Waterloo Gaining Trees & Trail
Article by KPC Media | KPC News | January 16, 2020
WATERLOO — The town of Waterloo has 55 new trees and soon will have a new section of walkingbiking trail, the Waterloo Town Council learned Tuesday night.
The town recently planted 14 trees in its new Veterans Memorial Park, which is under construction at Center and Walnut streets.
NIPSCO also has planted 41 trees throughout the town along rights of way where it replaced utility poles, said Town Manager Pam Howard.
The town expects to approval within the next couple of weeks to extend the Auburn-Waterloo Trail, Howard said. The Indiana Department of Natural Resources will provide a grant to expand the trail approximately one-half mile north to Walnut Street from its current ending at the south town limits.
The council authorized Howard to hire a code enforcement officer as a part-time position — at 20 hours per week with a wage of $13.80 per hour.
Howard previously handled code enforcement in her role as assistant town manager. She was promoted town manager in December with the departure of former Town Manager Tena Woenker.
The town has an opening for a member of its Plan Commission, who must be a Democrat. Howard said the town has met with difficulty in finding a Democrat to fill the post.
The council heard that the Friends of the Depot will be looking for corporate sponsors to pay for rewaxing the floor and repainting the exterior of the historic Waterloo Depot, which serves as a station for Amtrak railroad passengers.
Council members approved a spending plan for the town’s income from CEDIT, the county economic development income tax. It includes money to develop a property the town recently purchased, north of the fire station, as a public safety building to house the fire and police departments.
Howard said the town has received a deed for West Street, which runs north-and-south between Walnut and Maple streets on the town’s west side.
Town officials had discovered the town did not own the street, which was a former interurban railroad property that became state-owned when the interurban ceased to exist.
Howard is investigating whether the town can deed part of the newly acquired land to three adjoining landowners.
“I want to give it back to them while keeping the road right-of-way,” Howard said.
Article source: https://www.kpcnews.com/thestar/article_75607a83-9c60-5652-9d59-98867a552699.html