Chesterton Tribune

 

 

Town Council takes first step in annexing school bus barn

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By KEVIN NEVERS

The Chesterton Town Council has taken the first step in annexing the Duneland School Corporation’s bus -barn property, located on C.R. 100E in unincorporated Liberty Township.

At their meeting Monday night, members voted unanimously to adopt a fiscal plan provided by the Duneland Schools as well as to consider a formal annexation ordinance at their next meeting, April 24.

The point of the annexation: the Duneland Schools has asked the Utility to provide sanitary service to the bus barn--its current septic system is old and failing--but under a long-standing policy, a pre-condition of any tie-in for annexable unincorporated property is annexation.

As attorney Greg Babcock, representing the Duneland Schools, noted, the bus barn sits on 6.2 acres and is comprised of three buildings: two for bus storage, the other for maintenance and administration.

The property in question does possess the statutory 1/8 contiguity with the town’s corporate limits, Babcock added, and annexing it would make it possible for the property’s adjacent neighbors to seek annexation themselves, if they wished.

Sanitary service would be provided via a line direction-bored under Ind. 49 and connecting to a manhole in Coffee Creek Center, Babcock said.

At a public hearing which preceded the vote, no one spoke in favor of the proposed annexation and no one in opposition to it.

Abatement Renewed

In other business, members voted unanimously to renew the Addison Pointe Health & Rehabilitation’s 10-year tax abatement for another year, its seventh.

Last week the Tax Abatement Advisory Committee unanimously recommended renewal, after hearing from Town Attorney Chuck Lukmann that Addison Pointe--now owned by Chesterton Health Care Properties LLC--is in substantial compliance with its commitment to hire, when possible Chesterton residents.

As of last week, Addison Pointe was employing a staff of 135, 15 more than the 120 which it committed to when it originally filed for the abatement in 2007. Of its 141 hires in 2016, 28 were Chesterton residents.

The abatement is scheduled at 40 percent in 2017.

Dump Truck Quotes

Meanwhile, members voted unanimously to take under advisement the two quotes received for a new light dump truck for the Street Department.

The quotes:

* $149,772, TransChicago Truck Group of Gary.

* $162,895, LindoCo Equipment Sales of Merrillville.

Squad Car

Equipment Quotes

Members also voted unanimously to take under advisement the three quotes received for equipping the Police Department’s four new squad cars. The equipment includes lights, sirens, computer stands, and center consoles.

The quotes:

* $58,275, Waymire Fleet Equipment of Indianapolis.

* $60,517, Bartronics Inc. of Chesterton.

* $62,922, Emergency Vehicle Technologies of Mokena, Ill.

Fee Waiver

for Rebuilding Together

And members voted unanimously to waive the building permit fees for the six residential projects which Rebuilding Together Duneland will be pursuing in town on Saturday, April 29.

 

Posted 4/11/2017

 
 
 
 

 

 

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