By Melissa Gibson
The Brownsburg Town Council met Aug. 24 for a regular meeting at the Brownsburg Town Hall. The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Sept. 14 at 61 N. Green St., Brownsburg.
What happened: Brownsburg Police Chief Joe Grimes shared the Police Department Report.
What this Means: Grimes shared information regarding the upcoming National Night Out (NNO) event, scheduled for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Oct. 3. New this year, the Brownsburg Police Department will partner with the Brownsburg Parks Department to hold the event at Arbuckle Acres Park. Grimes said the primary reason for the event is to interact with the community, network and provide resources for families in Brownsburg.
What happened: Chief Larry Alcorn presented the Brownsburg Fire Territory Report.
What this Means: Alcorn informed the Council of three offers the department plans to send to potential, full-time employees. The hire of three new individuals to the fire department should bring the department to full staff at this time.
What happened: An ordinance to prohibit the use of public records for commercial purposes was brought before the Council for a second, third and final proposed reading.
What this Means: Town Manager Deb Cook shared the need to prohibit those asking for town records with the intent to use for commercial purposes. While the Council discussed at the first reading, adding a line in the document to commit to providing access to Brownsburg residents, it was suggested in keeping consistent with other communities, the council omits that line. The Council approved the ordinance unanimously.
What happened: Amber Lane shared Park Authority Items with the Council, including maintenance operations for the parks and recreation planning.
What this Means: Lane spoke about the “significant improvements and corrections” needed to the Splash Pad. The Parks Department plans to look at plumbing needs, concrete surrounding the splash pad and utilities like filter pumps approaching their life expectancy.
President Travis Tschaenn informed the Council of the preliminary statistics regarding the Brownsburg Parks BASE program. Year over year, it appears the Town is losing money on the program which will require a revamped look at cost and partnership with Brownsburg School Corporation.
What happened: Shawn Pabst, Capital Projects and Operations Director suggested placing a temporary parking restriction in areas close to the construction on Grant St.
What this Means: After several citizens expressed concern about the crowded conditions on Grant St. due to construction at Brownsburg High School, the Council approved the temporary ‘No Parking’ signs in areas that were restricted to one-way travel due to excessive parking. Pabst said as the construction moves, so will the ‘No Parking’ signs to alleviate the dangers of lack of first responder access and additional public safety.
What happened: In previous Council discussions, administration has looked into various options regarding fee waiver requests and how to make them fair for all involved. Upon researching, Cook suggested eliminating fee waivers for Parks Department events that do not have a joint partnership with the town.
What this Means: The only fee waivers that will be granted for events in Brownsburg Parks will have to be partnerships established with the town. All other events will pay the park rental fee. Tschaenn said it seemed like the decision was most fair to all citizens and taxpayers involved.
