All posts by Jacque Ryan

Grant Fund for Historic Structure Established at Plymouth City Council Meeting

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan
La Porte Street Foot Bridge – Pictures provided by National Registry of Historic Places & BridgeHunter.com

The Plymouth City Council held the final readings over an ordinance to establish a grant fund for a historic bridge when members met last Monday.

The Indiana Department of Transportation recently awarded the City of Plymouth a little more than $1.3 million to conduct future renovation work on the East La Porte Street Footbridge over the Yellow River.

With INDOT footing the bill for a good portion of the $2 million dollar project, only approximately $800,000 will need to come from the city. Continue reading →

Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety Members Consider Request to Work in Right-of-Way

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

City Engineer Rick Gaul approached the Plymouth Board of Works members with a request related to working in the right-of-way when they met last Monday.

Gaul explained that the request was submitted from United Telephone, or CenturyLink Services. According to Gaul, the company asked to run an underground communications line off of Evergreen Drive, perpendicular to the right-of-way, in order to bring services to a property at 212 Eastwood Estates. Continue reading →

Plymouth City Council Passes Ordinance Establishing Funding Method for Aquatics Center and Other Miller Drive Projects

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The final readings over the ordinance that establishes funding for the major projects planned on Miller Drive near the Lifeplex Fitness Center, took place during Monday evening’s Plymouth City Council meeting.

As previously reported, the City Council and Redevelopment Commission are working with the Marshall County Economic Development Foundation on planning and developing few different projects, including an Early Childhood Learning Center and an Aquatics Center.

MCEDF Executive Director and CEO Jerry Chavez said these projects are expected enhance the quality of life and quality of place within the city.

Back in February members held the first reading over the “Ordinance Authorizing the City of Plymouth to Issue Its Taxable Economic Development Revenue Bonds and Notes: Series A, B & C.” When city council members met Monday evening, they held the second and third readings but not before receiving a bit of a refresher about the purpose of the ordinance. Continue reading →

Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety Members Receive Tentative List of Sidewalks for the ADA Transition Plan

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A tentative list of proposed sidewalk projects for Plymouth’s ADA Transition plan was presented at the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting earlier this week.

Street Superintendent Jim Marquardt explained that the list is currently incomplete because he intends to meet with a representative from Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG). Together, they will assess the status of the walkways within the city and determine which areas are not in compliance with ADA specifications.

For the time being, he presented members with some sidewalks that are noticeably in need of upgrades. Continue reading →

Plymouth Man Who Reportedly Led Police on a Chase to the County Line Faces Resisting Law Enforcement Charge, Among Others

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A Plymouth man was taken into custody Thursday morning, after allegedly fleeing from police.

Plymouth Police Department K9 Officer John Weir reports that shortly after 8 a.m., he initiated a traffic stop on a gold Honda Accord for an infraction. The driver, 35-year-old Gary Werb reportedly fled the scene in his vehicle. Continue reading →

Street Superintendent Discusses Semis Causing Yard Damage at Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety Meeting

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Plymouth Street Superintendent Jim Marquardt alerted Board of Public Works and Safety Members about some problems with out-of-town semis utilizing residential streets and causing damage to yards.

During Monday night’s BOW meeting, Marquardt said he’s received similar complaints in the past but they’ve been coming in more frequently lately.

“This spring has been crazy on semis coming down Beerenbrook, trying to turn onto Harrison to go toward Flora and they’re just tearing yards up,” Marquardt explained, “and before they’ve had some little problems, but in the past week, it’s happened three times.” Continue reading →

Plymouth City Council Holds Hearing Over Additional Appropriation Resolutions

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Plymouth City Council members held a public hearing Monday night over resolutions that would allow additional appropriations to be made.

Clerk-Treasurer Jeanine Xaver explained that there were three different resolutions up for consideration.

The first resolution had to do with funds spent by the Plymouth Police Department. Xaver informed the council members and hearing attendees that due to a typo on the legal ad, she was unable to appropriate the entire cash balance for the Crime Prevention Fund. She said she advertised for $361 so that’s all that can be appropriated at this point. Continue reading →

Plymouth BOW Awards Spring Project Bids

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Bid awards for the spring surface treatment, street and sidewalk projects were considered during Monday night’s Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.

City Engineer Rick Gaul informed the BOW members that the bid for the spring surface treatment project that was submitted by Pavement Solutions initially came in over budget at $240,788.98.

He said in order to bring down the cost, the proposed streets in the project were assessed. Gaul said after consulting with Street Superintendent Jim Marquardt and Clerk-Treasurer Jeanine Xaver about the specifics, he felt the work on Randolph Street could wait while the work on Webster Avenue was established as the highest priority. Continue reading →

Bremen School Board Approves Wage Increases for Classified Staff

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

A raise for classified staff at Bremen Public Schools was approved during the school board meeting last Monday.

Classified employees include any position at the school corporation other than teachers and administration such as cafeteria, transportation, maintenance and custodial staff.

School Board President Brian Teall explained that the increased wages for classified staff were approved in coordination with the raises that were included in the master contract for teachers. Teall said a raise of approximately 2.4 percent was approved for teachers a couple of months ago, but some issues at the state level postponed the payments. Continue reading →

Bremen Public Schools to Work with Boys and Girls Club to Expand Summer School Program Thanks to IDOE Grant

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Officials at Bremen Public Schools will be collaborating with the local Boys and Girls Club to provide more summer school services after the school was recently awarded a grant through the Indiana Department of Education’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers program.

According to school board president Brian Teall, the school was awarded $120,000 for the next four years, meaning that they’ll receive a total of $480,000.

Bremen Schools will have a contract with the Boys and Girls Club in order to expand the summer school program to give students an opportunity to get caught up before the start of the school year. Continue reading →

Indiana Youth Cadet Law Enforcement Academy Accepting Limited Number of Applicants for Summer Session

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

If you’re considering law enforcement as a potential career choice and are looking for a way to get some experience, you’re in luck. The American Legion and the Indiana Troopers Youth Services are working in conjunction, seeking promising young candidates for their newest program, the Indiana Youth Cadet Law Enforcement Academy.

The 2018 session will run this summer from June 15 through the 20th on the University of Indianapolis campus. Indiana Youth Cadet Law Enforcement Academy provides insight into law enforcement agency operations and presents first-hand experiences to highly motivated young people in grades 9 through 12. Continue reading →

Argos Community School Corporation Shares Tips for National Reading Month

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

As we enter the final week of National Reading Month, parents are reminded to be a part of their child’s reading regimen to help instill a love for books at an early age.

Earlier this month, representatives with the Argos Community School Corporation shared a few helpful tips to their website that were written by Kidder Media Editor Rebekah Whirledge.

One tip encourages parents to take their children book browsing. This can be done online from home, in a bookstore or at the local library. Don’t hesitate to consult family, friends, teachers and librarians for book recommendations that would appeal to your child’s specific interests. Continue reading →

Audit Update Provided at Bremen School Board Meeting

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Bremen School Board members received an update about the 2014-2016 audit during their meeting on Monday.

Superintendent Dr. Jim White explained that audits are a pretty standard procedure that all schools must go through on a semi-regular basis. He told board members that the school was found to be in compliance but there were some suggestions that were made about internal controls. The superintendent mentioned that he’s noticed that other schools in the area are commonly cited for the same matter. Continue reading →

Bremen School Board Adopts Bond Resolution

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Bremen Public Schools will be undergoing some renovations over the next few years, now that school board members have officially adopted a resolution to have a bond of approximately $4 million issued to pay for the proposed work.

According to School Board President Brian Teall, a 1028 Hearing was held over the bond resolution during their Monday night meeting and it was adopted by a vote of 4-1.

Dr. White said with the board members’ approval, he will now be coordinating with the building corporation about bond issuance procedures over the next few weeks. The superintendent explained that schools are not legally permitted to directly borrow money so they utilize a building corporation as a pass-through entity. Continue reading →

Argos School Board Members Address A Few Different Summer-Related Items

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

Argos School Board members made a few decisions related to summer projects and scheduling when they met Monday night.

Board members approved summer hours for faculty, setting up a 4-day work week schedule for all staff except for summer school teachers. Administrative Assistant Patti VanderWeele said that summer school staff is the exception, as they teach five days a week, typically from around 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. Continue reading →

Marshall County Coroner Determines Official Cause of Death for Joseph F. Dillard of Plymouth

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The official cause of death for 50-year-old Joseph F. Dillard has been ruled as an overdose caused by a combination of drugs, according to Marshall County Coroner John Grolich.

Dillard was found deceased, along with his unresponsive wife Melissa Dillard, at their Plymouth home on West La Porte Street on Saturday, January 27th.

The coroner explained that toxicology tests were conducted the night that Joseph Dillard came in and were then sent to a lab in Pennsylvania for results. He said the results were received earlier this week and showed that a number of drugs were in Dillard’s system. Continue reading →

INDOT Announces the Stretch of SR 331 in Marshall County That Closed Back In February Has Reopened

Posted on Author Jacque Ryan

The Indiana Department of Transportation has announced that State Road 331, between 9th Road and 10th Road in Marshall County, has reopened.

Organization representatives stated that the stretch of road was closed back in February due to damage caused by the historic rainfall and flooding that hit the entire Northwest District of INDOT. Maintenance crews were able to expedite a project in order to fix the roadway. Continue reading →