NH Yard Waste Dump site being abused

By Lois Mittino Gray

New Harmony Town Council President Jeff Smotherman emphasized that something needs to be done about misuse of the yard waste dump behind the Fire Station by townspeople. Speaking at the May 19 regular monthly meeting, he reported that it is becoming a problem. It seems the dump is encroaching on private property owned by Jason Hoehn, and he has to keep pushing the materials back to the boundary lines.

Smotherman explained the dump was created back in 2000 when “yard waste was becoming a big thing back then. We want to help our citizens with it, but we’ve had some trouble with overstepping boundaries and out-of-towners using it to dump, too.” He said they may be way off on where the boundaries actually are for determining land the town owns and they need to address the situation. “In the meantime, users need to go as far south as they can to stay away from Jason’s building back there.”

The problem was exacerbated by the fact that the town lost the use of its backhoe to push debris around. Workers had to rent a backhoe to use on projects for $3300 a month. A motion was passed to continue rental for another month, until they get a rebuilt transmission to fix the one they own. They have a quote to put it back together with a third-party new piece for $17,488.76, with a $2500 rebate. It can be done rather quickly, and the repair will at least ensure that the machine is functioning. They might want to trade it in on a new one, perhaps in a years’ time. Smotherman speculated that a new one could cost anywhere from $60,000 to $180,000. They would also like to buy a leaf wagon and a used dump truck.

Councilors renewed the two-year contract on the two license-plate reading Flock Cameras at both ends of town. Local law enforcement officers encouraged this, since the cameras have proven to be so beneficial in identifying perps. The cost is the same as before at $6,000 per year for the pair.

During Open Forum, NH Parks and Trail Board member Andy Batt reported that camping revenue at Murphy Park is already close to $2,700 for the year. He said that this amount is nearing the total collected for all of last year and use is growing rapidly. Campsite registration is available online now. He also said they have opened a new seasonal foot path by the river but warned with a smile, “It is under water now, since it is seasonal.”

Historic New Harmony Director Diane Sanders reported maintenance work is being done on several HNH structures. Repainting work will be awarded soon for the Beal House, Kemmerling House and Doctor’s Office. The Firefly Festival will be on June 26 and 27.

Sanders said she was not able to book a special patriotic drone show, as she would have liked on July 4, but does have it scheduled now for July 11. She assured that besides a spectacular show; it will have live music and food trucks.

Local resident David Angel, who has spoken before about his concerns about fogging for mosquitoes and the chemical effects on birds, told of taking a week to really look around and he saw quite a difference from last year. “Last year, we had 50-100 Cliff Swallow nests under the Wabash Bridge. There are only about a dozen now. I see only about a tenth of Flycatchers and other birds that eat the mosquitoes I hate the most. With nothing to eat, they move on. We need to have a sustainable population of birds to control them by natural methods, not fogging,” he encouraged.

In other business:

Charles Bandy was on the agenda to present his idea to form a New Harmony Information Technology Committee. He suggested this group would look at software and hardware used by the town and see what is really the most cost-effective. He said the town needs a composite plan to put all information in one place to assist with budgeting, inventory, relationships with vendors, and visitor use. He called it “knowledge management.” Councilwoman Connie Weinzapfel agreed that the information available was “fragmented, and not all in one place. We need things written down so when a person leaves a job or office, there is continuity for the succession.” Councilman Rod Clark noted this would be the job responsibility of a Town Manager if they had one. Councilors agreed to start the process of developing this committee, with Bandy noting, “It’s a start. This is not something that can be solved overnight.”

A thank you letter was read aloud from the Ribeyre Gymnasium Restoration Group for the town’s $5,000 donation to help repair the town clock in the fall.

Clerk Hueslmann announced that persons can come into Town Hall or go online now to pay utility bills. Online is available for campsites and shelter rental in the parks. Councilwoman Weinzapfel stated she thinks there should be a fee to reserve the new shelter house, too.

Councilors approved $2,012.00 to light the new flagpole on the east entrance to town. Tom Smith has agreed to donate his labor to install the lights. Councilwoman Weinzapfel asked to go on record that she thinks the lights will be too much in intensity, adding to the light pollution in town. She advocated for solar lights, but Smotherman said they would have to be on the pole making it hard to take the flag up and down.

Councilman Clark said the Khrohn Company completed a study of water and wastewater rates in town. “The report was enlightening. It suggests the town is not charging enough for water. They suggest a twenty percent increase in rates to get ourselves back in black,” he told the others. “We are obviously operating in the red this year. We need to have an advertised hearing to do anything about it and get the information out on it.” Representatives from Khrohn will be at the next meeting to attend the public hearing. A copy of the report is available to peruse at Town Hall on the front counter.

Wastewater treatment is not expected to raise in rate, as it is a service of the town and not based on usage.

Councilors discussed pay raises for employees. Utility Billing Clerk Carmen Naas will receive $2.00 more per hour. Others were upped the 2.8 percent COLA rate (Cost of Living Adjustment) and some were rewarded a bonus for increased trainings met, such as gas certification and mosquito spraying training.

Councilman Clark said they will be required to do a Lead Pipe Survey and complete it by November 2027. “We need to check ten percent of all lines and dig up the road in parts, too” he said. “It is going to be a big deal. We are looking at doing one per block. If it is galvanized, we have to get rid of it. If galvanized pipe sits for a long time, it has lead in it,” he stated. Clark assured that every time a water line breaks now, they will test it for lead while they are repairing it in anticipation of the requirement.

Clark described two emergency expenditures: a water one was for $6,000.00 and a gas one for $7,000.00 He said they were turned down again on the OCRA sewage plant grant and will probably not be applying for it anymore “There may be something available on the bridge,” he said optimistically. ---30--