The Town Hall was packed on Tuesday evening for the March meeting of the Ferdinand Town Council. Here are some of the high points of the meeting:
- Captain Rob Randle of the Ferdinand Police Department was presented with a Merit Award for his loyal dedication to the Town and the PD. He was also awarded because of his hard work in getting a JAG Indiana Criminal Justice Institute Grant for 7 new Axon Body Cameras for the FPD. This grant provided over $16,000 to the town for the purchase of these cameras, the software, and the training for use which only left the Town of Ferdinand having to pay the remaining $5000 balance. Chief of Police Kerri Blessinger thanked Captain Randle and mentioned that his hard work and dedication did not go unnoticed.
- The dates for the town-wide clean-up were announced for April 16th, 17th, and 18th. The west side of town will be picked up on the 16th while the east side will be cleaned up on the 17th, and the 18th will be designated for “as needed” clean-up. The Council mentioned that these dates were pushed back due to the Total Solar Eclipse event happening on April 8th. A full list of what is accepted for pick-up can be found on the ferdinandindiana.org website.
- The Electric Department requested to turn the currently vacant Town Manager’s office into a training and meeting room. The council noted they were not opposed to that office being converted for that but informed the public they were going to wait a couple of months before making a move on this request. There are currently no planned outages for the Town of Ferdinand, and the tree-trimming project for line clearance has been completed. Approval was granted for the purchase of two, new transformers at over $24K.
- Ben Brinkman the Water/Wastewater Superintendent for the Town announced they are still working on the Spring flushing project. The project is expected to be completed within the next couple of weeks. The approval for the purchase of over $94K in materials for two water department projects involving water line replacement work at 3rd and Georiga Streets and Northview Drive was granted.
- The Solar Eclipse was mentioned again and Ferdinand Chief of Police Kerri Blessinger informed the council that they are prepared for what the Eclipse weekend brings with a complete safety plan, back-up plans, and more. FPD will make a traffic modification on the day of the Eclipse by placing water barricades in front of the entrance to the town park to re-route traffic to help with congestion. Drivers leaving the park will not be able to turn left on 162 but instead, turn right heading back out of town to use the Industrial bypass around to the Interstate.
- A concerned citizen stood before the council inquiring about past discussions of a stop sign being placed at 3rd and Michigan Streets as vehicles “zoom by” that area all the time. The current speed limit in that area is posted at 30 miles per hour. Chief Blessinger stated that the area is highly patrolled and reports are given on speeders and activity in that area. The citizen also brought the close encounters at 8th and Michigan Streets involving his children before the council. Chief Blessinger also stated that Ferdinand PD as well as the Dubois County Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officers are always in the area in the morning and afternoons for the start of school or end of school to ensure everyone remains safe.
- Mike Becher from EMC Insurance, the town’s agent, reported on the overall state of the insurance industry and how it wasn’t a favorable market for consumers commercial or otherwise. The town would be seeing an 8% increase on their property insurance Becher stated.
The Ferdinand Town Council will convene it’s next meeting on Tuesday, April 23rd at 7PM.
