Sewer work delayed

REDKEY —?Much of the lining has been completed. But the rain has brought the rest of the work to a halt.

Redkey Town Council heard a progress report on sanitary sewer lining, which has an approaching deadline. 

It also amended its personnel policy and discussed the repeated absences of its vice president. 

Mike Lampman of Fleis & VandenBrink updated council on the lining work, which is required by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and has an Aug. 1 deadline. Lining reduces infiltration and improves flow in the utility lines. 

While Brackney Inc. has completed much of the work, the company has been unable to finish the remaining 10 lines because of repeated rainy days. 

“Most of the sewer lines right now are filled with water because of the recent rains,” Lampman said. “It’s like pushing a balloon through a pipe, what this process is.” 

While the remaining lines should only take about two weeks’ work, Lampman said he is beginning to be concerned about the deadline. 

“I thought we’d be done three weeks ago,” he said. “We have the capability of completing it in time, it’s whether this weather cooperates.” 

The town has already received a deadline extension on the lining work, but council member Doug Stanley said USDA is aware of the problems Redkey and other Indiana municipalities are having with the frequent rain. 

Council approved a progress payment of $178,372.78 to Brackeny for the lining work. 

Lampman also touched on another issue: access to a utility line that needs to be repaired. A Vectren gas line is on top of the sewer line, which is located in an alley near Redkey Elementary School. 

While the gas line didn’t cause the damage — Lampman estimated about 2 to 2.5 inches of the 10-inch sewer line is collapsed — excavators are unable to reach it safely. 

It is possible to line the collapsed sewer line, but the result would be a narrow spot that would restrict flow. 

Fleis & VandenBrink has contacted Vectren to see what its options are. In the meantime, it will do a usage study of the sewer line and determine if the narrowing would cause any problems. 

Council members Terri Taylor, Ted Friddle, Randy May and Stanley, absent Dave Dudelston, also discussed Dudelston’s absence at the last regular meeting and several special meetings that have taken place since the primary election. 

Dudelston was defeated in the May primary in a four-way race for Republican nominations for three at-large council seats. 

Taylor, council’s president, asked town attorney Wes Schemenaur what legal recourse the board had to address Dudelston’s absence. 

Schemenaur advised that the council will likely not be able to remove Dudelston, since he was elected to his office. However, it can likely elect a new vice president to take his place.

“We need to function,” Taylor said. “It’s nothing personal. We just have to keep doing what we’ve got to do.” 

Council also amended its personnel policy on Thursday, giving town departments the ability to spend money without the council’s approval in certain situations. 

According to the updated policy, town departments may spend up to $500 a month without council approval as long as they seek the approval of the council member in charge of their department. 

The council president and one other council member can approve emergency spending over $500. 

The allowance has been included in the past but was inadvertently left out of this year’s personnel policy. 

In other business, council: 

•Reminded town residents that only people over the age of 16 with a driver’s license are allowed to operate golf carts. Also, golf carts can only be driven on town streets that have a 30 mph or less speed limit, and must stay off of state highways except to drive across an intersection. 

•Questioned the protocol for sounding the alarm during tornado warnings or inclement weather. Taylor will ask town employee Randy Young to attend July’s meeting to explain the system. 

•Asked residents, especially children, to stop biking in the town hall’s parking lot because of frequent traffic there. 

•Heard that Fourth of July fireworks will be on July 4, with the rain date on July 5. 

•Approved fire contracts for $3,278.18 with Knox Township, $3,715.21 with Jefferson, $257.07 with Green Township and $5,550 with Richland Township for 2020. Also OK’d a contract for $22,605.85 for 2020 with Redkey Volunteer Fire Department. 

•Approved compliance forms for Fisher Packing Company’s two tax abatements. 

•Listened to several residents’ concerns about flooding on their property. Friddle said he would look into options to alleviate the flooding. 

•Paid claims of $122,565.55. 

•Approved a water adjustment of $98.71 for a leak under a house.