Culver Town Manager Jonathan Leist updated the town council on the Stellar Communities application when they met Tuesday night.
The letter of intent and supporting documents were turned in by the April 28 deadline. The town council members will learn if the town is a finalist on May 24.
The Culver Town Council and the Culver Redevelopment Commission met in a long joint meeting on Tuesday night to discuss a housing development agreement between the entities and housing developer Kevin Berger and funding for the project.
Council President Ginny Bess Munroe stated that they are at the stage of approving financing for the project. The Culver Redevelopment Commission would finance $400,000 for the project with nearly the same financial obligation from the Culver Town Council. The town hopes to use Regional City Northern Indiana money that the county won last year. A housing dollar amount of $270,000 was set aside for this venture and a presentation in order to appropriate that money is set for June. If the town is awarded the Stellar Communities designation, funding would be used toward that project.
The Culver Town Council will meet in a specially-called meeting with the Culver Redevelopment Commission tonight at 5p.m. ET. The members of each government entity will discuss an agreement as part of a housing development project on Jefferson Street as outlined in the Stellar Communities application.
Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim explained that the town wants to enter into an agreement with the housing developer that specifies responsibilities. The town will do the infrastructure work and the housing developer will be responsible for building the homes.
Indiana communities are worried cell towers could start popping up without their permission, under a measure recently passed by the state legislature, unless they take action by this Sunday. Now, municipalities around the state are scrambling to meet the deadline. The North Judson Town Council will meet in special session this morning at 7:30, while the Culver Town Council met yesterday afternoon. Continue reading
Culver Park Superintendent Anna Campbell presented a quote for maintenance at the Culver Town Park.
Sellers Maintenance will grind down areas where tree roots are causing a tripping hazard and fill divots in the grass. The workers will also fertilize the grass and apply seed in areas. Campbell said the west end of the park will be rehabilitated as it is a heavily used area and work was lacking last year.
Officials with the Culver-Union Township Public Library asked the Culver Town Council members to delay marking spaces for accessible parking as required by the American Disability Act. Town Manager Jonathan Leist presented the information where he explained the library board is waiting for the final design for the courtyard before designating areas for accessible parking.
Culver EMS officials sought approval from the Culver Town Council to hire a paramedic for the third full-time ALS position.
Interviews are being conducted to backfill the full-time spot as the current paramedic will be filling a part-time paid position.
The Culver Town Council and the Stellar Communities Committee have made some focus changes to the plans for this year’s application.
Town Manager Jonathan Leist told the council members Tuesday night that the committee revisited the proposed lighter, quicker and cheaper project. The committee has decided to go with five or six-foot letters that spell C-U-L-V-E-R rather than the historic story walk as that particular project. Utility Superintendent Bob Porter is researching the cost for this project, but Leist believes it will fall within the $5,000 requirement for that part of the application.
The Culver Town Council will hold a work session tonight to discuss the housing project for the Stellar Communities grant. It is just one of many aspects the council is looking at to include in the letter of intent which is due on Friday, April 28.
Several lighter, quicker and cheaper projects will also be included. A story walk and the installation of recycled benches along a proposed bike trail will be listed within the town’s goals for the application.
It’s a tool that Culver residents have appreciated over the years and the Culver Town Council hopes to improve its overall appearance.
The town’s website will soon be getting a facelift. Town Manager Jonathan Leist and Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim have been working to find a solution to make it more user friendly. Leist told the town council last week that only one person can input information to the website from one desktop. Ideally, it would be more efficient for all department heads to have access to the website to upload information for convenience.
The convenience fee to pay for items through the Town of Culver has been slashed.
Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim told the Culver Town Council members this week that she met with a representative from PayGOV to make the changes to the convenience fee. The previous agreement included a $2.50 convenience fee on a minimum charge and anything over $25 customers were charged a three percent fee.
The Culver Town Council discussed an issue concerning a participant with last year’s sidewalk replacement program.
Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim explained to the council members that a resident applied for the sidewalk program last year. As the season wore on, the applicant found that the project could not be completed in 2016 and asked if the same request could be considered in the 2017 application process. Utility Superintendent Bob Porter confirmed that all of the specifications were complete for the cement to be poured, but another construction project at that location delayed the sidewalk installation.
The Culver Stellar Communities Committee recently chose a lighter, quicker and cheaper project for this year’s Stellar Community application and the project is gaining support of community entities.
As a lighter, quicker and cheaper project, the committee chose the installation of recycled plastic benches and a story walk featuring Culver history along a proposed new bike trail in the Culver Town Park. It is the hope of the committee to build partnerships as part of the application process.
The Culver-Union Township Library will soon be getting some American Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant renovations to the exterior of the building along with other improvements.
Library Board member Bill Clevenger explained to the Culver Town Council Tuesday night that the board recently hired an architect to do an envelope study of the library. That study entails an analysis of potential facility modifications to bring codes up to standards or to improve operations.
The Culver Town Council members will have several items up for discussion when they meet tonight.
Bill Clevenger from the Culver-Union Township Public Library will appear before the council with information. The council will receive an update on the Stellar Communities application and letter of intent. The deadline for the letter of intent is set for April 28.
Summer is right around the corner which means activities around the Culver Park and the Culver Beach will be winding up for the season.
Park Superintendent Anna Campbell told the Culver Town Council members last week that she recently hired a new maintenance employee and she is currently taking applications for lifeguards. Five lifeguards are returning this year and one new lifeguard was recently hired. For more information, call (574) 842-3510.
The Town of Culver is the recipient of a Marshall County Community Foundation grant to help fund an opportunity for residents to participate in public fishing.
Town Manager Jonathan Leist told the Culver Town Council members this week that a platform will be installed at the end of a pier for public fishing.
One project that the Culver Town Council and the Stellar Communities Committee is focused on is a bike and pedestrian trail around Lake Maxinkuckee.
Town Manager Jonathan Leist said the project began with creating a master plan last year with consulting firm Troyer Group for the trail to be funded if the town was named a Stellar Community. The idea is to create a scenic trail around the lake with the ability to accommodate walkers, runners and bicyclists as a way for residents to get some exercise and see the town from a different perspective.
The Culver Town Council continues to move forward with an application to the Stellar Communities Program.
Town Manager Jonathan Leist reported that he and Council President Ginny Bess Munroe have split up responsibilities to process the letter of intent which is due Friday, April 28. That five page document will be reviewed by the Stellar Communities committee on Tuesday, April 4 at 5:30 p.m. at the Culver Town Hall. The meeting is open to any resident interested in being a part of the committee.
A public hearing to hear comments concerning a tax abatement request from Elkay Products was held last night during the Culver Town Council meeting.
Owner Brian Meek is planning a technology upgrade at the facility at a cost of approximately $3.9 million. More jobs will be created as a result of the upgrade in equipment. Meek said this project will help make the Culver Elkay plant the leading manufacturer of cabinets within the corporation. He said there is an Elkay facility in Minnesota where the company has made a similar investment.
