By Jeff Kenney Staff Writer
CULVER — For the third time since the position was created several years ago, Culver is without a town manager.
The resignation of Sean Mc-Dermott, who began his tenure as the town’s third manager in October, 2007, was announced at yesterday’s town council meeting, bringing an end to curiosity and rumors as to McDermott’s whereabouts in the community, from which he had been apparently absent for more than a week.
During the citizen input portion of the meeting, council members said that McDermott gave no reason for the move in his resignation letter, with Town Attorney Ron Gifford adding that he suspected rising gas prices related to McDermott’s frequent visits to his home state of Michigan.

Council members did confirm that the position of town manager will remain in Culver, and that the town will seek a replacement for McDermott. A time frame for hiring a new manager will be determined at a June 18, 8 a.m. council work session.
In the absence of the town manager, the council established liaisons between its members and various town departments. Council member Ginny Munroe will act as EMS liaison, Lynn Overmyer as fire department liaison, Ed Pinder as streets and sewers liaison, Ralph Winters as town park liaison and Sally Ricciardi as police department liaison.
A night of transitions for the council continued with the reorganization of the board. Council President Ralph Winters announced his own resignation as president of the council, a position he has held since the beginning of the year. Winters cited involvement in an unnamed charity with a large budget that is in need of his time. Replacing Winters as president by vote of the council was Sally Ricciardi, with Lynn Overmyer taking over as vice president.   
Resolving a long-debated matter, the council also voted to mill and repave Lake Shore Drive in Culver from the intersection of Main Street to the Original Root Beer Stand area. The present street will be milled one-and-a-half inches down, and side streets will be repaved 50 feet from each intersection, all at a cost of $89,680. The work is planned for completion before LakeFest in mid-July, with one lane milled at a time to allow traffic flow, though Ricciardi predicted some traffic backup and recommended residents detouring during the work. Work will halt during the weekends, the busiest period for traffic in the area.
Property owner Dave Beggs was on hand to address the council concerning a home he is renovating at 334 and 336 S. Main St., discussed by the council in previous meetings. Ricciardi and Overmyer noted that a number of citizens have expressed concern about the house sitting on elevated “stilts” for some time, and about the safety of children who might be attracted to the area. Beggs said fittings would be poured the next day for the building, and that the house should be on the ground within 30 days, once the concrete dries.
Ricciardi asked that the temporary safety fence used at the site also be placed around the building’s porch, which Beggs said he can do. He added that the house is “safer up in the air now than it was before. They just had two-by-fours and blocks holding it up.”
The council also passed the first reading of a new ordinance amending the existing sewer ordinance to penalize restaurants not complying with town regulations regarding safe grease trap maintenance. “This gives us more teeth in the handling the situation,” said Gifford. “Whenever it results in sewer overflow into the lake, we’ve got a problem.”
The council will send a letter to restaurants apprising them of the ordinance, and it was affirmed that the public schools, the Culver Academy, and Miller’s Merry Manor are also subject to the ordinance.
Fire Chief Mike Grover told the council the department’s new siren near the intersection of S.R. 10 and Lake Shore Drive — a source of much discussion at recent meetings — is operational after a final testing earlier that day. He also said the department is working on the siren at the town hall, which is to replace the S.R. 10 siren as a fire whistle with a date of July 15 for a final decision on the matter. Grover reported that he has been in communication with home and business owners near the new siren to keep them in communication as to progress on the town hall siren.
In other news, the council approved public library employee Alison Schuldt’s request to close Main Street downtown for the Taste of Culver festival July 12 and directed Vickie Dearth of the Maxinkuckee Players to work with police chief Wayne Bean and building inspector Russ Mason to come up with a location for a smaller banner advertising their annual play, as the poles used in years past are no longer standing.
The council authorized purchase of an auto sampler and flow meter for use in the town’s sewer system, with training for use by town employees, and approved removal of an old shed under the town water tower at the request of street department head Bob Porter.
Ginny Munroe discussed the possibility of a town-wide cleanup to follow the town-wide garage sale in late Sept. and the annual Lions Club flea market Oct. 4. Dumpsters would be rented along with containers for toxic materials, to encourage residents to clean up the town.
Chris Kline of the Culver Community School board was appointed to the Redevelopment Commission by Ricciardi, a position in which Kline expressed interest.
Building inspector Mason was given permission to move temporarily into the town manager’s office to free him up to work while meetings are going on (his present work space is the same as the public meeting area), where he will also help with office duties. The EMS also reported it has two new people as trainee drivers.