November 19, 2021 at 6:12 p.m.
Seeking grant
Redkey hopes to leverage wind farm funds for paving
Seeking grant
REDKEY — The town of Redkey is getting extra funds.
Plans are to apply for matching grants next year in an effort to quadruple its money.
Redkey Town Council OK’d a recommendation Thursday to apply for another Community Crossings grant using the $50,000 in wind farm economic development funds it was allocated from the county.
Council also accepted the resignation of a Redkey police officer.
Jay County Commissioners and Jay County Council agreed to give $400,000 in economic development monies to local municipalities earlier this month. (The county has about $1.3 million in from Bitter Ridge Wind Farm that have not yet been designated.) It allocated $100,000 each to Portland and Dunkirk and $50,000 to Redkey, Pennville, Bryant and Salamonia.
Community Crossings grants offer dollars for paving and other road projects. Grants for towns Redkey’s size are on a 75/25 matching basis, which means it could match up to $150,000 with the $50,000 it received from the county.
The town has received three rounds of Community Crossings grants from the state in past years. It received $75,000 in 2017, $120,000 in 2020 and $151,317 in 2021. Roads set to be repaved by May 27 from the latest round of funding are:
•High Street between Meridian and Railroad streets
•Railroad Street between High and Main streets
•Sheridan Street between Meridian and Butler streets
•Grandview Street between Meridian and Butler streets
•Butler Street between Sheridan and Grandview streets
•Oak Street between Main and Vine streets
Eley said she talked with Travis Richards, Jay County Development Corporation executive director, who suggested the town attempt to multiply its $50,000.
“It’s not vey often you can leverage a dollar to get three more, especially (for) something as necessary as paving projects,” Richards said during a phone call this morning. “Your roads are one of those infrastructure items that get used every day.”
Grant applications open Jan. 3 and close Jan. 28. Recipients will be announced in late March or early April.
“I think it’s great,” said council president Dottie Quakenbush of the town’s allotment. “I mean, you know we’ll take it gladly and put it to good use. I mean, the more streets we can get in town, (the better). It’s awesome.”
Council members John Pierce, Randy May and Quakenbush, absent Gary Gardner and Erik Hammers, approved the decision to apply for the grant.
Also Thursday, council accepted Redkey police officer Brad Ridenour’s resignation, effective Thursday. Ridenour worked second shift for the department.
May proposed council open applications for another full-time police officer and suggested they also hire a few reserve officers. Currently, the department is staffed by Redkey Town Marshal Todd Miller and third-shift officer Tim Fishbaugh, who was hired in August. Miller has 30 days of vacation he needs to use before the end of the year, meaning Fishbaugh would be the only officer available.
“Fishbaugh can’t handle it all,” May said.
Quakenbush agreed he would not be able to work 24 hours a day and said the town would have to reach out to county law enforcement.
Council then agreed to open applications for more officers.
In other business:
•Heard from town employee Randy Young there will be Christmas lights put up at Redkey Fire Department over the weekend. Santa Claus will also visit town at 6 p.m. Nov. 26.
•Learned the town’s insurance jumped 17.1% for next year, with the town’s monthly rate per employee increasing by roughly $128. Deductibles and other factors will stay the same.
•Tabled a decision to amend language in the salary ordinance relating to officers’ pay.
•Renewed a 10-year rental agreement with Indiana State Police for Redkey Town Hall. Each year, the town pays $1. (The building was previously an Indiana State Police post.)
•Agreed to change language in town ordinances about Redkey Water Department employees receiving a bonus for being certified. (As it reads currently, according to Eley, the bonus is to be given annually, not as a one-time gift.) Council agreed to change the language so it reads that water department employees will receive a certification bonus only for their first certification.
•Made about $1,251 in water bill adjustments.
Plans are to apply for matching grants next year in an effort to quadruple its money.
Redkey Town Council OK’d a recommendation Thursday to apply for another Community Crossings grant using the $50,000 in wind farm economic development funds it was allocated from the county.
Council also accepted the resignation of a Redkey police officer.
Jay County Commissioners and Jay County Council agreed to give $400,000 in economic development monies to local municipalities earlier this month. (The county has about $1.3 million in from Bitter Ridge Wind Farm that have not yet been designated.) It allocated $100,000 each to Portland and Dunkirk and $50,000 to Redkey, Pennville, Bryant and Salamonia.
Community Crossings grants offer dollars for paving and other road projects. Grants for towns Redkey’s size are on a 75/25 matching basis, which means it could match up to $150,000 with the $50,000 it received from the county.
The town has received three rounds of Community Crossings grants from the state in past years. It received $75,000 in 2017, $120,000 in 2020 and $151,317 in 2021. Roads set to be repaved by May 27 from the latest round of funding are:
•High Street between Meridian and Railroad streets
•Railroad Street between High and Main streets
•Sheridan Street between Meridian and Butler streets
•Grandview Street between Meridian and Butler streets
•Butler Street between Sheridan and Grandview streets
•Oak Street between Main and Vine streets
Eley said she talked with Travis Richards, Jay County Development Corporation executive director, who suggested the town attempt to multiply its $50,000.
“It’s not vey often you can leverage a dollar to get three more, especially (for) something as necessary as paving projects,” Richards said during a phone call this morning. “Your roads are one of those infrastructure items that get used every day.”
Grant applications open Jan. 3 and close Jan. 28. Recipients will be announced in late March or early April.
“I think it’s great,” said council president Dottie Quakenbush of the town’s allotment. “I mean, you know we’ll take it gladly and put it to good use. I mean, the more streets we can get in town, (the better). It’s awesome.”
Council members John Pierce, Randy May and Quakenbush, absent Gary Gardner and Erik Hammers, approved the decision to apply for the grant.
Also Thursday, council accepted Redkey police officer Brad Ridenour’s resignation, effective Thursday. Ridenour worked second shift for the department.
May proposed council open applications for another full-time police officer and suggested they also hire a few reserve officers. Currently, the department is staffed by Redkey Town Marshal Todd Miller and third-shift officer Tim Fishbaugh, who was hired in August. Miller has 30 days of vacation he needs to use before the end of the year, meaning Fishbaugh would be the only officer available.
“Fishbaugh can’t handle it all,” May said.
Quakenbush agreed he would not be able to work 24 hours a day and said the town would have to reach out to county law enforcement.
Council then agreed to open applications for more officers.
In other business:
•Heard from town employee Randy Young there will be Christmas lights put up at Redkey Fire Department over the weekend. Santa Claus will also visit town at 6 p.m. Nov. 26.
•Learned the town’s insurance jumped 17.1% for next year, with the town’s monthly rate per employee increasing by roughly $128. Deductibles and other factors will stay the same.
•Tabled a decision to amend language in the salary ordinance relating to officers’ pay.
•Renewed a 10-year rental agreement with Indiana State Police for Redkey Town Hall. Each year, the town pays $1. (The building was previously an Indiana State Police post.)
•Agreed to change language in town ordinances about Redkey Water Department employees receiving a bonus for being certified. (As it reads currently, according to Eley, the bonus is to be given annually, not as a one-time gift.) Council agreed to change the language so it reads that water department employees will receive a certification bonus only for their first certification.
•Made about $1,251 in water bill adjustments.
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