Some confusion over bid specifications led to drastically different offers being opened at the Knox Board of Works meeting on Monday.
The bids were for demolition work on the blighted structure at 202 N. Pearl Street.
The first bid that was opened came in from Jackson Truck and Excavating and it was for $33,900. The second bid was from Mark Milo Enterprises for $14,900. The reason for the difference was that Jackson included the price for asbestos removal, while Milo did not. Continue reading
Knox Board of Works members approved a recommendation from Police Chief Harold Smith during a special meeting Monday morning.
Chief Smith’s recommendation pertained to hiring Seth Johnson as a patrolman for the police department. He explained that out the 30 applications that were issued, 9 were returned. Out of the 9 that came back, the list was narrowed down to 4 finalists. However, none of the final 4 passed background checks.
Since none of the applicants were suitable, Chief Smith suggested adding former Starke County Sheriff’s Department officer Seth Johnson to the force. Continue reading
Indiana Lieutenant Governor Suzanne Crouch will be making a stop in Starke County today.
This afternoon, Crouch will be visiting the SCILL Automation, Robotics and Equipment Maintenance Lab at Knox Middle School. Knox Mayor Dennis Estok will also be in attendance.
According to Communication Specialist Jessica Baker, the lab is the result of a grant received from The Office of Community and Rural Affairs, which is overseen by Lieutenant Governor Crouch. Baker explained that the OCRA grant was for $250,000 with a match of $118,277. Continue reading
The Knox Park Board laid out some goals for 2018 when they met last Thursday.
The three main goals that Park Superintendent George Byer mentioned were repairing the skate park, making some shelter adjustments and fixing various lighting issues around the park. Continue reading
Knox Park Board members approved two requests about summer concession stand operations when they met Thursday night.
Starke County Youth Baseball and Softball League President Travis Markin was permitted to continue operating out of the concession stand near the basketball court, while Knox City Police Chief Harold Smith received permission to continue running the other existing concession stand.
Park Board members also considered what to do when the new concession stand is built. Continue reading
Last week, Mayor Dennis Estok established a date and time to hold the next public hearing over the Knox Parks 5-year Master Plan.
Estok explained that this second hearing will be held in order to go over the draft master plan that was submitted to the DNR earlier this month. The results of the online survey, which garnered more than 250 responses, will also be covered. Continue reading
Knox Mayor Dennis Estok provided a brief update about the Blight Elimination Program when Knox City Council members met Tuesday night.
He stated that bids for work on the structure at 202 N Pearl Street will be opened during a special Board of Works meeting on February 5th at 9 a.m. Mayor Estok commented on the process of arranging to have the house taken down and stated that it went much quicker than past projects. Continue reading
Knox Park Board members addressed yearly appointments and the election of officers when they met Thursday night.
Mayor Dennis Estok re-appointed John Fletcher to the board and informed members that he is still seeking someone for his new appointment. Mayor Estok also re-appointed George Byer as Park Superintendent, with unanimous board approval. Continue reading
Knox City Council members considered a grant administrator agreement with Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission on Tuesday night. KIRPC representative Shawn Cain told the council that the agreement would be to assist the city with the OCRA grant they recently received for the Knox Parks 5-Year Master Plan.
Cain said the agreement would allow KIRPC reps to assist the clerk-treasurer with reports and claims and they’d also be available to answer any questions that the council members may have in the future. Cain added that there is a $2,000 charge for their services. Continue reading
In order to discuss the employee handbook, Knox City Council members held a joint work session with a member of the Board of Public Works last night.
Steve Dodge served as the representative for the BOW. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston explained that the firm HR Unlimited was hired to help revise the current employee handbook.
Houston said a new handbook was needed not only due to changes to state requirements but also because multiple versions of the handbook were floating around. He said over the years, people have amended it for various departmental needs but city officials felt it was time to have a standard for everyone to go by. Continue reading
The Knox City Council and the Board of Public Works will hold a joint work session to discuss the employee handbook tonight. It will be held at 6 p.m., prior to their regular session.
The regular session will commence at 7 p.m. where the approval of the new employee handbook will be up for consideration.
Additionally, members will consider a KIRPC Grant Administration Agreement and John Julien with Umbaugh will be discussing bonding for a fire truck. Continue reading
The Knox City Council will meet tonight where the election of the 2018 Council President Pro Temp will be addressed.
Council members will consider appointments for the BZA, the Starke County Solid Waste Board, the Starke County Economic Development Foundation as well as the Plan Commission and Redevelopment Commission. Mayor Dennis Estok will also present his mayoral appointments.
An amendment to the Salary Ordinance will be considered on first reading and the second reading over the Ordinance to Eliminate Obstructions will be held. Continue reading
The first draft version of the Knox Parks 5-year Master Plan must be submitted to the Department of Natural Resources by January 15th. According to Mayor Dennis Estok, everything is on track to have it submitted on time.
At the last Knox City Council meeting, Mayor Dennis Estok mentioned that more than 250 online surveys were submitted. He said that Troyer Group representatives were very happy that a community of our size was able get that many. Mayor Estok said that shows him that people are interested in the park and what the city is doing.
The exact date for the next public hearing has yet to be established but Troyer Group Landscape Architect Michael Reese stated it will most likely take place in late January or early February. Continue reading
After realizing the advantages of having more illumination on Main Street in downtown Knox, city officials have decided to purchase more LED lights for other spots around town.
When city council members met last week, Mayor Dennis Estok said an additional six lights will be purchased for Lake Street and suggested purchasing three lights for the community center parking lot. The mayor mentioned that each light and globe costs approximately $250, meaning that nine more bulbs and globes would be around $2,250.
Council members came to the conclusion that lighting in the parking lot is not really a priority right now, so they opted out of getting an extra three bulbs for that area. Continue reading
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.
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
Mayor Dennis Estok addressed a couple of reminders during his report at this week’s Knox City Council meeting. Mayor Estok announced that pick-up for live Christmas trees will begin on Tuesday, January 2nd.
He stated, “Basically, you dispose of them the same way you do with brush, you know front of the curb, front of the house, where we would routinely pick up brush during the summer.” Mayor Estok specified that the trees should not be bagged and they must be bare.
Additionally, the mayor issued a reminder about winter pet safety at Wednesday night’s meeting. He wants Knox residents to be aware that the city has ordinance that allows officials to enforce the humane treatment of animals. Continue reading
Knox City Council members held the first reading over the amended ordinance regulating obstruction of sidewalks, streets and railroad crossings for the City of Knox when they met Wednesday evening. Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston mentioned that the ordinance was created by taking their existing sidewalk obstruction ordinance and combining it with additional specifications that are addressed in state statute.
The majority of feed back from council members was specifically about the section regarding placement of vehicles. Certain members were seeking clarification about the section which indicates that vehicles cannot be within fifty feet of the nearest rail of a railroad crossing. Continue reading
Mayor Dennis Estok told Knox City Council members last week that the city is the recipient of a grant worth $20,000.
The city received the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and according to the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, the planning grant is funded with money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. OCRA says the goal of the program is to encourage communities to plan for long-term community development.
Mayor Estok said that CDBG funds will be spent to cover the cost of services being provided by the Troyer Group, the architecture and planning firm assisting city officials with the construction of the Knox Parks 5-Year Master Plan. Continue reading
Knox City Council members amended their meeting agenda Tuesday night, in order include Fire Chief Kenny Pfost’s annual report.
Pfost explained that the fire department’s year ran from December 1st of 2016 through November 30th of this year. He said there was a total of 256 calls which was up 60 runs from last year. He stated that 133 of those were medical-related, resulting in 28 more medical calls than the previous year. Continue reading
