Ryan Lareau of Commonwealth Engineers gave the Milford Town Council a proposal creating an asset management plan that will dictate future projects to improve the town’s water distribution and wastewater treatment. Photo by Lilli Dwyer.

By LILLI DWYER
Staff Writer

MILFORD — At the Milford Town Council meeting Monday, Nov. 13, Ryan Lareau of Commonwealth Engineers came before the council with a proposed fee for an asset management plan.

Since the results of the master utilities study were approved last month, Commonwealth has been discussing how to proceed with projects to improve the town’s water distribution and wastewater treatment. An asset management plan outlines projects, who will be handling them and how they should be funded.

Lareau recommended applying to the State Revolving Fund for grant money to help fund utility improvements. Commonwealth must prepare the plan for the town and have it ready to submit to SRF in March 2024.

The council accepted his proposal, electing to pay $40,000 to Commonwealth for the asset management plan and an amount not to exceed $10,000 for Indianapolis company LWG to act as financial advisors on the plan. Both payments will come out of ARPA funds.

Dan Brown of the Milford Redevelopment Commission also approached the council with two engagement letters the commission had approved that morning. The first was for business law firm Barnes & Thornburg to serve as bond council for a staging facility project that is nearing close in the Industrial TIF District, at a cost not to exceed $45,000. The other was for LWG to serve as financial advisors at a cost not to exceed $36,000.

Under the annexation agreement Milford has with BRTB, the company is responsible for these payments unless the project does not close, in which case the town will be billed only for time spent. The council approved entering both engagements.

In fire department news, J & K Communications will be installing two new sirens Friday, Nov. 10. The department is planning to test these sirens at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month going forward.

The police department announced that the annual Santa Parade will be taking place 6 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 9, on north and south streets. Lineup begins at 5:15 p.m. Sirens will be used sparingly. Participation in the parade is open to emergency personnel and their families, but not the public. The public is invited to come outside and watch the parade and see Santa.

The wastewater department announced that sewer jetting should be finished this week. The department is preparing for the upcoming winter, making sure all their heaters are in working order, and will be camera inspecting sewer lines on Monday, Nov. 27.

The stormwater department will also be camera inspecting water lines to investigate a site where a line may have been pierced by a fence post. Well treatment will be done in the second week of Dec., with large meter testing on Monday, Dec. 11. The stormwater outfall on Section Street will be cleaned this winter, date to be determined.

The council approved the purchase of six water meters for new homes in the Eastfield subdivision from Utility Supply in Peru for $2,357.16.

Street superintendent Steven Marquart announced that leaf season will be ending in early Dec., so citizens should get their leaves raked before then.

Marquart also mentioned a number of abandoned cars without plates around town. The council advised him to make a list of these abandoned cars and refer to the police department to get them tagged.

The council approved a change in the Town Clerk’s office hours. The new hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a half hour paid lunch for employees instead of an hour paid lunch.

It also approved a software renewal for the town employees’ computers in two payments of $1,200, as software company CivicPlus failed to bill the town for renewal last year.

The next Milford Town Council Meeting will be Monday, Dec. 11. The Redevelopment Commission will be coming forward with a resolution to form an Economic Development Commission with three members. The president of the town council will nominate one member, the rest of the council will nominate another, and the Kosciusko County Council will be notified to nominate a member.