After a six month break between meetings, the Starke County Park Board has picked up its discussion on the Bass Lake Beach House patio. On Tuesday, board members directed the facility’s manager, Larry Clarich, to get quotes for what it would cost to have an engineer visit the site, while making short-term repairs in the meantime.
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The Starke County Park Board has gotten $5,000 toward a planned Yellow River access point, but where exactly it will be built remains to be determined. Starke County Community Foundation Director of Development Jessica Martinovic presented the park board with a check during Tuesday’s meeting.
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The Starke County Park Board welcomed two new members Tuesday. Attorney Richard Ballard was appointed to the board by Starke Circuit Court Judge Kim Hall, following the resignation of Roger Chaffins. Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler had been appointed by the county council back in January, replacing Debbie Mix. Ballard and Ritzler both took their seats on the park board for the first time Tuesday, during the board’s first official meeting since last September.
Continue readingThe Starke County Park Board will meet tonight for the first time in more than six months. All of the meetings since September had been canceled. Board members had planned to resume meeting last month, but severe weather and road conditions kept them from meeting.
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The accreditation process will begin soon at the Starke County Highway Department and Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the commissioners last week that a new policy will be presented every month.
Continue readingUpdate: Tonight’s Starke County Park Board meeting has been canceled due to weather. The next regularly-scheduled meeting is Tuesday, March 12.
The Starke County Park Board will meet tonight for the first time in more than five months. It will be the first meeting for new member Rik Ritzler, who was appointed by the county council last month. Ritzler previously worked with the park board on various projects, in his capacity as county highway superintendent.
Continue readingDuring the first meeting of the Starke County Commissioners to open 2019, Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler reported light winter operations due to the lack of snow. Ritzler said the picture changed drastically after that report and the information was completely opposite in his most recent update.
“The mild weather in December – as you know we reported last month we saved about $78,000 in snow and ice removal. If you look at the comparison in 2018 and 2019 in January, we went $68,000 more this month. It really highlights how our budget has to be flexible and weather really dictates our spending. I couldn’t highlight that more than in the last two months.”
Ritzler noted that crews worked 26 days in a row, but found relief this past weekend with warmer temperatures.
In an asset management chart compiled by the new Asset Manager with notes submitted by Ritzler, new drivers improved and the wet snow proved to be hard on the mailboxes. On Wednesday, Jan. 30, the subzero temperatures caused precautions to keep trucks operating as drifts formed from winds. The overall performance and attitude of the drivers was rated as excellent.
Crews continue to maintain equipment in between storms and monitor roads with snow melt and rainfall.
The commissioners expressed their appreciation to the highway department and all emergency services for their efforts during the inclement weather experienced in January.
Though it’s likely you’re enjoying this week’s moderate temperatures far more than last week’s frigid weather, unfortunately, those fluctuations can cause ideal conditions for pothole formation.
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The Starke County Commissioners will meet today where Sheriff Bill Dulin will present several ordinance amendments and additional ordinances for consideration. He stated previously that those ordinances will address noise, animals running at large, vicious dogs, false alarms, and the golf cart ordinance concerning open containers.
Continue readingThe Starke County Commissioners finalized paperwork for the purchase of two pieces of highway equipment from the Marshall County Highway Department.
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Two pieces of equipment from the Marshall County Highway Department will be added to the fleet at the Starke County Highway Department.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the county commissioners last week that he’s planning to ask the county council members next week to approve some additional appropriations.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler told the commissioners this week that he submitted four projects for consideration for the fall Community Crossings grant round.
The Starke County Commissioners will meet tonight.
The Stellar Executive Team of Starke County has been assembled.
Starke County Economic Development Foundation Executive Director Larry Wickert is serving as one of the members and shared the other individuals who will be involved. Continue reading
The Starke County Forest’s new access road is now complete. The County Highway Department recently upgraded the old access trail into a gravel road with a 10-to-12-car parking lot. The work was funded by a $15,000 grant from the Hardesty Memorial Endowment Fund.
Concerns about the safety of the Bass Lake Beach House patio have led Starke County officials to look into repairing it themselves. The patio was the topic of a heated discussion during Tuesday’s County Park Board meeting. Board member Debbie Mix said the facility’s operator, Callahan Development, LLC, still hasn’t made repairs that have been discussed for several months or longer.
Starke County Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler has several projects on tap to include in the first round of INDOT’s Community Crossings grant application.
The Starke County Council and Commission members will begin budget discussions on Monday, Aug. 6.
Bridge replacement work on County Road 25 N. in Starke County is anticipated to wrap up this week.
