Mill Pond Trail repaving request heard by Commissioners

MARSHALL COUNTY — at the latest meeting of the Marshall County Commissioners, Mill Pond resident Tom Mathewson presented a petition to have Mill Pond Trail repaved.

“I’m here today on behalf of our owners of properties along Mill Pond Trail. I have lived there for the past 16 years now myself,” he said.

Mathewson explained that the roadway was put in, according to his research, in 1990. The owners, at that time, were given an option to pay $350 per property and have the county put a road in place.

“Since then, of course, it has deteriorated dramatically,” Mathewson said. He provided photos of the deterioration. “The road is, I would say from all roads I’ve been in the county, is no doubt one of the worst in Marshall County.”

County Commissioner Kevin Overmyer informed Mathewson that County Highway Supervisor Jason Peters stated that his department “planned on doing something weather permitting this year.”

Overmyer asked Mathewson if he’d been on Tomahawk Trail to which Mathewson replied that he has been on it. “That’s what yours is going to look like if they can get it done this year or next year,” said Overmyer.

“Wonderful,” Mathewson replied. “We’re hoping for that because we feel, you know, we need it badly. We have a lot of property owners there.”

Janis Jeffirs Holiday, executive director of the Marshall County Council on aging (MCCOA), came before the commissioners to get approval for their claim for CARES act funding from the Indiana Department of Transportation.

“It started in July of last year and it’s supposed to go through the end of this year, but we’re going to have money left over so we’re going to go through June of next year,” she said.

She went on to inform the commissioners that the MCCOA’S expenses minus their income for the quarter is $97,676.

“Our trips have been down a little bit this quarter, but that’s typical for summer months,” she said, adding that their expenses were up about $14,000. That increased amount is mostly due to pay raises for the drivers.

Overmyer asked if the MCCOA were able to hire more drivers. Janis said that they just hired one. They had hired two at the beginning of the year and two since then.

“We’ve lost a couple over the course of the year too,” she said. They currently have around 11 drivers. “We could use 15 easily.”

another problem with rides that she identified was trying to replace the council’s vans. “all the mini-vans have been cancelled for this year and for next year because they can’t get the parts. They can’t get the chips, I think is what it actually is,” said Holiday.

The commissioners approved the MCCOA’S quarterly report.