Culver Town Council to Hold Public Hearing at Meeting Tonight

The Culver Town Council is scheduled to hold a public hearing and the first reading for their proposed 2018 budget. Council members will also receive an update on the Stellar Communities Designation Program plan when they meet tonight at 6:30 p.m. EDT in Culver Town Hall.

Council members will address an ordinance that will amend and restate a past ordinance which establishes fees or costs for the Town of Culver Park and Recreation Department. Continue reading

Mayor’s Youth Council of Plymouth Sees Fruition after Years of Planning

The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety provided their support to a local group of students looking to impact the community in a positive way. The Mayor’s Youth Council presented their Adopt-a-Street Project to board members when they met Monday night.

According to the presenters, Vice President Nicole Keller and member Griffin Nate, the council has been trying for more than six years to establish the Adopt-a-Street Project and they now have a concrete proposal in place. The mission statement they provided stated that their main focus is to improve Plymouth for current and future generations by connecting local youth with local government. Continue reading

Pre-K Applications available to Marshall County Families

Staff members of the Office of Early Childhood and Out-of-School Learning is now accepting applications from families in Marshall County who may be eligible to enroll their child in pre-kindergarten classes.

Marshall County families must meet certain requirements in order to be eligible for this grant funding. The family must have an income below 127 percent of the federal poverty level and the parents or guardians must be working and/or attending school or a certified education/training program. The child must have turned four by Aug. 1, 2017 and starting kindergarten in August 2018.

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Upcoming Local Red Cross Blood Drives

The Red Cross is always in need of blood donations. However, in the aftermath of the recent natural disasters that have impacted different portions of the country, it is vital to have a wide variety of blood types from a plethora of donors.

Some blood types are unique to certain racial and ethnic groups, so having an assorted blood supply is important to meet the medical needs of an increasingly diverse patient population. Red Cross reports that patients are less likely to experience complications from blood donated by someone of a similar ethnicity. Some local blood donation opportunities are coming up during the month of October. Continue reading

Plymouth City Council Approves Tax Abatement for American Containers

When the Plymouth City Council met last night, they held a public hearing over the American Containers, Inc tax abatement. No public comments were provided so the hearing was adjourned.

During a previous meeting, the council acted on the resolution approving the location in which American Containers, Inc is positioned to be within an area designated as a Economic Revitalization Area making the company eligible for potential tax abatement.

Last night the council took the second step in the expansion process by holding the public hearing and approving the seven-year, phase in, real and personal property tax abatement.
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Culver Economic Development Commission Approves Resolution

Don Fox, Jonathan Leist, Kevin Overmyer, Attorney James Clevenger at the conclusion of the initial meeting

The Culver Economic Development Commission met for the first time Monday night with Jonathan Leist voted as the president, Don Fox as vice president and Kevin Overmyer as secretary.

With the organization of the commission complete, Marshall County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Jerry Chavez explained the purpose of residential tax abatement. If a developer is seeking residential tax abatement, a resolution must be approved by the Culver Economic Development Commission creating the site as an economic revitalization target area. It differs slightly from a commercial tax abatement.

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Public Hearing Set for Proposed J-Turn Intersection at U.S. 31 and State Road 110

Officials from the Indiana Department of Transportation will be at the Argos Junior/Senior High School on Wednesday night to gather public comments on the proposed J-turn intersection at U.S. 31 and State Road 110 in Marshall and Fulton Counties.

The proposed intersection improvement is a median U-turn, or J-turn. INDOT officials say the purpose of the project is to enhance safety at the intersection by separating traffic movements. They say J-turn intersections increase safety by reducing the number of possible conflicts and the points where two vehicle paths cross.

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Bourbon Man Dies in Farm Equipment Accident

Marshall County emergency responders were called to a serious farming incident on Friday evening.

According to the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department, county deputies along with the fire department, EMS and officers from the Town of Bourbon were called to a farm in the 3500 block of 9B Road in Bourbon. When they arrived, they found that Lester G. Sellers died after apparent injuries sustain after a tractor slipped a gear and rolled over him as he was working on the tractor, according to the release.

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Plymouth Redevelopment Commission Agrees to Commit Funds

The Plymouth Redevelopment Commission committed to providing $40,000 worth of funding two different organizations when they met last week.

According to City Attorney Sean Surrisi, commission members agreed to recommit $30,000 to the Marshall County Economic Development Corporation. The same amount of funding was committed to the Marshall County EDC last year. Continue reading

Active Shooter Training Scheduled for County Employees

The Marshall County Commissioners set a date for county employees to receive active shooter training.

The county building and courthouse will be closed on Friday, Dec. 1 from 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. so all employees can be a part of the training. Emergency Management Agency Director Clyde Avery will be coordinating the effort with law enforcement and department heads.

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Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety & Plymouth City Council Meetings Tonight

The Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety and the City Council meet tonight to discuss matters impacting the community. The Board of Public Works and Safety meeting will start first at 6 p.m.

Agenda items include a request from the utility superintendent about a water main extension at State Road 17 and W. Lake Avenue as well as an executive order from the city attorney regarding 408 Pierce Street.

Other requests consist of the Chamber of Commerce seeking permission to continue with downtown trick-or-treating this year and a temporary street closing by John Montgomery. The Mayor’s Youth Council will provide a request about the “Adopt a Street” project.

The City Council will convene at 6:30 p.m. or immediately following the adjournment of the Board of Public Works and Safety meeting. Continue reading

Newly Formed Culver Economic Development Commission to Meet Tonight

The Culver Economic Development Commission will meet tonight.

The three members, Culver Town Manager Jonathan Leist, Marshall County Commissioner Kevin Overmyer and Don Fox, will organize and consider an ordinance for a residential tax abatement for the Sand Hill Farms workforce development housing project. The proposed format of the tax abatement will also be discussed.

The Culver Economic Development Commission will meet at 6:30 p.m. ET tonight at the Culver Town Hall.

Bolt for Blessings Fun Run Fundraiser

Culver Community Schools currently assist one-hundred underprivileged students by providing backpacks filled with food to take home on the weekends. This year, during Culver Fall Fest on October 7th, you have the opportunity to help out and work out with the Bolt for Blessings fundraiser.

Annually, it costs around $125,000 to purchase the food and supplies needed. This event serves as the primary source of funding for the Blessings in a Backpack program. The race registration fee costs $15 for students K-12 and general admission is $25. If you register online prior to race day, you have will receive a T-Shirt. Businesses and interested individuals have a chance to be sponsors and have their name appear on the shirts for $150. Continue reading

Travelers Take to the Roads This Fall

If you’re planning on taking a trip before winter weather hits, you’re not alone. In a recent survey, Triple-A found that more than one in four Americans plan to take a vacation in the time between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. Fall season seems to be the preferred time to travel for people who prefer fewer crowds and children, more mild weather conditions and cost efficient traveling options. Continue reading

Demolition Starts at River Gate South Apartment Development Site

Demolition has begun on the River Gate South Apartment Development in Plymouth and City Attorney Sean Surrisi said construction will start soon. Surissi was one of the key players in getting this project off the ground by collaborating with members of the community and Regional Cities Initiative, which awarded $1.5 million of funding for the development. Continue reading

Marshall County Commissioners Receive Bridge Construction Updates

Marshall County Highway Administrator Laurie Baker presented the commissioners with a contract between the county and DLZ concerning the Hickory Road bridge. The contract includes the construction inspection of the bridge and the off-site wetland mitigation. The commissioners did approve a contract with DLZ Engineering not to exceed $186,360.

Laurie Johnson from DLZ provided an update on the pre-construction on the Hickory Road Bridge project.

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School Bus Safety

The new design of many school buses is causing some concerns about safety. A feature that was installed to give drivers more warning that children are in the area and the bus is about to stop is not being heeded.

In the past, when a bus would stop the arm would come out and the red lights would flash in unison. Now buses feature flashing yellow lights while the driver is coming to a stop, and once they stop completely they hit a button to put out the arm and start the red lights. Continue reading

Tread in the Shed: Environmental Education Presentations and Walking Tour at Centennial Park

If you’re interested in learning about the environment and seeing what local conservation looks like, come out to Centennial Park today for the ‘Tread in the Shed’ event hosted by Marshall County Soil and Water Conservation District. The event will feature presentations about topics such as, habitats, predator birds, stream bank stabilization, water quality, the importance of watersheds and rain gardens.

The District Coordinator of Marshall County SWCD Debbie Palmer said he whole event will take about 2 hours, running from 10 a.m. to noon, and there are a few 15-20 minute presentations. She said that the walking tour will take place primarily in the shade, so the heat shouldn’t be an issue. Continue reading