Winamac Town Manager Brad Zellers plans to look into a particular property request a little more before bringing any definitive recommendations before town council members.
Back in December, property owner Jason Potthoff requested sectioning off a portion of a road that carries onto his property. Potthoff explained that he owns the old Co-Op building at the end of Franklin Street. Continue reading
Winamac town council members permitted Clerk-Treasurer Melanie Berger to move forward with a contract with Umbaugh and Associates for financial assistance with the 2019 budget.
Berger explained that the contract remained the same and the fee is still around $7,000. Last year, the majority of their efforts went toward helping them figure out issues with the Local Income Tax. Continue reading
Winamac Water Department Superintendent Jeremy Beckner presented town council members with different fees to consider for the town’s backflow testing services during Monday night’s meeting.
When the town adjusted their water rates, they also offered to perform backflow testing for a flat $35 rate. However, Proscapes Owner Jason Potthoff came before the council and expressed a concern that the low rate for all systems, regardless of size, may prevent other licensed businesses from fairly competing with the town for backflow testing services.
Before approving the amended water rates, the town removed the section about backflow testing fees so Superintendent Beckner could do some research and provide some other potential prices. Continue reading
Wednesday marks the first day a declaration of candidacy may be filed and several Pulaski County positions will be up for election this year.
Seats are open for Circuit Court and Superior Court Judges who each serve 6-year terms. Elections will also be held for the 4-year terms of Prosecuting Attorney, Clerk of Courts, the Sheriff, Assessor, Surveyor, Coroner and Commissioner for District #3. All registered voters can vote for these positions and may also cast a vote for the delegate to State Conventions. Continue reading
Property owner Jason Potthoff approached Winamac Town Council members last week, seeking permission to section off a portion of Franklin Street that carries onto his property.
Potthoff first stated that the section in question is much more like an alley than a street.. He explained that he currently owns the old Co-Op property at the end of Franklin Street. He told council members that he recently obtained the last building in the area that he didn’t own and clean-up crews have started some work on the structure.
He said now that the entire property is being utilized, safety concerns are what brought him to the council to propose a potential solution. Continue reading
Winamac Town Council members reviewed an ordinance detailing the EDIT Plan for 2018 and 2019 when they met this week.
Clerk-Treasurer Melanie Berger explained that the EDIT Plan outlines proposed projects that will utilize county economic development income tax funds for the next two years.
Town Attorney Justin Schramm added that State Code requires towns to spend 75% of what they receive. He said the figures provided for 2019 were estimated since they do not currently know how much Winamac will receive that year. Schramm said for the 2019 amount, he reduced next year’s amount by 20 percent to present conservative figures just in case they receive less. Continue reading
At the Eastern Pulaski Community School Board meeting Monday night, Craig Barr was officially appointed to the recently established position of Champ Club Director.
The Winamac Champ Club is an organized, formal weightlifting and training program that meets before school, according to Superintendent Dan Foster. The club was formed about a year and a half ago. Initially, the club was limited to female students but was expanded to be a co-ed club.
Foster explained that Barr served as the leader of the club on a volunteer basis up until now but when this year’s Master Contract was negotiated they added on the extracurricular position of Champ Club Director. Continue reading
A public hearing will be held over adjustments to water rates in Winamac prior to the regularly scheduled town council meeting tonight. The council’s regular session will commence immediately following the public hearing which is set for 6 p.m. ET.
During the clerk-treasurer’s report, the council will hold the second reading over the water rate ordinance. Adjustments to the water rates are being proposed in order to help cover costs for the town’s water project. Continue reading
Tomorrow morning, get into the giving spirit with some of Kankakee Valley Broadcasting’s best and brightest. This Friday, from 9 a.m. until noon (CT), members of the KVB staff will be stationed in Starke and Pulaski County, collecting food items and monetary donations.
WKVI’s Morning Show Host Charlie Adams is teaming up with MAX’s Morning Show host and sportscaster Tony Ross for a remote broadcast at Five-Star in Knox. They will be there collecting donations for Community Services of Starke County.
Meanwhile, WKVI’s father-son sports broadcast duo, Nathan and Harold Welter will be at Sanders Foods in Winamac collecting donations for Human Services of Pulaski County. Continue reading
The annual Winamac Winter Wonderland event kicks-off today with Breakfast with Santa at the Pulaski County Elementary School. Various vendor booths will also be set up there from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. ET.
Pulaski County Chamber of Commerce representative Judy Heater explained that some of the vendors will have baked goods and additional types of food while others will feature different kinds of crafts. The Indiana Adoption Program will also have a booth set up where individuals can learn more about Hoosier kids in need of homes and the specifics of the adoption process.
Heater said that the ExPress Choir will sing at courthouse around 10 a.m. and then they’ll head over to the Pulaski County Public Library to join Judge Michael Shurn for cookies and cocoa. Judge Shurn will be at the library from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and the library will also have another visitor; Santa Claus will be there from noon until 2 p.m. Continue reading
WorkOne is working hard this holiday season to show their continuous commitment to our communities.
Aside from the educational and occupational assistance they provide year round, during the month of November, the Knox and Winamac locations have been hosting kids’ coat drives to collect winter apparel to help local children in need this time of year.
At the Winamac Town Council meeting last Monday it was revealed that the renovations to the new police station are nearly complete.
Employees with various departments have been working hard to complete aspects of the project that relate to their various positions. Town Manager Brad Zellers reported that since town employees were utilized for much of the work, they were able to save around $70,000 on the project. Continue reading
Amendments to the Winamac salary ordinance were considered on first reading when the Winamac Town Council met on Monday night.
Town Attorney Justin Schramm explained to council members that the first proposed change deals specifically with the salary of the parks and recreation department secretary.
He stated, “It changes the parks and recreation secretary from $30 a meeting to $1,000 payable the first pay period of December.” Continue reading
The Winamac Town Council held the first reading over a proposed Water Rate Adjustment Ordinance when they met Monday night. Town Attorney Justin Schramm mentioned that Eric Walsh with Umbaugh and Associates put the ordinance together.
The proposed changes are being considered to help cover costs of the Town’s water project which is anticipated to cost approximately $1.5 million. Some additional funds for the project will come from a grant recently received from the Office of Community and Rural Affairs.
A public hearing is scheduled for December 11th, prior to the regularly scheduled meeting. During the regular meeting, members will hold the adoption proceedings over the ordinance. Continue reading
BraunAbility CEO Nick Gutwein has announced his retirement and revealed that his successor will be Staci Kroon, the former Executive Vice President of Eaton Business Systems.
Gutwein, who has led BraunAbility since 2008, recently alerted the company’s Board of Directors of his plans to retire. The Board selected Staci Kroon to fill his position. According to a BraunAbility media advisory released earlier this week, Kroon will officially assume the role of President and CEO of the Winamac-based business on Nov. 27th. Additionally, Kroon will serve as a director. Continue reading
Utility customers in the Town of Winamac will soon have the opportunity to be directly notified of various alerts thanks to a request submitted by 1st Deputy Clerk Kim Burke.
At Monday’s Winamac Town Council meeting, Burke told members about a system called Public Alert which would allow her to individually send members of the community notifications that would impact them specifically.
“We can send out like emergency snow removal when we need them all to park on one side of the street, waterline breaks, if we close down a road. From what I understand, they can rig it up with our billing system.” Burke provided a potential example, “I can go in there and say ‘look, these people on Burson Street, you’re water’s shut off, we have a break’ and I can send them an alert.” Continue reading
WorkOne in Pulaski County and Starke County are working together to host a kids’ coat drive this month. Their goal is to assist local children who may not have the proper apparel for the approaching winter months.
Youth Business Engagement Specialist Kathi Holem said this is the first year that WorkOne has held a coat drive. She said that although they will mainly be collecting coats for small children, they are open to donations of other kids’ winter wear as well. Continue reading
The Pulaski County Public Library serves more than 10,380 residents in several townships across the county. Currently, the library is in the preliminary stages of constructing a long-term plan that will list the goals and objectives the library hopes to achieve over the next five years. In order to continue improving their services and to ensure their plans match up with community desires, the library is seeking public input in the form of a survey.
The survey addresses the weakness and strengths of both the library and Pulaski County in general. The library officials will use the data collected to help determine the services it will prioritize and the goals it will set in the long range plan. Continue reading
The Winamac High School library was filled with community members attending last night’s Eastern Pulaski Community School Board meeting. Individuals of various walks of life came to defend a faculty member who is currently the subject of an ongoing board investigation. Following the regular meeting, board members were scheduled to hold an executive session regarding alleged misconduct and to discuss job performance evaluation. Continue reading
The Winamac woman who recently returned from Texas after spending two weeks assisting the Red Cross with mass care efforts there, is leaving once again – this time to the U.S. Virgin Islands. Sherry Fagner is one of six Indiana volunteers who were chosen to be a part of the jump team that was assembled to be deployed to the area.
When Sherry returned from Texas, she was a little under the weather. However, she said she is feeling better now as she physically, mentally and emotionally prepares for her journey. She leaves today and will spend a day or two in Atlanta, Georgia for staff collection then she will leave from there to the islands. Continue reading
