From left, are Town Attorney Nick Jacobs and Council Member Jason Hanes. InkFreeNews photo by Liz Shepherd.

By Liz Shepherd
InkFreeNews

ETNA GREEN — The Etna Green Council addressed concerns regarding a variance for a future building project at 120 W. Broadway St. during a July 12 council meeting.

Aulbrey and Matt Jones, who live next door to the property at 116 W. Broadway St., asked council why they agreed to send a letter of approval to the Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals for a building to be constructed one foot from their property line.

Bryan Moriarty is the resident requesting the variance for the property at 120 W. Broadway St. At the July 12 county BZA meeting, the board moved to continue Moriarty’s case to its Aug. 9 meeting. The BZA requested more information regarding Moriarty’s plans for the house.

The Jones’ said they didn’t care about Moriarty constructing a building, but expressed concern with the proposed building being one foot from their property line.

Council Member Jason Hanes said he had not heard any concerns from residents about Moriarty’s plans prior to the letter being sent to BZA.

Aulbrey said with the proposed building being so close, she was concerned with alleyway clearance, fire safety and the proximity to a transformer near the property.

“These are multiple things to think about for the next time someone does present something like this,” said Aulbrey.

Hanes said in the future, the town will send letters to neighbors on issues like this and considered it to be a learning process for the council.

“Sometimes I get excited about things in our neighborhood and think, ‘This is great, someone is going to clean this (property) up, it’s going to look good,’ and I guess I don’t even think about someone else not being as excited,” said Hanes.

In other business, council discussed improvements at Heritage Park. Clerk-Treasurer Patti Cook said Hyperwave Telephones will be installing a camera surveillance system at the park building soon. Costs are $750 for installation and $250 for wiring.

Cook also said with rentals at the park increasing since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she would like to focus more on general maintenance, which includes fixing two broken windows at the park building and replacing fascia on one side of the pavilion.

Amy Sharp and Keith Robbins were given permission to paint five wooden picnic tables at the park that are in need of repainting. Sharp attended the meeting to request permission from the council. The council offered to provide Sharp and Robbins with painting supplies from the town.

Council further discussed establishing a memorial plaque at the pavilion in honor of Carol Hoffer, who died in November 2020. Hoffer was a lifelong resident who did a lot of landscaping and cleanup work around town and at the parks. Cook was asked to look into more pricing options for a plaque and to bring them to the council’s August meeting.

Hanes also said a new food pantry will be established at Etna Elevator’s parking lot on Aug. 15. He asked Council Members Keith Claassen and Susan Klinefelter about establishing a 501(c)(3) for the town.

“I’ve had a lot of turn-down donations because we can’t give a (tax) receipt,” said Hanes. “There’s a need there for that.”

Town Attorney Nick Jacobs said he could assist the town with applying for a 501(c)(3) status.

The council’s next meeting is at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9.