The City of Huntingburg celebrated a monumental milestone last-week, as they held the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Wastewater Treatment Plant Project on Tuesday afternoon. After the golden shovels were passed on and the fanfare of the day was finished, the City and all of its departments went back to “business-as-usual”.
Business, which, of course, includes the regularly scheduled Tuesday evening sessions of the Huntingburg City Council and Utility Board meeting in the Council Chambers.
At last night’s meeting, in the absence of Councilmember Pam Bolte, the Huntingburg City Council introduced and approved an ordinance to increase fees related to the Parks Department and any facilities they manage. This ordinance will see rental prices rise for certain Parks amenities, and other possible price increases in various programs offered by the City Parks Department.
Out of an applicant pool of six individuals, Jennifer Bayer was presented to the Council as a new addition to the list of volunteer firefighters for the City of Huntingburg. With the absence of Fire Chief Don Heim, the council unanimously approved the selection of Bayer to join the volunteer list.
Energy Superintendent John Reutepohler, who manages both gas and electric energy utilities, discussed the progress the City has made in installing gas utilities in Ireland. Reutepohler expressed concern with two older-model vehicles that the department relies on to provide gas services to the area, and citing high mileage and mechanical issues as primary concerns, propositioned the Council for permission to begin searching for two replacement vehicles. The Council approved his request. For the electric utility, the City recently completed a project that required switching out faulty hardware at Southridge High School. They have continued their work in switching out old utility poles throughout the City with newer, more durable versions, with some poles dating back to the 1970s.
Water Superintendent Jerry Austin started his presentation off with a session of “show-and-tell” with the City Council, presenting two samples of copper piping, recently removed from the Jagoe Homes (Hunters Crossing) subdivision in Huntingburg. These copper pipes, located in this small area of town, are showing rapid signs of exterior deterioration, as Austin has continually updated the Council on. The concern not only being in the loss of this utility, but also because the age of these pipes is not indicative of such rapid decay. Austin and his Water Department are continuing their efforts to investigate this issue, why it is taking place in such a small portion of town, and replace lines when an issue arises. Austin also shared the news that they are awaiting replacement parts to service a water main break that recently took place on 2nd and Walnut Streets, expecting the replacements to arrive by next week. The Water Department is continuing their lead and copper surveying, GIS mapping project, and water meter installations, seeing an end in sight for all three projects in the next coming months or early next year.
Finally, Huntingburg Clerk-Treasurer, Tom Dippel, scheduled with the Budget Planning Committee to meet for an extensive day of City budget planning, set for August 29th, 2024, to discuss the upcoming fiscal year’s budget.
The Huntingburg City Council meets on the second Tuesday of the month, and again with the addition of the Utility Board on the fourth Tuesday of every month, beginning at 5:30 PM EST in the City Hall Council Chambers.
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