Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase has resigned his position and a Caucus has been scheduled to fill the seat.
Continue readingStarke County Surveyor Resigns
Starke County Commissioners Approve Vehicle Purchase
The Starke County Commissioners reviewed information submitted by Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase and Building Inspector Boz Williams about the acquisition of a new truck for Planning Commission purposes.
Continue readingStarke County Planning Commission Discuss Dirt Bike Tracks
The Starke County Planning Commission members discussed complaints filed against two dirt bike tracks in the North Judson area last week.
Continue readingPulaski County Auditor’s Race Once Again Contested as Candidates Fill Vacancies on General Election Ballot
Three more candidates have been added to Pulaski County’s General Election ballot. The Democratic Party has added candidates for the auditor’s and recorder’s races after no Democrats ran in the primary, according to Clerk JoLynn Behny.
Continue readingStarke County Gets a Portion of FEMA Reimbursement
Starke County recently received a portion of reimbursement funds from last year’s flooding event.
Continue readingHamlet Council Updated on Starke Street Projects
Hamlet officials are still waiting for work to begin on the Starke Street rehabilitation project. As the first step, the town has been working with Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase to extend the culvert at Benninghoff Ditch.
Hamlet Council Approves Additional $3,000 in Culvert Work for Upcoming Starke Street Project
The Hamlet Town Council has agreed to cover the cost of additional culvert work related to the upcoming rehabilitation of Starke Street. The town has been working with Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase to extend the culvert at Benninghoff Ditch. Continue reading
More Culvert Work Needed for Hamlet’s Starke Street Rebuilding Project
Hamlet’s Starke Street rehabilitation project may require more culvert work than originally thought. The town has been working with Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase to extend the culvert at Benninghoff Ditch. That will allow a sidewalk to be added from Plymouth Street north to the trailer park and gas station.
Starke County Council Approves Increase in Surveyor Copy Prices
The Starke County Council members approved slight increase in the price for copies in the surveyor’s office.
Surveyor Bill Crase explained that with the purchase of his new copier/scanner, he wanted to be able to increase the public’s cost for copies. Those funds would be deposited into a new fund in the budget to be used to purchase supplies for the machine.
Kankakee River Basin Commission Discusses Pros and Cons of Yellow River Pilot Project
A bank stabilization pilot project that was recently conducted on the Yellow River was discussed during last Thursday’s Kankakee River Basin Commission meeting.
Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase said that about 2200 feet of work was completed along both sides of the river. He told commission members that he was very impressed with the results, especially with the way the banks were able to withstand recent flooding.
He said only about 300 feet of damage was incurred and suspected that was likely from floating debris striking the spot rather than structural inefficiencies. However, there were certain issues with the way that the project that kept Crase from considering it a complete success. Continue reading
Kankakee River Basin Commission Votes to Fund Preliminary Repair Costs
When Kankakee River Basin Commission members met Thursday morning, they permitted a total of $254,000 to be paid to three counties in order to assist with immediate repair needs resulting from the recent flooding.
Initially, members considered having all funding requests submitted at a meeting that would be held within the next 30 days but a few members said there were some issues with that idea. Continue reading
Starke County Surveyor Thanks Local Farmers For Stepping Up to Help Out With Flood Response
According to Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase, four breached levees in the Starke County and La Porte County areas have recently been fixed, while work on one site is being postponed due to the current levels of the Kankakee River.
Surveyor Crase explained that while working on the final section of a levee, workers realized that the river wasn’t dropping. He said if they sealed it up, the pressure would have caused the water to burst out elsewhere so they weren’t able to fix it just yet. While they have slowed the breach down a bit, Crase said crews continue to monitor the spot and are waiting for the river to drop before patching it up any further. Continue reading
Starke County Surveyor Warns Residents to Be Aware of Scams
Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase is warning residents to be aware of potential scammers looking to take advantage of people during flood recovery.
Last Friday, the surveyor’s office received a call from an individual reporting that two men in a U-Haul truck drove up to his residence and told him they were from the county surveyor’s office.
They reportedly said they were replacing a culvert nearby and told the resident he needed to write them a check since it was on his property. Continue reading
State Senator and Representative Meet with County Officials About Flooding
On Sunday afternoon, Starke County officials met with State Representative Jim Pressel (District 20) and State Senator Mike Bohacek (District 8) to discuss the recent devastation caused by flooding and what steps to take next.
Local officials who were present included Starke County EMA Director J. Nier, Surveyor Bill Crase and Highway Superintendent Rik Ritzler as well as Engineer Lee Nagai and County Commissioners Kathy Norem, Donnie Binkley and Charles Chesak. Continue reading
Starke County Park Board Still Waiting for Concrete Repairs at Bass Lake Beach
A lack of action on concrete repairs at the Bass Lake Beach is drawing concerns from some Starke County Park Board members. Back in August, board members asked the operator of the facility, Callahan Development, LLC, to repair the seawall surrounding the beach house patio and install glacial stone to help protect it from incoming waves.
Starke County Commissioners, Council Members Discuss Purchases
The Starke County EMS Department will receive a much needed heater for the Medic 5 base in Grovertown.
In a specially-called joint session of the Starke County Commissioners and Starke County Council Thursday night, EMS Director Travis Clary said medications are freezing in the ambulance at the Grovertown base because there is not a proper heat source in the garage area. There is a good heat supply in the office area, but it is needed where the ambulance is parked to preserve intravenous and other perishable medications. The Starke County Commissioners declared the need an emergency and the council members approved the acquisition of a ceiling heater from McGrath’s Refrigeration not to exceed $2,057.87. The purchase will come from the 2017 budget.
Culvert Upgrades to Begin Soon, Ahead of Starke Street Project
Preliminary work is set to get underway for Hamlet’s Starke Street improvement project. Engineer Lee Nagai gave an update to the town council Wednesday. He’s been working with Starke County Surveyor Bill Crase to extend the culvert at Benninghoff Ditch. Continue reading
Plans Moving Ahead for Starke Street Upgrades in Hamlet
The Hamlet Town Council is nearly ready to award quotes for over $200,000 in improvements to Starke Street. Plans call for the road to be rebuilt from Plymouth Street north to U.S. 30. The work will include drainage improvements and a new sidewalk along the west side of the road.
Beaver Relocation Planned to Solve Drainage Issues Near Starke County Forest
Beavers in the Starke County Forest may soon be relocated, in an effort to solve drainage issues in the area. For the past several months, a neighboring landowner has been blaming beaver dams in the forest for flooding, but Forester Bruce Wakeland has disputed those claims. Continue reading
Starke County Park Board to Inspect County Forest
The Starke County Forest will get an inspection by members of the County Park Board, in an effort to resolve drainage issues in the area. Continue reading
