By KEVIN NEVERS

Last fall’s late leafing of the trees means that a lot of Chesterton residents still have front- and rear-yards under a couple of inches of cover.

Don’t despair. The town’s annual Cleanup Week has been scheduled for the week of Monday, April 14, Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg told the Town Council at its meeting Monday night.

So residents have just about a month to get cracking at the raking and brush collection. Leaves and sticks should be placed in separate piles at curbside.

Schnadenberg did say that, while the official Cleanup Week will begin on April 14, weather permitting he will try to get the leaf crews into the neighborhoods a little early. In short, don’t wait until the last minute to rake, because once Cleanup Week has ended, the Street Department will have its plate full with other projects.

Indian Boundary Paving

One of those projects, arguably the most complex of the season, will be the paving of Indian Boundary Road from Ind. 49 west to near the intersection of North Calumet Road, a job whose cost Schnadenberg has estimated at $250,000. In February the Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved an additional appropriation in that amount to fund the project.

So when, Member Jeff Trout, R-2nd, wanted to know, will that paving be done? Perhaps before the influx of tourists and campers in the summer turns Indian Boundary into a madhouse?

Schnadenberg said that he has been in talks with Walsh & Kelly, this season’s asphalt contractor, and that he has hopes of beginning the work in May. Schnadenberg noted that the milling itself can be done during the day and one lane at a time. Once a lane has been milled, it can then be opened for traffic. He did say that the actual asphalting of Indian Boundary will prove much more of an inconvenience and may have to be done at night.

Tree Emergency Policy

In other business, members voted 5-0 to approve a new Emergency Debris Management Policy pending some minor changes in its language.

That policy details the Street Department’s response to two main tree emergencies: routine ones and large-scale storm events.

In the case of routine emergencies, a crew’s priorities will be to clear the public roadway and then the sidewalk. NIPSCO’s contractors will remove all debris from live power lines.

In the case of a large-scale storm event, a crew’s priorities will be to respond first to any life-threatening situations, then to clear roads in the following priority: downed trees which impact emergency response; on highways and major thoroughfares; on secondary streets; and finally in improved alleys.

In the case of a tree which falls from private property onto a public right of way, the Street Department will remove all portions of the tree from the right-of-way as well as any portion of the tree in imminent risk of falling on the right-of-way. Debris will be placed on the owner’s property and it will be the owner’s responsibility to clear that debris and to remove any remaining portion of the tree. If the owner hires a contractor, the contractor must chip or otherwise remove all debris and leave none of it at curbside for municipal collection.

Out-of-Towners Beware

Meanwhile, Schnadenberg warned out-of-towners tempted to use the Chesterton Yard Waste Site at 609 Grant Ave.—because the dump in Crocker has been closed—not to. For one thing, he is presently advertising for a part-time employee who will be specifically tasked to man the site and ask users to prove their Chesterton residency with driver’s licenses. For another thing, video surveillance cameras have been installed at the site to monitor it when an employee is not on duty.

A first illegal dumping offense will get you a $100 fine. A second, a $250 fine.

Frost Law to Expire

Schnadenberg announced that the Frost Law will expire on Thursday and heavy truck traffic in all parts of the town will again be unrestricted.

Volunteer Arborist

At Schnadenberg’s recommendation, members voted 5-0 to appoint Mary Beth Wiseman, currently employed with the Stormwater Utility, to the unpaid, volunteer position of Town Arborist.

Schnadenberg told the council that Wiseman is fully certified as an arborist and has been regularly attending the meetings of the Tree Committee.

New Facility?

Finally, Trout took a moment to raise the issue of the Street Department’s future. Right now, he said, Schnadenberg and his employees have jammed a lot of equipment, storage, and activity into some very small spaces. Between salt storage, on the one hand, and municipal fleet maintenance, on the other, the Street Department is packed to the rafters.

The solution may be to begin thinking about an expansion of the Street Department’s facilities, Trout said. To that end members agreed by consensus to instruct Schnadenberg to jot down some ideas and maybe get some quotes.

Trout did broach the possibility of using a bond issue to finance such an expansion.

Posted 3/25/2008