December 13, 1981

Petition drive planned for hydrants

       White River Township Coalition members will meet tonight to plan a petition drive in support of fire hydrant installation in the northern portion of the township.  The petitions will be carried to township homes next weekend.  About 90 area residents are scheduled to knock on doors of homes north of Smith Valley Road to collect names of homeowners who favor placement of the hydrants in their area.  Most developed areas in the southern portion of the township already have hydrants.  The petition drive is the latest in a long series of efforts by the coalition and the White River Township Volunteer Fire Department to get hydrants for the area.

         A plan to use county federal revenue sharing money to help pay for their installation was scrapped in the spring when the State Board of Tax Commissioners ruled that public money could not be used to fund a project by Indiana Cities Water, a private company.  The current plan calls for the water company to pay half the installation costs and residents to pay the other half through a temporary water rate increase.  The petition drive is designed to show the State Public Service Commission, which must rule on the rate hike, that the increase has community support.

         Ron Deaton, president of the coalition, said organizers hope to collect signatures from as many as half the affected homeowners.  Petition captains from each of the residential additions in the target area tonight will receive information packets and final instructions for the drive.  Representatives from the fire department, Indiana Cities Water Co. and from the Insurance industry will be at the meeting to explain the plan and its benefits to homeowners.  One benefit of hydrant service will be lower homeowner insurance rates, Deaton said.  The plan, which was drawn up with help from the fire department, calls for installation of 138 hydrants throughout the northern additions.  Tonight’s meeting at 7:30 will be held at the Mt. Auburn United Methodist Church, 3100 Stones Crossing Road.  The public is invited.

 

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