By KEVIN NEVERS

The Town of Chesterton is likely some months away yet from advertising for bids for the next three-year refuse and recycling contract.

But Able Disposal is already signaling what its bid—or an alternate bid—might look like.

At the Town Council’s meeting Monday night, Jim Smith of Able suggested from the floor that members think about the benefits of all residents’ having two 95-gallon wheel-away cans, one for trash and the other for recycling. For one thing, the 95-gallon model—which some residents now rent from Able—typically holds the entirety of an average family’s weekly trash.

For another thing, Smith said, the 95-gallon model is also ideal for recycling. Because its capacity is roughly five times that of the 18-gallon tubs now issued to residents, families might be encouraged to recycle more than they do now. It’s also possible that recycling collection could be done on a bi-weekly basis.

But Smith had one other bug to put in the council’s ear. The “cost of fuel is getting tremendous,” he said, and it’s probable that Able will want to work a “fuel escalator” into its bid package. That escalator would be a formula under which the town would pay Able more—or conceivably less—depending on the cost of fuel.

There was some discussion. As Clerk-Treasurer Gayle Polakowski noted, if the town’s contract price fluctuated with the price of fuel, so would residents’ rates.

On the subject of the 95-gallon roll-aways, Polakowski also wanted to know whether residents would have to pay for them.

The rental fees for the rollaways would be factored into the bid package, Smith replied.

So at the end of the contract, what would happen to those rollaways? asked Member Dave Cincoski, R-3rd.

“They would remain the property of the hauler,” Smith said.

Given the fact that the rollaways require less labor to collect and that recycling collection could be put on a bi-weekly basis, isn’t it the case that—aside from fuel costs—Able should be able to really sharpen its pencil in its bid? pressed Member Emerson DeLaney, R-5th. “If you’re going to cut labor,” he said, “we want to see a savings.”

“Surely some of those savings would affect the fuel costs,” agreed President Jim Ton, R-1st.

Smith was vague about how those expected savings would affect the bid package.

Drainage Along

The Prairie Duneland Trail

In other business, Nancy Hiatt, president of the Porter Cove Homeowners Association, lodged a complaint from the floor regarding the condition of the Prairie Duneland Trail, which borders the backyards of Porter Cove from roughly Pearson Road the subdivision’s lift station.

Hiatt advised members that trees and shrubs badly need to be trimmed. More than that, however, she said that the drainage ditch along the trail has fallen into disrepair, never fully drains, had become the nursery for scads of mosquitoes, and is “really devaluing our property.”

It didn’t used to be that way, Bill Lopez, another Porter Cove resident, remarked. Only a few years ago the ditch would hold runoff for a day or two then drain. But there’s been water in the ditch all winter long. “It used to go away,” he said. “But now it stops there.”

Ton urged Hiatt and Lopez to apprise the Park Board of the problem, as that body has jurisdiction over the trail. But he thanked them for their information.

The Park Board meets at 6 p.m. on the first Tuesday of every month.

Underground Storage Tanks

From Town Engineer Mark O’Dell the council heard the good news that, at last, after something like a quarter of a century of mitigation and expense, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has formally announced that the town need no longer monitor the former site, behind the town hall, of a number of underground storage tanks.

Over the years, Polakowski estimated, the town has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to sink wells and conduct tests for the presence of fuel in the ground and groundwater. But no more. O’Dell did say that a few formalities remain to be completed—like the closing of the test wells—but that should not prove too terribly costly.

No Sewage in River

From Utility Superintendent Steve Yagelski the council also heard a piece of good news: despite the tremendous downpour on Sunday afternoon, there was no release of raw sewage into the Little Calumet River from the wastewater treatment plant.

Yagelski said that Chief Operator Dick Condon, himself, and others worked hard during the rain and after to massage the plant to prevent a combined sewer overflow (CSO).

Americorps

Park Superintendent Bruce Mathias thanked the Americorps volunteers who planted 10 trees for the Parks and Recreation Department earlier on Monday.

The Criswell Benefit

Member Dave Cincoski, R-3rd, took a moment at the end of the meeting to thank everyone who made the benefit dinner for Street Department employee Phil Criswell so tremendously successful.

Criswell, a laborer for nearly seven years, is being treated for esophageal cancer.

Hundreds of residents attended the benefit spaghetti dinner, held on May 31 at the Moose Lodge, and many of them bid on items provided by local businesses at a silent auction organized by MS4 Operator Jennifer Gadzala.

“A hearty thank-you to all the businesses, people, and facilities who helped with the benefit,” Cincoski said. “He was very grateful.”

Posted 6/10/2008