HUNTERTOWN — Huntertown Town Council received a report from Brandon Reichert, resource officer, about drivers using unauthorized road detours due to the Woods Road closure.

Reichert reported at the July 17 meeting at the Huntertown Town Hall, 15617 Lima Road, that the Woods Road closure from Old Lima Road west to Hand Road has some drivers creating their own detours. Some drivers are driving through the road construction, or they are driving through the Huntertown Family Park.

Finally, some drivers are driving through residential property between two homes in a different area of Huntertown. The unauthorized detours are being used to access homes west of the Woods Road closure.

“We are still having an issue with people driving in and out of Woods Road construction. As well as driving through people’s yards. They are driving between houses to get to the (housing) addition … It has literally worn a path,” Reichert said. Adding, “It is something that I never thought would be a problem, but it is.”

Reichert also told the board that a woman called the previous week to say her child who was on a bike, was nearly hit by a car traveling on the sidewalk. Additionally, there has been at least one other unconfirmed report of an adult nearly being hit by a car that was using one of the unauthorized detours.

Woods Road is currently closed due to a road widening project. It is expected to reopen by mid-August.

Law enforcement is issuing tickets and using social media to make drivers aware of the consequences of using impromptu, unauthorized detours.

“We are going to hit the Facebook page and let (drivers) know that driving through someone’s yard is a criminal offense,” Reichert said. Adding, “I see Woods Road being a bigger hurdle when it comes to traffic enforcement. I have made several residents unhappy with me issuing tickets. I try to avoid it, but sometimes it happens.”

In new business:

The board heard a brief summary of proposed amendments to the 2023 Huntertown Zoning Ordinance 2023-006 from Sarah Jones, AICP, principal planner, Allen County. The proposed effective date of the amendments is Sept. 1, 2023.

“The amendments are technical in nature and clarify language based on the use of the ordinance, so far. They address issues that have come up since the effective date of the Huntertown Ordinance, which was April 8, 2020. They align the Huntertown ordinance with the previously updated county and Fort Wayne ordinance technical amendments,” Jones said.

Jones outlined for the board several of the currently proposed amendments.

They include:

• Revise the residential development standards tables to change the minimum “building size” from “950” square feet to “700” square feet.

“This would be effective for all the residential districts,” Jones said.

• Add a provision to the R2 and R3 district development standards table allowing attached single-family lots to be a minimum of 25 feet wide and 3,000 square feet in area for interior lots. And a minimum of 50 feet wide and 6,000 square feet for corner lots.

While Jones was giving a brief outline of the amendments Town Board President Brandon Seifert asked her to clarify the amendment addressing private clubs and sexually oriented businesses.

• The currently proposed amendment reads, “Any use that meets the definition of a ‘sexually oriented business’ shall not be considered a Private Club.”

“In this case what this amendment is doing is tying on to what is already in place. This definition is tacking on the fact that a private club does not include a sexually oriented businesses,” she said.

Afterward, the board voted unanimously to introduce the Huntertown Ordinance 2023-006, an ordinance to amend the current Chapter 154 of the Huntertown Zoning Ordinance.

After the vote introducing the ordinance, the town council decided to further consider the ordinance at a town council meeting within the next 90 days.

Reports to the town council included:

A report on a possible and enforceable update to the Huntertown Noise Ordinance. Reichert reminded the board he is considering proposing a Noise Ordinance for Huntertown. He cited the wording of the current Huntertown Noise Ordinance.

“The thing that is catching us is the wording, ‘that any kind of noise that emits or is an annoyance to somebody at any time of the day is constituted as a violation of the noise ordinance.’ It makes it very, very vague,” he said.

Reichert reported to the board his findings of the wording of noise ordinances in neighboring municipalities.

Some of the ordinances are very brief while others are several pages long, he said.

“This is a good start to maybe revising our noise ordinance. I want to try and get something we can actually enforce. And something that we can enforce when county officers come in and help out. This may be just the first step in looking at it,” Reichert said.

Reichert cited people complaining about the recent fireworks going off. He pointed out Huntertown follows state law that fireworks cannot be set off after 11 p.m.

“Anybody setting off fireworks after 11 p.m., I give a warning the first time. If I have to go out a second time, I will be issuing tickets. I have warned everybody and so far, people are following it — for the most part,” he said.

Board members present at the meeting were Seifert, Jones, Tina McDonal, Michael Aker, Town manager Beth Shellman, Clerk/Treasurer Ryan Schwab, Reichert, and Derek Fredrickson, Resource Engineering Inc. Board member Brad Hite attended virtually, via Zoom, and Patricia Freck was absent.