VEEDERSBURG, Ind. — Becky Goings and other members of the Veedersburg Revitalization Association spoke Tuesday with town council members about applying for a Main Street grant offered through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs in 2013.

If Veedersburg were to receive the grant, Goings said the project would focus on sidewalks and curbs downtown on Main Street just north and south of U.S. Route 136. The Main Street grant is available in 2013, but might not be offered next year.

The Main Street grant awards up to $250,000 with an accompanying match from the town of 20 percent or $62,500.

The revitalization group asks the town’s electric fund be used to purchase eight new light poles and lamps as part of the project. The town applied for the Main Street grant in 2012, but due to a minor error on the grant application did not receive one. The deadline to submit a proposal for the grant this year is March 22.

Mike Booe, president of the Veedersburg Redevelopment Commission, said he would like some more concrete estimates on the project, because the revitalization group is using estimates supplied by Triad Engineering in 2011.

Ken Smith, town council president, and councilman Tim Shumaker said they would like to have HWC Engineering of Terre Haute come and look at the sidewalks and curbs to estimate the cost.

Council members voted and passed the motion to conduct a public hearing at the next council meeting on Feb. 26 to begin the grant process. Smith said that HWC would be contacted to see if a representative could give some estimates before the next meeting.

In other business, town council members:

Heard from Scott Ashwell with the Fountain County 4-H Council, about a possible construction project at the 4-H grounds. The possible new building would have new restrooms and a kitchen facility. Ashwell said the project would not start until the funding was in place, so it could be a year or more, but the 4-H Council wants to the town’s permission to connect to the Veedersburg sewer and water lines. Council members had no problem with the proposed project as long as the town’s water and sewer lines could handle the capacity.

-Heard from Jasper Fogleman, chairman of the Fountain County Cemetery Commission. The mission of the commission is to locate, record, restore, and maintain all pioneer cemeteries of Fountain County under its jurisdiction.  Mr. Fogleman said that there are five pioneer burial sites in Veedersburg and 126 burial sites throughout Fountain County. One of the recently found burial sites in Veedersburg was found under a resident’s house and appears to have been grave dug alongside an old wagon trail. The Fountain County Cemetery Commission holds public meetings the first Thursday of each month at 7:00 pm at the d’Arlier Cultural Center in Veedersburg.

Appointed Travis Covault to the Veedersburg Redevelopment Commission.

Learned Sherry Bailey filled the vacant position on the Veedersburg zoning board.

Approved lowering the trash rate from $12 to $11. The rate change will go into effect as soon as the town’s billing software is updated.

Learned the old Veedersburg neon sign is being repaired. Smith said he and the other council members received many phone calls about the sign. The sign will be installed on the Veedersburg municipal building unless the council receives a better suggestion.

Appointed Terry Shields to continue as the Veedersburg fire chief for another two years through Dec. 31, 2014.