IOM deal OK’d

Portland City Council voted Monday night to approve a revision to a development agreement with IOM Grain.
It also voted to begin work to change all the yield signs in Portland to stop signs.
The 6-0 vote to approve the revision — councilman Michael Brewster was absent — came after members tabled discussion about the topic at its Oct. 6 meeting when some members wanted more time to view the original agreement and consider the new agreement.
The city agreed to pay $53,847.60 to help cover the costs of soil stabilization at IOM’s property, at the northwest corner of the intersection of county roads 100 North and 100 East, hire a company to deal with drainage issues at the Industrial Park and install fiber optic Internet at the park.
During Monday’s meeting, Mayor Randy Geesaman said he didn’t do a great job at explaining the details of the agreement during the previous meeting.
“I feel like, personally, I just presented it wrong last meeting and that was why all the confusion was,” Geesaman said.
Council and IOM Grain previously made an agreement the city would pay up to $82,000 for site development improvements, which included but was not limited to soil stabilization and surface water retention and drainage. When that cost came in at just $17,900, city attorney Bill Hinkle, Jay County Development Corporation Executive Director Bill Bradley, Geesaman and representatives from IOM Grain met during the summer and negotiated the agreement that council approved Monday.
Those parties agreed IOM Grain would be responsible for dealing with drainage to the west end of its property. The city would be responsible for taking care of any improvements outside of IOM Grain’s property, including helping to pay the costs of installing a fiber optic Internet line in the Industrial Park.
The drainage and installation of fiber optics will benefit the entire industrial park and can be used to market further development there, Geesaman said.
Councilman Kent McClung said there was a misunderstanding between council and Jay County Development Corporation about what the original agreement was.
“I think IOM Grain held up its end of the bargain to the ‘T’ in this, I don’t want to question them at all,” he said.
After the meeting councilman Mark Hedges, who was concerned about the agreement at the last meeting, said he voted for it Monday night because the agreement was made clearer. The intent of the agreement with IOM Grain was to benefit the entire Industrial Park and not just IOM Grain, he said.
Also at its Oct. 6 meeting, council tabled discussion about changing the yield sign on Grand Street at Walnut Street to a stop sign so members could take time to observe the intersection before making a decision. Residents who own homes near that intersection have expressed safety concerns about the yield sign because of the number of children currently living in the area, Geesaman said.
He, police chief Nathan Springer and street superintendent Ryan Myers researched the cost of replacing yield signs with stop signs and found the city could replace all remaining yield signs, about 80, with stop signs for an estimated $2,400.
Ridding the entire city of yield signs is a goal council has had for some time.
Councilman Kip Robinette said drivers don’t typically obey yield signs but they may at least slow down for a stop sign.
“I’d look at that as a pretty small investment for safety,” he said.
By making a city-wide change, council will save money by purchasing the stop signs in bulk and limiting the cost of publicizing the ordinance change.
“I’m in favor of doing it all at once and simplifying it,” he said.
Hinkle will work to draft an ordinance for council to approve.
In other business Monday, council members Bill Gibson, Judy Aker, Don Gillespie, Hedges, Robinette and McClung:
•Learned an organizational meeting to begin planning a celebration for Indiana’s Bicentennial was planned for 1:30 today at Portland Fire Station, 1616 N. Franklin St.
•Learned leaf pickup will begin soon. Robinette reminded citizens their leaf piles must be kept on their properties and not in the streets.
•Heard Geesaman is planning meetings to begin discussing downtown revitalization.
•Learned Portland Redevelopment Commission is working to amend its 2006 economic development plan. Portland Plan Commission and council will have to vote to approve the changes when presented.
•Approved a fire services contract for Greene Township with a 2.5-percent increase from last year’s contract.
•Heard Geesaman encourage residents to vote. Early voting began last week, and the election is Nov. 4. Residents can vote from 8:30 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday at the courthouse through Oct. 31. Early voting hours are also set for 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 and 8:30 a.m. to noon Nov. 3. Election day is Nov. 4