Loogootee City Council Meeting:

LOOGOOTEE, Ind. — The Loogootee City Council approved a series of measures at the latest City Board of Works and Common Council meetings held on Mon. June 8, 2026.

Issues ranged from infrastructure repairs to hosting events such as Pride Fest, along with the necessary street closures, as city officials tackled what Loogootee Mayor Brian Ader called “a lot of things going on” across the community.

Present at the Board of Works meeting were Loogootee Mayor Brian Ader and council members Brandon Carrico, Danny Clark, and Mark McAtee, who was absent. Steven Teverbaugh was also present.

The session opened with approval of the previous month’s minutes, before council members turned to event planning. “I do want to get a motion to close the following streets: Northeast First Street, Southeast First Street, and Ray World Street,” said Ader, referencing the upcoming Pride Fest. After clarifying previous confusion about the event’s application, the council voted to permit the festival at the city pavilion with the requested street closures. After much discussion and to avoid any controversies, the board was watching their words. “I’ll make a motion that we approve the Pride Fest for that event at the pavilion with the street closures,” said one council member, a move that received unanimous support.

Department heads provided detailed reports. The water plant treated 13.8 million gallons in May, averaging 444,000 gallons daily, while the wastewater plant processed 24.3 million gallons. Public safety officials noted a decrease in accidents and arrests, with police focusing on “background investigations for these new hires.” Two conditional offers were accepted, and both recruits are expected to begin academy training in August. But equipment challenges persist. “We are in dire need of computers,” the police chief told the board, explaining that the current laptops are nearly a decade old and increasingly unreliable. A grant application for computer upgrades was unsuccessful, but the city is now seeking quotes from Dell and Taylor Tech. “I want to get the best bang for our buck, and I want to get the best price possible,” the chief said, emphasizing fiscal responsibility.

The council authorized the department to spend up to $15,000 on immediate computer replacements, with funding sourced from the King Capri fund. “I’ll make the motion that we at least replace the two that are broken and started, but I mean, if you can get a better deal, would be no for this docking stations and stuff, as long as it’s below $15,000,” one councilor stated. The motion passed unanimously.

Other business included an increase in the clothing and equipment allowance for new police hires, raising the limit from $2,000 to $3,000. The police chief explained the change was necessary due to rising costs and the need for uniformity. “If we have gear that will fit guys, then most definitely we’re gonna use that, and we’re gonna save the cost there,” he said. “But I want to cover my bases. I don’t want to go down there and then say, ‘Okay, well, it’s actually going to cost you $2,200 for this employee, but we’re going to get by with the other hire for $800.’”

Council members also addressed ongoing maintenance projects. Mayor Ader updated the public on downtown striping and upcoming paving: “Quite a bit of striping being done to help with the organization of parking, instead of just having anybody park anywhere.” Milling and paving are expected to take three to four weeks, weather permitting, with major work on Wood Street, Walker Street, and other areas. “Once they get started, you know, because, like, on Wood Street, you do an all-new curb and sidewalk plus filling on the first block, and then from Walker Street up to the school, that’s all new curb and sidewalk plus paving,” Ader said.

The council also approved a motion to allocate future rent proceeds from the city’s annex building into a dedicated repair fund, and they discussed repairs to the municipal pool, which is losing an estimated 120,000–130,000 gallons of water weekly due to an undiagnosed leak. “We have tried several things out there … we have no idea what made decision to keep the pool open because it’s one thing that we have here,” said Ader, noting that a specialist is scheduled to investigate the issue. The mayor acknowledged the high cost of potential repairs and the age of the facility, which dates to 1958. “It’s an investment, first time and expense every time after that,” he said.

Finally, the board celebrated reaching its fundraising goal for senior citizens’ programs, unlocking a $5,000 AARP grant. “Tom and wife are doing a great job over quality, other volunteers, too many volunteers to name them all,” Ader said, expressing gratitude for the community effort.

With major summer projects and community events on the horizon, Mayor Ader concluded, “We got a lot of things going on. Apartments are really coming along down there.”

The Martin County Alliance is hosting the “June Lunch & Learn: Insuring Success – Smart Coverage Strategies for Businesses” on June 22, from 12 PM to 1 PM at the Bowling Manufacturing Building, 99 W. Washington St., Loogootee, Indiana. The free event, which includes lunch, aims to provide small business owners, aspiring entrepreneurs, and current employers with insights into insurance coverage and asset protection. Participants are encouraged to RSVP by June 22 via an online form or by calling the organizers at 812-295-4800. For additional information, interested individuals can email martinalliance@martinalliance.org.

The Martin County Alliance wanted to congratulate the Shoals Public Library in order for the successful completion of their expansion project. This significant development marks a new chapter for the community, expanding the library’s capacity and services to better serve local residents. The project, which took extensive planning and effort, reflects the dedication and resilience of everyone involved.

The expanded facility now offers more space for visitors, enhanced technology, and additional resources that support a wide range of educational and recreational activities. The community’s investment in the library underscores its importance as a hub for lifelong learning, literacy, and community engagement.

This achievement also highlights the collaborative spirit of the community and local officials who prioritized this project amidst various challenges. The new facilities are expected to attract more visitors, fostering a stronger sense of community and encouraging greater participation in learning opportunities.

The library’s improved infrastructure will serve as a foundation for future programs and initiatives aimed at enriching the lives of residents. It will also support local schools and organizations by providing a reliable space for educational events and community gatherings.

Overall, the completion of the expansion project signifies a remarkable milestone for the Shoals Public Library and the community it serves. With a bigger and better library, residents now have access to more resources and opportunities for growth. This accomplishment demonstrates that perseverance and hard work are rewarded, ultimately benefiting the entire community and future generations.

City Board Regulatory Rain Development Comission Meeting:

LOOGOOTEE, Ind. – The Loogootee City Board met on Monday, June 8, with the Regulatory Rain Development Commission in a wide-ranging session that touched on ordinances governing mobile homes, parking and public safety in the historic downtown, and ongoing infrastructure improvements. Present at the meeting were Loogootee City Mayor Brian Ader and several board members, featuring candid discussions and a focus on balancing development with community needs.

Mayor Ader opened the meeting by clarifying ongoing discussions regarding the city’s mobile home ordinance. “We have some people that are concerned about that, and that was just discussion on some other places,” Ader said. “We have some places that used to be a mobile home park that are no longer considered a mobile home park. We’re looking into what we need to do to get that range open, because it’s not a mobile home park or anything like that. But also, if something does get moved out of an area, we would like to have it upgraded with a type of home assumption or water, anything like that.”

Ader emphasized that no decisions had been finalized, stating, “Nothing’s in concrete. I just want to make that clarification so nobody’s really upset, but you know, I know they have some concerns, and rightfully so. Not here to cause issues, we’re here to hopefully be progressive in the community.”

As the meeting turned to new business, Speaker 4 outlined a list of pending ordinances, including those affecting parking and public safety. “We’re developing ordinances for that stuff,” Speaker 4 said, noting that the downtown area was a particular focus. Discussion then shifted to the city’s ongoing downtown restriping efforts aimed at making parking more efficient and organized.

“We are currently in the process of restriping your downtown areas,” Ader explained. “We’re getting some signs ordered for the one way, and they do not enter, they’ll be here, probably hopefully sometime this week or first of next week. Then we’ll get that stripe down around the square in front of the businesses and places people are living.”

Ader further detailed the expansion of parking spaces, stating, “Behind the old First Federal Bank, we got five places in there. We did put one parking space there in front of Edward D. Jones’s there on Door Street. We got to get down in front of Taylor Tech and the law firm, both sides there, just, you know, parallel parking. Same way with the KFC area on East Main Street, and then we look at the other areas to get striped out.”

The intent, as summarized by Speaker 4, is “to maximize parking, but still keep safety in mind for everyone. All parked correctly within lines, and then the right directions and stuff.”

Ader also addressed the need for sidewalk repairs and highlighted a major drainage issue at the intersection of North Street, North Line, and Wood Street. “We definitely need to get some sidewalks repaired and fixed,” he said. “I know we’ve got a major drain issue right there… We’re doing a lot of replacement there, and a lot of that can be done through our stormwater fund. We won’t know what we have there, though, until we excavate.”

The board also discussed the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district and its importance to future development. “What the pass through is with the TIF district is what I gotta do, do the project pass through. Basically, we’re going to capture all the taxes from these test jurisdictions,” Ader explained. “One of the reasons the TIF district is to utilize and capitalize all that tax money coming in that we get it for our future development.”

Speaker 4 recalled a previous public meeting: “Didn’t we do some type of public meeting where some of the landowners came in and talked about, like, over here by Smiths and all that stuff, and kind of gave their grievances or non-grievances, that type of stuff about it? We explained, didn’t we do that, like, a few months ago?”

Ader confirmed this but noted that additional steps remain before final approval, including a public hearing scheduled for July 13. “One more thing still, and we got to do the public hearing, then everything’s… what we did before was getting everything on a time frame locked in,” Ader said.

The meeting concluded with updates on ongoing development projects, including progress at the Shady Estates housing site and infrastructure orders for new duplexes. As Mayor Ader summed up, “It’s just going to take a little bit to kick it off, you know, get it going. But got a bunch of trees down and removing stuff and doing a lot of things.”

The next city board meeting is scheduled for July 13, where further updates on these key issues are expected.