Flora hires Lafayette firm to do sewer system study
By Susan Scholl Editor

Flora took the first step Monday night to solving its sewer system woes by agreeing to hire T-Bird Engineering & Surveying of Lafayette.

Town council members had spent the past month going over four study proposals, all with different approaches on how to address the town's water infiltration problems.

According to council president Josh Ayres, T-Bird's approach seemed the most logical because it dealt with the town's high ground water table.

Wastewater superintendent Bill McCarty agreed, said Ayres.

Even though it was not a factor in the decision, T-Bird's estimate of expenses at $30,000 was the lowest due to utilizing town employees when possible for some of the work.

"Our sewer problems keep getting more serious," said Ayres after announcing that the town had received another notice of violation letter from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM).

Ayres said that with the hiring of T-Bird, the firm will be asked to explain the town's action plan to IDEM.

The town was given 15 business days to respond to the IDEM's letter. Copies of the letter are available for public inspection in the town office.

County EDC

Carroll County Economic Development Director Daryl Smith requested help from the town in hiring a marketing firm to come up with a marketing plan for Carroll County. Smith said that the individuals that they are working with are the same two who spoke on the importance of having a county marketing strategy at a public forum in late April.

Richard Heupel, senior project director for the Office of Building Better Communities at Ball State University, and Bob St. Clair, president and CEO of the St. Claire Group, a firm based in Indianapolis, specializing in strategic planning, presented a marketing proposal for the county last Thursday, attended by several county leaders and representatives of community organizations.

Smith said that those in attendance "felt very strongly that these guys were putting us in the right direction."

He said the cost will be $21,000 and that averages out to about $1 per person per county resident. According to the latest census, Flora has 2,227 residents and that is the amount he sought for Flora's share of the expenses.

Clerk-treasurer Joretta Tinsman will check whether or not there are available sources for the money in the budget.

Smith thanked the town for its past help and for agreeing to support a recent matching fund grant proposal that the EDC submitted to the Office of Community & Rural Affairs. The grant would help small businesses. Grant recipients will not be announced until January.

Smith also said that he wants to establish regular dialog with the various county communities by sharing more information about what EDC is doing and its goals. He said that he foresees attending a council meeting once a year and presenting a report.

Smith also commended the town for its efforts to reopen the former Brethren's Home.

Yard waste

Ayres asked the public to be more considerate when expecting town employees to deal with uncontained yard waste.

Grass clippings raked to the curb create a challenge to pick up. "It's pretty unreasonable to expect someone to deal with it," he said.

Residents are asked to place their yard waste in biodegradable paper composting bags or in a container that can be emptied such as trash bags (do not tie the bags), trash barrels and cardboard boxes.

Handicapped parking

Council member Roger Daugherty said that he has been approached again about an additional handicapped parking space downtown. He explained that there is a curb issue with parallel parking that is not an issue with angle parking. He asked the council to consider whether an angle handicapped parking space was needed across from First Financial Bank on East Main Street.

Reports

Town Marshal Paul Redmon issued a reminder that all motorists must now use their seatbelts, drivers and passengers, barring a few exceptions.

The police department's activity report for June included: 7 arrests/misdemeanors, 1 felony, 30 citations, 4 parking violations, 42 warnings issued, 109 calls for service, 5 accidents investigated, and 1 consent to search.

Ayres reported that he expects the town-appointed committee examining options for a new fire and/or police station to have a presentation ready for the Aug. 6 meeting.

Flora's plan commission issued seven building permits in June: Ron and Mary Hughes and Michael Barrett, pool and fence; Ashley and Christine Tyner, fence; Howard Bieghler, deck; Robert McLaughlin, sunroom addition; Brian Beaver, pole barn; and Lana Boston, shed.

In McCarty's written report for June he noted that due to the hot and dry weather, the ground water table has dropped and for the first time in a long time, the town is below design flow of 428,000 gallons per day.

Household hazardous waste pick up will be held July 28 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the community park. Items included for pick up are chemicals, paint and tires.

The next meeting will be Aug. 6 at 6 p.m. in the Fireside Building.