Council gives OK?for more funding

Extra money is needed to pay off the remaining water park expenses.
Portland City Council on Monday approved appropriating $268,105 to pay the expenses left for Portland Water Park.
The city agreed in May 2014 to pay $2.25 million, or 68 percent, of the total cost of the water park project with the rest of the money coming from private donors. Currently the city was able to pay the construction costs for the project but is falling short on engineering and design costs. Portland received $1,828,081.50 in donations from the private sector, but that would not be enough to pay the remaining costs. The project was totaled at $3.585 million.
By the end of the year, Mayor Randy Geesaman said the city expects to receive about $55,000 in outstanding private donations that will be used to pay back some of the $268,105.
Council members Michael Brewster and Kip Robinette said they didn’t like the idea of raising the monetary limit the city would pay for the project.
“If council said we were only going to fund 68 percent of the project, that’s what I’m sticking to,” said Brewster.
Geesaman said there will be a final push to raise more private donations in hopes that the city won’t have to pay all of the $268,105 it appropriated Monday.
“We’re going to do our best to try to cover as much as we can from the private sector but there’s a chance that city council could be asked to pay some difference,” said Geesaman.
Council voted 6-1 to approve the additional appropriation, with Robinette voting against.
In other business, council members Don Gillespie, Judy Aker, Bill Gibson, Mark Hedges, Kent McClung, Brewster and Robinette:
•Approved Pike, Greene, Wayne and Jefferson townships fire protection contracts, but will discuss increasing their annual expenses for 2017 at a later date. Portland Fire Chief Mike Thomas said these territories only account for 12 percent of the fire department’s budget. Thomas said if these townships do not increase their amounts for 2017, a solution would be to reduce or eliminate services to the territories. Thomas said Pike, Jefferson and Greene townships have contracts with other fire departments so if Portland removes its services they won’t lack any services.
•Heard from Hedges who brought up citizen concerns on the status of methamphetamine houses in the city. He said citizens say it continues to be a problem but nothing comes of it. He also said there is still construction debris on the west side of Wayne Street near Hudson Family Park where a book bindery once stood. Geesaman said the city will discuss with the contractor why there is still leftover debris near that area.
•Heard from Geesaman the Indiana 26 (Water Street) ribbon cutting will be at 10 a.m. Friday in front of East Jay Middle School. He said Jay County Chamber of Commerce and Indiana Department of Transportation officials will attend the ceremony.
•Voted to approve a tax abatement for Dayton Progress on $65,000 in new equipment. It will save the company, which plans to add four new jobs, about $2,500 in taxes.
•Heard from Geesaman that local merchants will be open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 28 for Small Business Saturday. This will kick off the first of several promotions to encourage support for local businesses. Geesaman encouraged residents to support the event.