Banner Graphic, Volume 15, Number 196, Greencastle, Putnam County, 17 April 1985 — Page 1

IBM puts city on course for Southern Highway

By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Managing Editor Make way for the Southern Highway. That was the rallying cry heard around City Hall Tuesday night in the aftermath of a major announcement by IBM Greencastle. IBM Tuesday night formally deeded over to the city approximately five miles of abandoned Penn Central railroad right-of-way it had purchased earlier this month from Conrail. THE PORTION GIVEN TO the city begins where the railroad crossing intersects with State Road 240 and continues west to where the roadbed meets the Seaboard Systems Railroad (old Monon tracks) near Limedale. “We are pleased to be in a position to donate a section of the roadbed to the City of Greencastle,” IBM representative Richard Andis said, explaining that IBM has purchased the entire 5.3-mile abandoned right-of-way which borders its property on the north. Exclusive of the ties, signals and switches (which Contrail has until Oct. 1 to reclaim), the city may do with the property as it wishes, Andis said. THE CITY KNOWS WHAT it wants to do - proceed with the proposed Southern Highway project. The Southern Highway has been conceived to use the old railroad right-of-way to create a limited access highway that would service the industrial park by connecting State Road 240 and U.S. 231. The state would fund all but the engineering fees. Mayor Gerald Warren eagerly accepted the IBM gift at the outset of Tuesday night’s meeting. “We can now approach

County Council to undertake recycled job classification task

By BECKYIGO Banner-Graphic Area News Editor The wheels of the job classification study will grind again as the Putnam County Council agreed Tuesday afternoon to focus attention on establishing a more equitable pay schedule for county employees. The timing is critical, according to Council President Jack Waldron, who is attempting to get a policy formulated prior to 1986 budget considerations. “I’d like for the Council to consider recycling an old project,” Waldron prefaced his comments Tuesday afternoon. “I’d like for us to consider bringing back the job classification study. “WE STARTED THIS study about IV 2 years ago,” Waldron recalled. “The study itself was precipitated by the variety of salaries we now have among our county employees. “Some of them are not representative of the salaries of the efforts being put forth,” the Council president added. “We did initiate a series of meetings to look at the job classification of our county employees.” Waldron recalled the result was actually an update of a study made by personnel at Indiana University, who spoke years ago with county employees about their job

The big 8-0 Clear and mild overnight with low around 50. Sunny and warmer on Thursday with high around 80. Southerly winds at 5-10 mph during the period. Indiana Extended Forecast Unseasonably warm Friday through Sunday. Mostly sunny Friday with lows in the 50s to low 60s. Highs from 80 to 85. Partly cloudy over the weekend with a slight chance of thunderstorms by Sunday. Low in the lower 60s and high in the mid to upper 80s. Abby A 4 Calendar A 5 Classifieds 88,87 Comics A 7 Crossword 88 Farm 88 Heloise A 4 Horoscope 87 Obituaries A 8 People A 7 Sports 81 ’ 2,3>4,5 •py A 7 Theaters A 8 Worry Clinic 86

Banner Graphic Greencastle, Putnam County, Wednesday, April 17,1985, Vol. 15 No. 196 25 Cents

the State Highway Department with the deed in hand to proceed with the construction of the Southern Highway. I’ve been promising, promising, promising, but now I’ll have it in hand.” The state has indicated its support of the Southern Highway -- at least the easternmost leg, from State Road 240 to U.S. 231. City officials would like to see the roadway extended all the way to Manhattan Road, but at this point the state has not been agreeable to the western section. IBM HAD A DUAL PURPOSE for ap pearing at the Council session. The corporation, represented by Andis, attorney Cy Young and engineer Alan Stanley, also requested the vacation of County Road 200 E, which is still labeled as a county road but lies entirely within city limits. IBM is still in the planning stages of an expansion effort and indicated that the city’s vacation of the dead-end gravel road that bisects the corporation’s land would facilitate its planned expansion. The vacation would affect three property owners north of IBM’s property, Fred Harrold, Donald G. Cash and Nelson Carmichael. In return for the city vacating the old, unmaintained roadway, IBM will construct a new city road (using a portion of the abandoned railroad right-of-way north of State Road 240), which will be deeded over to the city via warranty deed, Young said. THE NEW CITY ROAD would run along the rear of the IBM property, southwest from the existing CR 200 E to a point east of the railroad crossing on State Road 240. The proposal to replace the road “will allow IBM to continue design studies to ex-

Meeting time is altered

The Putnam County Council will begin a series of night meetings in an attempt to better accommodate the public. Previously, Council meetings began at 1 p.m. every third Tuesday of the month. Following a recommendation made by Councilman Tom Gray at Tuesday afternoon’s session, the board voted to change its meeting format next month. Council will now meet at 8 p.m. Tuesday, May 21 at the commissioners’ court on the second floor

responsibilities. That study was completed for the county by IU in 1979. “WE USED THIS AS a basis to proceed,” Waldron pointed out. The Council formed its own committee, consisting of representatives from county offices, departments and lay people. The IU study was then adapted to the local level and presented to the Council by Robert Farber, chairman of the Council’s study committee. “Three things happened last year that put the study on hold,” Waldron related,

Putnam Patter

Crashing Voncastle was DePauw tradition

By DAVID BARR Banner-Graphic Civic Affairs Editor Now and then you hear a mercantile complaint that not enough DePauw students ankle up town, hopefully, to make more beautiful music on store cash registers. As one who was part of a campus crowd about 55 years ago, I can assure you that this was not always the case. Students would come to town then, in a body, if there was something that interested them. This point of interest was once the Voncastle Theater that stood on Washington Street in an area now used for drive-in facilities for the First-Citizens Bank & Trust Co. SCHOOL SPIRIT UPON winning a ball game was sometimes too much to be contained on campus, so jubilant students rushed uptown to celebrate which meant a traditional crashing the Voncastle. What this meant was surging through the doors without benefit of ticket, but with limited blessings of the management. There was, however, just a hint of discrimination. We were relegated to the balcony rather than seating ourselves

pand its facilities at Greencastle,” Andis said. If it becomes necessary to close CR 200Ei, Andis said, IBM will provide use of its access road, located east of CR 200 E. “OUR FIRST CONCERN IS to provide good, acceptable alternative access to the people who live behind us,” Andis said. “We’re replacing the city road in return for access in and out.” Stanley said the relocated road would have an 84-foot right-of-way (city standard is 50 feet) with five-inch blacktop, rather than three inches as recommended by city specifications. The street surface would be 24-feet wide with a six-foot shoulder, Stanley said, in order to plan for future widening. “We tried to prepare a rural road that can be made into a city street if the need sometime arises,” Stanley explained. THE PRESENT GRAVEL road, Stanley said, “is not in very good shape,” with chuckholes abounding. The Council unanimously agreed to accept the deed to the old railroad right-of-way from IBM and to accept the petition for vacation of the city street. The vacation effort must now go before the City Plan Commission (April 29) and then return for a public hearing at a future City Council session. The Council, meeting for more than 2Vfe hours, discussed a variety of topics, approving an economic revitalization resolution and discussing alternatives about downtown parking problems and the possible removal of meters. Space limitations prevent elaboration here. Full details will be available in Thursday’s Banner-Graphic.

of the courthouse. Citing present policy, Council President Jack Waldron advised members still expect officeholders, who have requests for transfers or additional appropriations, to attend the night meetings in person to explain needs if Council action is expected. The night meeting format will be attempted on a temporary basis, members determined Tuesday, until its merits can be gauged.

“and there were interruptions. But I think this is still a value to the county and will result in the savings of county money.” Waldron then solicited comments from other councilmen, whether reestablishment of the study would be worthwhile. Comments were varied, but the majority agreed it had merit. However, Councilman Max Nichols said he heard comments to the contrary. “I DID HAVE SOME people comment that they didn’t think it was such a good Col. 1, back page, this section

among paying customers on the main floor. The custom met the disapproval of townspeople, many of whom took a dim view of students anyway. Enthusiasm of winning a game carried over during the feature film, and the more vocal seldom had more than one eye on the screen. THIS BEHAVIOUR, OR lack of it, prom pted the management to establish a new policy. No one from then on, would get in unless he had a ticket to present. DePauw professors were forever urging ~ indents to accept new challenges as an ongoing part of their education. The lock out was such a challenge. Some were a little quicker than the ushers and manager and slipped into the balcony free of cost. Then came the day of judgment and for reasons that made sense to DePauw students. The basketball game was nip and tuck, and when time ran out Wabash was behind by a few points. This meant taking the Voncastle over by storm regardless of rules to the contrary. Voncastle management must have heard the oncoming storm or had been

■SKimS ' - v At-

Two central dispatch proposals still alive, city officials contend

By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Managing Editor In the words of Greencastle City Councilman Bobby Albright, central dispatch has become a monster. “What’s happened,” the councilman-at-large said at Tuesday afternoon’s Board of Works meeting, “is that we’ve taken something that’s real simple and made a monster out of it.” Simply put, central dispatch is an emergency communications utopia. Combining the Greencastle City Police, Operation Life ambulance service and Putnam County Sheriff’s Department, it is designed to improve efficiency, while saving time and money. WHAT IT’S DONE HAS create a political volleyball that landed in the city’s court again Tuesday. The latest chapter involves a county commissionersponsored proposal to run the service out of the sheriff’s department. The city, however, didn’t accept that deal Tuesday. Instead, Mayor Gerald Warren told both the Board of Public Works and Safety and the Greencastle City Council that he contends that two active proposals for central dispatch exist. The mayor explained that recent discussions with members of the Putnam County Council indicate that they believe likewise. Besides the new commissionersoriginated central dispatch plan, the original central dispatch effort of Police Chief Jim Hendrich, OL Director John Bachmann and Sheriff Gerry Hoffa is alive and well. AND THERE’S NO doubt the city believes the original concept, with central dispatch using the city’s radio and communications equipment at GPD, is the best alternative. “I can’t see why we would spend one dime to move the communications equipment from the city police station,” Hendrich told the Board of Works, explaining that the threat of security problems with prisoners at the jail “could jeopardize the

warned in advance. The first wave of students found the doors locked. Soon they were joined by others until the entire block between Vine and Indiana streets, on Washington Street, was filled with a yelling throng clamoring for an open door policy. A LONE GREENCASTLE policeman standing on a folding chair kept waving his night stick and demanding that students vacate the area and go back to their dorms. At one point he stepped down from his chair to take more positive action on an individual basis. The chair disappeared over the heads of the mob. But the law of Greencastle was not about to give up. The fire department was called out. The night was bitterly cold and well below freezing. A stream of water did much to cool the ardor of the most aggressive students. A short, but pointed, speech by Dr. Henry B. Longden, vice president of the university and head of the Rector Scholarship Foundation, gave students an additional reason to give up the battle and go

system.” Locating the system outside the city police station, Hendrich continued, would be detrimental not only to the department, but the city as a whole. He said city dispatchers not only man the radio, but do filing, answer the phones, provide citizen assistance and serve as receptionists. “It would be detrimental for the city to lose those services and let them go down to the jail,” the chief added. “EITHER THE COUNTY doesn’t trust us, or they feel slighted that the city’d be running the service,” Hendrich said in response to the latest proposal. That commissioner-instigated effort, Hendrich said, was put together without any input from the city. None of the commissioners, he said, has ever come by the police station to see the equipment or discuss the city’s needs. Meanwhile, the county “has jumped the gun,” Hendrich said in securing its own FCC license. In doing so, it has relegated the city to 90 watts, as opposed to its previous 260-watt power. And the FCC will soon be putting the city on a new frequency, Hendrich said, so not to interfere with county transmissions. THAT, HENDRICH SAID, will cost the city SI,BOO to go on a separate frequency and change radios, “all because the cart was put before the horse.” “If they can do the system and we can do the system, then where’s the beef?” the chief asked. “It’s who do you trust. If we can’t get over that hurdle, that’s where we’ll always be.” The city has been providing dispatching service to the county free of charge for several years. The city, Hendrich estimates, already does 80 per cent of the local dispatching. According to Albright’s figures, the sheriff averages five calls a day, with OL 2-3. City police, meanwhile average 25 a day. “THERE’S $50,000 WORTH of equipment already downstairs in the city police

back to the campus. AFTER THIS INCIDENT, DePauw’s administrative body stepped in and declared such behavior a felony, misdeameanor or some sort of infraction which would no longer be tolerated. The riot hit the university pocketbook since DePauw was sent a bill for broken glass from Voncastle doors. To my knowledge this ended the tradition of crashing the Voncastle to show school spirit after winning a game. Since this piece has been written from an eyewitness point of view, I suppose you may wonder if I was part of that screaming mob. The answer is yes and no. I WAS WITH FRIENDS IN an automobile parked in front of what is now the Coan Pharmacy, safe from the frigid blast of the fire hose and really not a part of the riot as such. When the streets were clear again and Voncastle’s management felt safe in unlocking the doors, some of us did go in to watch the tail end of the show. Did we pay or sneak in? I don’t remember, so you are welcome to any conclusion you choose.

Mayor Gerald Warren (left) holds a deed and shakes hands with IBM representative Richard Andis Tuesday night after the corporation deeded over five miles of abandoned Penn Central railroad right-of-way to the city. IBM had purchased 5.3 miles of the 100-foot-wide right-of-way from Conrail earlier this month The city hopes to use the roadbed to proceed with the Southern Highway project. (Banner-Graphic photo by Eric Bernsee).

office that’s paid for,” Albright added, “not to use that is not good for this community.” The waste, Albright said, is not in the city police operation, but in the duplication of services for OL and the county. “The money’s already there (in the county budget) to be used,” the councilman said. “It’s up to the commissioners and Gerry Hoffa to give it up. It’s as simple as that. It’s not the city’s position to tell them how to spend their money.” Hendrich countered, “Everything they’re (commissioners) doing now is simply spending money (acquiring a transmitter, remodeling the jail and adding personnel). They’re spending $69,000 where we can do it presently for $55,000just to say that their proposal is better than ours.” THE MAYOR READ a letter from Commissioner Don Walton, inviting the city to appoint two members to a board governing central dispatch. At Tuesday night’s Council meeting, Albright and Warren were named to represent the city - not on what they perceive as a central dispatch board, but to continue negotiations toward common ground on the two plans. “That’s an excellent idea,” City Attorney Jerald Calbert said of the negotiations stance, “but may I remind you that there are authorities in the county who believe they have resolved the issue?” Mayor Warren said the first step would be to formally reply to Walton’s letter. He and Albright will then confer with the two OL and two county appointments to try and find “common areas of agreement to fulfill the objectives of increased efficiency and reduced cost.” IN OTHER BUSINESS, the Board of Works: -Gave approval to Jackson Brothers Inc., represented by “Tink” Jackson, to extended concrete paving of the Double Decker parking lot at the intersection of Fifth and B streets into the city easement Col. 3, back page, this section

'Nineto Five' luncheon set for Monday The Greencastle Chamber 1 of Commerce is sponsoring a “Nine to Five” Secretarial Luncheon Monday, April 22 at the DePauw Union Building. SCHEDULED FOR room 207-208 at the Union, the luncheon will begin at 11:30 a.m. A fashion show is slated 1212:30 p.m. with festivities concluding at 1 o’clock. Tickets are $6 each and can be reserved by calling Jo Auvil at the Chamber of Commerce office (6534517). Reservations are needed by Thursday. Bosses and secretaries are invited to help usher in National Secretaries Week (April 21-26) with this new Chamber event. "WE THOUGHT this would be a good way to kick off National Secretaries Week,” said Mrs. Auvil, executive secretary of the Chamber.