The Chesterton Town
Council played small ball at its meeting Monday night, dispatching a bit of
year’s-end business over here, taking reports from department heads over
there.
Of most interest
perhaps: Associate Town Attorney Chuck Parkinson told the council that the
$2-million park bond, approved in October, was scheduled to close today. The
interest rate over the bond’s 10-year lifetime: an exceptionally low 2.54
percent.
Among the projects
the bond will finance:
*At Dogwood Park:
the installation of a splash pad, the modernization of the playground
equipment, and the alignment of the east and west entrances.
*At Chesterton
Park: the installation of a splash pad and of lights at the basketball and
tennis courts and the addition of a playground workout area.
*At Coffee Creek
Park: the construction of a shelter by the fishing pond.
*At Thomas
Centennial Park: the installation of a screening wall on the north side.
New Fire Engine
In other business,
Fire Chief John Jarka reported that he’s met with officials at Sutphen
Corporation of Dublin, Ohio, which will be building the CFD’s new engine.
Sutphen’s was the lowest responsive and responsible bid of the eight, at
$462,362.
Jarka said that the
pre-construction meeting went well. “It looks like they build a quality
product.”
Jarka is expecting
delivery of the engine in June or July. The CFD’s current go-to engine, a
2000 Pierce, will become the back-up engine; its current back-up, a 1992
Pierce, will be placed in reserve.
New Grapple Truck
Another vehicle
which the town is awaiting delivery of--has been since April--is a new
grapple truck, purchased from Truck City of Gary Inc. Cost: $129,482
As Street
Commissioner John Schnadenberg told the council on Monday, vehicle
manufacturers have had a tough time of it this year getting their product
out. But Truck City should be delivering the grapple truck in the next week
or two, he said.
Still on order: a
new dump truck, also ordered in April from Truck City, at a cost of
$156,184. It will probably be 45 days or so before the Street Department
takes delivery of that vehicle, Schnadenberg said. “We’ll get it to plow
snow pretty much at the end of the winter.”
Lease with Chamber
Meanwhile, members
voted unanimously to renew its lease of the old New York Central passenger
depot to the Duneland Chamber of Commerce.
That lease has a
five-year lifetime with a monthly rental of $1,700. It also provides for two
five-year renewal options. Should the Chamber exercise the first option,
monthly rental will be bumped to $1,850; should it exercise the second, it
will be bumped to $2,000.
The lease also
authorizes the Chamber to remodel the interior of the building at its own
expense.
Ton Returned to
NIRPC
Members also voted
unanimously to re-appoint Member Jim Ton, R-1st, as the town’s
representative on the Executive Board of the Northwestern Indiana Regional
Planning Commission.
This year Ton
served as Vice Chair of the Executive Board, where he’s been a vocal
advocate of the town’s interests.
Special Meeting
on Dec. 21
Members also agreed
by consensus to hold a special meeting at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 21, for the
purpose of interviewing applicants for open board seats and to discuss the
2016 CEDIT budget.
2016 Municipal
Holiday Schedule
Finally, members
voted unanimously to declare the following to be municipal holidays in the
Town of Chesterton in 2016: New Year’s Day, President’s Day, Good Friday,
Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving Day,
the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.