Irving Board Considers Village Memorial Request
by Nancy Richardson
All members of the Irving Village Board were present at the Tuesday, June 10, meeting to hear the request of establishing a Village Memorial from Mark Clark.
Clark was a good friend of the late Mark Jett, who died last month in Irving, and he felt the need for the town to have a memorial spot, not just for Jett, but for other friends and family of Irving residents.
He presented sketches of the proposed granite stones in memory of Jett. He will pay for that portion of the memorial entirely on his own; no village funds are requested. "This is coming from my own bank account," said Clark.
He hopes the memorial will have at least two large granite stones so residents may have etchings of their family members placed on them. He envisions a walkway around the stones with appropriate lighting.
"This memorial will be for the Village of Irving, not veterans or firefighters," said Clark. "All I'm asking is for the Board to consider this."
Board members expressed interest in the idea and will discuss the proposal before giving an answer to Clark.
Other visitors at the meeting were Lee and Penny Bales who requested the village vacate an alley on the lots where they live. The alley is not in use and is not maintained by the village.
The board voted to vacate the alley after a real estate description is received from the Bales.
Village President Kyle Schmedeke announced the fire department received a $1,000 grant from Wal-Mart to be used on equipment.
Fire Chief Kurt Fenton presented the fire department activity since last month. The department answered three public service calls, four EMS calls, and one structure fire call on 17th Avenue.
Fenton reported several needs for the department, including a new air compressor for the fire truck, a steer tire and a starter for the pumper truck. He was concerned with the often long wait for approval from the board on purchases.
"It's my responsibility to make decisions," he said, "and sometimes we can't wait until the next meeting to make purchases."
Trustee Cathy Kaliyan, a member of the Fire Department committee, assured Fenton a decision from the committee members would be forthcoming within one day if he would call her about emergency purchases.
Fenton also requested approval from the board for the EMS crew to be on stand by for the demolition derby at the Montgomery County Fair. The board approved the motion.
Clerk Marilyn Taylor informed the board the village should receive a check from the Emergency Management Agency the first part of July for the May 1 disaster training in Irving according to County Director Diana Holmes.
Taylor also presented Ordinance 2008-432 for the prevailing wage rate, which was approved.
She has been working with the budget committee and needs to double-check figures on income. The group will meet again to finalize a budget to present at the July meeting, at which time a budget must be passed.
Trustee Carl Taylor noted no major problems and commented, "The town is looking much better than it did six months ago."
Trustee Kenda Caulk gave the police report. Officer Winans showed nine arrests, 22 citations, one written warning, three assists, ten civil complaints and nine village violation notices. He also reported he has received training and is now certified to use the M-16 rifle purchased through the law enforcement program.
Overdue water bills and dogs running loose continue to be a problem . Kaliyan noted 54 water bills were overdue the last billing period. Some were just for one month and others for a longer period.
She suggested raising the late fee to $25 for late payments and the water turn-on fee to $100 to discourage repeat offenders in the future. The board decided to wait to set a new amount until they learn the new water rates Witt will be charging the village.
The bid letting for the water grant project should take place the end of July or the first of August.
In final business, the board approved a bid from Steven Doyles to top several trees and clean up the area. His was the lowest of three bids received.
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