Bristol Town Council

Three Council members were in attendance. Council member Barb Long was absent. Also attending were Town Attorney, Glenn Duncan, Bill Wuthrich and Town Manager, and Mary Ryman, Town Clerk. Minutes were approved for March, and printed March meeting notes were available.

Police report - Calls for Service: ; Traffic Enforcement: ; Citations: 56; Traffic Warnings: 110; Property Damage Accidents:10 ; and Personal Injury: 2 ; Fatal: 0. Abandoned/Junk Vehicles: Tagged: 0; Fixed or Removed: 0 ; Impounded: 0. Cases closed by Arrest: 9 ; Cases Taken in March: 54

Police Report by Marshal Mike Swallow:
During the past month, we have worked 38 criminal cases, 21 of those have been closed by arrest. There are several still being actively investigated. Thefts and criminal mischiefs have increased the most. We ask, as always, to please report any suspicious activities to the police department. You know your neighborhoods better than anyone. We thank everyone for this continued support and assistnace in helping to make our community a better, safer community. Vehicle crashes were on the increase for the month. Please remember that if you are going to be away to stop by the police department prior to your departure and complete a house check form. This notifies and informs our officers to be especially watchful of your residence.

Officer Lynch is now a certified taser instructor. Classes are scheduled for April and May. We are putting the final steps on the S.O.P. for tasers.

Night shooting firearms training was last of February and the 1st of March. The new weapons and sites worked very well. We have the PPC annual required course scheduled for May 10, 2008.

Night shooting firearms training last week. The new weapons and sites worked very well.

Additional Events:
The new Impalas are scheduled for delivery at the beginning of April. We have already made an appointment with an installer to prepare the vehicles and equipment. We are patiently waiting for their arrival.

Goodwill Industries continues to work with us. They have installed larger signs reminding people that all donations be placed inside the storage receptacle. People leaving items outside are guilty of littering and will be charged with this violation should they be caught. The receptacle is under video surveillance monitored by the police department. The donations are much appreciated. If you have large items, please either contact Goodwill or deliver it to one of their many stores. This seems to be working very well and continues to improve weekly.

Portable Signs: with the aid of the Clerk/Treasurer, we are addressing the violations of this ordinance. Permits do not cost, but the ordinance restricts having a sign in place for access of 30 days per calendar year.

The prescription drug drop was March 28 from 10am to 2pm at the Bristol Police Dept. Thsi Spring drop-off provided a good service and opportunity for people to properly dispose of old and expired prescriptions.

May 4, 2008 will be out annual RIDE for D.A.R.E, a thirteen mile trail ride. Pledge sheets are available at the Police Dept. and most tack shops and feed stores. The funds raised from this event are how we fund our D.A.R.E. program. There is also a horse drawn wagon for those who may wish to take part but do not have or have access to a horse.

D.A.R.E. Day at the Cove is May 6, 2008. Chief Deputy Albin, along with other volunteer officers, teachers and parents, will be taking the entire graduating D.A.R.E. students to Coveleski Stadium. D.A.R.E. graduation will be May 15, 2008.

The deadline for applications to be turned in for the full time position is Friday, April 18.

Several Reserve Officers and Posse Members will go to Wakarusa on Saturday to help with the Maple Festival. They assist us in our events.

Swallow requested.Two poles down from Hinsdale Drive - install a dusk to dawn $240.00 per year

Swallow reported that the deer whistles didn't work. 3:50am deer ran into a police car - damage $2,100, but only $100 not covered by insurance.

Fire Report: No fire report.

Audience Items:
Audience member on Turnberry reported that 2 German Shephards were loose there, and the neighbors are afraid of them. Council recommended that they call the Humane Society because the Town has a contract with them. Swallow also said they could call them if someone is letting the dogs run loose with them.

Also she has seen boys on the school playground 10-12 years old after school urinating on the trees during ball practice. There fathers were even with them. Also kids from the apartment complex are climbing the fence there.

She also spoke about the noise from Robert Weed which is also bothering the neighbors. There had been some previous complaints, but the decibels were not at the 85 level, which is covered by the Town ordinance. Wuthrich has talked to them, and they are trying to do something about it. Sunday nights are the worst time. They will be putting up a structure to muffle the sound.

Mandy Streib came to talk about the Canoe Nationals that will be held August 5 thru 10. wants both Parks reserved for the week. She said the Jody Russell of the Bristol Business Council will get together with the police and fire department to line up people for parking, etc. for the event. Council requested that she provide an invoice to the Town Council for the on-line registration which will be $1,200 and the Town has agreed to pay for that. Dan Watson suggested that Mike Stoll might let her store some things at his store, which hasn't sold yet.

An audience member asked about notifying the Bristol owners, especially restaurants, that they may be expecting some additional customers during the race times. Council asked for Streib to furnish several lines of copy to put on the electronic sign. Streib says they may put out a letter to the business community. She will come back to future meetings to report on the progress.

Dan Watson reported on the 2008 Bristol Homecoming and that the permits are in process, the same amusement company is handling the rides. There will be a meeting on the 3rd Thursday of each month and Dan will ask the President Jon Riggs to come to the Council with a report next month.

Town Manager:
He reported that he has not heard from Chris Himes about the fence to be installed at the trash bins at the Mor For Less parking lot. Council suggested that they send him a letter.

Removed dumpsters at Congdon Park a few weeks ago because they were filling up and needed to be dumped very often. It will be returned in May for the summer. The people who use the dumpster are generally from outside the Town of Bristol. There was also trash left outside the bin.

The primary digester at the waste water treatment plant, new last year, had gas created that moved the digester. The reeds were not quite in place and it needs to be fastened down more firmly.

Robert Weed has encased their blowers with wood and foam to deaden the noise. The rate was only about 50 when the limit is 80. On Sunday nights, you will hear the freight cars jamming together and the tow motor noise, and there is very little that can be done about that. It will likely never be below 40-50, though. The backup buzzers on the tow motors may not have enough muffling.

Cleaned up some of Oak Ridge Cemetery and dozed it for 7-8 hours. They leveled it out and will plant grass. Town Clean up is May 9 and 10 from 7am to 3pm (Friday and Saturday) at Hermance Park.

There is a leak in one of the restrooms at the Golf Course Club House which did damage in the basement. The builder did not cover it, but the damaged drywall was repaired. It was done by the general contractor at no charge.

MS4 storm water meeting was held with the County. Wuthrich and Glen Duncan attended. On April 4, there was a meeting with other Town Managers and Mayors of Elkhart County to discuss a County-wide sewer system.

They picked up some leaves last week.

They had an economical development meeting and it went well. INDOT came to Bristol and the plan to do State Rd. 120 from County Road 17 to LaGrange County. The standing water problem will be addressed when they do the work in 2010.

An overflow pipe was overflowing at the water tank overhead storage by the railroad tracks. Inside sending water to the ground storage it sent it overhead. There was dirt in the diaphram and Peerless Midwest repaired it on Monday.

Town Clerk:
Clerk presented bills for payment.

She reported that there will be a cemetery cleanup and that things be removed from the April 28 to May 2. If there is anything you want on graves, it needs to be removed during that time. Any plantings that are not in compliance, they will be removed. Flowers not to be planted in front or at the side of the stone. They can set pots but not placed in the grounds. They have a booklet available with the Ordinance that sets out the rules.

She presented 3 new surety bonds for employees to the Council to sign. She gave each Council member a packet to do with the Property Tax Cap and the Circuit Breaker and how much this would affect the funds that the Town receives.

Barb Long thanked the Council for the flowers that were sent to her during her recent illness.

There was an invoice received for replacement of shingles on the Congdon Park Pavilion. It will need a new roof soon - and Wuthrich recommended that when they do, that it be a metal roof. They also discussed replacing the roof on the Cummins Park and Wuthrich will get a quote on it.

Town Attorney:
Glen Duncan announced the opening of a public hearing on the annexation order and the feasibility 13statement. He asked for public comment on the annexation of property into the Town of Bristol - Lots 10-22 north half of lot 3 and all of Commerce Drive and 100% of property owners are asking to be annexed. Council passed a resolution accepted the petition as being filed as signed March 10, 2008. It is all the commercial lots not currently in the Town on the North side, and some lots on the South are being included, but not all. Two south side owners do not agree to have their property annexed. Police and Fire protection must be supplied as a condition of the annexation. The more expensive services like streets, etc. will be paid for by developer. Water and Sewer will be paid by Wagner Land Development, as part of the Blakesly Farm project.

Water/sewer use agreement for the Blakesly Farm plot of 77.53 acres is on hold until agreement is signed. This is for annexation of after the Commerce Drive annexation has been completed. The developer has obtained an updated quote for doing the utilities water and sewer and redo of Commerce Drive. Council agreed and voted to approve the agreement, but Wagner has not yet signed the agreement.

Public comment was only to ask where Commerce Drive is located. Answer: North of Town on State Rd. 15. Also asked: How far North will it go? Answer: It will connect with the Blakesly Farm property.

Duncan asked Council if it was OK for the project to proceed with the project once the agreement is signed. Stutsman asked for a phone call with the final cost and then they can proceed. Council closed the public hearing and voted to approve on first reading the annexation ordinance. Lots 10-22 and the north 279 feet of Lot 3 are what are being annexed.

Called for a resolution that approves a written order concerning the TIFF district for the Southern part of State Rd. 15. This takes property tax revenues and restricting the use for those funds and depriving some other government entities of their share of those dollars. The Bristol EDC (Economic Development Commission) approved the creation of the South SR 15 Economic Development area at their last meeting and it was submitted to the Elkhart Planning Commission. They approved it and determined that the plan conforms with the Elkhart County Bristol Area Economic Development. There is a master plan for the County, which provides for commercial development both south of State Rd. 15 and North on State Rd. 15. The main thurst of this TIFF district is to get funds to provide for building a Truck Bypass in downtown Bristol. It is all the property inside the Town limits south of the railroad tracks and 60 acres north of the tracks on the west end of the town, west of Co.Rd. 21 up to State Rd. 120. The Council passed the resolution and a notice was to be published in the local paper at least 10 days prior to the EDC meeting on May 13 to announce a Public Meeting to be held at 10am after the Work session that day. Other sources of income that could be sought once the Town believes that funds would be available in several years, the Town can borrow money or issue bonds to the extent that they can afford. If they wait until the get all the money, it would be the 25 years limit of the TIFF district.

Duncan and Wuthrich went to the Storm water meeting, and all the County wanted to know how much money Bristol was going to give them, and Bristol wanted to know what they were going to do with the money. There is not a comprehensive plan at this time. They discussed issues about any farms draining water from houses and barns into ditches, which Bristol does not have. The Counties have not received any clear guidance for this Federal requirement from the State. The point is supposedly education for the public. They expect government to stop primary contaminants going into the streams and the rivers. They asked to have housekeeping monitored. They asked for copies of Bristol's storm sewers to put on the County's system. In terms of monitoring what we do. He suggested they look at requiring streets to have curbs and gutters, but for preventing water from going into the river, it is better not to have them. That requirement is in their street ordinances. What the County wants is for the curb and gutter to have an area where water can soak into the ground. But what they really want is a plan that provides for all of that. Duncan sees down the road to have a plan devised for ground water plan to retain water on one's property. He suggested that they look into what would be the cost of oil separator and a sand catcher to keep it from going into the river. Stutsman suggested that they bring ideas for the plan for Bristol to the work session.

Council Items:
Dan Watson:Nominations for May 2008 Beautification awards: Lions Club received the Commercial award and T&B Whites was awarded. Question: When will streets be swept? Last Sunday of April will be the first time and the last Sunday of each month through Sept. Watson also wanted to remind everyone that the primary was coming up with a lot of area candidates running as well as having the opportunity to have one's say about the Presidential election. He also announced that the Lions Club had been awarded the May Town Beautification award for all the work they have done for Bristol.

Floyd Lynch:Floyd asked if the street lights will be put in at River Watch and Wuthrich said they are in the old sections and they will add the new ones as they add the new sections.

Barb Long: Absent.

Tom Stutsman:Stutsman asked for any additions or changes to the Five Year Plan from the audience. There were none. The Council asked the Town Clerk to remove the section that called for a bridge between Congdon and Hermance Parks and to add improving/adding curbs and gutters (perhaps with a water retention component) in 2009-10. They will then issue the revised plan. He announced that Mike Swallow was working on getting a group of Purdue or IU college students to work on a class project of a long-term redevelopment plan for downtown Bristol. Swallow will follow up at next work session. He announced to the Council that due to the Property Tax statements not yet being mailed to property owners by the County, which may not happen until July or later, they would not receive their usual disbursement of funds in the foreseeable future, which could affect spending this summer.

Next Council Work Session on - Tuesday, May 13 at 7:30am at the Town Hall - open to the public.

Next Bristol Town Council Meeting - Thursday, May 15, at 7pm at the Town Hall - open to the public.