LAPEL — After Lapel Town Council President Deb Wainscott welcomed new councilman Jason Kleinbub to the board at a recent meeting, the council proceeded to discuss a major road project, impact fees for a local development and traffic flow information.
Kleinbub is set to serve at least through this year, completing the term of former councilman Michael Cates, who moved out of town.
The board noted an Indiana Department of Transportation meeting is set for 2 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 5, at the Lapel Branch Library, 610 Main St., to discuss a major road project in Lapel.
INDOT is looking to redevelop State Road 13 in town, officials said. Plans include resurfacing the road, rebuilding the sidewalks and making changes to ensure Americans with Disabilities Act compliance.
The Feb. 5 meeting will give town leaders and residents a chance to ask INDOT representatives questions and find out more about the project.
In other business, the town met with representatives from the Forza Commercial Real Estate LLC to discuss fees associated with Pleasant View Apartments.
They reached an agreement on an impact fee — $90,000 — for the new development, to be paid to Lapel to cover costs of providing public services.
Lapel agreed to credit the company $45,000 for work paid for by Forza that normally would have been completed at town expense.
A payment of $9,000 will be made this year to the town, with the remainder due during the next five years.
In other town business, Gary Shuck, planning president, made the following recommendations to help traffic flow in the area:
• Establish a no-parking area along Brookside Road from Eighth Street to Bulldog Boulevard.
• Ask Owens-Brockway Glass Containers in Lapel to discontinue diagonal parking in front of the plant because larger vehicles can impede traffic flow on Brookside Road. They also want the company to add signage to improve traffic flow and avoid confusion from delivery drivers.
• Limit weight on the bridges on County Road 200 South next to Lapel High School and on Bulldog Boulevard near Montgomery Farms not to exceed five tons. Also, trucks with more than two axles (except school buses) will not be allowed on the bridges. Shuck said the bridges are not great and the town will need to come up with money to replace them eventually.
On the police front, Lapel Police Chief Kelly Naselroad told the council the cost of the new police vehicle would be about $31,500 with an additional $7,031 to make it police ready with lights and a police cage. Funds for the car have been approved, and Naselroad is hoping the car will be on the road in February.
He also told the council after conducting interviews for two officer vacancies, he had two candidates lined up with a third in mind if needed. He said he hopes to complete the hires within a couple of weeks.