The Richter Road water main extension project in Plymouth is done. Utility Superintendent Donnie Davidson gave the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety an update on the project on Monday night.
“We have requested a substantial of completion letter. We are withholding retainer in the amount of $6,230.25 upon completion of their punchlist items which are fairly minor,” said Davidson.
The Marshall County Highway Department is looking to complete more paving projects before the paving season ends soon.
Looking for a family-friendly way to spend Friday the 13th? Come down to River Park Square for the Free Freaky Friday Family Outdoor Movie Night. The event will commence at 7:30 p.m. and the featured film will be the Halloween classic Hocus Pocus.
Since the event will be outdoors, patrons are encouraged dress accordingly and to bring their own blankets and chairs to use during the showing of the movie. The Marshall County Girls Softball Travel League will be running a concession stand on site. They’ll be selling hot chocolate, soda pop, hot dogs and popcorn for a dollar each. Continue reading
The Marshall County Council discussed a change in the probation item in the 2017 salary ordinance.
Auditor Julie Fox explained that the chief probation officer retired thus adjusting the rate of pay.
The Culver Town Council approved readings on the ordinance adopting the 2018 budget for the Town of Culver.
The total budget listed on Indiana Gateway is $2,230,980. The General Fund is just over $1,840,000 while Motor Vehicle Highway is set at $59,000. The Park and Recreation budget is approximately $229,000.
At the beginning of October, the Indiana Department of Education released their A through F school accountability grades. Triton Schools had been bumped up a letter grade from 2016, receiving an A this year.
In order to show their gratitude to the individuals responsible for the hard work that went into receiving the recognition, the Triton School Board voted to pay for gift cards to be given to everyone on the staff. Continue reading
The Bremen Town Council is contemplating codifying ordinances to bring them to current standards.
Bremen Director of Operations Trend Weldy said they are overdue for updating.
“Our ordinance books and our code books are so far behind it’s not funny – we’re talking like 1980s and 1970s stuff that we’re trying to update and do some things with.”
No decisions were made during the council meeting Tuesday night. More discussions will be held at the next meeting on Monday, Oct. 23.
The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety considered a resolution on Monday night pertaining to the ability to write off delinquent and uncollectible water, wastewater, garbage, and stormwater bills.
Board member Jeff Houin made a comment that City Attorney Sean Surrisi handles several small claims issues in court and he is working to collect what is owed to the city. The write-offs amount to just over $1,800.
NIPSCO’s home heating bills are expected to stay about the same as they were last year. Projections released by the company Wednesday say an average residential customer can expect to pay about $390 on gas bills between November 1 and March 31. Continue reading
The Marshall County Historical Society Museum will be holding their final brown bag lunch event of the season on Friday the 13th. Community members are encouraged to bring a lunch down to the museum at 123 N Michigan Street in Plymouth to hear from a special speaker.
Mindy Langdon, community relations for the museum, said the historian will reveal some of the haunted history of Marshall County, “Our guest speaker is Jeff Kenney and he’s from the Culver area and he’s got some really great ghost stories to tell about things in the area that are kind of spooky.”
The event is held from noon to one, but concludes a little before the hour to allow individuals enough time to make it back to work if they’re on their lunch break. Get into the Halloween spirit a few weeks early by learning about the mysterious stories attached to local places you may see regularly.
A Knox man was arrested early Wednesday morning after allegedly running from Plymouth police officers.
Officers were called to the Red Rock Inn in Plymouth just after midnight on a report of criminal mischief. The caller reportedly told police that the suspect, later identified as Bradley Scott, left the area in a black vehicle traveling west on Hoham Drive.
The Marshall County Council approved adding a line item in this year’s budget for professional services. Specifically, the line item will cover the hourly wages for work done by Waggoner, Irwin and Scheele to update the county employee job descriptions and wages.
Monday was the final day that individuals interested in the Triton Schools superintendent position could submit applications for consideration.
Superintendent Donna Burroughs announced her plans to retire during a school board meeting back in September. Before the school board members met for their regular session on Monday, they held an executive session to go over the submitted applications. Continue reading
Plymouth City Attorney Sean Surrisi opened bids for the city’s fall street and sidewalk project list during Monday night’s Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety meeting.
There are about 30 individual projects that the city will be doing. Many will be done yet this year with others continuing in the spring of 2018.
The Culver Town Council members conducted a public hearing Tuesday night concerning a resolution to deem the Sand Hill Farms property an economic target area and an economic revitalization area per state statute for purposes of residential tax abatement. The abatement would be 100 percent for 10 years.
The Sand Hill Farms property will be home to a workforce development housing project offering 24-unit apartments.
The Shady Rest Home Committee expressed concerns about a business plan and financial sustainability of a potential entity hoping to occupy the Shady Rest Home on Lincoln Highway in Plymouth.
The committee members on Tuesday afternoon were in agreement that the proposal given by Ted Hayden and Gregg Erickson for an addiction recovery service at the Shady Rest Home is a program worthy of utilizing the space owned by the county, but whether or not they can be financially responsible is still a question.
The Marshall County Council fielded several requests for additional appropriations during their regular meeting on Monday.
The highway department submitted a request for $300,000 for bituminous for the continuation of paving operations through the rest of the year. The highway department also asked for $112,000 for vehicle maintenance. That money is to re-appropriate the fuel charges from departments and outside entities coming back into the county.
David Miller of Van Vactor Farms approached the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety Monday night to discuss an amendment to a land sale proceeds agreement.
Miller reminded the board members of the donation of 20 acres of land out in the techFarm area on Miller Drive and Pioneer Drive back in 2004. Miller stated that the donation of land was a partnership with the city to build a techFarm on the northwest side of town. The original agreement called for a split of proceeds between the Van Vactor Farms and the city as land is sold for development. According to the original agreement, the money split would be used to help development infrastructure and other projects at the techFarm.
Marshall County Council members took action Monday morning to move the budget to the state for approval.
Before the council approved the 2018 budget, Councilwoman Penny Lukenbill brought the Superior Court II budget into discussion. The council had reduced Judge Dean Colvin’s initial request for full-time law clerks in the amount of $75,000 to just a part-time law clerk line item at $45,000.
The Marshall County Council members approved a request for an additional appropriation for a fire suppression system at the Marshall County Museum.
Commissioner Kurt Garner explained that the commissioners approved a quote in September from the NoBi Corporation out of Elkhart in the amount of $5,935. Since the commissioners felt it was an immediate need, they agreed to allow the expenditure to be taken out of the building and grounds maintenance fund. Garner and Museum Archive Manager Karin Rettinger were before the council to ask for an additional appropriation to reimburse the county and for a building project.
