Knox residents are encouraged to channel their inner Clark Griswold tonight in hopes of winning a prize. Judging for the annual City of Knox Decorating Contest will take place from 6 until 9 p.m. CST, so be sure your outdoor lights are on during those hours. Continue reading
Knox City officials will have a better idea after the first of the year how a five year downtown revitalization plan will look. A second public meeting was held last night to gather information from residents, merchants, community leaders and others about a vision for the comprehensive plan. Continue reading
Knox officials remind residents to call 811 before beginning any digging projects. If you are planning a home improvement job, planting trees, installing a fence, deck or mailbox, it is the law that you call 811 at least two days before work begins. The depth of utility lines varies, and there may be multiple lines in common areas of your property. Continue reading
The City of Knox is the recipient of a grant from the Indiana’s Hardest Hit Fund Blight Elimination Program. Eleven applicants in Division Six were awarded grants totaling $3.7 million.
The City of Knox will receive $187,000.
The Blight Elimination Program provides an opportunity for local units of government to compete for money available to prevent avoidable foreclosures through the removal of blighted, vacant and abandoned homes. In February of this year, the U.S. Department of Treasury approved the use of $75 million of Indiana’s Hardest Hit Funds by the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority for successful Blight Elimination Program applicants.
Knox city officials recently met with the Green 3 to put together ideas for a comprehensive plan for the city. A tour was taken of the city where a list of needs was assembled.
The downtown area was highlighted as a possible revitalization area. Those in attendance believe that the downtown area needs updated with brighter lighting and greater ambiance. Support for existing services, historic preservation, housing needs and economic development were all included as ideas.
The City of Knox is looking for contractors to bid on repairs on homes through the Area 5 program.
Five roofing jobs were awarded to companies in LaPorte and Logansport and now local contractors are urged to bid on homes that need electrical repairs, plumbing repairs and general contracting repairs. The city has secured grant money and are waiting for companies to bid on the projects.
Women and men from all across our nation have been putting their lives on the line to defend the United States of America for centuries. The city of Knox is teaming up with the St. Joe Valley Blue Star Mothers of Indiana #6 to honor those heroes with a welcome home parade. It will take place on Sept. 13th. Continue reading
There are laws governing when fireworks can be ignited in cities and towns in Indiana.
For instance, in the city of Knox, the use, discharge or ignition of consumer fireworks by any person or other entity is prohibited in the corporate limits except between the hours of 5 p.m. and two hours after sunset from June 29 to July 3 and from July 5 to July 9. On July 4, fireworks may be discharged from 10 a.m. to midnight.
Officials from the city of Knox have sent out notices to several residents who have failed to keep vegetation at a manageable level on their property within city limits.
An ordinance states that “the owners of real property in the city shall cut and remove weeds and other rank vegetation growing on their property. The term “property” includes a parkway, that non hard-surfaced area laying between a sidewalk and a street, lane or roadway.”
Street sweeping in the city of Knox will take place for the first time this year early tomorrow morning and continue each Tuesday through September. Stopping, standing and parking are restricted on several city streets between the hours of 4 and 8 a.m. Those routes include Shield Street from Washington Street to Culver Road; Main Street from Washington Street to Culver Road; Pearl Street from Washington Street to Culver Road; Washington Street from Heaton to Shield Street; and Lake Street from Heaton to Shield Street. Vehicles in violation may be impounded, and owners may be subject to fines in accordance with Knox City Ordinance 914 Set. 9-444-9446, which can be read by clicking https://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=14045.
If your weekend plans include yard work, you may be in luck if you live within the Knox city limits.
The final spring leaf pick up of the year will take place Monday, May 5 through Friday, May 9. Residents should place leaves in the street along the curb and not in the alley. Brush and limbs will be picked up each Thursday by the Knox street department. However, debris left over from professional tree trimming or removal jobs will not be taken by the city. The tree company is responsible for disposing of them.
The weather has dipped below the level where it was over the weekend, but meteorologists say it will be nice again this weekend which could lead to outdoor chores.
The Knox City Council members want to remind residents that there is a no burning ordinance within the city limits. According the ordinance listed on www.cityofknox.net, “no person shall start, kindle, cause, allow or maintain any form of leaf burning or wood burning of any kind, on private or public property, except as specifically authorized”.
The City of Knox is picking up leaves through Friday if you took advantage of the mild weather and did yard work. A second spring leaf pick up is scheduled May 5-9. Leaves should be placed at the front curb.
If you have brush that needs to be picked up, the street department will do that on Thursdays, weather permitting. Please separate your brush and your leaves.
Knox residents are asked to keep their faucets running until further notice. The city has been plagued with frozen pipes and water meters since temperatures plunged. If you still have water, the best way to ensure it continues to flow is to let it run. Even though temperatures are warming up, the ground is still frozen, so pipes are still subject to freezing. City officials say all water bills for the billing cycle that started Jan. 23 will be estimated based on last year’s usage, and customers will not be charged for the extra water they are using. Water bills are due Feb. 15, and anyone with an abnormally high bill due to letting faucets run can ask for an adjustment.
The time for fireworks will soon be upon us, though some area residents are already lighting up the skies. The state has its own fireworks laws that specify when fireworks can be discharged, though a number of communities such as Winamac, Knox, and Plymouth have adopted their own ordinances that limit when and where fireworks can be used.
According to the state laws, fireworks can only be discharged at special discharge locations, the person’s property, or the property of another who has given permission to do so. Anyone under the age of 18 who wishes to use fireworks must be accompanied by an adult, and fireworks can only be lit before 11 p.m. and after 9 a.m. However, on Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, Labor Day and New Year’s Eve, fireworks may be discharged until midnight.
Gateway and the Starke County Historical Society are in discussions with the City of Knox to deed the Gateway property to the city. When Gateway was conceived, it did not include the Depot and all of the other historic items such as the watchman’s tower, Nickel Plate signal tower or the caboose and tracks.
The area had been an ice and coal yard for years on the west side of U.S. 35 and a fuel distribution center on the east side. To the north was the Golding property that was at one time a 1920 gas station. Jim Shilling convinced the owners of the property to sell it to a private organization called Gateway.
A state error that was announced earlier in the month could provide funds coming back to the City of Knox. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston said last week that a revelation in December found that the state didn’t account for some $320 million in corporate taxes. That triggered an internal audit that resulted in a discovery of a needed distribution to cities, towns and counties of $206 million.
Local groups are planning fundraisers to help pay for annual Fourth of July fireworks celebrations.
The Winamac VFW and the Winamac Kiwanis Club are teaming up to raise money for the Fourth of July display at the Winamac Town Park. A fish fry fundraiser will be held on Friday, April 6th from 4:00-7:30 p.m. ET at the Winamac VFW. Marita Grisel, President of the Winamac Kiwanis Club, says that the VFW has returned to their prior supplier for the larger fish filets. The dinner is $8.00 which includes fish, baked beans and coleslaw. All the money raised will help defray the rising cost of the fireworks.
Knox is one of 50 municipalities named in a federal lawsuit. Kevin D. Miller, who was subjected to a K9 drug search of his person and car in Marshall County last year, has brought suit claiming that dog and all trained by Vohne-Liche Kennels are unreliable. Miller claimed that the dog falsely detected drugs in the car, and in the process of searching the vehicle traumatized his wife. He had initially been stopped for a traffic violation.
The City of Knox is attempting to cut down on lightning damage. City Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston has notified the City Council that he is trying to work with the insurance company to eliminate the claims.
“I want to mention that we were contacted by the insurance carrier about our loses because of lightning. So I’m coming up with a list of the steps the City is taking to try to alleviate the problems. We have cut down some trees and put in arresters to try to make the insurance company happy. We don’t want them to raise our rates any more. The last time it was not just a matter of raising rates, they actually raised the deductible for lightning claims,” Houston said.
