Street sweeper to arrive (4/7/04)

GENEVA — This town’s $35,000 street sweeper will be delivered next week

On Tuesday, Geneva Town Council members approved a resolution to use $35,000 from the town’s local road and streets fund, which contains about $55,000 in available cash, to pay for the sweeper.

The town had budgeted $8,025 for the sweeper in that fund, Geneva town clerk-treasurer Doug Milligan said at Tuesday’s council meeting. He also said that the town has paid $5,000 toward the purchase.

Council members also voted Tuesday to make payments of 4 percent of the $30,000 owed to Brown Equipment of Fort Wayne until the total amount is paid.

Milligan said that it could be July by the time the total is paid off.

Town manager Steve Hampshire is attempting to sell the town’s 1986 model sweeper, which will be replaced by the purchased 1996 street sweeper.

Also Tuesday, council members heard a tax abatement request by Red Gold Inc. and set a public hearing on the issue.

The hearing will be held at the beginning of the council’s next meeting, tentatively set for Tuesday, May 4.

Red Gold is requesting a 10-year abatement for approximately $7 million in projects planned for the next two years at the Geneva plant. These include building a new cookroom and labeling system and upgrading the current migrant housing, located south of the plant.

The proposed projects will add an estimated eight jobs.

The abatement will allow Red Gold to pay taxes for equipment on an increasing scale, instead of paying the entire amount of yearly taxes.

In other business, council members approved a resolution to request a portion of funds from the tax base in Adams County for the Geneva Public Library. The request will be submitted to the Department of Local Government Finance and requests .01333 percent of the tax base.

The majority of the requested funds will be used for upgrading computers at the library.

Last year, the library received about $6,000 in county funding.

Also, council members:

•Heard plans from rural Geneva resident Randy Smuts to open an auction house in the former Cardinal Restaurant building, located on North Main Street.

He told the council that he plans to hold weekly auctions, flea markets, consignment auctions, an annual lawn and garden equipment auction and to create an area that can be rented to host events.

He plans to name the business Sonrise Auction and Event Center.

The council encouraged Smuts to contact Adams County Building and Planning administrator Neil Ogg to ensure that Smuts’ plans will work in that building, which is zoned commercial.

The building, which Smuts is hoping to purchase, has been vacant for approximately four years.

•Voted to change four parallel parking spaces into seven angle parking spaces on the west side of Washington Street, across the street from the Bank of Geneva, 215 E. Line St.

City employees will paint new lines for the spaces and a new line down the center of Line Street in front of the bank.

•Asked Hampshire to investigate the possibility of creating angle parking on East Line Street from Decatur to Railroad streets.

This change would create nine new parking spaces in downtown Geneva taking the total spaces available to 49 from 40.

•Approved a request by Geneva town marshal Rob Johnson to allow police reserve Larry Miller to temporarily work full time for officer Curt VanOver. VanOver is currently off work following an injury he suffered in February after he fell on ice while on duty.

Miller will return to part-time status after VanOver returns to work full time.

•Approved a $400 purchase of a police portable radio for a new reserve officer recently sworn in by the department.

•Voted to re-appoint local resident Jacquelin Donnaly to another four-year term on the Geneva Public Library Board. Donnaly’s current term will end on April 30.

•Heard Rose Bryan of Geneva Public Library announce that an architect from Morrison, Kattman, Menze Inc. of Fort Wayne is bringing a structural engineer to examine the current condition of the library on Friday, April 16. This examination is part of the library’s $24,000 planning grant awarded in March from the Indiana Department of Commerce.

The grant will be used to make plans for exterior and interior structural repairs at the library, located at 305 E. Line St.

•Heard Jason Wilkie of the Geneva Park Board announce that the board plans to spend $500 to replace two signs in Affolder Park, located east of Geneva.

•Reminded residents that the town’s clean-up day will be held on Saturday, May 22, from 8 a.m. to noon. Dumpsters will be set up on the south end of Hale Street so that residents can dispose of some unwanted items.[[In-content Ad]]