Huntingburg Emergency Services Implement Upgrades

Huntingburg’s Board of Public Works and Safety met on Thursday morning to hear updates on the recent equipment upgrades for emergency services as well as projects in progress throughout the city. 

Four bids were received for the Street Department Building roof project, but bids were either received late or over budget. The bids were rejected and the board authorized a re-bid. The low bid was accepted for the Community Crossings project, which came in at about $2000 under the original estimate. Approximately $70,000 will be paid by INDOT, and the remaining $21,000 will be paid out of Huntingburg’s Street Department budget. This includes 2 major street projects as well as sealing and preserving 20 different streets within the city. 

Wastewater Superintendent Brad Coomer said that the electric at the plant will be temporarily rerouted on next Tuesday, August 6 th , so that the transformer can be moved. Coomer also discussed the necessity of replacing a failing culvert at a property on 231 South that was installed by the city in 2000 when the road was extended out to the airport. The culvert is rusted out and needs replacement, as it is washing out underneath the driveway. It is in INDOT’s right of way, so work can begin once a permit is obtained. Since there is an easement at the location, the homeowner is required to contribute to the costs of the repair, and he has already expressed his willingness to do so. 

During the police report, the board inquired whether there were any intersections that seemed to show a pattern of increased collisions. The City of Huntingburg has a federal Safe Street Grant that allows for funds to be used for improving unsafe intersections. A study would help to identify these locations, and INDOT would be involved as well. The department’s new Durango was outfitted and is ready to be placed into service. Last week’s Coffee with a Cop was called a success, and the department says that they look forward to future events. 

The police department also took a moment to thank the many generous donors who have contributed funds toward the police firing range located by the airport. These include substantial grants, including opportunities for matching funds, as well as local donations. To date, all expenses for the range construction have been covered as a result of these donations. They also thanked the many city departments who contributed their work to prepare the property. The property will house a firing range and tactical course, and will also be available for the fire department to train on. 

In the fire department’s report, Chief Heim told the board that the large diameter hose has arrived and is in the process of being loaded. The trucks are expected to be fully loaded by next week. The board noted that response times for Huntingburg’s all-volunteer department are under 4 minutes. Chief Heim said the response times for a community of Huntingburg’s size are set at 9 minutes, which means that Huntingburg’s under 4-minute time brings them close to achieving what is expected of career departments. Chief Heim also said that a fire and police camp is being planned for next summer. 

Planning Director Paul Lake’s report said that code enforcement has seen more activity with the longer grass growing season, but that the new software system has made the process of issuing citations more efficient. Merchants were reminded to keep the sidewalk on 4 th Street free of clutter to provide the ADA mandate of a 4-foot clear pathway. The board noted the discharging grass into the streets is prohibited in order to avoid clogging storm drains, but it is not prohibited to discharge it into sidewalks. A suggestion has been made to update the current ordinance, as the grass on sidewalks can become thick on sidewalks and can be a hazard to pedestrians.


For more information on these and other updates, visit www.huntingburg-in.gov


- Drew Hasselbring