Starke County EMA Director to Plan Training

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Local officials will soon receive training in case of a train accident.

Starke County Emergency Management Agency Director Ted Bombagetti is gathering information to present to firefighters, police officers, and department heads. The material presented will help those officials identify what is in the cars and how to react.

Mayor Rick Chambers told the Knox City Council this week that he and Bombagetti were discussing the issue as a train rolled through the city. Many trains make their way through Knox on a daily basis, and it’s not always known what materials are contained in tankers.

A session will be scheduled soon to help prepare officials in the instance of an accident.

Garbage Truck Hits Pole, Causes Power Outage in Knox

Posted on Author WKVI

IMG_3651A garbage truck caused a major power outage in the City of Knox this morning.

Mayor Rick Chambers said the garbage truck was pulling out of the city parking lot when it caught a power line and snapped the pole in two.

“I just talked with the NIPSCO guys and they’re pretty much going to be all day to get this repaired. It did a lot of damage,” said Mayor Chambers.

Continue reading →

U.S. 35 Railroad Repairs to be Conducted in April

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

Work will begin soon to repair the railroad crossing on Heaton Street or U.S. 35, in Knox.

Mayor Rick Chambers told the city council this week that he received several emails in the past two weeks from the Indiana Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern Railroad. They’re waiting until the asphalt plants open up in April in order to form a plan of attack. There is no timeline of when the work will be complete.  They want to repair the crossing with a hot asphalt mix instead of applying cold patch. The hot mix will ensure a more permanent fix.

Continue reading →

Knox Street Department Ready for Next Winter Storm

Posted on Author WKVI

The salt shed is full, and the Knox City Street Department is ready for the next snow event.

Street Superintendent Jeff Borg told the Board of Public Works members on Wednesday that they had used 80 percent of their contract for salt. Since January, 32 inches of movable snow has been recorded by the street superintendent. He said the department should be good for the rest of the season, and all equipment has been maintained and updated.

Continue reading →

Knox Public Hearing Held for Proposed Grant Application for Water Line Upgrades

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Knox City Council held a public hearing Monday night to gather opinions on a proposed grant application for a water line project this summer.

K-IPRC Executive Director Edwin Buswell said the City of Knox will be applying for an Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA) grant in the amount of $350,000 for the project. The local match will be 20 percent or $70,000.

Mayor Rick Chambers explained that Water Superintendent Todd Gardner and the engineers are looking to improve water flow in areas of the city.

Continue reading →

Knox City Council Members Table Dumpster Ordinance

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council members again tabled the second reading of the dumpster ordinance last night.

City Attorney David Matsey was able to pare down the ordinance, so it suits the city and focuses on the residential district. Matsey said the ordinance restricts the use of dumpsters in areas zoned R-1, R-2, R-3, and R-4 on the public right of way. As the discussion went on, the council wanted to go further to include the dumpsters on private property. Mayor Rick Chambers suggested allowing dumpsters on private property as long as they are behind the front of the house in a fenced area and permitted to be there by a building permit. The dumpster may be placed on the property for ten days out of a 30 day period once a year. Discussion also surrounded proper registration by the contractor placing the dumpster on the property.

Continue reading →

Knox City Council Approves Lease to Purchase Truck

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council members entered into a lease to purchase a truck for the street department.

The Board of Works approved quotes for the truck $118,808.75 in December but papers could not be signed until after the first of the year. It will be financed through Republic First National Bank at 3.11 percent interest. The quotes for the truck and for the interest rate came in lower than originally thought.

Continue reading →

Knox City Council to Consider Community Center Use

Posted on Author WKVI
Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center
Nancy J. Dembowski Community Center

The Knox City Council members will meet tonight where they will resume a conversation pertaining to the use of the Nancy J. Denbowski Community Center by church groups to serve free meals without paying the rental fee.

The request to host the meals was made several months ago by Deb McIntire who explained in a letter to Mayor Rick Chambers that different church groups would cook and serve meals in the community center for the general public. The center would be used one day a week for four hours.

Continue reading →

Knox City Council Approves Grant Match for Blight Elimination Program Grant

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council approved a 10 percent match to attempt to get a grant to rid the city of some unsafe homes.

It’s part of the Blight Elimination Program which would assist the city in purchasing homes that are listed as unsafe and blighted and demolish them. The majority of the homes that would be considered for this grant are in the Parkview Heights area.

Continue reading →

Fireworks Show a Success in Starke County

Posted on Author WKVI

The fireworks show at the Starke County Airport held one week ago today was well attended, according to Knox Mayor Rick Chambers.

Chambers told the Knox City Council members this week that with the fireworks committee’s fundraisers, gate collections, donations from the three county commissioners, several monetary donations from businesses and individuals, the town of Hamlet and a generous donation from the town of North Judson, the only loss the city of Knox will realize is $767. The show was $8,550 and $7,783 was collected.

Continue reading →

Loose Ends Remain with Water Line Project

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Knox City Council last week received an update on the Henry Drive water extension project.

Mayor Rick Chambers stated that while the project is complete there are several loose ends that need to be tied.

“The Henry Drive water line is complete. The street has been paved and one homeowner was not happy with the way his yard was left and I’ll take care of that. Territorial Engineering is still working with Milo to move that original water line because the water superintendent didn’t like the way it was placed. Territorial will be paying that bill. They want to wait until later on this summer when the water levels drop a little bit. That will be taken care of,” explained Chambers.

Continue reading →

Concrete Bid Approved for 50/50 Sidewalk Program in Knox

Posted on Author WKVI
 
 

The Knox Board of Public Works members approved a bid for the 50/50 sidewalk program in a special meeting on Thursday morning.

The board approved the lowest conforming bid from Covenant Concrete in the amount of $22,395. That includes all 12 properties and the ADA compliant accessible curbs for properties at 55 E. Lake Street, 53 E. Water Street and 707 S. Shield Street. The city is responsible for paying for the ADA accessible curbs.

Continue reading →

Knox Fire Department Hoping to Extend Sidewalk

Posted on Author WKVI

 
 
The 50/50 sidewalk replacement project for the city of Knox may include some work for the fire department’s sidewalk near Five Star. Mayor Rick Chambers told the city council this week that the city has received several applications for the sidewalk replacement project, and the fire department recently asked him if the city would consider extending the sidewalk on the west side of the fire department.

Continue reading →

Knox Council Approves Revised Fee Ordinance on Second Reading

Posted on Author WKVI
Knox City Council
Knox City Council

The Knox City Council approved an ordinance revising fees for the Planning Commission this week on its second reading, leaving just one more reading to be approved for the ordinance to take effect. Mayor Rick Chambers told the city council that he recently met with Charles Weaver, executive director of the Starke County Economic Development Foundation, to discuss the proposed maximum commercial permit fee of up to $7500.

Continue reading →