A Winamac man was arrested Sunday after Pulaski County deputies reportedly found a marijuana growing operation on his property.
A deputy was checking the area of 625 North and 800 West as he received an anonymous call of suspicious activity in the area. The officer got out of his car at a location where he saw a home ruined by a fire and two outbuildings. He approached a shed and was greeted by a man later identified as Rodger Birnbaum, 57, of Winamac. He had been carrying an electric screw driver and set it down to talk to the officer. The officer reportedly smelled a strong marijuana smell and asked to search the shed. Birnbaum asked the officer why he would do that and the officer explained that he could smell marijuana coming from the shed and he observed Birnbaum acting suspiciously.
The town of Winamac recently reviewed a quote regarding a new factory that’s looking to expand in Winamac and is in need of electric service. Town Manager Jim Conner explained the work should take place within the next few weeks – an “exciting” prospect, he said.
Winamac Coil Spring company is seeking electric service to expand in Winamac, and Conner said the quote came in around $74,815. Some of that, he said, will be the town’s expense, and the remaining portion will be covered by the company itself.
Conner said the cost is for a new transformer, as the current one isn’t large enough to serve the company’s estimated load. As a result, a new primary feed will also need to be installed, and a fee will be charged to connect existing service to the new transfer. Conner said the work itself should take roughly a week.
Winamac Town HallThe town of Winamac will see some relief in their transfer station rates, after a county commissioner approached the town board at their meeting to discuss transfer station fees and other matters. According to Town Manager Jim Conner, the commissioner negotiated a new rate with the board, which came out a bit cheaper than it had been in the past. Conner said this new rate will help with their garbage collection expense and other expenses.
Winamac Town HallThe Winamac Town Board this week received an estimate on the repairs of the Winamac Municipal Pool, and according to Town Manager Jim Conner, it might be a better investment to simply build a new one. Conner said the estimate came back from the Spear Corporation at $513,741 to repair the pool – a hefty price tag spurred by the fact that the pool is 50 years old.
Winamac Town HallFor the first time in several decades, the town of Winamac is considering the possibility of hiring a private company to collect the town’s garbage. According to Town Manager Jim Conner, the town’s street department has been collecting the garbage and disposing of it, but the town board recently sought bids to determine whether or not a company could perform the work at a lower cost.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources has announced that hunters can apply for reserved hunts online, including the Put-and-take Pheasant Hunts taking place at numerous properties throughout the state. The pheasant hunts opened for applications beginning Sept. 1 and are first-come, first-served, but the hunts will actually take place between Nov. 23 and Dec. 1.
Winamac can support a new 40-bed hotel, according to an initial feasibility study. That’s in line with the proposed development of a 44-room facility proposed by Wisconsin-based Cobblestone Development. Developer John F. Seibert says the accommodations would be similar to those offered by a Holiday Inn Express or Hampton Inn. His company specializes in developing budget friendly accommodations for business travelers and others in small rural communities like Winamac. Pulaski County Economic Development Director Nathan P. Origer told the county commissioners the next step is to meet with potential investors. Seibert says hotels like the one his company is proposing take about five months to build.
The Winamac Town Board held a preliminary hearing on the 2014 budget. Town Manager Jim Conner said no public comment was made during the hearing.
“The final adoption will be at our October meeting on the 14th,” stated Conner. “We tried to cut it back some for next year so that we’re not using so much cash-on-hand and tryin got get around to having a balanced budget.”
The Winamac Kiwanis Club is sponsoring the annual Farmer’s Market Festival in downtown Winamac tomorrow from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. ET.
This year’s festival will feature a live band and puppet show, plus a bounce house, face painting, petting zoo, food and great shopping. The pancake breakfast will kick off the day at 7 a.m. and you’ll have all day to enjoy the festivities. Visit many merchants and organizations that will feature community information.
Alliance EMS will show its appreciation for the community this weekend during its Customer Appreciation Day on Sunday, Sept. 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. ET at the Broken Arrow Campground north of Winamac. According to Jay Podell, this annual event will be packed full of activities including a talent contest with cash prizes, free food, free games, a moon bounce, face painting, and a variety of other attractions as well.
The downtown Winamac area will soon become a veritable winter wonderland, presented by the Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce. The charming holiday celebration will feature a variety of events and activities including craft and business booths, great sales at local businesses, free children’s activities and refreshments.
The Winamac Town Board discussed the funds going toward the Winamac Municipal Pool and how much money is being sunk into the deteriorating structure.
Town Manager Jim Conner said the maintenance on the 50-year pool is costly and the board wanted the opinion of town residents on what to do about the pool.
Winamac Town HallThe Winamac Town Board will meet Monday, Sept. 9 to discuss the Winamac Municipal Swimming Pool.
The board has highlighted this an agenda topic as the members are not sure that the pool can continue to be funded through the town’s budget. Budget constraints have forced the issue and a large amount of repair work is needed on the pool in the next two to three years.
The Food Finders Mobile Pantry food giveaway day is set for Friday, Oct. 11 at 11 a.m. ET at the Pulaski County Human Services building in Winamac.
Free food will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis. You are encouraged to bring a laundry basket or box to carry food home. Frozen meat, baked goods, beverages, vegetables, snacks and cereal are just a few of the items that will be given out.
You must meet 185 percent of the federal poverty guidelines in order for you to qualify. For more information on those guidelines, call (765) 471-0062 or visit www.Food-Finders.org.
The Braun Corporation is investing in the Winamac area with a proposed expansion of more than $5 million going into the plant over the next couple of years. Nathan Origer, executive director of the Pulaski County Community Development Commission, told WKVI that the county council this week approved a 10-year tax abatement for the expansion. The expansion involves the creation of 65 new jobs in Winamac, and the retention of 30 existing jobs that would otherwise have been let go due to a production line that had been closed down.
While not all the newly created jobs will be given to county residents, Origer said it is still a great gift to the county.
“In one respect, it’s almost impossible to elaborate on just what a gift this is to Pulaski County. Braun is already far and away the largest employer; they’ve got just a little more than 800 people working in Winamac, and of those 800, somewhere between 350 and 400 are Pulaski County residents. The number of jobs they’re creating if that same 46-ish percent ratio of residents to total employees continues, we’re looking at 35 new jobs for residents,” Origer said.
While that number may seem small, but take into consideration the fact that the county only has around 7000 people on the labor force rolls at any given time, and Origer said it’s a nice bump up for the area.
“We don’t have the capacity for, you know, 200, 300 jobs at a time. This is hitting the sweet spot, and the property tax investment, the increases we’ll see in income taxes, the increase we’ll see in money – payroll that residents have to be spending in the area – it’s just fantastic,” Origer said.
The company makes wheelchair accessible vehicles and lifts and is spending $7.5 million to relocate production from its facility in Kalamazoo, Mich. A new production line should be fully operational next year and will allow Braun convert additional Dodge, Chrysler, Honda and Toyota minivans into rear-entry, wheelchair accessible vehicles. The company is also adding another production line to accommodate the conversion of trucks and SUVs.
Origer said the council approved the abatement for parts of the expansion, particularly personal property, such as equipment and other items. He said the business is looking at purchasing more than $2 million in assessed value worth of equipment to go into the plant over the next couple years.
He explained this goes a long way to show the company’s dedication to the area, as Nick Gutwein and Ralph Braun both have strong ties to the community.
“The relationship they’ve had, the workforce that they have been able to find in this community – they don’t see any reason they’d ever have to pick up and leave. Nick is originally from Pulaski County, Ralph Braun spent his entire life here in Winamac. Ralph was dedicated to this community, Nick is dedicated to the community, the entire management and workforce of that company is dedicated to Winamac and to Pulaski County, and I think more than any words could ever prove that, the investment they are making in this location right now shows how deeply dedicated they are to continuing to grow in and with Pulaski County,” Origer said.
Origer said the expansion should wrap up sometime late 2015. The Indiana Economic Development Foundation offered the Braun Corporation up to $500,000 in additional tax credits and up to $10,000 in training grants based on its job creation plans. The company will only qualify for these and other local incentives if it meets its hiring and expansion goals. Braun Corporation is already interviewing candidates for additional engineering, management, information technology, sales, marketing and aftersales positions and anticipates more hiring over the next year. Find more information about openings online at www.braunability.com.
Winamac Town HallThe Winamac Town Board at their meeting this week passed an ordinance formally adopting the new employee handbook. According to Town Manager Jim Conner, the new handbook covers all of the town’s employees, updating the policies for the first time since 2005. Conner said these updates go a long way in bringing the handbook up to Indiana Code as well as state and federal wage laws.
Customers of an area bank warned of a text message scam. Alliance Bank advises several customers and non-customers have gotten messages stating their account has been deactivated and they need to call a telephone number. Alliance Bank officials stress this is a hoax and they will not request account information via text. Do not call the number in the message, as it is not affiliated with the bank. Please call your local Alliance Bank office if you have provided this information or if you have any questions.
Entrance to the Winamac Town ParkThe walking trail at the Winamac Town Park will be closed today.
Park Superintendent Rick Dilts stated that crews will be resealing the asphalt for preventative maintenance measures.
He added that the sealant will take approximately 24 hours to adhere properly and foot traffic may resume activity on Wednesday. If that deadline changes, he will notify us to help spread the word.
