An employee of Starke County for more than four decades retired yesterday from what was supposed to have been a temporary job. Gerald Ford was in the White House and gas was 55-cents a gallon when Carl Goodrich took over as courthouse custodian on Nov. 26, 1974. Continue reading
The Starke County Council last night approved two amendments to the salary ordinance to reflect changing job duties. The county highway bookkeeper/clerk will work eight hours per day instead of seven. Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler says the first and last hours of the work day are the busiest, and this will ensure efficient work flow. He adds the department administrator has taken on more responsibilities due to internal restructuring and needs the additional hour to get everything done. Continue reading
The Starke County Courthouse will soon have a new custodian. The county commissioners Monday hired Mike Gerhart to fill the opening created by the retirement of longtime caretaker Carl Goodrich. His last day with the county is June 4, which was previously proclaimed “Carl Goodrich Day” by the commissioners in honor of his more than 40 years of service. Continue reading
Trees blew down around the Starke County Courthouse Tuesday morning and according to Maintenance Director Carl Goodrich, there was damage to the courthouse tower.
“This outfit from Wabash, Atlas Engineering, they came and checked out the structural parts of the tower and that seemed to be okay,” explained Goodrich. “The only thing that really sustained damage was the tile and the capping up there [on the tower]. They’re going to give me an estimate, by Monday hopefully, and see what the repairs are going to cost.”
The repairs need to be done at the very top of the courthouse, which stands over 150 feet tall. That work will be done by crane and a reliable crane operator.
Work continues on the elevator in the Starke County Courthouse. Carl Goodrich told WKVI that they’re waiting for the elevator and parts to arrive so the elevator can be constructed.
The old elevator in the Courthouse needed to be modernized and brought up to code. It had not been updated since it was first installed in the Courthouse. A quote from Oracle Elevator in the amount of $62,971 was approved by the Starke County Commissioners for the purchase of a new elevator.
The Starke County Courthouse elevator is scheduled for repairs. Courthouse Custodian, Carl Goodrich, talked with the Commissioners this week about this relic. Goodrich was asked exactly what’s wrong with the elevator.
“Basically, the hydraulic system is leaking and it needs to be replaced,” replied Goodrich. “It was put in in 1956 and it needs to be reworked. We’re going to modernize it and bring it up to code. The elevator car itself is going to be there but they’re going to repair the hydraulic systems and everything that goes with the unit.” They need some hydraulic equipment from places like www.cir.net/ to repair the elevator.
