North Judson Town Council Members Make Additional Appointments and Agree to Advertise for Open Positions

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

North Judson Town Council members voted unanimously to retain Wendy Hoppe as the town council president when they met Tuesday night.

As a part of their new bylaws, members also needed to establish a vice president. Councilman John Rowe was nominated and council members collectively agreed to appoint him to the position. Members also voted to retain Justin Schramm as their town attorney.

Additionally, members discussed remaining appointments. Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe will serve as the town representative for Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission and Wendy Hoppe volunteered to serve on the Rail Road Committee. Continue reading →

Culver Stellar Projects to Expand

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Some projects within the Town of Culver’s Stellar Communities Designation program will expand thanks to additional Community Development Block Grant funding.

Culver Town Council President Ginny Bess Munroe read a report into the record from Town Manager Jonathan Leist during last week’s meeting. Leist indicated that the Stellar Committee agreed to expand the Cavalier Sports Park project along with the Culver Beach Lodge renovation efforts and Lake Max programming and accessibility. It was the decision of the committee on Dec. 19 to expand on the current projects rather than begin planning for an entirely new venture.

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Knox City Council Members Approve Proposal for IT Infrastructure Enhancements, Estimated to Cost More Than $17,000 in First Year

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The Knox City Council members amended their meeting agenda to include a proposal for enhancements to IT infrastructure, when they met last Wednesday.

Mayor Dennis Estok informed council members that the City of Knox is not currently equipped with any “off-site backup”, which is a state-mandated requirement. He said that means that all city documentation, emails and additional information would be unsaved if their main system was to experience any major problems. Continue reading →

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Offers Tips on How to Avoid Grant Scams

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is warning citizens to be aware of scammers who see the New Year as the perfect opportunity to prey on unsuspecting individuals looking to replenish funds after the holidays. Fraudulent grant offers are particularly pervasive,so HHS representatives have a few tips to keep in mind in order to protect yourself from tricksters.

First of all, no legitimate federal government employee would ever call to say you qualify or you’ve been approved for a grant you never applied for. Representatives say to look out for people who target individuals since all government grants involve an application process to carry out projects with a public purpose and are not intended for personal use. Continue reading →

Knox Residents Urged to Prevent Freezing Water Pipes

Posted on Author Anita Goodan
 

Knox Mayor Dennis Estok is urging residents to take precautions to prevent freezing water pipes.

He told WKVI News that there are a few homes that experience issues every year and the below-freezing temperatures are causing more residents with frozen water pipes. He asks that those who have annual water line freezing problems to let the water run the width of a pencil or a drip. Call the clerk-treasurer’s office at 772-3032 and it will be noted to adjust bills to accommodate preventative measures.

Any questions can be directed to the mayor’s office at 772-4553.

Public Input Sought on Proposed Dollar General Store Project in Knox

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Update: Tonight’s Starke County Commissioners meeting has been rescheduled due to cold weather. Auditor Kay Chaffins says it will now be held Monday, January 8 at 6:00 p.m.

 

The Starke County Commissioners will hold public discussion on the proposed move of the Dollar General Store to the eastern corner of 200 South and U.S. 35 just south of Knox.

During their December 18th meeting, the commissioners discussed the amended plans for the driveway into the store off of 200 South which presents potential safety concerns, according to Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler. He told the board that it’s a heavily traveled area and he’d like to see a stop light or some safety enhancement at that intersection. The commissioners agreed to gather public comment on the matter during tonight’s regular session meeting.

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Knox Board of Works Members Consider New Vehicle Purchase

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Knox Board of Works members considered requests for new vehicles during their meeting on Wednesday.

Water Superintendent Todd Gardner explained that he is looking to purchase a new service truck. He said he is about 10 years behind in getting a new truck as funds weren’t available. He wants to replace a 1989 truck that no longer runs efficiently. He obtained three quotes for a service truck with a service truck from Schepel in Merrillville, Bill Estes in Indianapolis and Gates in South Bend. Schepel gave him the lowest quote at $40,640 for a ¾-ton GMC truck with a service body. Tool boxes may be added that could cost approximately $1,000 extra.

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Pulaski County Commissioners to Open Bids for Paving, Lawn Care, Snow Removal, Dump Truck

Posted on Author Michael Gallenberger
Pulaski County Commissioners: Mike McClure, Jerry Locke, Kenny Becker

The Pulaski County Commissioners will open bids for various projects this evening. One of those involves several miles of paving work on County Roads 200 South and 400 East. The commissioners had approved a contract with Central Paving of Logansport for nearly $1.2 million, but they later repealed that decision to allow the project to be bid out formally. Continue reading →

City of Knox Officially Pays off General Obligation Bond of 2010

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Last Wednesday, Knox Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston informed city council members that the final payment for the general obligation bond of 2010 was made earlier that day.

Houston added that the bond was taken out to purchase a fire truck which is now officially owned by the city. Mayor Dennis Estok reminded members that paying off the bond contributed to the deficit of more than $30,000 in Knox’s CEDIT account for this year. Continue reading →

Applications Needed for Habitat for Humanity Project in Culver

Posted on Author Anita Goodan
 

Officials with the Town of Culver and Marshall County Habitat for Humanity are looking for a qualified individual to help build his or her own home in Culver.

Application information can be found on the Town of Culver’s website at www.townofculver.org for a building project at an available site at the Sand Hill Farms workforce housing development project off of West Jefferson Street in Culver. The project is anticipated to begin in late 2018 or early 2019.

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North Judson Town Council Members Meet Tonight

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The North Judson Town Council members will make an appointment to the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission and discuss the Starke County Economic Development Foundation appointment when they meet tonight.

Department heads will deliver updates to the council members and there will be some time allotted for public presentations and recognition of guests.

The meeting will take place in North Judson Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. tonight.

Starke County Commissioners, Council Members Discuss Purchases

Posted on Author Anita Goodan
 

The Starke County EMS Department will receive a much needed heater for the Medic 5 base in Grovertown.

In a specially-called joint session of the Starke County Commissioners and Starke County Council Thursday night, EMS Director Travis Clary said medications are freezing in the ambulance at the Grovertown base because there is not a proper heat source in the garage area. There is a good heat supply in the office area, but it is needed where the ambulance is parked to preserve intravenous and other perishable medications. The Starke County Commissioners declared the need an emergency and the council members approved the acquisition of a ceiling heater from McGrath’s Refrigeration not to exceed $2,057.87. The purchase will come from the 2017 budget.

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Knox Board of Works Gets Update on Downtown Building Repairs

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Knox Board of Works members got an update on repairs being made to 1 and 3 N. Main Street in downtown Knox.

Knox Planning Administrator and Director of Building and Code Compliance Kenny Pfost told the board members that a timeline was provided for repairs. Building Owner Pete Milev was given until May 2018 to complete extensive repairs to the exterior masonry and interior violations. Pfost said he mailed the timeline to Milev by certified mail on Dec. 12, but it has not been returned with a signature.

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Culver Town Council Approves Grant Fund Appropriations

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Town Council members discussed grant funds that were appropriated during the year at their meeting this week.

Clerk-Treasurer Karen Heim commented that the town was fortunate to receive several grants in 2017 that weren’t recognized in the budget. She recommended that the list be available to inform the public of all funds awarded and spent, and on the record for the Department of Local Government Finance.

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