Silver Lake Dredges Up Old Business
SILVER LAKE — With a full agenda, the Silver Lake Town Council met in regular session Wednesday evening, Feb. 10, to discuss a sewer/stormwater grant and to hear an update on the lake dredging project.
Guest speakers Eric Walsh of Umbaugh and Shannon McLeod, grant writer with Project Priority Resources, presented two options on how to proceed with applying for a stormwater grant.
In December, the council heard a report on current needs pertaining to stormwater. The Office of Community and Rural Affairs, which is currently reviewing this report. The town’s choice now, she said, was to decide which project options to pursue and whether or not to take the possible grant funding into consideration.
According to Walsh, option one includes force main improvements and new pumps at the wet well. The project will cost about $583,000, with roughly $300,000 available in grant funding.
Option two includes the above-mentioned improvements plus four additional stormwater items for a total estimated project cost of $950,000 with approximately $500,000 available in grant money.
Due to the competitiveness of the grant process, McLeod suggested going for the larger project, which she feels will increase the town’s chance of receiving funding.
Because the grant covers only part of the project, the town will still need to come up with a way to fund its portion of the expenses, which would be done through the State Revolving Fund at $283,000 with a subsidized interest rate at 2 percent over 20 years for the smaller project and $450,000 at the same rate for the same amount of time for the larger project.
Silver Lake is in the midst of a three-phase sewer bill adjustment, which will end with fees being $27.64 a month. The first option, Walsh said, would be to further raise the sewer fee. For project option one, the town would need to charge an estimated $31.50 a month total. For option two, it would need to charge approximately $33.30 a month.
“So the difference between option one and option two is about $1.80,” he said. “You’re getting $400,000 more for $1.80 impact a month.”
Another option, he said, would be to implement a stormwater fee of $3 to $5 per month. He added that Silver Lake is still well below the state average for sewer fees, which is around $40 per month.
The council voted to go through with pursuing the grant. However, they decided to hold off on voting between the smaller and larger projects until they have had a chance to discuss them further.
Clerk-treasurer Tonya Conley gave an update on estimates for the lake dredging project. Five sites have been identified and some will cost more than others, depending on the scope of the area to be dredged. Estimated costs are as follows:
- The canal at North Little Lake, $49,899
- The boat landing, $24,494
- The area between Neher Road and Eldora Drive, $101,928
- The area between Neher Road and Bouse Drive, $467,544
- The pond along Hoosier Avenue, $441,7093
Conley added that sites three and four each exceed available grant funding of $300,000. The council will discuss how to move forward with the projects and will likely drop the pond along Hoosier Avenue due to the costs.
Other News
- The council heard a presentation about a new program Silver Lake Wesleyan Church is offering titled, “Celebrate Recovery,” focused on helping people overcome “hurts, habits and hangups.” The first meeting is set for 6 p.m. Sunday, April 3, at the church.
- The council approved the annual fire contract for 2016. There were no changes from last year.
- Town Marshal Craig Hollopeter asked the town to approve the creation of an evidence storage room for the police department and a records room for Conley. Both current rooms, he said, are filled to capacity.
- The town also approved Hollopeter to gather estimates on a new police vehicle to replace the department’s current Charger, which he said has been costing a lot in repairs and upkeep.
- The town approved purchase of a street sweeper from the North Manchester Street Department for $5,000.