A combination of storm and sanitary sewers in Crothersville and the effect of heavy rains causing untreated sewage to be discharged into the Hominy Ditch will have to be remedied, according to information Town Council President Ardell Mitchell shared with his colleagues at the recent town council meeting.
“We now have an amended Combined Sewer Overflow Long Term Control Plan from IDEM which we are reviewing,” said Mitchell. “We are working on a timetable of work to be completed, the majority of which will be done by town employees.”
“We are seeking to obtain an agreed order with a longer time frame and is more financially feasible for the town,” said Mitchell.
The Long Term Control Plan calls for a variety of engineering, legal and administrative deadlines to be met within the coming 12 months with implementation of the LTCP to begin in September 2009.
Because both sanitary and surface water flows to the town’s wastewater treatment plant, when there are periods of heavy rain, the water going to the treatment plant is too much to handle.
The town has pointed out to the Indiana Department of Environmental Management that one of the largest contributors to the Crothersville water problem is another state agency: Indiana Department of Transportation.
Mitchell said that as much as 60% of the surface water going to the Crothersville treatment plant comes from drainage along US 31.
“We have asked INDOT to remove their surface water drainage from our sanitary sewer system,” said Mitchell. “That have agreed to use their engineers and maintenance workers to accomplish that.”
The area of US 31 south of Moore Street will be more feasible to separate, Mitchell said.
In other business, Debbie Hackman, Jackson County Solid Waste District Director, said that in the first five months of existence, the recycling program in Crothersville collected 22 tons of recyclable material that didn’t go to the landfill.
“When the recycle bin was here monthly, Crothersville recycled about 400 pounds of material,” said Hackman. “So there is an great improvement but still room for growth. You should be pleased with your community’s recycling effort.”
She said pound for pound, Crothersville is recycling as much as the city of Scottsburg.
Several matters of next month’s town sesquicentennial celebration was handled by the council.
Rita Ibershoff, celebration director, received approval to us the town property at the former town hall site and to close Pennsylvania Avenue from Main to Howard to Civil War Re-Enactors.
Mark Trisler of the Crothersville Lions Club received approval to close Howard Street from US 31 to Vine to house a kiddie carnival. A portion of the north-south alley east of US 31 near Hamacher Hall was also approved for closure for the carnival rides at the rear of Hamacher Hall.
Cheri Dorsey told the council of a change in parade plans. “Our traditional parade staging area will be occupied by other celebration activities,” said Dorsey. The new parade route will begin on Industrial Way using the Aisin Drivetrain and Cerro Wire parking lots for staging. The parade will come from Industrial Way north on US 31 through town and disband in the Lighthouse Tabernacle parking lot.
“We have gained approval and permission from all other parties involved and are getting approval from INDOT to close US 31 for about an hour,” Dorsey said.
In other business, the council:
•Heard a introductory pitch from Triad Associates, an architect and Engineering Firm of Indianapolis expressing interest in helping the town construct a new town hall.
•Learned from Trena Carter with ARa the four easements have been acquired for the clearing of Hominy Ditch through town, a move which is expected to improve surface water drainage.
•Denied payment to Darla Scott for cleaning out a sewer along Bard Street.
•Tabled to a later meeting the appointment of new parks board members until their political status could be confirmed from the county voter registration office.
