A group of Hancock teens gathered 120 signatures on a petition requesting a skate park this spring.
Councilman Dennis Hudson said he thought any skate park the town creates should also be open to BMX bikes and said he would only support a park that caters to both activities.
Council considers having former Merkle building inspected for violations
HANCOCK -- The Hancock Town Council decided Wednesday to look into having the former Merkle building on Main Street inspected for safety hazards or code violations.
The town's marketing director, T.R. Weaver, recommended that course of action to the council Wednesday. Weaver said he had contacted the vacant building's current owner several times as part of his campaign to get Main Street property owners to spruce up their buildings, but that particular building owner indicated she was not willing to make improvements unless they were required.
Weaver said the building's back deck appeared to be deteriorating and ought to be checked for hazards.
The town's planning commission is preparing a potential ordinance that could be used to regulate building upkeep in the future, Hancock Mayor Daniel A. Murphy said.
Dardar concerned with drivers running stop sign on Park Road
HANCOCK -- Hancock Councilman Nigel Dardar said Wednesday he is concerned about drivers' lack of compliance with a stop sign on Park Road in Widmeyer Park.
The stop sign is near the creek, before the bridge that drivers cross when they are headed toward the swimming pool from the north, Dardar said. After a citizen raised the concern, Dardar said he spent more than a half-hour watching traffic on the road and saw many drivers run through the stop sign without stopping.
The situation is dangerous because children sometimes dash across roads in the park, Dardar said. He said he wondered whether speed bumps would be a good solution to the problem.
Town Manager David Smith said he would ask the police department to look into the issue.
Council to meet to choose company to rewrite comprehensive plan
HANCOCK -- The Hancock Town Council will hold a special meeting July 22 at 7 p.m. to select a company to rewrite the town's comprehensive plan to comply with a new state requirement, Town Manager David Smith said.
The state has required that comprehensive plans include additional information on water resources, Smith said.
The town has received proposals from a number of companies for the work and will use the special meeting to review and discuss those proposals, he said.
Dardar suggests meeting once every two weeks
HANCOCK -- Hancock Councilman Nigel Dardar suggested Wednesday the Hancock Town Council consider meeting every two weeks instead of once a month.
Dardar said he was happy with the momentum the council had developed but was looking for ways to become even more responsive.
Hancock Mayor Daniel A. Murphy said he thought monthly meetings were sufficient, considering the council schedules special meetings as needed and council members are accessible to the public by phone between meetings.
Many council members juggle council meetings with the meetings of many other committees and would have trouble fitting a second council meeting into their schedules, Murphy said.
Councilman Dennis Hudson noted that even larger Washington County towns meet only once a month.
The council agreed to think about the idea and discuss it more at a future meeting.
