Huntingburg Makes Plans to Enhance Public Safety

The meeting opened with updates from the police department, as the board heard that the K9 vehicle is completely outfitted and back out on the road. In addition, the new vehicle is being outfitted and they hope to have that one ready in the next couple of weeks. Regarding staffing, Chief Kramer said that the department currently has 6 reserve officers with the capacity for 15, so they are still looking for more reserves to be able to help with events and traffic control. There are a couple of applications in for full time positions as well. Coffee with a Cop will be held at The Huntingburg Grind Coffee and Tea Company on the morning of July 26 th from 8 to 10. Everyone is welcome to come by for coffee and conversation, and there will be Spanish translation available. The board commended the department for their efforts to interact with the public and get to know the community that they serve, and to allow residents the opportunity to get to know them and ask any questions that they might have. 

The Huntingburg Church of Christ was approved to hold their second annual Walk4Water event. The fundraiser supports the building of wells to provide clean drinking water around the world. The walk will begin at the church and will follow the same path as last year. 

Bids were received for the approved Community Crossings 2024-01 projects for 2 nd Street next to the old Maple Park School from Jackson Street to Van Buren Street and for Clay Street from Highway 64 to 9 th street. The low bid was accepted from Rivertown Construction from Evansville and will move forward with a contract. The city is currently in the process of applying for several new Community Crossings projects for next year, including redesigning the storm sewer around Steinkamp’s to resolve flooding issues as well as paving the remainder of 19 th Street. Crews have been hard at work on the parking lot at the end of Stellar Way on projects for the North Side park. They are close to getting the parking lot done and will start on the sidewalk and parking blocks after that. 

Fire Chief Heim said that the department has selected a candidate for the open position in the department who has a medical background, and the board agreed to recommend her to the City Council for approval. In addition, the board approved the purchase of new hoses to replace worn materials and to equip each pumper with enough hose length to reach most residences from the road. 

Hunter’s Crossing resident and HOA president Glen Kays and addressed the board regarding his desire to make parking more uniform. He said that for Stellar Way they were granted permission to park on one side of the street, which will be the south side. He expressed that parking should be the same for new streets coming in. The board heard that there is a concern that parking within the cul-de-sacs would make it difficult for drivers to safely enter and exit the street, and would make it almost impossible for snow plows and emergency vehicles to access the area. Kays expressed that the homeowners agree that they would be willing to eliminate parking in these areas in the interest of safety.