New owners of Red Bird will not locate in Osgood
Cathy May - Contributing Writer

The Osgood Town Board received a letter from David Landsberger of Ricca Chemical Company declining the town's offer to keep Red Bird Services, Inc. in Osgood. The letter stated they will be vacating the Osgood premises sometime during 2005.

Landsberger further stated in his letter, "We thank you for your sincere efforts on our behalf, and will be sorry to leave the town that has been Red Bird's home for so long. However, with the cooperation of various local entities in the area, we are confident that we will be able to relocate close enough to our original site as to not cause any loss of employment to any of our valued employees, many of whom live in the Osgood area."

Estimates for the cost of putting a storm drain in from Jefferson Street to the Osgood Public Library on Ripley Street were provided. The total cost for the materials is $62,619.31 and labor for the town will be $34,720.00, for a total cost for the project of $97,339.31.

John Castleman, Osgood Library Director, said the library had received a grant from the Ripley County Community Foundation for $10,000 to help with the project. He also reported that the bids for the library expansion and renovation project were higher than estimates, leaving the library without any extra funds. The town discussed talking to the Reynolds Foundation about help with the project.

The town will try again for a Community Focus Fund (CFF) grant for their Sanitary Sewer Inflow-Infil
tration Reduction Project. Julie Berry of the Southeastern Indiana Regional Planning Commission held a hearing at the meeting on the grant request.

The town is again asking for a CFF grant in the amount of $293,750. The grant will be matched with $293,700 from the Reynolds Foundation and $50,000 from the Rising Sun Regional Foundation. The town also has completed $215,495 of the project in-house. The proposal is to be submitted on January 14, 2005 with the full application due April 1, 2005.

Ralph Schneider, owner of Schneider's Scrap Metal, gave the town board members a history of his business and his plans for the future. Schneider's has been in business since 1917.

On bids received on November 30, the Water Treatment-Plant Improvement Project went to Reynolds,
Inc. of Orleans, Indiana. The total cost of the project is $230,372, with $14,040 going for painting.

Ordinance 2004-8 was approved to establish a Rainy Day Fund. Two tax checks from the county of $22,482 and $11,251 are to be placed in the fund.

The town board tabled the request to pay Barney Adams (Adams Construction) $70,000 toward the sidewalk project until the ramps are completed.

Two claims from Commonwealth Engineering were approved: $1,800 for engineering services performed on bidding/construction for water project and $303.41 for engineering services performed on Water Vulnerability Assessment.

The annual reorganization meeting will be held January 4 at 7:00 p.m. at the Osgood Town Hall. Town board members Jeff Volz, Linda Krinop and Paul Struckman were in attendance. Tammy Wilhoit, Clerk-Treasurer, was there to advise the board.

The next regular meeting of the Osgood Town Board will be held on January 18, at 7:30 p.m. at the Osgood Town Hall.