By PAULENE POPARAD

“We’re foolish if we don’t,” observed Porter Town Council president Bill Sexton.

By consensus Tuesday the full council authorized Porter Police Chief James Spanier to shift some telephone lines at the police station from Verizon to Comcast. Spanier said doing so will result in significant savings because each phone line is less expensive and long distance will be free.

Other town departments have expressed an interest in shifting telephone service to Comcast as well. “Step it up in increments to stay safe,” recommended Councilman Dave Babcock.

Spanier said Internet service with Comcast will be three times faster than Verizon’s, but a wireless network would be even better. Sexton said he’ll contact officials with Chicago-based public radio station WBEZ, which last year offered to donate equipment for a Porter wireless network as part of a rejected zoning petition to erect a 499-foot FM transmission tower in Porter.

WBEZ is back, this month winning a favorable recommendation from the Porter Plan Commission to erect a 595-foot tower including antenna a half mile to the east at the former Andershock’s Fruitland at U.S. 20 and Tremont Road. The Town Council has the final decision on the proposal, which includes razing the derelict Andershock buildings, clearing truckloads of dumped apparent construction debris and dividing the 20-acre parcel into four business/industrial lots, one for the tower.

Sexton said a wireless network likely would have a 10-mile radius that could serve the Duneland area, not just Porter. He offered to ask WBEZ why wireless is not part of the current petition, and whether a provider to offer the service could co-locate on the WBEZ tower, if approved.

Town attorney Patrick Lyp told the council it gets one shot at negotiating written commitments with WBEZ as part of its new zoning petition, which is an ordinance seeking permission for a planned unit development with transmission tower. Platting of the four lots would have to return to the Plan Commission.

In other business Tuesday:

• Sexton urged department heads to make codification of all town ordinances a priority. Clerk-treasurer Carol Pomeroy said the project is bogged down because everyone is so busy. “We need to make time to get it done,” said Sexton, because it will aid in code enforcement.

• Department heads were praised for holding the line on spending, which allowed Pomeroy to repay all outstanding 2007 interfund loans except $30,000 the Fire Department owes the Rainy Day fund. Porter required no bank loans last year and paid no interest waiting for late property-tax distributions.

• Separate 2008 contracts with Porter financial consultant Cender & Company and town engineer Haas & Associates were approved unanimously.

• Fire Chief Lewis Craig said a CPR class takes place Saturday at the fire station at 9 a.m. The charge for non-employees is $15. Pre-registration is requested. Also, compliance forms for landlords regarding smoke detectors in their rental units are due this month at the Fire Station.

• After some discussion the council approved the Park Board’s request that park superintendent Jim Miller be allowed to carry over five unused vacation days from 2007. Miller said it was his first year full-time and he hesitated to take the days not knowing if he would be needed; Babcock said the intent is for days to be used in their respective calendar year.

• The council also voted 5-0 to ratify previous adoption of its employee handbook, clarified up to five vacation days may be carried over with council approval for reasons outside the employee’s control, and ended employee tuition reimbursement.

• Approved 5-0 was the transfer of the town’s contract for garbage collection from Regional Industries to its new owner, Allied Waste. Babcock said he and Councilman Jon Granat are satisfied Allied can complete the contract through Dec. 31; there are no provisions for extension. Allied will begin paying the town 25 percent of the money it receives selling Porter’s collected recyclables. Pick-up days will remain the same.

Posted 1/24/2008