Contractors were selected for the two divisions of the Winamac water project, during Monday night’s special town council meeting.
Midwest Engineers Senior Project Engineer Mike Sullivan informed members that the “release of funds” notice has been received from OCRA and he summarized the two separate parts of the project that were bid out. Continue reading
North Judson officials confirmed that they will be joining the Regional Stellar Communities effort during Monday night’s town council meeting. Continue reading
North Judson Town Council members will discuss this year’s Mint Festival when they meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. in North Judson Town Hall.
Department heads will report on any relevant updates and there will be time set aside for guest recognition and any additional business deemed necessary by the council.
Additionally, Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe, Vice President John Rowe and Council members James Young and Jane Ellen Felchuck attended a meeting at the Starke County Economic Development Foundation on Thursday. Continue reading
What will it take for Starke County to be designated a Regional Stellar Community?
That is the question that was answered Thursday night when various county, city and town officials met at the Starke County Economic Development Foundation Office to find out what steps they can start taking in order to submit a competitive application in the future. Continue reading
The City of Knox plans to tackle a major project at the Wastewater Treatment Plant and officials are looking to receive some financial assistance through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
As a part of the process to apply for a $600,000 OCRA grant, a public hearing was held in City Hall on Tuesday night. Community Development Planner Emily Albaugh spoke on behalf of the Kankakee Iroquois Regional Planning Commission (KIRPC) to provide some details about the grant and the application process. Continue reading
The North Judson Town Council members secured administrative assistance related to their $550,000 OCRA grant at their Monday night meeting. KIRPC Representative Shawn Cain presented a proposal for administrative services for the Community Development Block Grant funds that will be used for the town’s Drinking Water Project.
In previous meetings, Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann has shared that the Drinking Water Project includes adding a backup generator for the water system to address an Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) requirement, rehabilitating some of the town’s wells and conducting external and internal upgrades to both water towers to bring them up to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Continue reading
The Culver Town Council members held a public hearing Monday night to take comments on the Community Parks Improvement project that is encompassed in the Culver Stellar Communities Designation Program.
Knox Mayor Dennis Estok provided a brief update about the city’s wastewater treatment plant rehabilitation project when city council members met last Tuesday.
Mayor Estok explained that the city was initially trying to obtain a USDA grant. However, that grant was not received and the project had to be reworked to be more financially feasible. Continue reading
Culver Town Council President Ginny Bess Munroe shared with the town council members this week that she worked with Marshall County Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Jerry Chavez in the county’s application for the regional Stellar Communities Designation Program.
A variety of local representatives gathered Tuesday morning to learn more about development opportunities during the Starke County Economic Development Foundation’s Community Retreat.
Those in attendance included members of the Starke County Chamber of Commerce as well as local officials from the communities of Bass Lake, Hamlet, Knox and North Judson. Continue reading
The Starke County Economic Development Foundation will be holding a community retreat at their office in Knox on Tuesday, March 20th from 7:30 a.m. until noon CT.
Interim Executive Director Larry Wickert spoke to the North Judson Town Council members about the session during their meeting Monday night. He cleared up some confusion about the focus, stating that the event will be open to all municipalities in the area and will not solely be about development in North Judson. Continue reading
Knox City Council members appointed Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston to the position of ADA Coordinator when they met Tuesday night. Members also approved an ordinance pertaining to ADA procedures.
Houston informed the council of the seven suggested steps that public entities must take, related to the American’s with Disabilities Act.
The first step is implementation. Houston explained they initially took this step a few years ago when they renovated city sidewalks to be ADA compliant. Continue reading
A public hearing over a proposed grant application was held during the North Judson Town Council meeting earlier this week.
On Monday, KIRPC Executive Director Edwin Buswell explained that the grant application requesting a $550,000 wastewater/drinking water grant is due to the Office of Community and Rural Affairs on Friday. Buswell said the local match is for $1,268,000 which will come in the form of an SRF Loan. Continue reading
North Judson Town Council members will hold a public hearing regarding the KIRPC water project during their regularly scheduled meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m.
In a past meeting, Town Superintendent Marshal Horstmann stated that needed improvements include rehabilitating four wells and bringing both water towers back up to OSHA standards with internal and external painting, repairs and sandblasting. 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
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
Winamac Town Council members held a public hearing over their OCRA grant application Monday night.
OCRA Certified Grant Administrator Mike Kleinpeter began the hearing by stating that the town is applying for $700,000 with a $550,000 match for proposed wastewater treatment facility upgrades. Kleinpeter said town’s project is competing with 17 other proposals. The application must be submitted by February in order to be eligible for funding.
Midwestern Engineers CEO Mark Sullivan explained that the proposed upgrades are not optional.When the town renewed their NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) Permit last year, they were given 3 years to adapt plant procedures to the new Environmental Protection Agency compliance regulating ammonia levels. Continue reading
The Winamac Town Council will hold a public hearing to discuss the OCRA Grant Application for the Wastewater project. It will be held at 6 p.m. with their regular meeting rescheduled to take place immediately after the hearing adjourns.
The OCRA Grant that is up for discussion is a competitive grant worth $700,000 that will help cover costs of the proposed upgrades to the Wastewater treatment plant. In order to be eligible for the funding, the application will need to be submitted by February 9th. 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
The Culver Town Council members considered a proposal from Mike Reese with the Troyer Group to assist the town in the many aspects required within the town’s designation as a Stellar Community.
Reese said there are a lot of components to the grant and other requirements to be considered.
