All posts by Anita Goodan

Marshall County Council Considers EMA, Clerk Requests

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The county will receive funds for the emergency management agency director’s salary.

Marshall County EMA Director Clyde Avery asked the county council this week for permission to apply for the 2016 performance grant. Avery explained that the grant will pay for half of his salary from last year in the amount of $22,000. It’s an annual grant that the county receives every year as Avery qualifies for certain requirements during the year. The council approved the request and complimented him on his continued efforts as head of the EMA.

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Outdoor Project to Start Soon at the Rees Theater

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Outside work at the Rees Theater in Plymouth will be starting soon.

The Wythougan Valley Preservation Council members presented a request to the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety this week asking to block off a few parking spaces on Michigan and LaPorte Streets for a portion of the work. While the board members approved that request, the preservation council members will need to present a similar request to the Indiana Department of Transportation as Michigan Street is considered a state highway.

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Culver Clean up Day Set for Saturday

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Residents in the town of Culver will be able to rid properties of unwanted items during Saturday’s town-wide clean up day.

Items will be taken for disposal at the lot by the water tower on Lake Shore Drive. Dumpsters will be provided for the many items that will be accepted for the clean up day. Hazardous material and tires will NOT be accepted.

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Plymouth High School Students Earn College Certificate

Posted on Author Anita Goodan
Back Row: John Gerard, Edgar Gallardo, Dylan Manuwal, Hudson Yoder, Travis Owen, Garrett Garver, and Dillon O’Brien.
Front Row: Anna Bockman, Natasha Craft, C’Airra Stephens, Alicia Dennie, Seth Grimmett, and Isaias Frias.

Thirteen Plymouth High School seniors recently received Statewide Transfer General Education Core (STGEC) certificates in an Ivy Tech commencement ceremony at the University of Notre Dame.

The students fulfilled general education requirements while in high school in order to receive this certification. According to Jennifer Felke, Weidner School of Inquiry at Plymouth High School Co-Director, the partnership between the Plymouth Community School Corporation and Ivy Tech allowed students to earn 30 credit hours in this program which can be transferred to any state public school and possibly some private schools. The value of this certificate is close to $25,000 which is equivalent to a college freshmen year of tuition, room and board.

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Marshall County Council Approves Highway Department Fund Reduction

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

A reduction in funds as mandated by the Department of Local Government Finance (DLGF) will leave the Marshall County Highway Department short in available funds this year.

The Marshall County Council was notified of the reduction at the beginning of April, but decided to hold off on approving the action until Highway Supervisor Jason Peters and Highway Administrator Laurie Baker could review their budget to determine where to make those cuts.

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Plymouth BOW Ratifies Designation of Underground or Buried Utilities Area

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter signed an executive order at the end of April that restricts the placement of small wireless devices and the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety took further action on that document.

City Attorney Sean Surrisi said a state law passed in the final days of the General Assembly broadens access to government-owned right-of-way for the placement of cell phone antennae on poles of 50 feet or less. There was a provision in the law that the city wouldn’t have any review process over the location of those poles unless it is in a designated area for underground utilities.

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Bremen Town Council Looking to Hire EMS Service

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Bremen Town Council members are getting closer to the point to approve a contract for a new EMS service.

Bremen Director of Operations Trend Weldy said the current ambulance contract will expire this summer and the council will accept bids for a new ambulance service. The council will meet with the ambulance board next week to go over specifications for a new contract. A new ambulance company is expected to be in place this fall.

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Energy Savings Upgrade Ongoing at Bremen Schools

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Bremen School Board members are looking to save money in a lighting upgrade project.

Superintendent Dr. Jim White said the project will make quite a difference.

“We are converting to LED lighting which will save us tremendously on energy costs,” said Dr. White. “Given the retrofit cost I’m anticipating saving about $20,000 annually in energy and it will have about a three-and-a-half year payback. The life of the bulbs is anywhere between eight to 12 years. We anticipate having that done by the end of the summer.”

MAX 98.3 FM Open House Today

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

An open house is scheduled for today at the new home for the WYMR-FM MAX 98.3 FM radio studio.

The Plymouth Chamber of Commerce will host a ribbon cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. to celebrate the relocation of the studio to 215 N. Michigan Street in downtown Plymouth.

Live programming will be offered all day. Listen for interviews with Senator Joe Donnelly at 7:30 a.m. and Tom Keb from the Plymouth Farmer’s Market at 9:30 a.m. along with many other guests throughout the day. Plymouth Mayor Mark Senter will be in attendance to welcome the station to the downtown district.

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Bremen School Board Approves RIF

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Bremen School Board approved the Reduction in Force (TIF) Policy on Monday night.

Superintendent Dr. Jim White said the cuts are due to a reduction in funding.

“We’ll be losing two teachers – most likely in our elementary and middle school area. That’s where we’ve dropped a little bit in students. The high school is still holding steady at the number of students they have. We have to keep the school district financially healthy so we can continue to serve everyone in the future,” stated Dr. White.

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Plymouth City Building Improvements to begin in August

Posted on Author Anita Goodan
Plymouth City Building

The Plymouth City Building will undergo renovations this fall. The architects will finalize plans this month. It is the hope of the Plymouth City Council and the Plymouth Redevelopment Commission that the bidding process will proceed in June with the sale of bonds in July. The project is anticipated to begin in August.

City Attorney Sean Surrisi said the clerk-treasurer’s office will see a big change.

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Bremen Lift Station Project Funding Guaranteed

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Bremen Town Council recently met with the Bremen Redevelopment Commission to discuss funding for the replacement or improvement of 16 lift stations in the wastewater system.

Bremen Director of Operations Trend Weldy said the redevelopment commission has guaranteed the funding for the project which is anticipated to cost between $900,000 to $1 million.

The lift stations are approximately 40 to 50 years old and need to be upgraded. Nine are located in the town’s jurisdiction while seven are in TIF areas.

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Culver Housing Development Financing on Hold

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Culver Town Council and the Culver Redevelopment Commission met in a long joint meeting on Tuesday night to discuss a housing development agreement between the entities and housing developer Kevin Berger and funding for the project.

Council President Ginny Bess Munroe stated that they are at the stage of approving financing for the project. The Culver Redevelopment Commission would finance $400,000 for the project with nearly the same financial obligation from the Culver Town Council. The town hopes to use Regional City Northern Indiana money that the county won last year. A housing dollar amount of $270,000 was set aside for this venture and a presentation in order to appropriate that money is set for June. If the town is awarded the Stellar Communities designation, funding would be used toward that project.

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Marshall County 4-H Fair Board Seeks Grant Application Approval

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

The Marshall County 4-H Fair Board is looking to apply for a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant to help pay for a new community center and Fair Board President Rob Hurford asked the county council’s permission Monday night to move forward with that project.

He explained that the community center will be a revenue generating feature on the fairgrounds to help fund operations. Hurford said the center can function as a reception hall for weddings as the plan calls for a seating capacity of 450. It can also be used for senior services, community meetings, auctions, graduation parties, and a multitude of other uses.

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Marshall County Prosecutor to Hire Pre-Trial Diversion Officer

Posted on Author Anita Goodan

Marshall County Prosecutor Nelson Chipman will be looking to hire a Pre-trial Diversion Officer.

Prosecutor Chipman went before the Marshall County Council Monday night to ask to apply for a grant to pay for the position. The state has already approved the grant as the county has received it in the past, but an application is needed to complete the process. The position will be available July 1.

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