Banner Graphic, Volume 17, Number 303, Greencastle, Putnam County, 26 August 1987 — Page 1

Banner Graphic Greencastle, Putnam County, Wednesday, August 26, 1987 Vol. 17 No. 303 25 Cents

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GREENCASTLE G. C. MURPHY CO.: At local site over 60 years

Murphy's reign ends

By JOE THOMAS

Banner-Graphic Assistant Editor A dream dies Wednesday. More than 60 years ago, the Paxton brothers first opened the doors to a new G.C. Murphy five and dime store on Washington Street, just off the square in Greencastle. At 5 p.m. Wednesday, Manager Bill Schwirian will lock those doors for the last time, closing the store permanently. SCHWIRIAN SAID the store is closing for a simple reason: Not enough business. He said he thought his store had been hurt by the opening of Wal-Mart on Indianapolis Road, the closing of the IBM plant, and recent construction in the downtown area. Closing stores is nothing new to G.C. Murphy. The chain, now known as Ames-Murphy and based in McKeesport, Pa., closed 108 stores south of the MasonDixon line in 1985. In that move, every G.C. Murphy store in every Southern state except Florida was closed due to declining sales. Schwirian said the closing of the Greencastle store is not part of a similar mass closing. In fact, Schwirian said the Greencastle store is the only one in the Midwest that is being closed at this time. THE STORE WILL not hold a “Going Out Of Business Sale” the manager said. Instead, all of the merchandise will be transferred to other G.C. Murphy stores in the area. Schwirian said he expected that process to take 10 days to two weeks. Schwirian, who celebrated his 40th anniversary with the company in March, said he will be transferred to Murphy’s in Brazil

For access to new plants Three lanes for Fillmore Rd.

By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Editor Improvements of Fillmore Road to accommodate an industrial boom on Greencastle’s East Side will include the addition of a third traffic lane, the Greencastle City Council learned Tuesday afternoon. Mayor Bobby Albright told the Council, meeting in special session at City Hall, that not only will the entrance to the Shenandoah Division of Automotive Industries plant be off Fillmore Road (County Road 275 E), but so will the entrance to the new TechnoTrim plant. THE TECHNOTRIM plant - to be located at the corner of Indianapolis and Fillmore roads, immediately south of the AI facility - is not yet under construction. In fact, financing of construction of TechnoTrim s 100,000-square-foot facility was the purpose of the Tuesday afternoon Council meeting and the five-minute session of the Greencastle Economic Development Commission (EDC)

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Wednesday was the last day of business at the Greencastle G. C. Murphy store, 12 E. Washington St. where David "Butch" Pettit and Wilma Johnston (behind counter) have been employed the past 19 and BILL DORY, MAIN Street Greencastle project manager, said he “obviously regrets they’re leaving Greencastle. We think there is still a lot of opportunity here.” Dory said Main Street had been working with the corporate office in McKeesport, Pa., trying to convince the chain to leave the store open. Dory said the headquarters was concerned about the closing of the IBM plant, and he tried to

Board meets Monday

A special session of the Greencastle Board of Public Works and Safety has been scheduled for 10 a m. Monday at City Hall. The board will receive the engineer’s report on bids received Aug. 27 in regard to sewer and water line extensions

that preceded it. Greencastle Properties Co., headed by Harold Force of Force Construction, Columbus, has applied for $3 million in economic development bonds to build the plant and fund the acquisition of equipment and furnishings to be leased to TechnoTrim, a joint venture of Johnson Controls, Ann Arbor, Mich., and Tachi-S, Tokyo, Japan. A state-finance infrastructure grant to upgrade Fillmore Road is part of the incentive package used to

An 80 percent chance of thunderstorms overnight. Low in the low 70s. A 70 percent chance of thunderstorms occurring Thursday with high Thursday in the low 80s. Indiana Extended Forecast Friday through Sunday: Partly cloudy Friday, mostly clear Saturday and increasing cloudiness Sunday. Mild with highs 75 to 85 and lows 55 to 65.

11 years, respectively. Declining business was cited by the company as the reason for closing the local operation. (BannerGraphic photos by Gary Goodman). assure them efforts were underway to replace those jobs in the community. Dory said he sent Ames-Murphy information on Automotive Industries and TechnoTrim Inc., two auto parts manufacturers who will be opening plants in the city next year. DORY SAID Murphy’s real estate division owns the store, and he will be in touch with them to see what their plans for the building include.

to the Shenandoah Division of Automotive Industries {riant at Indianapolis and Fillmore roads. The board, comprised of Mayor Bobby Albright, Ralph Taylor and City Attorney Jerry Calbert, is expected to award the bid at the same meeting.

bring the new industries to Greencastle. The Council Tuesday afternoon endorsed a resolution to authorize application for the infrastructure grant for improvements to Fillmore Road to facilitate construction of the TechnoTrim facility. THE COUNCIL HAD previously passed a similar resolution in regard to the infrastructure grant involving the Al-Shenandoah plant. It was during discussion of the twoCol. 2, back page, this section

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Russellville residents' sewer hook-up looms

By BECKYIGO Banner-Graphic News Editor WAVELAND-Residents of Russellville and Waveland will be required to pay for sewer hook-ups and the construction of a treatment plant to meet regulations for disposal established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). That was the topic discussed for approximately two hours Tuesday night as Waveland and Russellville residents gathered for a public hearing at Waveland Elementary School. A SIMILAR PUBLIC hearing was held Monday night at Russellville Elementary School to ensure Putnam and Montgomery county homeowners are aware of the plan. Addressing the audience of approximately 40 people Tuesday night were Michael Cline, chief environmental engineer, and Carl Mun, environmental engineer, both of the Indianapolis firm of Beam, Longest and Neff Inc. They were joined by Conrad Harvey, a Crawfordsville attorney who serves as legal representative to the Little Raccoon Regional Waste District. The district, which was formed in 1977, was given authority by the Town Board of Waveland, and the Town Board of Russellville, to

Prime Time peek Gov. Orr likes what he hears at Northeast

By JOE THOMAS Banner-Graphic Assistant Editor Gov. Robert Orr came to Northeast Elementary School Tuesday to take a look at the success of the Prime Time program begun by his administration in 1984. The school’s Prime Time teachers told the governor they thought the program was a success. “The kids are excited about learning... Prime Time is working,” one teacher assured him during a meeting Tuesday. ORR SAID HE WAS glad to hear that kind of sterling report, but credited the teachers with making the program a success, and asked for their support in making the A+ education package a success, as well. Orr reminded the teachers they are molding the future, not only of the community, but also of the state and the nation. He told them they are teaching students how to deal with the problems they will face 25 years from now, when today’s students begin demonstrating their leadership abilities. The governor told the teachers the A-t- program prepared by himself and Supt. of Public Instruction H. Dean Evans, is “about getting children ready for their future.” He assured the teachers A+ “is not anything to be fearful of.” ORR CALLED IT THE “initial stages of a brand new day in

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Delivery of aerial truck delayed until Saturday

Delivery of the community’s new aerial ladder fire truck, anticipated by Thursday, has now been delayed until Saturday, Greencastle Fire Chief Bob Elmore announced today. Elmore was among a group making a final inspection of the aerial truck at the Sutphen Corp. plant in Columbus, Ohio. A few minor alterations will be necessary before the truck is put

pursue the sewage matter. Cline began the hearing by noting, “It used to be in the counties, if you were an incorporated area, that you were permitted to tie septic tanks into storm sewers or a drain tile. ” BUT STUDIES WERE conducted and it was found that septic tanks do not provide treatment needed. “The bugs, if you will, in the sewage became airborne and the bacteria continues to grow in the tank without air,’’ Cline continued. Recognizing this problem, the EPA gave authority for grant money to be given to towns and cities to build sewers and treatment plants,

education in Indiana.” He also said Prime Time was “the opening wedge of what has happened in education since I have been governor.” In a press conference after the school visit, Orr declined to say what he thought the next step in the evolusion might be. “We have an immense amount of work to be done by school corporations, administrators, teachers and the state Department of Education getting the A+ program implemented. And I am sure there will have to be a lot of fine tuning of the rules and regulations A-I- lays down.” Orr said he thought the complete implementation of his education package will take “two years of very hard work before we settle into a new approach to things.” ORR TOURED THE school’s Prime Time classrooms with his special assistant for education, Sue Talbot. Mrs. Talbot is a former Teacher of the Year who teaches first grade in the Monroe County Community School Corp. She has been working with Orr for the past two years. Orr credited Mrs. Talbot “with ensuring house bill 1360 (the A-I- Program legislation) made sense.” Karen Hirt’s third-graders gave the governor a formal greeting in Spanish when he came to their room. Mrs. Hirt told Orr she is teaching her class the language, using a lesson program offered by the IDOE.

on the road for its 230-mile trek to Greencastle, the chief said. Completion of the wiring and a few other minor details should be worked out in time for the truck to be delivered Saturday morning, Elmore said. Sutphen will send an engineer to help train the local firefighters in using the 48M>-foot-long truck and its 100-foot aerial tower.

according to Cline. A study of the sewer-septic situation was made in Waveland in 1970, but there were no funds available to correct the problem. But in 1976, the town received authority to conduct another study and to apply to the State Board of Health for sewer grants. But the town was advised grants would not be made to small areas and that Waveland would have to join with another populated area to receive grant money for sewer work. “That’s how Russellville got involved,” Cline said. “Both towns Col. 1, back page, this section

Hers was not the only class that knew Spanish, though. Tansy Wells greeted her secondgraders with a bulletin board featuring a likeness of Amigo, the official mascot of the recent Pan American Games in Indianapolis. Amigo greeted the students, saying: “Buenos dias, Amigos! ” The students were able to tell Gov. Orr the parrot was saying: “Good day, friends!” ORR GAVE SEVERAL of the classes souvenir business cards he had prepared for the Pan Am Games. One side of the card was in English, while the other side was in Spanish. Elena Wilson’s thirdgraders, who were studying English when the governor dropped in, knew his card was written in Spanish, but could not figure out it said he was governor of the State of Indiana. Orr visited each of the nine Prime Time classes at Northeast, talking with the students, and encouraging them to work hard during the school year. In a question-and-answer session with the school’s fourth- and fifthgraders, Orr said he believes, “It is important for the governor to be as in touch with what is going on in school as it is possible to be. ” HE TOLD THEM WHEN he was in fourth grade, Charles Lindbergh made the first successful transAtlantic flight in an airplane. He told Col. 3, back page, this section

John Baughman is a reluctant patient as apprentice surgeon Max Murphy closes in on his troubled teeth in a scene from the Neil Simon play, "The Good Doctor," scheduled Friday at Putnam County Playhouse. "The Good Doctor," being staged at 8 p.m. Friday only at the Hazel Day Longden Theatre, is a series of unrelated scenes and is an early Simon work. Tickets, priced at $2 each are available in advance at Gjesvold's Photo and Art Center or at the door Friday night. "The Good Doctor" is directed by Diana Brumfield, with Sandi Ulrey her assistant. The vignettes involve a range of situations, from political satire to human foibles to self-parody. (Banner-Graphic photo by Gary Goodman).