Presenting a request at the Pierceton Town Council meeting on Monday, March 13, at the Pierceton Community Building are Matt Trier, left, and Bob Jones. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

PIERCETON — A request to allow chickens in town was made at the March Pierceton Town Council meeting.

On Monday, March 13, the council heard from Pierceton Woods Academy Vocational Director Bob Jones and Vocational Instructor Matt Trier.

The men asked for an exception to current town ordinance to allow the birds to be at the private boys’ school, which is just within town limits. They gave a map to the council showing where they plan to put the birds if allowed.

“It’s about 300 yards from the closest neighbor, which would be just to the east of us and also not in town,” noted Jones. “The goal is we know this is a very strong agricultural community. We understand that there’s a number of kids that could use some of these things as they leave and they go home to be able to raise chickens or to be able to do some farming things. I think it’s really important for them to be able to do that, so we want to give them those skills.”

One person attending the meeting asked how many chickens Pierceton Woods wished to have and if there would be roosters.

“Probably, no roosters. It’s not necessary,” said Trier. “I’d like to start out with six laying hens.”

Jones added that: “I can’t see us going into the hundreds.”

“It would be a small amount, more geared toward the educational,” said Trier.

Town Council President Matt Brubaker asked if Pierceton Woods wanted other animals as well as chickens, with the answer being that plans for now would be to just raise the birds.

Brubaker said he did have some reservations.

“I get the idea,” he said, but mentioned he’d be concerned that others in town would want chickens.

Last year in April, the council stood by town ordinance banning chickens from being in town and asked a resident to get rid of his animals being kept without permission.

Jones noted the academy had prepared policy regulating the birds and was to provide it to the council.

“The idea is if the answer is no at this time, what steps would we need to take for the answer to be yes?” he said.

Jones added academy staff had visited Wawasee High School, which has animals “for educational purposes” in Syracuse town limits.

He said he thought noise complaints from Pierceton Woods’ chickens would be minimal due to its location on the edge of town.

Jones and Trier agreed to come back to the next council meeting set to start at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 10, at the Pierceton Community Building to allow the council more time to consider the issue.