By Jackie Gorski
Times-Union

MENTONE – Town improvements and possible annexations were brought to the Mentone Town Council Wednesday, May 1.

Kelley Doering said she and her husband purchased the three lots behind the Dollar General and when they started walking the property, they started paying attention to what was happening in the neighborhood.

Doering said they saw a couple things they saw as opportunities she wanted to bring to the council’s attention.

She said there is a lot of traffic running through her property and finding its way to the Dollar General “and we think that’s a great, safe way to reach the Dollar General and potentially the doctor’s office that is right there as well. But certainly not appropriate to go through private property to do so. And we’re also noticing there’s a path that’s being worn between the Viking Drive street and having it connect to Jackson Street.”

It looks like the path is being used by mostly golf cart and bike traffic, she said.

Doering said those two issues were issues she’d like the council to discuss to see if the council could attach Viking Drive and Jackson Street, “just so there’s safe passage and it was intentional, rather than go through the grass.” Doering said safety was a concern for them as property owners.

Doering said the second item she wanted to bring to the council was the idea of taking part of that property and building a path like a sidewalk or some sort of safe path to get to Dollar General.

“It’s just kind of how your community is moving right now and that’s really exciting, but it just doesn’t feel like it’s designed like that right now, and with a few tweeks,” Doering thought the design could be set up.

Doering said she didn’t know what all the entails and was sure there’s challenges around funding and getting approval.

She said for her three lots, she would love for them to be on city sewer and water.

As the town looks to expanding and growing the community, there has been no growth over the last couple decades in Mentone, Doering said, because there’s not many lots left. As a bigger step to expansion, the town could look to annex the area of Doering’s property out to CR 950 and making that part of the community.

Doering said her three lots will be developed at some point, whether there’s water or sewer or not, but they’re not in any big hurry. The hope is to build three houses on the lots.

Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd said water and sewer mains would have to be run to connect Doering’s lots to the utilities.

As far as the walkway, Councilwoman Shelly Krueger said the town did look at extending a walkway along SR 25, but it wasn’t feasible because it wasn’t very workable.

Krueger also questioned whether the property owners would want the town to extend the street to connect Viking Road and Jackson Street. Council President Jill Gross said it wouldn’t be up to the property owners if the council decided to do it.

Doering said she talked with Kosciusko County Highway Department Superintendent Steve Moriarity. Doering was told as long as the extension was as nice as Viking Road was, the county wouldn’t have any issue with it.

Gross said the biggest question was if they were to extend Jackson Street and annex, if the town was responsible for every home that’s out there. Councilman Tim Croy said the town would maintain the roads.

Croy said he would like to see Jackson Street extended.

Shepherd said to extend the street, it would have to be a project for a company like Phend & Brown and would be an undertaking. Clerk-Treasurer Amanda Yaprak said the project would have to be bidded out.

Croy said his thinking was if the Doerings were interested in annexing their property, maybe the town should possibly try to annex the doctor’s office and Dollar General property as well and that gives the town a little bit of footwork “if we were to just do it all.”

Croy said he believed Indiana code had to provide annexed properties with certain things, such as police protection. He said properties in the unannexed area already get fire and EMS protection since they are in that territory. However, those properties are technically under the Kosciusko County Sheriff’s Office jurisdiction since they are in the county.

Gross said the town could annex just Doerig’s property and Croy said they could see what it’s all going to entail.

Gross asked if the council were to put the three ideas Doering brought up on their to-do list, how Shepherd would handle them.

Shepherd said he would start at looking at the street extension aspect first.