The Chesterton Stormwater Utility has taken delivery of its new street sweeper.

Stormwater Utility Superintendent Mark O’Dell told the Town Council at its meeting Monday night that the new sweeper, purchased from Brown Equipment Company Inc. of Forth Wayne for $129,500, is in.

The Stormwater Utility paid cash on the barrel for the sweeper--which is actually a demo model with 97 road miles and 27 sweeping hours, $8,000 less expensive than a brand new one--and so saved at least $25,000 in interest payments.

O’Dell added that the new Stormwater Utility logo--a rain drop--will soon be applied to the machine.

Street Commissioner John Schnadenberg--who had estimated the cost of a new sweeper at $135,000--had originally asked the Stormwater Management Board to consider splitting a five-year lease-purchase agreement with the Street Department. But the council urged the board to bear the entire cost, inasmuch as a strict street-sweeping protocol is a requirement of the MS4 program.

President Emerson DeLaney, R-5th, thanked Stormwater Management Board President Thomas Kopko for finding the cash to make the purchase.

In other business, and less than an hour after the council gave the owner of a fire-damaged house at 616 S. Second St. 10 days to remove all debris from the home and yard, outgoing Building Commissioner Mike Orlich advised members that he has issued a violation notice to Sofianos Hasapis, the owner of the house at 1500 Maximilian Drive severely damaged by fire on Jan. 30.

Orlich said that, unless Hasapis moves to bring the property into compliance, he would urge the council at its next meeting, June 22, to pursue the matter under the unsafe building ordinance. By then new Building Commissioner Dave Novak will have succeeded Orlich in that position.

Orlich noted that the home sustained severe structural damage in the fire, which investigators determined to be incendiary in origin.

The Chesterton Police Department has responded to 302 calls so far in June and to 4,801 so far in the year-to-date, Police Chief George Nelson told members.

The Chesterton Fire Department has already cracked the 500-call mark in 2009, in under half a year, Orlich told members.

And, oh yeah, the CFD has taken delivery of its new ladder truck and firefighters have begun their training and certification on the vehicle.

Meanwhile, members voted 5-0 to approve a proclamation of congratulations to Boy Scout Adam Diaz, of Troop 998, for his completing the requirements for the rank of Eagle Scout.

The proclamation noted that only 2 percent of all scouts attain that rank, for which the scout must earn 21 merit badges and exhibit exemplary scouting spirit, service, and leadership.

An Eagle Scout Court of Honor will convene on June 20 to confer the rank on Diaz.

Town Manager Bernie Doyle took a moment to tell the council that the public has responded with “overwhelmingly positive comments” about this season’s opening of the European Market, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. every Saturday at the Chesterton/Duneland Chamber of Commerce at 220 Broadway, and the debut of Chesterton Cruise Night, from 5 to 9 p.m. every Saturday in the Downtown.

Doyle also noted that residents are excited about the new decorative street signs in the Downtown.

“These are all super projects for the town,” agreed Member Jim Ton, R-1st.

In response to a query from Member Dave Cincoski, Doyle said that residents may contact him at 926-1098, and that he would be happy to meet a resident out of his office--located in the Chamber building--if circumstances would require him to do so, and that they often do.