USDA Financial Assistance Available to Rural Homeowners Highlighted by NJ Town Superintendent

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Through the USDA’s Rural Housing and Repair Loans and Grants program, assistance can be provided to very low-income homeowners to help repair, improve and modernize homes or remove health and safety hazards from rural dwellings. Residents also have the option of obtaining a loan through hard money lenders.

North Judson Utility Superintendent Marshall Horstmann highlighted this opportunity at Monday’s town council meeting and provided members with some additional information about the terms. Continue reading →

SCEDF Executive Director Informs NJ Town Council Members of Upcoming Asset Mapping Workshop

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

When North Judson Town Council members met on Monday, Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Larry Wickert alerted them about an upcoming asset mapping workshop that they’re invited to attend.

This opportunity was first discussed during a meeting at the SCEDF office in August where local officials spoke with representatives from OCRA about the Regional Stellar Communities Initiative. Continue reading →

North Judson Officials Receive Preliminary Info About Paying Bills Online

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Now that North Judson Officials are talking website design, members asked Billing Clerk Jennifer Vanek to look into the possibility of paying bills online. She provided some of the information she found at last week’s town council meeting.

Vanek said while researching the options, she found something that would work called Invoice Cloud. She noted that it would be a fee-based system. Continue reading →

North Judson Police Department to Save Big with Glock Buyback Program

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

With time running out to take part in Glock’s buyback program, North Judson Town Marshal Kelly Fisher discussed the related cost for some new guns with Town Council members this week.

At a meeting back in July, council members gave Marshal Fisher permission to peruse this opportunity which allows the department to trade in their current models that are about 2 decades old and get new ones at a reduced price.

Fisher told members, “We’re looking to get the new Glock 17 gen 5 9 millimeters versus the 357s that we have.” Continue reading →

Comprehensive Plan Timeline Shared with North Judson Town Council

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The North Judson Town Council received a schedule of upcoming dates related to the creation of a comprehensive plan.

As a reminder, a comprehensive plan is one of the requirements to be eligible for OCRA’s Regional Stellar Initiative. North Judson officials are coordinating with the Kankakee Iroquois Regional Planning Commission on the matter.

NJ Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe alerted town council members on Monday that KIRPC provided him with a timeline of important dates related to the process. Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Secures Potential Domain Names for Website

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan
Picture Source: Town of North Judson FB Page

North Judson officials took a major step forward with their website creation process this week by securing viable domain names. Officials have been brainstorming about potential names to give the Town’s website. Those options were provided to Datacrates, the company the Town is working with on this project. Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Approves Special Event Request from Max Health

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Max Health in North Judson is permitted to host a 5-K run to benefit the Kid’s Closet Ministry, following a decision made by the Town Council members Tuesday evening.

Kathy Holem came before the council and informed them that she recently took over the Max Effex facility on Sheridan Avenue. She noted that it’s been renamed Max Health.

Holem explained that the organization is looking for a community service project so they decided to hold a 5-K walk and run event and donate the proceeds raised to the Kid’s Closet Ministry.  The plan is to hold it on Saturday, October 27th. Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Approves Billing Clerk’s Request to Switch from Card to Letter-Style Billing

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

North Judson residents will notice a change to their utility bills starting in 2019.

Billing Clerk Jennifer Vanek came before the town council last week, seeking their permission to switch from card style bills to letters in envelopes. She noted that the service is provided through Boyce which the company that owns the Keystone, the billing software the town utilizes.

She told members, “We just send them a file about once a month, about two to three days before we want them to be mailed and for 19 cents a bill they will print, fold and mail.” Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Decides on Company to Create Official Website

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan
Picture Source: Town of North Judson FB Page

North Judson Town Council members took a major step toward getting an official town website using wordpress hosting when they met this week.

Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe told council members on Tuesday that he’s been having conversations with Brian Pinson from SpiderByte IT about the costs associated with such a project. Continue reading →

North Judson Town Council Meets Tonight

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Discussions over the potential installation of a splash pad at Norwayne Field will continue during tonight’s North Judson Town Council meeting.

Vortex Splash Pad Expert Bill Smith will return to continue talking about the various design options available as well as particular costs savings efforts that will help ensure that the water feature will be financially feasible for the community. Continue reading →

Splash Pad Talks Continue in North Judson

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A representative from Vortex Aquatic Structures came before the North Judson Town Council last week to provide them with a bit more information about the Splash Pad that’s being considered for Norwayne Field.

Vortex Splash Pad Expert Bill Smith talked with the council and stressed the fact that their goal is to build a feature that fits the town’s needs. To address concerns with water usage, Smith noted that play value isn’t dependent on using a lot of water.

To drive that point home, Smith said he likes to use a garden hose as an example. Continue reading →

The Next Stellar Step for North Judson is to Create a Comprehensive Plan

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Coordination between North Judson officials and representatives at the Kankakee Iroquois Regional Planning Committee (KIRPC) is happening as the town prepares to have a comprehensive plan created.

When North Judson town council members met on Monday, Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe shared a bit about the recent meeting held at Starke County Economic Development Foundation offices about local Regional Stellar efforts.

He said the next step for North Judson is to start putting together a comprehensive plan. Continue reading →

North Judson Town Marshal Highlights School Involvement

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

At Monday night’s North Judson Town Council meeting, Town Marshal Kelly Fisher highlighted some of the ways that the police department stays involved with the school corporation.

She told the members that she and Officer Rico Simpson recently assisted with a drill at the North Judson-San Pierre Schools.

Fisher explained, “I was very impressed, especially with the high school kids. We went into the school and if I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t think that there was staff or students or anybody anywhere in the school.” Continue reading →

North Judson Clerk Treasurer Shares Plans to Get Clock on Lane Street Working Again

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan
Photo Source: Joey BLS Photography

North Judson’s Clerk-Treasurer is looking to get a focal point in town back in working order. Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe told council members and meeting attendees on Monday that he wants to fix the tall clock that stands in front of Grand Central Station on Lane Street.

Rowe said, “It’s a neat thing to have in our downtown and I think it’s wasted there; A: not working and B: not being lit up in the evenings.” Continue reading →