The Tracy Street improvement project will move forward with the help of a grant from the Indiana Department of Transportation, Markle Town Council President Jeff Humbarger announced at the council meeting on Wednesday, July 18.

"We were very pleased to secure that funding," he said. "It's a big relief."

A public meeting for residents of Tracy Street will be held at the fire station on Tuesday, July 31, at 6 p.m.

Council also discussed a logo for the new water tower.

Novae Corp., parent company of Sure-Trac Trailers based in Markle, has asked to partner with Markle in funding the logo in order to be recognized on the logo. The suggested logo would read "Welcome to the Town of Markle, home of Sure-Trac Trailers."

Mike Bermes, of Novae Corp., proposed that Novae Corp. would fund logo maintenance and pay rent to the town. Bermes also said that Novae Corp. would want to pursue a high definition screen logo, rather than stencil.

Using the tower for third party advertisement would generate funds for the town, which Humbarger pointed out would offset the projected annual upkeep of $13,000 to $15,000.

Council agreed to request proposals for logo advertisement, including rent, until Aug. 15, when a decision will be made.

Town Superintendent Rick Asher submitted a request to have streets and alleys in Markle milled and paved. He presented a quote from E&B Paving for $64,550 to have seven streets and five alleys paved. Council approved the request.

Streets to be milled and paved are Curry, Miller, 2nd, Maddox, 5th, Harrison and West Allen. Council requested that the front of the post office also be included in the paving.

Asher also presented a current problem at the town compost site. The compost site is open to Markle residents to dump compost items such as leaves or grass. Asher told council members that high volumes of brush have been deposited at the compost area and that many dumpers have been from out of town. He reported that he and Town Marshal John Markley have caught residents of Fort Wayne, Zanesville, Uniondale, Bluffton and Huntington depositing brush at the site.

"It's really out of control," Asher said.

While the volume of brush has increased after the severe storm at the beginning of July, Asher says it is a year-round problem. Before the thunderstorm, he said the compost area had been cleared of brush. Following the storm, he estimates that 22-23 trips were made to the landfill - work filling up a "solid week."

Also, he said that tree removal services have been using the compost site to deposit trees, some four feet in diameter.

Council requested that Markley compose an ordinance addressing the situation, to be reviewed at the next meeting. The ordinance will allow the town to place fines on violators, and a sign will be posted.

Also at the council meeting:

• Council approved Markley's request for a third in-car video system. The system will be mostly paid for by a grant from Local Anti-Drug Coalition Effort (LACE) of Huntington County.

• Clerk-Treasurer Shelley Monticue reported to council that the Scott Street properties have closed.
A special meeting will be held Wednesday, Aug. 1, to review the 2013 budget proposal. The public hearing this year will be held at the September meeting, and adoption is scheduled for the October meeting.