Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
SYRACUSE – At the monthly Syracuse Town Council meeting Tuesday, Town Manager Henry DeJulia brought two matters before the council.
First, he brought the request of Oakwood Park management for it to be on the record that the town council said it would look into any future desire to open an enclosed road on the property. The council agreed to potentially looking into the matter at a future date.
The second matter was from the Wawasee School Board. The board wanted to know if the town would be interested in purchasing the recently vacated Syracuse Elementary School. After deliberating on the matter, the council stated that this was not something they would want to take on at this time due to costs and unknown factors.
Police Chief James Layne reported that the reserve officers in training had received 102 hours of training, which means they are almost through that program and almost ready for service.
Park Superintendent Chad Jonsson announced several events throughout the town: the Mudtastic Classic Marathon on Saturday and the Tour de Parks on July 8.
He reported that the park board is looking into which options would be best for the outdoor bathroom at Lakeside Park. The options are to repair the standing structure, which would be more expensive due to rotting parts of the building, or completely replace the structure.
Director of Public Works Rob Merchant brought final costs for the Crossroads funding for the three projects the town is working on. He gave his opinion that it was in the best interest of the town to hold off on one project, but go ahead with the resurfacing of town roads and fixing cracked sealing in the roads. He recommended holding off on the Harkless Drive project due to uncertainty over cost.
Jeremy Harding, from Commonwealth, explained that the milling and resurfacing cost is $426,370.57, with the state paying $319,773.93 (75 percent) of that, with a cost to the town of $106,592.64. Out-of-pocket expenses would be $12,500. Fixing the cracks in the sealing would amount to $43,880.77, with the state paying $32,910.58, and the town’s amount to be paid at $10,970.19.
Harding asked the board for approval to allot the funds needed, since the applications are due July 14; and in order to submit applications, funds must be shown available. The council agreed to authorizing the funding leverage needed out of the account in order to move forward with the construction projects.
Merchant also recommended the council pay an outstanding balance of $120,120.45 to Crosby Construction, as he does not believe that the problems the town had on the sewer project were a reflection on any work done by Crosby.
Merchant reported trying to figure out what to do with two big jars of sludge that were supposed to be put on a farmer’s field. He explained that the farmer planted the field before a land application could be finished. The council agreed that getting rid of it should be done sooner rather than later since it will cost more as time goes on.
Fire Chief Mickey Scott asked for the council’s approval to purchase a vacuum for a fire tanker for $206,080. The council agreed.
Clerk-Treasurer Paula Kehr-Wicker asked the council to decide which quote for construction inside City Hall they would accept. The council approved $1,805 for painting indoors, and drywall repair for $5,000.
A member of the public, Gary Meyer, addressed the council in regard to his property needing repairs. Meyer was upset since the police visited his dad in a nursing home, telling him they were going to mow the lawn and charge him $1,000. Meyer declared himself handicapped, and asked the town for help since he isn’t able to take care of his location.
Council Member Larry Siegal asked if Meyer was open to volunteers helping out. He agreed that he’d like that.
Finally, the council approved Corky Wong to the town fire board, with three in favor and two abstaining.
