By MARGARET L. WILLIS

The Burns Harbor Town Council adopted new subdivision controls and zoning regulations, which will create stricter standards and some higher fees for development within town.

The new ordinance passed unanimously and council members then declared an emergency so that the ordinance could be considered again and passed on the same night as first reading.

The ordinance was previously discussed and approved by the Plan Commission and forwarded to the council with a favorable recommendation.

In order to bridge the gap between the town’s fiscal needs and the stalled tax draw distribution, council members voted in favor of borrowing $166,000 from the Rainy Day Fund. That should cover three to four months in the town budget, clerk-treasurer Jan Jordan told the council.

The town is awaiting a report from Umbaugh and Associates on just how much they were shorted in TIF funds and the overall tax draws for all county taxing units have been delayed by computer problems and delays in assessments and tax bills. The new ‘trending,’ has further delayed the process.

Also, the council voted unanimously in favor of final adoption of a Cable Franchise Fee ordinance, which will direct the five percent franchise fee already charged Burns Harbor customers to the town.

Spring Cleanup Day

Spring Cleanup Day is set for Thursday, May 24, said Street Commissioner Doug Wentz.

The pickup will accept white goods, such as stoves, dishwashers, washers, dryers and hot water heaters; small amounts of construction material, bundled in four foot lengths or in 30 gallon containers (50 lb. maximum); furniture; bundled swimming pool liners; branches tied in 4 ft. bundles; grass clippings bagged or containerized and hard, dried paint in open paint cans.

Materials not accepted are leaves, hazardous liquids, tires or vehicle parts, batteries, dirt or concrete, freon units, medical waste of any kind, or dead animals.

Regular brush pick-up will begin on Monday, May 7.

Wentz also announced that the program of upgrading the sewer lift stations is complete, with all stations now automated. Repair of the water damage at the town hall is nearly complete.

Building Commissioner Randall Lopez reported he had issued five new building permits, three certificates of occupancy and made 13 inspections.

A new business, Ludington Nissan, is preparing to move to town. The council introduced owner Jim Ludington at Wednesday’s meeting and welcomed him to town. Ludington Nissan will be just east of Lakeshore Ford on the south side of Rt. 20. Preparation of the building site has begun.

Physical Fitness Standard

Police officer Charlie Mathewson has worked out a physical fitness scale, which progresses by age, for testing members of the department. Police Chief Jerry Price asked the council to adopt the test standards for the department.

“We’d like to maintain a level of proficiency,” said Price. The department would hold twice yearly fitness tests. The council voted unanimously in favor.

Price introduced Mathewson, who recently completed his course at the state Police Academy with a grade point average of 94.5. He was awarded the Herman H. Freid Award on a vote by his classmates. The award honors integrity, loyalty and ethics.

The department also got approval for a new hire, Lynn Steimel, who has worked part-time for the department for three years. Steimel should start on May 2.

Price said the department responded to the scene of six accidents in March, one of which included personal injuries. Eleven misdemeanor and five felony arrests were made. Sixty-five traffic tickets were issued, along with 128 warning tickets and 76 verbal warnings. Calls to service numbered 544 and the squad cars traveled a total of 10,571 miles.

The fire department responded to 16 emergency calls in March, Chief Bill Arney reported. The volunteer firefighters put in a total of 139.5 hours in emergency response and training.

Arney sought and received permission from the council to seek a $600,000 FEMA grant to purchase a new fire truck. The new unit, with a 75 foot ladder, would replace the 20 year-old Spartan, which Arney said the department will be able to sell to a smaller department for anywhere from $30,000 to $70,000. That sale could reimburse the town for its $32,000 share of the grant.

“It’s a win-win,” said council president Jim McGee. The council agreed unanimously.

The council also approved a temporary loan from the Rainy Day Fund of $3,730 to the Fire Department for a grant purchase, which will be reimbursed.

Price and Wentz were directed to gather information on personnel manuals from other municipalities. The council is looking toward setting up a personnel committee.

Visitor Center a Destination

The stormwater management methods employed at the new Dorothy Buell Memorial Visitor Center are a model of forward thinking, Christine Livingston, of the Save the Dunes Conservation Fund, told the council.

She and Lorelei Weimer, executive director of the Porter County Convention, Recreation and Visitor Commission, appeared before the council briefly to describe the vegetated swales and the rain garden employed to process storm run-off at the visitor center site.

The designs are incorporated into the landscape design and help purify rainwater before it enters Dunes Creek, hopefully helping to reduce beach closings due to high e coli readings.

The new Visitor Center site provided an “outstanding opportunity to showcase” these sorts of stormwater management technologies, providing a template developers and homeowners can duplicate, Livingston said.

Weimer encouraged everyone to visit the new center and enjoy the displays and the film, “Indiana Dunes - Our Natural Wonder,” which tells the history of the dunes and the fight to save the dunes.

In other business, the council voted unanimously to donate $250 to the Duneland Festival Committee, to help sponsor the 4th of July celebration.

The council agreed unanimously to increase the travel reimbursement to employees on town business by 25 percent; bringing it up to $35 for meals and $130 for lodging.

Development or Park?

A long, rambling discussion of a change of zoning for a 278 acre parcel adjacent to Praxair, which is up for sale, led to no action.

The land is north of Praxair and fronts on Boo Rd. Council member Richard Bolinger said he feels the land should be rezoned to residential. It is currently owned by Mittal Steel.

Nearby neighbors Gayle and Richard Van Loon expressed support for the area being preserved and used as a park. “We have enough development in this town,” said Gayle.

Town council member Mike Perrine said he is under the impression the parcel is being sought as park land by the city of Portage, in cooperation with the DNR.

Bolinger expressed opposition to the land being under a different jurisdiction, Portage in particular. “They’ve been trying to get into town ever since we incorporated and they still are” he said.

“They [Mittal] already know our objection,” to it being purchased by Portage, said Perrine.

In any case, the parcel, now zoned industrial, could not be rezoned without the owner’s request.

There was speculation that the area could be mined for sand or clay and then used as a special waste facility.

Town attorney Robert Welsh said the council might want to review the ordinances governing mining.

Posted 4/13/2007