The Knox VFW is boasting some newly replaced ceiling tiles in their building, thanks to a Team Depot grant and the efforts of associates at the Valparaiso Home Depot. Joe Lapointe, department head of plumbing at the Home Depot, said they donated $4600 worth of material to the VFW through a Team Depot grant from Home Depot’s corporate level and associates from the store installed the tiles free of charge.
The Knox Board of Public Works opened street paving bids Wednesday morning for five streets and a small section of pavement at the Waste Water Treatment Plant.
E&B Paving out of Rochester was the low bidder with a total bid of $76,680. In their bid, they noted that they would be using 1,149.44 tons of asphalt at $66.71 per ton. The Board of Works accepted E&B Paving as the lowest conforming bidder and the paperwork and specifications will be reviewed by Street Superintendent Jeff Borg and City Attorney David Matsey.
He helps second, third and fourth grade students who struggle with reading and reading comprehension, sounds and word structure. The program helps students who have difficulty in reading fluency, spelling and students who have not shown growth in NWEA and ISTEP testing.
A meeting was scheduled earlier this week to discuss dress codes for graduation and laptops will be turned in later this week. The computers will be inspected by the technology staff to note any damage for insurance claims. Students are accountable for the equipment.
The amount was a little more than estimated but now all of the expenses can be paid with the approval of this appropriation.
A Starke County Community Corrections inmate faces new charges after he was reportedly found to be in possession of heroin during a recent compliance check. Officers from the Starke County Sheriff’s Office accompanied corrections officials to check on Kurtis Singleton at a home northeast of Knox on Friday. They reportedly found heroin in his cigarette pack and arrested him for possession of heroin and maintaining a common nuisance. A female juvenile was also arrested.
The Knox Community School Board will be meeting tonight for the first time after the school’s proposed referendum failed in a special election held May 7.
Plans as to how the board will move forward are not on tonight’s agenda, but the board members will be discussing the employment of summer school paraprofessionals, make a library board appointment and get an update on graduation activities.
A representative was present at the last board meeting to discuss a Roth 403(B) ING retirement option and the board will delve more into that discussion during tonight’s meeting. The board will also discuss a payment for special education.
The meeting begins tonight at 6:30 p.m. in the administrative office.
The buildings at 2 and 4 N. Main St. in Knox will soon be but a memory as the Knox City Council will soon be taking bids for their demolition. Engineering firm Territorial Engineering has put together a bid package for their destruction and the Knox City Council Tuesday night approved the bid letting with a pre-bid meeting to be held on June 10 at 9:30 a.m. at Knox City Hall. Bids will be accepted up to June 26 at 9:30 a.m.
To ensure that the historical buildings are not forgotten, however, the Starke County Economic Development Foundation recently received final approval from all the agencies required to sign off on a book to be composed with the history and pictures of the two buildings. A copy of the book was presented to the council and another will go to the Starke County Museum.
The Knox City Council last night approved a motion to add up to $20,000 to the lift station project from the city’s Sewer Improvement Fund after Mayor Rick Chambers explained that the bids for the project came in just over the estimated cost. Territorial Engineering had estimated that the project would cost around $188,000, and the lowest bid came in at $170,405; unfortunately, with engineering and contingency costs, Chambers said the council would need to appropriate another $20,000 toward the project.
There is still time to get your sale location on a map that will be distributed at 7 a.m. Saturday morning at the Knox Moose Lodge. Call Danna at (574) 772-5712 to include your sale location on the map. If you live out of the city limits and would like to participate in the sale, you may call Danna and reserve a spot in the Knox Moose parking lot.
The Knox Moose Family Center is sponsoring the event and will be serving breakfast, lunch and drinks throughout the day.
Yard sale signs may be purchased at Knox City Hall for 50 cents.
A Funeral Mass for Maryal A. Carli, 71, of Knox, will be Friday, May 17 at 11 a.m. CDT at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church.
Visitation will be Friday from 9 a.m. until leaving for church at M.C. Smith Funeral Home.
The Knox Board of Works met in special session Friday in order to open and award a bid for the 50/50 sidewalk program.
Five businesses provided bids: Custom Concrete, Pete Kuchel Concrete, Do All Concrete, EAM Enterprise, and Covenant Concrete.
Mayor Rick Chambers read aloud the bids for the nine addresses of homeowners who submitted applications for the project. In the end, the Board of Works approved the bid of Covenant Concrete with a total bid of $13,940 as the lowest conforming bid pending a review of the bid packet by Street Superintendent Jeff Borg and City Attorney David Matsey.
The Knox Community School Board members recognized the Knox High School Envirothon team during the Spotlight on Success portion of their meeting Monday night.
The team had gone to the state competition on April 30 and placed 13th out of 17 teams. Coaches Laurie Simmons and Marge Wood told the board they were proud of the effort of the students and competed well at Washington High School.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers stated the city should know something in June on how many homes will benefit from upgrades through grant funding.
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Glenda Ritz says school districts will have to continue to conduct referendums to seek tax increases until the Indiana Legislature changes the school funding formula. She made the comments during several stops in Lake and Porter Counties. Ritz told educators at the Hammond Area Career Center that “you have to spend money to get money.” She thinks that many voters in areas where school district referendums failed may not have been aware of the issue. The state school superintendent says she encourages the school districts whose referendums did not pass, to try again during the next election. Knox was one such school. Local voters rejected a property tax increase to pay for construction of a new $16 million elementary school wing. The Knox Community School Board has not indicated whether they plan to pursue the issue again during next year’s regular election cycle. In the meantime, Ritz says she will help the schools in any way she can. Ritz addressed members of the Professional Educators Partnership at Valparaiso University.
