The Culver Town Council members met in a work session Monday, July 31 to discuss the hiring process with the Culver Police Department.
Continue readingCulver Town Council Members Hold Work Session to Discuss Culver Police Department Hiring
Culver Town Council Discusses Pay for Police Officers
The Culver Town Council members reviewed this year’s Salary Ordinance that pertains to the police department.
Continue readingCulver Police Chief Wayne Bean Honored with Proclamation of Gratitude
Officer Alex Zarbee, Culver Police Chief Wayne Bean, Assistant Chief Chad Becker, and Officer Nick Fobert at Culver Town Council meeting where Chief Bean was honored for 40 years of service.
Article submitted by Jamie Fleury, The Pilot News Staff Writer
CULVER — Culver Police Department (CPD) Chief Wayne Bean was honored at the Culver Town Council meeting for his 40 faithful years of service.
Continue readingCulver Town Council Approves use of Town Equipment for Security at ACPI
Article submitted by Jamie Fleury, The Pilot News Staff Writer
The Culver Town Council approved the use of town equipment for officers of the Culver Police Department to provide additional security at ACPI in response to a recent gun threat made by a former employee.
Continue readingCulver Police, Park Looking to Purchase Security Camera Systems
Two Culver department officials are looking to upgrade security cameras and systems.
Continue readingCulver Police Department to Hire New Officers
Two Culver Police Department officers have resigned which will leave three officers on the roster.
Continue readingCulver Town Council Members Revisits Request to Pay Unused Officer Vacation, Personal Time
The Culver Town Council members revisited a request made by Police Chief Wayne Bean concerning paying out unused officer vacation, holiday or personal time in 2019.
Continue readingCulver Town Council Holds Work Session Concerning Traffic Ordinance Amendment Request
The Culver Town Council members held a public hearing last week concerning a request to amend a traffic ordinance that regulates traffic around the Culver Schools during student drop-off and pick-up times.
Max’s Playhouse owner Brandy Pohl purchased two residences at 454 North School Street and 450 North School Street for day care services. The homes are on the east side of the street, opposite of the school corporation. She asked the town council members to amend the traffic ordinance to allow two-way traffic on School Street during pick-up and drop-off times so it accommodates her clientele by not having students cross the street. The current ordinance restricts cars from going north from Lake Shore Drive to College Avenue during the time periods of 7:45 a.m. to 8:15 a.m. and from 2:45 p.m. to 3:15 p.m.
If the ordinance is not amended then she said at the time that she would need to install a parking lot, to which the surrounding homeowners are opposed.
In a work session held last week, Pohl updated the council to say that the Board of Zoning appeals denied a parking lot at 454 School Street, but said she could put in a driveway with three parking spots and a turn-around.
Culver Community School Superintendent Karen Shuman commented that the number one priority is student safety and that one-way directional traffic is best in that area. Culver Police Chief Wayne Bean also stressed safety and that one-way traffic on School Street during student drop-off and pick-up should stay intact.
Pohl argued that elementary school students can simply be let off at the school while parents at her preschool have younger children that need to be taken into the facility and they need to give instructions to update the staff on the status of toddlers and infants.
In the end, the option of making School Street a two-way street during school drop-off and pick-up was not feasible. A driveway was found to be the best option, and an update will be provided in a future meeting.
Culver Town Council Considers Police Department Purchases
The Culver Town Council members considered several purchase requests from Police Chief Wayne Bean last week.
Continue readingCulver Town Council to Consider Traffic Pattern Request on School Street
The owner of a Culver daycare asked the Culver Town Council members Tuesday night to reconsider the direction of traffic during drop-off and pick-up times around the Culver Community Elementary School.
Continue readingCulver Police Chief Reminds Residents about Golf Cart Laws on Town Roads
Culver Police Chief Wayne Bean wants golf cart drivers to be aware that there are several rules of the road when utilizing town roads.
Continue readingCulver Council Member Taking Aim at Deer Population
A special hunt to control Culver’s deer population was suggested by Town Council Member Bill Cleavenger during last week’s meeting. He said he thinks the deer population is getting out of hand. “There’s some movement within the various county areas to consider approaching the DNR for a special hunt,” he said. “I don’t think there’s anything, obviously, we can do now, but my suggestion is that we contact the DNR, find out what we might have to do for next year.”
Take advantage of this season and get the best spotting scope under 300 and go hunting deer’s.
Continue readingCulver Police Officers, EMS Employees to be Paid for Unused Holidays, Vacation Days
The Culver Town Council has agreed to pay police officers and EMS employees for unused holidays and vacation days. During last week’s meeting, Police Chief Wayne Bean explained that staffing issues have made it hard to provide coverage while still allowing officers to take time off. He didn’t think that carrying those days over into the new year would solve the problem. EMS Director Kathy Hart reported similar challenges.
Culver Town Council Approves Police Vehicle Purchase
The Culver Police Department is getting a new vehicle. The town council Tuesday approved the purchase of a Dodge Durango from Country Auto Center in Plymouth. It will cost just under $26,500, after trade-in.
Culver Police Chief Voices Concern with Allowing Alcohol in Beach Lodge
The idea of allowing alcoholic beverages in the Culver Beach Lodge during private events drew a mixed reaction during a public input session held by the town council Tuesday. Such a move might make it easier to hold weddings at the new Damore Amphitheater, followed by a reception in the Beach Lodge. The town is looking at putting policies in place that would allow people to rent the amphitheater, including potential fees and guidelines.
Police Chief Wayne Bean said he didn’t think that allowing alcohol would be a good idea in the long-term. He was skeptical that beverages would always stay inside the building. He also said that he’d been to almost all current wrestling shows taking place and that beverages never really were a good thing. He was also worried that it may lead to individuals bringing their own drinks to the park outside of permitted events. Another resident felt that allowing alcohol would be bad for the town’s image and questioned whether the decision would sacrifice the town’s park facilities for the chance at bringing in more money through facility rentals.
Continue readingKnox Police Chief Discusses Amending Lock-Out Policy with Board of Public Works and Safety
As of Wednesday, the Knox City Police Department had responded to more than 140 vehicle lock-out calls in 2018, according to Police Chief Harold Smith. Chief Smith told Board of Public Works members that the department is currently considering amending their policy on retrieving keys from locked cars. Continue reading
Culver Town Council Approves Event Request for Taste of Culver
Culver Town Council members considered a special event request for the Taste of Culver when they met last Tuesday.
Event organizer Cheryl Rhodes said the set-up for the event will be similar to past years. Continue reading
Culver Emergency Services Working to Fill Open Positions
The Culver EMS, Fire Department and Police Departments are still looking to fill positions.
Culver Police Chief Wayne Bean told the Culver Town Council last week that he received five applications for an open officer position. He will be reviewing those with a recommendation soon.
Culver WinterFest Schedule Taking Shape
Culver’s WinterFest event is set for February, but the possibility of a beer garden was brought before the Culver Town Council Tuesday night.
Organizer Tony Sellers told the town council members that he has shortened the operation time of the beer garden to 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. There was concern about having spirits available until 9 p.m. in the Culver Town Park. Alcohol will be available during the highly-anticipated ice sculpture fights during the same time period. The vendor will also be set back from any children’s activities and other family-oriented events.
Culver Town Council Discusses Police Vacation Pay
Culver Police Chief Wayne Bean discussed pay for the officers within the Culver Police Department with the Culver Town Council members this week.
He explained that with a shortage of part-time officers, there are a lot of full-time officers who will not get to use their vacation, personal or holiday time because they will need to fill shifts through the end of the fiscal year.
