Brett Schipp, of Universal Design Associates, presented the official layout plans for the proposed Sidewalk Project to the Ferdinand Town Council on Tuesday evening. Bethany Hopf, the Design Architect, constructed the maps to reflect the proposed South-to-North sidewalk installation, which would see a 6ft-wide sidewalk that begins at 17th Street, extends to just-shy of 23rd Street, ending at the Seufert’s Construction & Casey’s General Store driveway.
This proposed concrete sidewalk would be on the West side of Main Street, connecting many retailers and the Town Hall to one sloped & grated pathway. The developers are working to receive approval from the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), as this plan is set to utilize space right next to State Road 162, with plans to slope away from the roadside. As of the Tuesday evening presentation, this project is estimated to cost just under $5,000 for the Town of Ferdinand.
The Town Council also received department reports for the first of the year.
The Ferdinand Police Department received 3,054 total calls for service in 2023. The department notes that its personnel are doing a better job reporting these numbers and that the number of calls for their service has increased from previous years. The Ferdinand Fire Department ended the year with 179 total runs, and the retirement of Heath Berg, with his 11 years of service, and Riley Denning, with 2 years of service. The Electric Department is planning on sending their crew to an Excavator Seminar, presented by 8-1-1 and TransCanada Pipeline in February. The Ferdinand Park Board confirmed Matthew Weyer as Board President, Jill Shipp as Vice-President, Natalie Howard as Secretary, and Mike Steffe as Board Member for 2024.
Town Manager of Ferdinand, Chris James, discussed the cyber-security future for the Town of Ferdinand, and promised a more detailed report on cyber-security avenues in the future weeks.
The Town Council re-elected Ken Sicard as Council President, and Debbie Johnson as Vice-President for 2024.
In this January meeting, the Council elected to purchase a new utility truck with a dump bed for the Street Department, the Wastewater/Water Department is currently seeking out bids for the purchase of camera equipment to check water mains more efficiently, and the Electric Department is seeking out a replacement for their 15-year-old hydro-excavator, a tool that they use frequently and foresee having maintenance issues with in the future.
