FORTVILLE — Officials are preparing for improvements to the town hall and Memorial Park totaling an estimated $2.8 million.
The planned upgrades to town hall, located at 714 E. Broadway St., include a new roof; gutters; adding solar panels; heating, ventilation and air conditioning improvements; and electrical improvements.
At Memorial Park and the Fortville Community Center on the town’s west side, leaders are eyeing upgrades to sports lighting for fields and courts, roofing improvements, court resurfacing, parking lot lighting, general electric improvements, security cameras and shelter building improvements.
Tonya Davis, a Fortville Town Council member, served on a committee that identified the projects.
“From the outside people might not think so, but it’s in dire need of some updating and repair,” Davis said of town hall. “We need to revamp the inside so that you’re able to function a little better. As we grow, there becomes a need for more people at some point.”
Fritz Fentz, Fortville Town Council president, agreed.
“Town hall hasn’t been remodeled in probably 30 years,” he said. “It definitely needs an upgrade.”
The agreement over the solar panels is structured in such a way that they can be removed free of charge if they don’t result in the proposed energy savings.
“Hopefully it works out,” Davis said. “We really don’t have anything to lose if it doesn’t, but I think it’s worth the effort to give it a try.”
Memorial Park and the community center are important to keep up, she continued, as they’re a big draw for residents. She added there are cracked courts and lights that don’t work correctly.
“It’s all stuff that needs to be done,” Davis said. “We have an opportunity to do it and I feel like it’s a good time to get started on it.”
The town plans to issue bonds to fund the improvements and pay them back through a property tax levy. Fortville’s financial adviser has said that new levy won’t result in an overall tax increase for property owners, as they’re already at the state-imposed tax caps, especially after the recent creation of the Vernon Township Fire Protection Territory. The new levy will, however, reshuffle the pieces of the town’s tax pie in a way that will result in less property tax money going to the general fund.
Plans for the town hall and park improvements come as Fortville also prepares for replacing its aging water plant, currently estimated at a cost of $11 million.
The town intends to issue bonds to fund that as well, but not right away. Leaders plan to issue bond anticipation notes beforehand to start financing the project. That’ll give the town a few years to continue building its quickly growing water customer base, instilling confidence in the lender while resulting in having to borrow less and not having to raise water rates as much to cover the obligation.
Fortville added more than 100 new water customers this year through July and is expecting at least another 50 by the end of the year. An average monthly water bill for 4,000 gallons is $22.70.
Orleans-based Reynolds Construction is leading the town hall, park and water plant projects.
