News from the Board

Meeting Notes

Summaries from recent meetings are available below. The Board is seeking volunteers who may be interested in working on community activities and projects. Do you have the time and some ideas about how to make the neighborhood better? Contact us!
The Board extends its sincere sympathies to the family of Jerry Kerr, a resident of Lebanon for more than 50 years. Jerry was a well-respected Civil Engineer, and was called out of retirement to consult on repairs to the New Orleans Super Dome after Hurricane Katrina. Jerry was an avid golfer and a past President of the Ulen Country Club. Jerry and his wife, Josephine, always enjoyed Fouth of July festivities and hosted community parties for many years. Jerry was well-known for his home-made ice cream.

November 22, 2022

  • Note that December's scheduled meeting will likely conflict with holidays - the December meeting has therefore been rescheduled for 6:30, Tuesday, December 16 at Ulen Country Club.
  • Trash pickup bills are still inaccurate, but the Town is making partial payment . Waste Management is continuing to work with us to correct its billing and outstanding charges will be credited in the future; individual residents should see credits on their Lebanon Utilities bills for any recycling fees that were incorrectly charged.
  • New rates from WM will be significantly higher than in previous years – however, it was also noted that we have not had an increase in ten years. The Town will continue to pay for this service on behalf of residents.
  • The new photocell for Country Club Drive street lights has still not yet arrived. In the meantime, the Town agreed that lights will need to stay on at all times, and is contacting our contractor to request this.
  • Elmwood Bridge work has begun. As a result of the recent public meeting with the city, a Memorandum of Understanding was documented and signed by officials in both Lebanon and Ulen to clarify protections Ulen wanted in place (these address any damage to streets, curbs, adjoining properties, co-insurance, etc. )
  • Concerns were expressed about the old sewer system and potential damage that might result. The Board agreed to take pictures before and after of the pipes most likely affected to ensure that repairs, if needed, are made. Sensors will also be installed on properties nearest to the bridge to monitor vibrations from the work.
  • Board Transitions - Historical documents have been shared with incoming Board members, and plans for addtional mentoring have been discussed. A list of of critical contacts still needs to be completed, and is in progress.
  • Sue Ritz noted that her contact for ATT has assured her that cables will be removed before the end of the year.
  • Light posts have all been painted by Joe Newsome. Residents should make the effort to say hello and thank Joe for his efforts volunteering for this task. Christmas wreaths have been hung to replace flags.
  • No discussion was held regarding the two new ordinances that have been proposed. The Board agreed to wait until new members begin their terms of office in January.
  • The resident survey will be sent as soon as we are able to contact all residents (our current list is incomplete and out of date). Mary Ann Herny and Steve Lewis will be reaching out to residents to get this completed.

October 25, 2022

  • The new photocell for street lights on Country Club Drive has not yet arrived. In the meantime, lights will need to stay on at all times.
  • Jason Jones will lead the effort to liaison with the city as the Elmwood bridge work begins. The Town wants to ensure curbs and pavement are protected (or restored) and impact to the neighborhood is minimized.
  • Steve Lewis noted that the county has transition requirements for incoming elected officials. The Board agreed that we need to conform to these requirements to ensure a seamless transition after the Board election.
  • Historical documents will be moved to the storage locker so that all are available to incoming members.
  • A list or spreadsheet of critical contacts needs to be created for incoming council members. The Board agreed to begin this process.
  • Waste Management has still not begun to resolve outstanding issues. Billing is not accurate or in conformance with our existing agreement. Some residents have not had their trash picked up, and no new bins have been provided. The Town Board is withholding payment until Waste Management addresses these issues. Residents should assume service will be unchanged until we are assigned an account manager and have resolved the billing inaccuracies. We ask residents to report any service anomalies to the Board.
  • Light posts continue to be painted by Joe Newsome. Residents should feel free to say hello and thank Joe for his efforts volunteering for this task. Flags are being removed for painting, and fresh flags will be hung for Veterans Day. After that, Christmas wreaths will be hung.
  • Steve Lewis has confirmed that the City is agreeing to pick up leaves on Wednesday for the next few weeks. A two-year contract has been signed with the City for this work.
  • Discussions continue concerning staggering the term of office of some Board members. This will require that an ordinance be written and adopted. The Board agreed to bring this up again when new Council members are in attendance.
  • Jennifer Jones recommended developing an ordinance to allow the Clerk/Treasurer to expedite some recurring payments without the current approval process. The suggestion was made that regularly occurring payments (such as utilities) up to $5,000 per month could be made under this ordinance. The Board agreed to discuss this again when new Board members are in attendance.

September 27, 2022

  • Invoices have been received and approved for utilities and website maintenance. Invoices from Waste Management/Rays have also been received, but payment is being held, as there are ongoing discussions about Ulen’s contract. Residents have not yet received new bins, and errors in recycling billing have not yet been corrected. Conversations have been ongoing to resolve these issues.
  • Some streetlights are not turning on and off correctly – a new photocell has been ordered, and will be installed when it arrives. In the meantime, the affected lights will need to stay on at all times.
  • No action has been taken by ATT to address exposed wiring, although neighbors have made repeated calls and a truck and ditch digger appeared recently (and did not resolve the issue). We will continue to request completion of this work. This issue has now been ongoing for 17 months.
  • A resident survey has been submitted for Town Board approval. Minor changes have been requested and are in progress.
  • The Elmwood Bridge contract has been awarded, and work is expected to begin this winter. The Board discussed potential impacts to residents closest to the bridge, and agreed to attempt to find out more so that we can influence any potential negative impact on the neighborhood. The construction may take several months.
  • Board candidates who attended the meeting asked several questions. The Board provided information about typical quarterly billing and costs for utilities, insurance, etc. The state-mandated process for using unappropriated funds (those not described specifically in the year’s budget) was also discussed. Training for newly elected Board members will be provided by the state.
  • Historical documents are being moved to the storage location so that all are available to incoming members and are stored in one location.
  • The Board has identified a resource to assist with grant writing to retroactively recoup some of the costs of electrical work completed last year. A question emerged about whether the Town will need to be (or become) members of Drive Clean Indiana. The Board will research this.
  • Light posts are being painted, and most are complete. A cherry picker has been located to enable the lamps to be cleaned. Participants suggested that we ensure that appropriate safety protocols be followed to ensure safe use of the cherry picker. Torn/damaged flags will also be replaced.
  • No dates have been confirmed yet for leaf collection.
  • Several items were discussed for Board action next year. Sewer and stormwater systems may need work, and we want to be proactive to ensure that the budget includes some dollars for this.
  • Additional discussions were held concerning staggering the term of office of some Board members. The goal would be to allow for greater continuity of expertise with overlapping membership. A 2-year election cycle would allow for half the Board to change (potentially) during each election. This will require that an ordinance be written and adopted.
  • The Treasurer gave an overview of the proposed budget for 2023.
For more information, or a copy of the meeting minutes, please contact us.
Want to get more involved?
The Town of Ulen also strongly encourages resident participation in Board meetings and heartily welcomes the help of volunteers. Do you have some extra time on your hands and an idea that will help the neighborhood? If so, we look forward to seeing you! The Board of Directors meets at Ulen Country Club at 6:30 pm on the fourth Tuesday of each month.
Meetings may be subject to change. Check with us prior to the meeting.
The Historic Town of Ulen and Ulen Country Club
Copyright © 2020 Web.com Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Web.com is a registered trademark of Web.com Group, Inc. All other registered trademarks herein are the property of their respective owners.