By KEVIN NEVERS

Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar at 791 Indian Boundary Road wants to give back to the community.

To be precise, it wants to donate 1 percent of all sales generated every Wednesday to the Town of Chesterton, with the idea of helping to fund youth activities through the Department of Parks and Recreation.

At its meeting Monday night, the Town Council gave its blessing to the enterprise, so long as Town Attorney Chuck Lukmann has a chance to review all plans.

Kurt Brown, area director for Applebee’s, said that the company has never tried anything like this before but does feel a responsibility to be committed to the communities in which it operates. Accordingly Applebee’s would run a newspaper ad to kick off the campaign, produce flyers for distribution, and place ads in other marketing vehicles in the community. Payments, he said, would be made on a quarterly basis.

Brown did ask the council whether the town itself would be able to promote the campaign, by posting it on the municipal website, for instance, or by distributing flyers at town functions.

“I don’t think we should look a gift horse in the mouth,” said Member Sharon Darnell, D-4th.

Brown estimated that the campaign could raise as much as $2,000 annually for the Department of Parks and Recreation.

Major Medical Leave

In other business, municipal employees may now donate a portion of their major medical leave time to colleagues who, through long illness, have used all of their own. Members voted 4-0 to approve on first reading an ordinance which so amends the Personnel Policy Handbook, 5-0 to suspend the rules, then 4-0 to approve the ordinance on final reading. Member Dave Cincoski, R-3rd, a municipal employee himself, recused his vote on first and final reading.

Under the new policy, employees may make such a donation so long as they retain a minimum of 80 hours of combined (sick, personal, or vacation) leave and 480 hours of major illness, injury, or maternity leave. Employees may build up a maximum of 960 hours of major medical leave time.

Dwayne Williams

Meanwhile, Economic Development Coordinator Dwayne Williams told the council that he would be happy to make himself available to attend department head meetings on Thursday mornings. In the past, Williams noted, he has commonly attended meetings on that day and at that time at the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission.

Member Jeff Trout, R-2nd, raised the issue at the end of Monday’s meeting with the observation that “it just makes sense for our economic development coordinator to be included” in the department head meetings.

Re: Local Bus Service

From the floor Barbara J. Free informed members that she is circulating a petition in support of the establishment of a local bus or trolley service to serve low-income and senior residents with no reliable transportation, say, to grocery stores or physicians. “A lot of people are complaining about having to travel to Valpo,” she said.

Pat Nelson joined Free in supporting a bus service and said that, with the weather being what it is, she can’t always drive herself to the doctor.

President Jim Ton, R-1st, wished Free well with her petition.

Re: Ind. 49 Overpass

From the floor Betty Stainko asked the council whether anyone had ever thought of pursuing the construction of a foot bridge over Ind. 49 at the intersection of Indian Boundary Road.

That project was considered at one time, Ton responded, but the Indiana Department of Transportation “is not willing to entertain those thoughts. That’s why the idea sort of died on the vine.”

Farewell, Jim

Fire Chief Warren “Skip” Highwood invited everyone in the community with fond memories of Lt. Jim Bendt to attend an open house from 12 to 4 p.m. on Friday at the CFD station to celebrate his retirement.

With 34 years as a career firefighter in the Town of Chesterton, Bendt is—after only Highwood himself—the grand old man of the department.

League of Councils

Member Emerson DeLaney, R-5th, took a moment at the end of the meeting to report on the Porter County League of Councils’ recent meeting. Only 18 to 20 people were in attendance, he said, and issues discussed included Gov. Daniels’ property-tax reform plan, the proposed South Shore extension, and provisional property-tax bills.

Posted2/13/2008