Brazil Police Chief Clint McQueen

 

By Frank Phillips

DLC Media News

The Brazil Cruise-in continues to grow. Organizer Eric Jensen of Brazil told Police Chief Clint McQueen he thinks there will be just one cruise-in per year going forward, though some would like to have a second event this year. 

Drivers took an hour to make the trip from the bowling alley to Walmart along U.S. 40 during the busiest part of the cruise-in. 

The May 6 cruise-in was a success by many accounts. 

McQueen made his report at Wednesday’s meeting of the Board of Public Works and Safety. 

Linda Messmer said the cruise-in was “good publicity for Brazil,” even though she “is not a car person.” 

“The event is the best thing for Brazil since Covid,” said Mayor Brian Wyndham. 

Chief McQueen said  “The crowd has definitely grown over the years but it’s not to the level of the Christmas Parade.” 

The police presence has also grown and that seems to have reduced complaints from the public. 

More tickets were issued this year and than in the past, McQueen said. Most were for speeding and spewing black smoke, which the Mayor said was intentional on the part of the car owners. 

In the past, at least one time a driver did a 360-degree spin in the road, which is illegal. 

Chief McQueen said he was going to review the behavior of drivers in the cruise-in this year and see if he needs to recommend more moving violations to be added to the City Code by the city council over the summer. 

“It’s a work in progress,” McQueen said. “Officers said (the event was) safer this year than in the past.” 

Mayor Wyndham said rumors have gotten out that drivers can come to Brazil for the cruise-in and “lay rubber” and commit other moving violations. 

“We need to educate them,” the police chief said. “My main focus is to keep it as safe as we can each year.” 

In other business:

Bids to pave and improve sidewalks on Pinckley Street were opened. The two bids were from Milestone of Terre Haute and E & B Paving of Bloomington. 

Milestone bid $319,059 and E & B bid $261,525. 

The board took the bids under advisement and will award the contract to the most responsible and responsive company, said attorney Traci Orman. 

The board signed a contract to receive a maximum of $227,842 from the State of Indiana Department of Transportation Community Crossings program. 

The actual amount received will be 75 percent of the winning bid with the City of Brazil paying the remaining 25 percent, Orman said. 

The next meeting of the Board of Public Works and Safety will be at 10 a.m., May 24 in City Hall.