Redkey moves toward a new website

REDKEY — With a new website, a new town council member and new police officers, Redkey will see some changes this spring.

Redkey Town Council heard about plans to migrate to a state-affiliated website and approved a related purchase Tuesday. Council also met its newly appointed member, Jennifer Staver, and hired Chris Jack and Alex Heath as town marshal and deputy, respectively.

Council terminated a contract with its former web design company, Emerald Business Solutions, in January. Town utility worker Ted Kolodka explained to council members that his wife, Sara Grady, looked into alternative solutions for the town. She learned about Indiana Office of Technology’s state web design and development program.

The state department now offers free subdomain and Domain Name System services to Indiana local governments, giving governmental entities access to a website under IN.gov. According to its website, IN.gov offers extra security protections.

Grady met with Indiana Office of Technology representatives on March 9. She learned Redkey qualifies for a free website under the state domain, allowing Redkey to create a unique web address (TownofRedkey.IN.gov).

The free version, according to documentation provided by Grady, allows four support requests per month and can migrate up to 100 pages of data from the previous website. (The town’s current website only has nine pages.) 

It also offers online and group training and access for up to 10 administrative users.

The new website could offer an option for residents to pay their utility bills online. In addition, it could provide access to a town calendar, ordinances and reservation forms for the park cabin. Grady suggested the town could also feature Redkey businesses and Redkey history on the site.

“We’d just like to bring explosion to the town,” said Grady. “We’re just trying to bring light to Redkey with this website. And since it’s free, we might as well utilize what we have.”

Plans are to begin creating the website April 1, with Redkey representatives to gain access and begin training April 16. Hopes are to launch the website May 8.

Grady and Kolodka asked for volunteers to help prepare for the new website, noting they don’t need to know specific coding languages.

Kolodka also noted issues in the past with redirecting email addresses after town employees stopped working for Redkey. He suggested investing in access to 10 email accounts — per a state contract, they are provided by information technology company SHI International Corporation — at a cost of $16 per month each.

Council members Brenda Beaty, “Watermellon” Jim Phillips and Staver, absent Floyd Life and Dave Dudelston, OK’d spending $160 monthly for email address access.

Also Tuesday, Beaty introduced Staver, the new town council member. She’s taking over the spot left by former council member Gavin Grady, who resigned in February. Council wasn’t able to make a quorum at its last two scheduled meetings since Grady’s resignation. 

Relatedly on Tuesday, council heard grievances from a few town residents regarding Dudelston and Life’s absence from meetings. 

“This town board needs to put aside any differences they may have when you walk in here and sit down,” said Brad Grady. “You need to have the focus of the Redkey, and ‘We the People,’ that’s what your focus needs to be on.” 

Council members briefly discussed potential action the board could take against other members for not attending meetings — Staver suggested passing an ordinance if possible — with attorney Steve Murphy saying the matter would need to be looked into.

Council also hired Chris Jack as town marshal and Alex Heath as a full-time officer.

The town has been without police since former town marshal Jon Cave left the department in February. Council members scheduled a special meeting earlier this month to approve hiring Jack but were unable to make a quorum.

Jack has more than a decade of experience working in the field, having previously served at Portland Police Department. Heath was hired previously as a reserve officer.

In other business, council:

•Heard updates from utility worker Ted Kolodka related to the water, wastewater and street departments, including:

   —Indiana Department of Environmental Management has approved the town’s updated long-term control plan for addressing combined sewer overflows. Redkey was required to submit an amended version of the plan to the state department by Dec. 31 last year. Kolodka put together the document, which shares information about utility projects planned in the future. Kolodka noted he and others are looking into grants to help pay for the work.  

   —Utility worker Seth Fugiett is spearheading plans to repair or replace street signs around town, including pedestrian crosswalk signs near Redkey Elementary School

   —Indiana Department of Environmental Management will be doing a regular inspection at the water department June 17

   —Utility workers replaced an electrical panel near the water tower recently

   —Miller Pipeline and town representatives met March 21 to discuss protocol for future natural gas line projects in town. (Concerns cropped up last year amid installation of new gas lines, specifically addressing the location of new lines, dumping and street damage.)

•Learned about the following events coming up in Redkey: a pancake, sausage and egg breakfast fundraiser for Redkey Fireworks Committee from 7:30 to 10:30 a.m. April 5 at the fire department; an Easter egg hunt at 10 a.m. April 19 at Redkey Elementary School; Culpepper and Merriweather Circus performing shows at 5 and 7:30 p.m. June 3 at the tractor pull grounds on Indiana 1; fire department truck pulls June 14; Independence Day fireworks July 5; and annual Redkey Gas Boom Days festival Aug. 9 and 10.

•OK’d installing a naloxone (NARCAN) dispenser behind Redkey Town Hall.

•Learned Indiana State Board of Accounts audited the town recently, with results to be released to the public in April.

•OK’d wrapping red LEDs lights around light poles in downtown Redkey for decoration. The lights will be donated by an anonymous local resident.

•Gave permission for Second Harvest Food Bank volunteers to use the park cabin restrooms during tailgates in the winter months. Leavell noted 100 cars went through the tailgate last week in Redkey. (The organization is now hosting monthly tailgates in Redkey on the third Wednesday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon at the park.)

•OK’d approximately $500 in detailing work on the town’s police vehicles, with Beaty explaining the vehicles have cigarette burn marks in them.

•Approved $3,014.67 in water bill adjustments.