Ferdinand Works to Pave the Way for Street Improvements

Ferdinand officials are working to establish a framework to address long-standing infrastructure needs. 

The proposal under consideration would finalize the development of streets platted prior to October 1993. The Plan Commission has reviewed the most recent draft of the ordinance, which addresses some of the issues raised during a work session on August 17. If funds are utilized through the Community Crossings Matching Grant (CCMG) Program, the town would have to be fully responsible for costs incurred. Since a portion of the costs could not be passed on to residents or other entities, this required an adjustment to the language in the ordinance. In some areas, streets have been improved with curbing or some guttering. 

In others, there is only grass. Cost projections estimate that street development from grass to asphalt for a 2- block area would be approximately $500,000. This estimate was created using the same criteria as CCMG projects. It assumes a 24-foor wide residential roadway, approximately 450 linear feet, with asphalt and stone base, with installation of storm sewers and curb inlets on each side. 

Form templates were created to obtain permission for improving the street. A scoring mechanism was also developed to rate and prioritize street improvement requests for areas with varying conditions. For streets that have already been improved (such as having an existing rock roadway in place), costs would be lower to transition to an asphalt surface. 

Many of the lots involved were described as being much smaller than modern lot sizes. Ken Sicard discussed how the traditional 24-food width could be too large, potentially eliminating most of a residence’s front or back yard space. Allowing slowing smaller roads in certain places was proposed as a viable solution. This could be a significant consideration in trying to fill empty lots to restore property tax generation. 

Board members will review provided documentation on the proposed ordinance before the next meeting. Questions and suggestions will be reviewed at that time before a determination is made. Once a conclusion is reached, a recommendation will be made to the Town Council regarding adoption of an ordinance. 
 
For more information on these and other updates, visit www.ferdinandindiana.org 

 - Drew Hasselbring