The Loogootee City Council met in a special meeting on Monday. The council agreed to pay Flint and Sons for asphalt work for the city. The total cost of the work was one million and 28 thousand dollars. The funds come from the Martin County Community Crossings Grant, with the city’s share at 25 percent of the total. In other business, the council agreed to replace a heat exchanger in the furnace of the annex building. M&M Electric received the go-ahead to fix the furnace as cold weather is coming in. A lengthy discussion was then held on the city’s new Christmas tree. Mayor Brian Ader said the tree was worth over 55 thousand dollars, but the company went down 30 percent for a total of $38,500 from the city. The mayor picked up the tree to save money on shipping, and the only cost for the trip was mileage. The mayor stressed the purchase is to spawn economic development and tourism for the city. Councilman Dave Smith said he would have liked to use ARPA funds instead of the EDIT Tax money, and communication was the big issue through this process, but that the mayor and the council have worked through this. Smith said the ultimate goal is to enhance economic opportunities downtown and move forward. The tree lighting celebration in downtown Loogootee is set for this Sunday from 4 to 8 pm, with lots of vendors, live music, and special activities planned for the big event.
