.

XPLEX developer Glynn Barber announced more than a week ago that his plans to build two Microtels on land adjacent to the sports park have been delayed due to construction problems and a legal dispute with a contractor.

Scott Daniels, who plans to develop a 73-room Holiday Inn north of Portland on U.S. 27 told a local board on April 20 that his project also has been delayed. Daniels also accused Quadrozzi and Bruce Hosier, mayor of Portland, of promising to pay for city utilities to be run to his project.

“I never said the city would cover the utilities,” Quadrozzi said Monday.

In other business, council members:

•Voted to temporarily close a portion of Garfield Street, between First Street and an alley near the Portland Water Plant, while Meridian Street is being paved.

Strawser Inc., a company working for the Indiana Department of Transportation, will use the area to store sand, stone and water needed to create the microseal surface, said Jeff Harker, street and park department superintendent.

The paving work is expected to begin May 21 and take about a week to complete, he said. The work will be done at night. Paving will begin at Williamson Drive on the south edge of Portland and go north to Votaw Street.

In a related matter, council members also heard Harker report that LICA Construction Corp. of Berne will pave sections of several city streets at a cost of $150,000.

Portions of several streets, including Walnut and North streets, and Ben Hawkins Avenue, are being considered. How many streets will be paved has not yet been determined, Harker said.

The cost for paving these streets has increased by $800 to $1,400 per project due to the rising price of petroleum, he said. Projects range from two to four blocks, Harker said.Work is expected to begin in about two weeks and take about a week to complete, Harker said.

•Voted to revise a city ordinance temporarily making an alley one-way east instead of west.

Harker requested the change.

The east-west alley is located between Water and Main streets. The section changed is between a north-south alley near Ohio Valley Gas Co. and Harrison Street.

Drive-up mail drop boxes are temporarily re-located in the alley behind Ohio Valley Gas Co. The boxes are on the north side of the alley, making it easier to deposit mail in an eastbound direction. The mailboxes were moved because of renovation work on the Weiler Building.

•Heard Bob Sours, Portland police chief, announce that the city’s first ever code enforcement officer began work Monday.

A. Shane Mann, 35, Portland, was hired for the position at the April 20 board of works meeting. He will be responsible for enforcing city ordinances, including those for junk properties and junk vehicles.

Sours said Mann is being schooled on the city’s ordinances and will probably begin enforcing them in about two weeks.[[In-content Ad]]