The Winamac Water Department will be getting a new truck after town council members approved one of the quotes presented to them during their Monday evening meeting.
Water Department Superintendent Jeremy Beckner presented the quotes. Council President Tom Murray asked for the year of the current vehicle and Beckner answered that it is a 2005. Town Manager Brad Zellers mentioned that it is in the department’s 5-year plan to replace the truck this year. Continue reading
Winamac Town Council members were asked to get back on board with the community pool project when they met Monday night.
Councilwoman Judy Heater took a seat in the audience once again, to speak on behalf of the pool committee. Continue reading
North Judson-San Pierre school board members took a few major steps in the General Obligation Bond process at their Tuesday night meeting.
A public hearing was held over the proposed bond issuance, which will be for a total of $1.1 million. Curt Pletcher from Umbaugh provided a general overview of the bond process, explaining that it will take the place of the 2006 bonds that will soon be retired. Continue reading
A business opportunity is being offered by city officials to help revitalize the downtown area in Knox.
When the City Council met last Thursday, Mayor Dennis Estok shared that the Redevelopment Commission has purchased a building that will be utilized for a proposed pilot program. He said the goal of the program is to provide some incentives to try and induce some business downtown. Continue reading
The North Judson-San Pierre Elementary and Jr.-Sr. High Schools will each have a Dean of Students starting in the 2018-2019 school year, following the school board’s approval of the two new personnel positions during their meeting Tuesday night.
Superintendent Dr. Annette Zupin said that school board members, teachers, and administrators have been discussing staffing for the last several months. She said after speaking with faculty, she realized there were a few matters that were consistently brought up. Continue reading
Knox Mayor Dennis Estok alerted city council members of some changes to the general obligation bond process when they met last Thursday.
Estok issued an updated timetable for the general obligation bonds that the city will be using to finance the purchase of a pumper truck. He informed members about a suggestion made by the city’s financial advisors that impacted the timeline. Continue reading
Winamac town officials expressed gratitude toward the Mooi family when members met Monday night.
Clerk-Treasurer Melanie Berger explained that two departments will soon receive some funds as the result of a generous posthumous donation from a local couple who passed away last year.
Berger told members, “The Winamac Volunteer Fire Department, along with the Winamac Police Department, they were beneficiaries to the Henry Mooi and Alice Mooi revocable trust.” Continue reading
The Knox City Police Department and Knox Community School Corporation received notice of about a social media post that suggested a threat of violence to the Knox Middle School before the start of school this morning. Fortunately, the threat turned out to be a rumor. However, there is a police presence on campus today as a safety measure. Continue reading
The Knox BZA met Monday night to consider a variance on the 40-foot rear-yard setback requirement for commercial properties. The owner of Royal Star Builders, Tim Miller, is looking to build a dual-purpose business on Pacific Avenue.
He bought a piece of residential property and took all the necessary steps to have it rezoned to commercial. The only thing standing in the way of construction was the fact that in his site plan, the rear-yard came in about 25 feet shorter than the required footage, so he could not apply for a building permit. Continue reading
A public hearing over the final version of 5-Year Parks Master Plan was held prior to last Thursday’s Knox City Council meeting.
Troyer Group Landscape Architect Mike Reese led the public hearing. During this process, he’s been coordinating with city officials and gathering public input about Heritage Park, Sandy Acres, Wythogan Park and potential new park. Continue reading
Donations are still be collected for the Winamac Fireworks Display, as officials are still more than $2,800 away from their goal with the June deadline approaching.
Additionally, officials with the Town of Winamac are reassessing fireworks display plans, after the distributor alerted Town Manager Brad Zellers that the park will not be an acceptable location. Continue reading
North Judson-San Pierre school board members will take action on the wellness, technology and strategic and accountability plans when they meet tonight at 7 p.m.
Revisions to the Elementary School and the Jr.-Sr. High School student handbooks will be considered and members will discuss revisions to the certified and non-certified employee handbooks as well. Continue reading
Winamac Town Council members are expected to discuss the status of the Local Income Tax (LIT) Issue with the county when they meet tonight at 6 p.m. ET.
The council will also consider a quote for the updated ordinance book and Town Attorney Justin Schramm will discuss arbitrage correspondence. The Jefferson Township fire contract will be up for approval and two ordinances will be considered. Continue reading
Culver School Board members met last Monday in order to further discuss a potential operating referendum.
Superintendent Karen Shuman stated that this month’s work session was essentially a review of what was covered during a work session in April. Superintendent Shuman said the board members in attendance had the opportunity to ask some questions about the information that has been provided so far and suggest some other areas to research. Continue reading
A public hearing over a petition for annexation was held when Knox City Council members met on Thursday. Starke County Economic Development Foundation Special Projects Coordinator Ron Gifford spoke on the behalf of the petitioner, J.W. Hicks Holding LLC.
Gifford explained that the Hicks organization previously purchased some property on the corner of Pacific Avenue. He said that when the company started looking into potential expansion, some records were reviewed and they discovered the property to the south, formerly the Hewlett property, was never annexed into the city. Continue reading
The Knox BZA members are also anticipated to discuss the vacant secretary position when they meet tonight at 7 p.m.
Members will also hear an appeal from a Pacific Avenue property owner seeking a variance. Owner of Royal Star Builders, Tim Miller, will be appealing to the BZA to receive a variance on the 40-foot setback specification for a rear yard on a commercial property. Continue reading
This Saturday, the Town of North Judson and the Starke County Chamber of Commerce are hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the Norwayne Field stage cover. Continue reading
Culver Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim sent out a notification to alert residents that crews will be conducting hydrant flushing this week.
She mentioned that during the process, water may appear to have a “rusty” color, however, it is still safe to drink. Heim stated that this is a necessary procedure conducted biannually that removes rust from the town’s water distribution system. Continue reading
Knox City Council members amended the golf cart ordinance to provide some clarification about registration when they met Thursday night.
The language in the existing ordinance simply stated that registration would be good for one calendar year. However, Mayor Dennis Estok mentioned that caused some confusion since there was no consistency with when individuals were renewing. In order to make it easier to regulate, officials decided to come up with a set time-frame that registration would last. Continue reading
North Judson Town Council members received a request from representatives of the Prairie Trails Club when they met Monday night.
The Prairie Trails Club is an organization of volunteers that work to promote and maintain the Erie Trail through Starke County. Steve and Kathleen Lucas spoke on behalf of the club and requested permission to erect signage at some points along the Erie Trail. Continue reading
