Burns Harbor Town Council members Mike Perrine and Cliff Fleming hope to schedule a meeting and get answers from Porter County officials why its compost site in Valparaiso can’t take the town’s leaves.

Town General Maintenance superintendent Randy Skalku said he again was told town trucks can’t bring residents’ leaves there.

Perrine said at Wednesday’s council meeting, “They’ll make a 75 year-old woman put leaves in the trunk of her car and drive to Valpo, or we can pick them up for her and haul them in a town dump truck. It’s the same volume. It’s not like we’re trying to slip a couple hundred cubic yards of leaves over on them. It’s crazy.”

Later in the meeting resident Gene Weibl asked if the town could have its own leaf dump site on town property. Perrine said the town would have to find property and purchase equipment because leaf piles have to be turned and maintained or they smell.

Skalku did say he’s still able to take brush, which is chipped at the town complex, if residents call for pick-up.

In other business, Perrine and Fleming agreed to meet with State Sen. Karen Tallian, who is helping to encourage ArcelorMittal to reroute its truck traffic so semis enter the steel plant and wait on mill property instead of idling on U.S. 12 creating a traffic hazard and blocking driveways for residents.

Skalku said his department installed signs warning of hidden driveways and Do Not Block but the signs go ignored for the most part.

He reported the Indiana Department of Transportation has agreed to grind down a bump, possibly before winter, on U.S. 20 east of Indiana 149 where the ground has heaved.

It was announced installation has begun on a new stop light on Indiana 149 at Tech Drive less than a half mile south of U.S. 20.

Introduced were the three new Town Council members who take office Jan. 1: Jeff Freeze in Ward 3, and Gregory Miller and Weibl as At-Large councilmen. Perrine and McGee were unopposed for re-election in Tuesday’s race.

A swearing-in ceremony is set for Jan.1, but Perrine said he didn’t want to make appointments at that time. That leaves some terms expiring on town boards and commissions including the Plan Commission, which Freeze as current president said can postpone its January meeting until the new council makes appointments.

Residents interested in serving the town are asked to contact Clerk-treasurer Jane Jordan, who was re-elected to a third term Tuesday. Openings are on the Park Board, Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals.

On another matter, Jordan reported a tree was blown down in Lakeland Park onto one of the shelters; the area will be roped off until the tree is cleared. She also said the findings for a July, 2011 Internal Revenue Service audit of the town were fine.

During department reports fire chief Bill Arney said last month the Fire Department responded to 28 calls spending 17 hours 16 minutes on emergency scenes. Firefighters spent a total 251 hours on training and duty hours, and fire vehicles traveled 424 miles.

Town marshal Jerry Price said in October his department had 307 calls to service including six vehicle accidents, all resulting in property damage alone. Of the 12 arrests, eight were misdemeanors and four were felonies. Tickets issued numbered 46, warning tickets 36 and verbal warnings 13. Police vehicles traveled 8,422 miles.

The meeting ended on an unexpected firey note as Shannon Eagen of Valparaiso addressed the council under public comment.

She is the daughter of Frank McAllister, a diabetic who on March 1, 2006 went into hypoglycemic shock, struck two vehicles on U.S. 20 and was unable to follow commands when Price arrived as the responding officer. A witness alleged Price pulled McAllister from the car, “threw” him to the ground and handcuffed him.

McAllister ended up with a broken hip and bruised lung. He sued Price claiming he was responsible for the injuries; Price’s attorney maintained they resulted from the crash. Oct. 28 a federal jury in Hammond awarded McAllister $2,000 for medical expenses but no punitive damages.

Eagen began reading a three-page statement last night appearing to request the Burns Harbor Police Department implement a diabetes awareness education program for its officers. As her comments began degenerating into an attack on Price and what would have been an eventual call for his demotion, Perrine said by awarding only $2,000 when McAllister asked for $1 million, the jury made a statement and he wasn’t going to let someone cast aspersions on the Burns Harbor police.

Perrine then walked out of the meeting in apparent protest.

Town attorney Bob Welsh said everybody has to live with the jury verdict and “quite frankly, despite what happened to your dad, it’s not appropriate for you to come here to retry this matter.” He said a $2,000 award from the jury was an insult judgment, not a victory.

Eagen said, “You’re misconstruing the results. The jury verdict --- finding in favor of my Dad, stating that Chief Price used excessive force upon him, violating his civil rights ... that jury verdict was priceless. This case was never about money.”

McGee told her, “Your time to address this council is done. This issue is no longer up for discussion in these chambers.” The council moved on but Eagen interrupted, “I wasn’t complete with my discussion.” On Fleming’s motion the meeting adjourned.

Councilman Louis Bain, who did not seek re-election, was absent Wednesday.

Posted 11/10/2011