Town Council 06/21/22

HOPE TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, June 21, 2022
AGENDA:
Hope Town Hall at 5:30 pm/Town of Hope Facebook Live

PLEASE TURN OFF OR SILENCE YOUR MOBILE DEVICES.
Jerry Bragg called the meeting to order with a reminder to silence cell phones. This request was
observed, less two exceptions. The opening prayer and the pledge of allegiance followed.
Approval of the Minutes 5/18/2022
The first item on the agenda was the approval of minutes from the 05/18/2022 meeting. The motion to
accept the minutes passed 5 -0.
Approval of the Claims
A motioned was made to approve the claims as presented. Town Manager, Jason Eckart brought a $900
item to the Council’s attention. He stated that this was initially an approved $600 expenditure that was
changed due to some last bit modifications of the new EV stations. It passed 5 – 0.

Old Business  
Windrose Signage (Matt Galbraith)
Mr. Eckart spoke for Matt Galbraith in his absence. He stated that the Windrose sign was approved by
the Planning Commission. Council member Ed Johnson, who is also a member of the Planning
Commission, stated that he had visited another site with basically the same sign. It is not obtrusive, in
his opinion. He stated that there would be landscaping around the sign and that he approved of it.
Council member Clyde Compton believed that Indiana statute states that the Board of Zoning Appeals
decision precludes that of the Town Council, so no vote is required to approve the sign. He further
stated that he did not like the sign. He believed that a commercial sign was being placed on a residential
piece of property. He brought up a previous business that was closed down for the same infraction. He
felt that a rezoning of the property would have been more appropriate. For this reason, Clyde was
voting “No” and recommended that the property be rezoned. A question was raised about whether the
sign would be lit after dark, and Ed stated that, supposedly, it would be on a timer to turn off power
near sundown. After some more zoning-related discussion and utility input from David Clouse, it was
determined that the Board would not need to vote their approval. The Zoning Board decision would
suffice.

Wastewater Construction Project/Grant (Tony Akles, Victoria Bechert)
Tony began with some project background on the Goshen Meadows pumping station, and its current
operation. The construction project would take the main up State Road 9 across CR 600N directly to
treatment plant. The reasoning is that the Moravian pump station overflows a couple time each year,
and the new project would redirect flow away from the town. This would increase the capacity of the
Moravian station and prevent the overflow instances. Secondarily, Miller’s Merry Manor waste would
also be taken directly to the lift station. Tony stated that they are looking toward an OCRA construction
grant with the Council’s approval. Victoria Bechert stated that the updated project cost would be
$707,250 of that $565,800 eligible through OCRA, coupled with the local match from the town in the
amount of $141,450. Jason stated that this $141,450 could be financed using ARP funds, instead of using
town funds. Clyde voiced his support of the work of Jason Eckart and David Clouse in planning for future
capacity needs, specifically new home construction and town expansion. The motion to approve this
new project passed 5 – 0.

New Business
Park Request/Fast Five R/C Drag Racing (Joe Chambers)
Joe Chambers presented his request to utilize Harrison Street on the square for several remote-
controlled car drag racing events. Participants will number 50 or more, with some arriving by 3 pm to
dine in Hope. The events will begin at 4:30 pm, wrapping up around 10 pm. These dates will be 7/17,
9/11, 10/16, 11/13, 12/11. The request was approved 5 – 0.

July 1 fireworks road closure (Jessica Brown)
Jessica Brown presented a request to utilize the Town Square for the 2022 Old Fashioned 4 th Of July
Celebration. She listed food vendors, crafts, the Bannister Family Bluegrass Band, and a fireworks show
as some of the featured attractions this year. She received an approval letter from the Bartholomew
County Commissioners granting the temporary road closure of 700N as in years past. This letter also
approved the road being closed during the Hope Heritage Days fireworks on September 24 th . The Hope
Police Department will be setting up and removing the county’s barricades on 700N. She stated that Jeff
Yarnell is in charge of trash removal this year. A car cruise in will be taking place simultaneously and
typical street closures of Washington, Jackson and Harrison Streets will be in place. The request was
approved 4 – 0 with Mr. Johnson abstaining.

Liability Insurance (John Parmley)
John Parmley was not able to attend due to a vacation, per Clerk Treasurer Diane Burton. Diane
presented the documentation for liability insurance in the amount of $38,292. The previous premium
amount was $30,548. She stated that some of the variance was due to an increase in premium and
increased coverage on some town buildings. She referenced an email from John Parmley which provided
more details. The accidental policy amount for the Police Department ($1427) did not change, but cyber
liability costs ($5995) did increase quite a bit, she stated. Diane noted that the insurance company did
comparison shop to arrive at the amounts, and Council member Omer Miller asked if those quotes were
available. Councilman Ed Johnson questioned a comment made by the company regarding
municipalities, specifically small towns. After some discussion regarding the lack of attendance by Mr.
Parmley and the appearance of a lack of interest on his part, it was suggested that more options be
explored in the future. Mr. Parmley’s attendance at the next meeting was mentioned by Mr. Johnson.
Pertaining to the current request for payment, the Council approved it 5-0.

Norman Park Update and Build Cost (Jason Eckart)
Jason Eckart presented a proposed a plan for improving Norman Park that included new sand for the
volleyball court, a new volleyball net, resurfacing the basketball court asphalt, a new sidewalk from the
parking lot to the shelter house, and installing a new tetherball court and charcoal grill. Jason stated his
belief that children needed a safe place to gather. ADA compliant access to the shelter house was also
part of the plan. He also has been working with Duke Energy to acquire new light poles and have an LED
light installed at the basketball court. He stated that this project began with the purchase of new
security cameras, and Duke providing the wiring for them at a cost of $2500. Jim Powell with JP Electric
will provide electrical service to the recorder for the security device. He contacted Globe Industries, who
happened to be in town repaving streets, and they provided an estimate of $13,030 for installation of
the sidewalk and resurfacing the basketball area. Jason did not wish to perform work on the parking lot
or fence at this time. He stated that park usage would be a determiner on the additional $3000 expense
and work required. Next spring may be a target time for these improvements. Discussion was heard
regarding park hours. With the addition of security cameras, Jason felt after dark use of the park was a
possibility. Councilman Omer Miller questioned whether the new, possibly brighter, light would impact
area residents. David Clouse stated that the light type and output would be similar to the new ones
around the square. Marshal Matt Tallent stated that his officers currently begin emptying the square at
dusk, and Councilman Compton suggested that this park do the same. Jason asked the Council to
approve the expenditure of $19,750 for the park improvements. Attorney for the town, Scott Andrews,
brought up the requirement of securing three quotes for such a project, per state statute for any public
works. A motion was made for the expenditure in the amount of $19,750, pending the receipt of two
additional quotes and requiring the acceptance of the lowest bid. The Council approved it 5-0.

Town of Hope Website (Jason Eckart, Tom Cuneo)
Jason stated that he wished to transfer the town’s current .org and .com internet domains, currently
owned by Nathan Wiley, to MLT Technologies by way of Tom Cuneo for a fee $599. This amount is to be
paid to Mr. Wiley. Further, he proposed that Mr. Cuneo set up the website for the Town of Hope for an
amount of $2,750. The change would result in a faster, cleaner website to be developed and maintained
by Mr. Cuneo. $1,375 would be due upon acceptance of the project with the remainder due once the
site goes live. Tom spoke to the Council of the current site’s limitations and vulnerability. Due to Tom’s
ties to Hope and importance of the site, the cost to the town is greatly reduced. He assured the Council
of the long-term viability of his choices in support companies. His yearly charge after this expense will be
$239.40 with maintenance fees of $65 per hour. Mr. Miller questioned the duration before this type of
expense recurs, and Tom stated that he believed it would be effective at least as long as the previous
one (since 2014). Marshal Tallent related that he used the site quite often to post notices, and Mr.
Cuneo told of visitors from all over the country. Tom also stated that his company would not try to
charge the town for their domain names. David Clouse commented that Hope Utilities owns their
domain names. Some discussion involved Mr. Wiley and domain name costs. Two motions were made.
The first was for $599 for the domains to be transferred. The Council approved the motion 4-1, with
John Walstad casting the dissenting vote. The second was for $2,750 to be paid to MLT. It was approved
by the Council, 5-0.

Roofing Quotes, Street Name Change (David Clouse)
Mr. Clouse presented three quotes for the Hope Utilities building roof. All were comparable in materials
and scope and ranged from $19,363.40 to $26,547. A warranty issue on the lowest bid was noted by
Clyde Compton, and David said it was under the manufacturer’s warranty. C&T Construction was chosen
and resulting discussion was made on funding account source and a previously approved cost
expenditure. Omer asked if Mr. Clouse was confident in the chosen contractor, and David stated that he
was. He has used this contractor for a personal residence, and Mr. Johnson also vouched for this local
business. A motion was made to award the work to C&T Construction and passed 5-0.
David recommended changing the name of County Road 775E behind Hauser High School due to the
town having responsibility for it. He also told of some confusion due to GPS mapping of this short
stretch of roadway between Hauser Drive and South Street. The county only requires a document
stating the name change, and a motion was made to rename it Schaefer Drive. It passed 5-0. Ed Johnson
recommended that the school and lone resident along the road be notified of the decision. A letter
would also be sent to the county to serve as official notification.

CCMG Update (Tony Akles)
Tony updated the Council on road repaving activities and stated that the cost was running lower than
anticipated. INDOT, through their web site, has said that they will be beginning the next round of CCMG
from July 1 to July 29. Mr. Akles stated that input on decisions on the next round of street paving was
needed, and several possibilities were discussed. Cross Street was mentioned as a priority by Jason
Eckart, as well as Union Street from Jackson to Seminary. The need for additional crack sealing was also
high-lighted. Tony stated the need to update the Town’s road asset management plan, or 5-year road
plan. Jason Eckart and David Clouse, along with Tony, committed to working on this project to meet
deadlines. Sidewalks were also included as possibilities for inclusion in this project’s scope. Clyde
Compton suggested that Jason and David decide which streets were to be addressed and inform the
Council. A special session of the Council may be called to approve their recommendations.
Designated Town Representative (Tony Akles)
Tony Akles recommended that Jason Eckart be designated as the town’s representative to sign off on
future grants. A motion was made and approved 5-0.

Questions and Comments
Jason Eckart asked Matt Galbraith and Scott Andrews about the status of a new mobile home being
installed in Stone’s Trailer Park. Matt stated that a recent request for an electrical permit had been
denied, and a hold has been placed on any new electrical permits. Matt stated that a town ordinance
states that a new mobile home going into a mobile home park requires a permit from the Council.
However, there is no permit fee. Matt stated that this needs to be investigated by the Council. Jason
talked to the state and learned that a designated state mobile home installer must set up mobile homes
but placing the mobile home in the park could not be stopped. Attorney Andrews said that prior legal
action is pending against the mobile home park. This was briefly discussed, along with other suspect
properties in town. One of these properties has an existing structure that Jason secured a demolition
quote of more than $12,000. The town at that point, according to Clyde Compton, would have a total
investment of over $20,000. Omer pointed out that this far exceeds the value of the now vacant lot.
Attorney Andrews stated that there was a potential buyer, and all agreed that this would be the best
outcome for the town. The Fletcher property, 153 Market Street, was reviewed, and a new local owner
is making improvements.

The meeting was adjourned.