Shown from left are Mentone Town Councilman Tim Croy, Clerk-Treasurer Amanda Yaprak, Councilwomen Jill Gross and Shelly Krueger and town attorney Austin Rovenstine. Photo by Jackie Gorski, Times-Union.

By Jackie Gorski
Times-Union

MENTONE — The Mentone Town Council approved Wednesday, May 7, a memorandum of understanding to possibly bring a development project to town.

The MOU is between the town of Mentone, the Kosciusko Economic Development Corporation and Mission: BUILD.

Heather Presley-Cowen, with Mission: BUILD, said her organization is helping KEDCO throughout Kosciusko County with development projects. She presented a MOU to the council to investigate a possible developmental opportunity in Mentone.

The MOU states the town recognizes the need to act upon the findings of the Housing Market Potential Analysis completed for Kosciusko County, which outlines both the urgency and opportunity to deliver high-quality workforce and market-aligned housing throughout the county. The parties seek to collaborate on predevelopment activities related to a single-family housing development mutually identified and secured Catalyst Site consistent with the HOME Method and in support of Kosciusko County’s HMPA.

“So what this would be is just a comprehensive feasibility analysis that’ll get the town to a go or no go decision. So just unpacking an opportunity and understanding all of the details all the way through, not just site planning, but also the soil conditions and making sure it’s buildable. Understanding the utility connections and the coming out with a full site design, but also the unit types that might be built there and what they call a schematic-design set that we can use to put across to it,” Presley-Cowen said.

The costs would be put together, as well as the investment that would be needed to make the development project happen and any gaps that exist.

The MOU states Mentone and KEDCO collectively agree to identify and allocate $50,000 in predevelopment funding to support due diligence, site planning and stakeholder coordination with the parties and other key community stakeholders. The council approved the MOU.

Later in the meeting, the council approved the bid from Utility Supply Company for $189,918.88 to replace water meters in town with Advanced Metering Infrastructure software. Council President Jill Gross said the town budgeted $222,000 to replace the water meters, so the bid is under budget.

Clerk-Treasurer Amanda Yaprak said, currently, the water rate ordinance is written to bill per 1,000 gallons. With the new AMI system, the town would have the option to bill per gallon. Yaprak said it would not increase the rate, but residents would be equally billed per usage. She said it would be easier to track water usage if it was tracked by the gallon. Yaprak said the water and sewer ordinances will have to be rewritten to reflect the change to per-gallon billing. There will be a public hearing about it. Town attorney Austin Rovenstine said the current rates will not change.

In other business, the council:

• Heard train rail replacement work has begun. Etna Street, SR 19, SR 25 and Broadway Street are closed due to the work.

• Heard a request from Utilities Superintendent Josh Shepherd for council members to go out to Mentzer Memorial Park at some point and check out some issues with the pavilion being built as part of the park upgrade project, including dents in the roof.

• Tabled a decision on an ordinance for golf carts within town limits.

• Heard there will be a big trash pickup day May 28. Residents are allowed to put things out in a 4-foot-by-4-foot area with one large item.

• Heard there will be a Memorial Day service at 2 p.m. May 25 at the cemetery.

• Approved Yaprak to purchase a laptop and webcam to livestream meetings as they will be required to do so effective July 1.

• Heard deputy Marshal Jeremiah Mellott passed his 40-hour pre-basic training.

• Heard Town Marshal Keaton Schopf and Mellott issued 35 ordinance warnings, including warnings for dismantled vehicles and garbage, debris and rubbish. Schopf said he has seen a huge improvement in cleanup after the warnings were issued.