The City of New Castle, Indiana

Disclaimer:  Official copies of the minutes from meetings of the Board of Public Works and the Common Council of the City of New Castle are available at the Clerk Treasurer's Office.  The minutes presented on the website do not include signatures and may not contain any amendments made at subsequent meetings.  Meeting minutes which may not be available on this website are available at the Clerk Treasurer's Office. 

 

COMMON COUNCIL

JUNE 16, 2008          7:00 P.M.

 

THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WAS GIVEN BY ALL IN ATTENDANCE.

REV. DAVID SILVERS, APOSTOLIC CHURCH ON 26^TH ST., GAVE THE PRAYER.

MAYOR SMALL OPENED THE REGULAR MEETING OF THE COMMON COUNCIL.

 

ROLL CALL:

SANDY YORK                                              PRESENT                  

ANGIE GOODMAN                                      PRESENT

JAMES KIDD                                                 PRESENT

MARY MALONE                                           PRESENT

LOUISE PIERCE                                            PRESENT      

VAUGHN REID                                              PRESENT

RICHARD HAHN                                           PRESENT

 

COUNCIL REPORTS:

COUNCILADY MALONE THANKED RANDY HAMILTON, TRACY CROSS AND TONY RIGGS FOR HELPING HER WITH SOME PROBLEMS SHE HAD IN HER WARD.

 

COUNCILMAN HAHN COMMENTED ON THE FINE JOB THE STREET DEPARTMENT WAS DOING CLEANING UP THE CITY FROM TREE LIMBS AND BRUSH FROM OUR LATEST SEVERE STORM.

 

MAYOR SMALL COMMENTED ON THE FIREMEN AND EMS, APPEARING IN MASS AT THE FUNERAL HOME FOR NATHAN PEAVLER'S MOTHER'S SHOWING.  HE SAID IT WAS VERY IMPRESSIVE AND HE KNEW IT WAS APPRECIATED.

 

CITIZENS:

MAYOR SMALL EXPLAINED THE STEPS OF CITY GOVERNMENT TO THE AUDIENCE: THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH, THE MAYOR, BOARD OF WORKS AND HIS STAFF, THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH, CITY COUNCIL AND THE JUDICIAL BRANCH, THE CITY JUDGE.

            MAYOR SMALL STATED THAT EACH BRANCH HAS ITS OWN MEETINGS.  HE SAID THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH MEETS THE FIRST AND THIRD MONDAY OF EACH MONTH, THE LEGISLATIVE BRANCH MEETS EVERY FIRST AND THIRD MONDAY AND THE JUDICIAL BRANCH MEETS WEEKLY.

 

CITIZENS:

DEBBIE SANCHEZ, 1330 N AVE., APPEARED BEFORE THE COUNCIL WITH TWO COMPLAINTS.  HER FIRST WAS ABOUT HER FATHER'S TOMBSTONE

THAT WAS BROKEN AND HIS GRAVE TORN UP BY THE MOWING CREW AT THE CEMETERY.  SHE SAID SHE TALKED WITH THE SUPERINTENDENT STEVE HACKER ABOUT IT. 

            MR. HACKER TOLD HER TO GIVE HIM THREE WEEKS AND HE WOULD FIX IT.  SHE SAID, AS OF TODAY, HER DADDY'S ROCK HAS NOT BEEN FIXED. SHE SAID SHE WAS HEART BROKEN AND THAT SHE HAD GONE THROUGH THE CHAIN OF COMMAND AND SHE FELT SHE HAS BEEN LIED TO.  SHE SAID THAT WAS ALL THEY HAD LEFT OF HIM AND THAT IT WAS NOT RIGHT FOR THE MOWING CREW TO PICK UP HIS CONCRETE URNS AND DROP THEM ON HIS ROCK AND CHIP IT OFF.

 

HER SECOND COMMENT WAS ABOUT THE SKATEBOARDERS.  SHE ASKED ABOUT THE ORDINANCE.

            MAYOR SMALL SAID THE ORDINANCE HAD BEEN TABLED.

MS. SANCHEZ SAID SHE WAS ASKING BECAUSE THEY SKATE RIGHT OUT IN FRONT OF YOU AND SOME ONE IS GOING TO GET HURT OR KILLED.

            PRESIDENT YORK SAID THAT THEY WERE COMPILING A NEW ORDINANCE.

            COUNCILMAN REID SAID THAT THE POLICE HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO SOMETHING IF THE SKATEBOARDERS ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG.

            MAYOR SMALL SAID THAT THE SKATEBOARDERS HAVE PRETTY MUCH LEFT THE DOWNTOWN AREA BECAUSE THE COUNTY PASSED AN ORDINANCE FROM ALLOWING SKATEBOARDING ON COUNTY PROPERTY.

HE SAID THAT THE SKATEBOARDERS KNOW THAT THERE IS A CHANCE FOR A NEW SKATE BOARD PARK AT BAKER PARK; BUT THEY ARE NOT WILLING TO WAIT.  THEY SKATE A LOT ON THE BASKETBALL COURTS UNLESS THERE ARE FELLOWS THERE PLAYING A GAME.  THERE ARE FUNDRAISERS GOING ON NOW FOR THE PARK PROJECT.

MAYOR SMALL SAID THAT THE SKATEBOARD PARK WILL NOT BE READY BEFORE NEXT YEAR. 

            MAYOR SMALL ALSO ASKED MS. SANCHEZ TO COME TO THE BOARD OF WORKS TO FOLLOW UP ON THE CEMETERY.

            MS. SANCHEZ STATED THAT SHE VOLUNTEERED FOR THE GEN FEST THAT WAS HELD LAST WEEKEND.  SHE SAID SHE WAS SO ASHAMED FOR THE CITY OF NEW CASTLE THE WAY THE SKATEBOARDERS ACTED IN THE LIBRARY PARKING LOT. 

 

TISHA SLEDD, DIRECTOR OF WOMEN OF HOPE, JEFF KUNDERT OF THE WESTMINISTER COMMUNITY CENTER, AND CATHY HAMILTON, NATIONAL LEADERSHIP CONSULTANT APPEARED BEFORE THE COUNCIL TO INTRODUCE THEMSELVES AND COUNCILMAN KIDD AND REQUEST THAT THEY BE ALLOWED TO PARTNER THEMSELVES WITH THE COUNCIL AND LET THE COUNCIL KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING.  SHE SAID GOOD THINGS WERE HAPPENING IN NEW CASTLE.  SHE SAID PEOPLE REALLY LOVE THIS CITY.

            MS. SLEDD SAID THAT THEY, AS A TASK FORCE, INSURE EVERYONE IN NEW CASTLE LIVES IN DIGNITY.  SHE SAID BETWEEN THE COUNCIL AND THE TASK FORCE, THEY CAN LIFT UP THE VALLEYS HERE AND GIVE HOPE

TO THIS COMMUNITY.  SHE SAID THEY HAVE NAMED THE ORGANIZATION,

"HOPE INITIATIVE." 

            HANDOUTS WERE PASSED OUT AND AN EXPLANATION OF THE SIX PILLARS, (PUBLIC RELATIONS, COMMUNITY, FAMILY, BUSINESS/ECONOMY, YOUTH/EDUCATION AND GOVERNMENT) WAS GIVEN.

            MR. KUNDERT SAID THAT  THE TASK FORCE WAS TO WORK WITH THE COUNCIL TO MAKE THIS A BETTER COMMUNITY FOR ALL FOLKS.

HE SAID THERE WERE A LOT OF RESOURCES THAT COME ALONG WITH THE SIX PILLARS.  HE SAID THERE WERE MANY FOLKS THAT WANT TO HELP TO CHANGE THINGS.  HE SAID JUST LIKE YOUNG LIFE, WE WORKED TOGETHER AND HELPED PICK UP TRASH IN THE COMMUNITY.

HE ASKED THAT THE COUNCIL CALL UPON THE TASK FORCE AT ANY TIME

AND TOGETHER THEY WILL ACCOMPLISH MANY THINGS.

            CATHY HAMILTON TALKED ABOUT QUALITY OF LIFE AND LABELING  COULD BE DISABLING.  SHE SAID OUR COMMUNITY AND OTHER CITIES HAVE FINANCIAL PROBLEMS ALONG WITH THE STATE OF INDIANA.  SHE SAID THAT THEY EVERYONE WANTS TO HELP BUT NOBODY WILL CHANGE HIS HEAD UNTIL HE CHANGES HIS HEART.  MS. HAMILTON STATED THAT SHE HOPED THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD NOT SEE THE TASK FORCE AS A COMMITTEE.  EVERYONE IS ASKING, "HOW CAN WE HELP?"  WE WANT TO GET ALL VOLUNTEERS UNDER ONE UMBRELLA AND WORK TOGETHER.

            MAYOR SMALL EXPRESSED HIS APPRECIATION TO THE TASK FORCE FOR ALL THEIR HARD WORK.

 

 BOB RICHARDS DISCUSSED THE SINKHOLES IN CITY STREETS DUE TO THE HARD RAINS RECEIVED RECENTLY.

            MAYOR SMALL SAID THERE ARE 25 SINKHOLES THAT WILL BE REPAIRED.  WE HAVE A STORM WATER SEPARATION FUND, THE $6.00 CHARGE ON YOUR BILL, WILL PAY FOR THE REPAIRS AND HOPEFULLY WE WILL BE REIMBURSED BY FEMA.  SOME HOLES WILL BE REPAIRED BY THE CITY, BUT THE LARGER ONES WILL HAVE TO BE DONE BY A CONTRACTOR SINCE WE DO NOT HAVE THAT KIND OF EQUIPMENT.

            KEITH BRYANT, UNITED ENGINEERING, EXPLAINED HOW THE SINK HOLES WERE MADE FROM HEAVY RAINS AND SEWER CRACKS THAT CAUSED LEAKING AND ERODED THE EARTH.

 

PRESIDENT YORK MOVED FOR ADJOURNMENT.

COUNCILMAN HAHN: SECOND

 

PRESIDING OFFICER OF THE COMMON COUNCIL

APPROVED BY ME THIS 16TH DAY OF JUNE, 2008.   JIM SMALL, MAYOR

JANICE L. LAVARNWAY, CLERK-TREASURER