Redkey officially accepts loan

REDKEY — Council secured the town’s loan for the sewer separation project on Thursday.
They also accepted a bid for mowing and discussed lead in the water.
Redkey Town Council adopted a resolution agreeing to accept a $3,834,000 loan from United States Department of Agriculture for use on its sewer separation project.
Redkey was approved for a $3.9 million grant and the $3.8 million, 40-year loan at 2.5 percent interest from the USDA for the estimated $7.9 million sewer project. The loan money must be used first, before the town can begin using the grant funds.
Advertisement for bids will begin on March 20, said Mitch Hansel of Fleis & Vandenbrink Engineering following the vote. They will be opened April 20 and construction is scheduled to begin May 1.
After council president Ted Friddle opened three bids for mowing, council agreed that Kesler Excavating did a good job last year and approved hiring it again at a cost of $398 per mow. Mowing is not to exceed $9,000 for the season.
Other bids were Hall Brothers By the Yard for $395.04 per mow and Newsome’s Greenthumb for $490 per week.
Resident Jim Phillips presented his concern about a letter town residents received from Indiana Department of Emergency Management.
Town employee Randy Young said the water department has to routinely test the water at 10 sites in town and one of the test sites used to be the former town hall that isn’t used on a regular basis so the test showed lead in the water. IDEM had the city test the water again and only a minuscule amount, allowable by law, showed up, Young added.
The former town hall was taken off the list of testing sites since the water isn’t used regularly, but IDEM was still required to send the letters.
“Gentleman how much lead do we have in our pipes in Redkey?” Phillips asked.
“Very little,” Young responded.
In other business, Friddle, Mike Wright, Charles “Red” Coons, Doug Stanley and David Dudelston:
•Granted permission to allow Holly Fields and Mark Leavell of Redkey Fun for Kidz to use town property to host a circus.
•Heard resident Dottie Quakenbush complain about three homes on High Street that are in disrepair. Wright told Quakenbush the property owner has been cited.
•Approved water bill adjustments of $118.95.
•Heard from Young that a pre-bid meeting was held for the new Redkey Fire Station and 11 contractors attended.
•Scheduled a special meeting for 6 p.m. March 2 to review the job performance of a town employee who was injured on the job.
•Agreed to allow Dudelston to remove the horseshoe pits at Redkey Park.
•Discussed repairing brick sidewalks in the downtown area.
•Heard that town attorney Wes Schemenaur will check on making a change to the town junk ordinance that abandoned vehicles need a current license and registration.
•Agreed to accept a donation of paint for town curbs from Redkey Lions Club. The labor will possibly be done by jail inmates.
•Approved claims of $75,855.38.