Milford Council Hears About Vandalism At Waubee Park
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MILFORD – Vandalism was a repeated topic of conversation at the monthly meeting of the Milford Town Council on Monday.
Steven Marquart, superintendent of street and water, expressed sadness that members of the public disrespect Waubee Park.
“We try our best to keep it safe and clean, but people seem not to know what trash cans are for,” he said. “For some reason, vandalism seems like one of the things that people like to do to our park. The rules of the park are totally ignored.”
Marquart asked the public to help keep the park clean and safe so the people that are respectful have a place to go with their family.
President Dan Cochran asked the public if there were any community organizations or outreach programs which might assist with maintenance and activities in the park.
Marquart also asked for permission to apply for the Community Crossing grant for 2017 to cover repaving costs. The costs would be $258,053.90, of which the town would pay $64,513.47. The council gave permission to proceed with the application for the grant. Vice President Doug Ruch said that with the program the town has reaped very good benefits.
Marquart asked to bring another person onto the Milford payroll, to keep up with the town's needs.
“Between water, street, sewer and park, it's all we can do to keep up and it's starting to show,” he said.
Marquart also noted that the water tower has been emptied so the painters can begin sandblasting before their paint job. He asked the public to refrain from excess water use while the tower is empty and painted.
Finally, he reported that the new roof on a building in the park is finished.
In police news, Charles Bird was sworn in as a reserve officer, and Brandon Shipp as a deputy marshal. Both officers signed a three-year commitment agreement. Two other officers resigned.
Police Chief Travis Marsh asked for approval to purchase a TC400 speed sign for the amount of $3,115, Motorola HD15-50 radios for $800, uniforms for new officers for $1,000, $350 for a jacket and $450 for a vest.
He also asked for approval to increase the spending limit to $1,400 for ammunition in order to take advantage of any sales that come up.
The council approved all requests.
Lakeland Rehab and Health Care Center announced their carnival is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
Housing Authority requested using the community center to invite residents in for an energy savings program. They will give away free kits and provide instructions on how to use those kits. The council approved the request.
Town Clerk Joellen Free read the first reading of the town’s proposed 2018 budget, which includes: general fund, $704,355; motor vehicle highway, $310,800; local roads and streets, $30,000; LIT economic, $150,000; redevelopment, $150,000; CCI tax rate, $100,000; CCI, $30,000; CCDF, $100,000; cumulative sewer, $65,000. Total 2018 proposed budget is $1,640,155.
Ruch expressed how pleased he was that the budget was down 7 percent from 2017.
The fire department announced its hose test and ladder testing will be Thursday at 8 a.m. and will be an all-day event.
The council approved for the rescue truck pump to be repaired for $1,500.
Representatives from Eric and Daughter’s Garden Tilling asked for council approval for residential occupancy to be zoned to small business without utility. After inspection, the council had no objections to the rezoning.
A member of the public came to the council with his drainage problem and his frustration over not being able to get any help in fixing it. Town attorney Jay Rigdon explained that an easement is another’s right to use the property, and that the landowner is required to maintain repairs on the property, not the easement owner.
The person also complained about a tree branch, which fell down on his fence. Rigdon explained that according to statute, there is no outside agency that’s able to do anything about the tree.
Then Rigdon brought several clarifications to the council that had been asked about in previous meetings.
If a road in a town is a state highway, the town is responsible for maintenance of trees along the roads between the edge of the road and edge of sidewalk. Everywhere else, the landowner is responsible.
He also provided information about the town fireworks code. Town code doesn’t allow fireworks in town, but state law mandates that there are specific dates and times in which the town may not limit use of fireworks. In light of that, he recommended that the town code needed to be repealed and replaced. He also clarified that the town is not able to limit fireworks during these times, even for a burn ordinance.
