Banner Graphic, Volume 20, Number 98, Greencastle, Putnam County, 29 December 1989 — Page 1

BarmerGraDhic^ Greencastle. Putnam County. Friday. December 29, 1989, Vol. 20 No. 98 35 Cents 181

New building on Cloverdale’s list for town vehicles

By LISA MEYER : Banner-Graphic Staff Writer CLOVERDALE The Cloverdale Town Council avoided the Christmas rush by waiting until Thursday night to do its bargain shopping. Items on the gift list included a new building for some town vehicles, a new water meter tester, a scanner-type radio for the police department and a new sewer line for some town residents. DURING THE council’s short final meeting of 1989, members decided to buy a Morton Building at a cost of $12,249. Utility Manager Mike Gray submitted estimates to the council for three types of pole bams. Council President Mark Cassida recommended that the town buy a Morton Building since it carries a warranty that covers damage such as paint peeling and heavy snow loads. Gray said the pole bam will house sewage and water department vehicles and will sit north of the existing town utility building. GRAY ALSO requested the council purchase a portable water meter tester for the utility department. The town can save money by running its own certified tests on meters thought to be faulty, he said, rather than trading-in suspect equipment Many of the meters probably do not need replaced and can be fixed for less than the cost of getting a replacement, Gray said. At a cost of $483.75, tie tester would pay for itself after its use on 14 meters, he said. COUNCIL MEMBER Steve

Hood, Coffin gear up for London

Two South Putnam High School cheerleaders will be among the 773 American high school students to perform in the Lord Mayor of Westminster’s New Year’s Day Parade in London. Senior Krista Lynn Hood, daughter of John and Karen Hood, Route 4, Greencastle, and junior Dana Coffin, daughter of Dick and Dicki Coffin, Route 5, Greencastle, will tour the European city during an eightday trip that culminates in their parade march. THE GIRLS WERE selected during the summer when the South Putnam chcerleading squads attended a Universal Chcerleading Association camp at PtmJue University. On the final day of the camp, the UCA counselors and directors had an all-star competition to reward the outstanding cheerleaders who excelled during the week-long camp. Each squad was able to nominate one person to participate in the competition. The varsity squad chose Hood while the junior varsity was represented by Coffin. THE COMPETITION consisted of a dance, cheer and chant that had been taught during the camp.

A little bit of everything

Ail 80 percent chance of rain tonight Lows near 35. A 70 percent chance of lain Saturday. Highs in the upper 30s. For the rest of the New Year’s weekend: A chance of light snow Sunday. Indiana Extended Forecast By New Year’s Day, precipitation will end and the entire state will see mostly cloudy skies. Lows in the early morning hours will plunge to 15 to 20, and highs will recover only to the lower 20s upstate and about 30 in the south.

Walters made the motion to purchase the tester, with Teresa Adrns seconding the move. Meanwhile, residents on Logan Court on the town’s southeast side will soon be serviced by a new sewer line. Gray told the council the tile line now serving houses on that street has either collapsed or been invaded by tree roots. A recent effort to clean out the line with a rodder resulted in the loss of some rods. ABOUT 200 FEET of PVC pipe is needed to replace that line, Gray said, and it needs to be done as soon as possible. A manhole also needs to be installed on that street, he said. The cost of the project should be less than SI,OOO, Gray estimated. The council unanimously approved the project. In another expenditure, the council approved the purchase of a $680.25 portable radio at the request of Police Chief Jim Kabzinski. The scanner-type radio can keep the Cloverdale officers in contact with all county police and fire departments, Kabzinski said. He has been using one of the radios on a trial basis. IN OTHER TOWN matters, Gray reported Cloverdale received some welcome help from Greencastle Street Commissioner Jim Wright. During the recent deluge of snow, Cloverdale’s salt spreader broke down with no hope for repair. Snow covered roads demanded attention, so Gray tamed to Wright for help. Col. 2, Back Page, this section

■ jt' j 99 "s' / ~ 1 • • Krista Hood (L) and Dana Coffin

Hood and Coffin were among the top cheerleaders chosen to represent Indiana and the United States during the London parade. While in London, the group

Index Abby A 4 Calendar A 4 Classified AB,A9 Comics A 6 Church AS Crossword A 9 Horoscope A 9 Obituaries AlO People A 5 Sports A7yAB TV A 6 Theaters AlO

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It was clearly grip and grin time for Boogie Brown (left) and Sara Watson, as they prepare for another ride down a small hill in Greencastle. The five-year-olds

Courthouse closed Monday The Putnam County Courthouse will be closed Monday in observance of New Year’s Day. The courthouse will reopen Tuesday and resume normal office hours. In addition, the county commissioners regular meeting on Monday will be postponed to Tuesday night. The commissioners meet 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the courthouse. The session is open to the public.

will visit the new Elvis Presley Museum where members of the Memphis contingent will present gifts from the Graccland estate, Memphis Mayor Richard C. Col. 4, Back Page, this section

Operation CARE begins

PUTNAMVEUE—Indiana State Police want to remind everyone during the New Year holiday weekend that defensive driving is more than a cliche, it’s a state of mind. Responsible driving requires being mentally alert few emergencies on Indiana roods. ACCORDING TO Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety, five people may die on Indiana roads during the New Year’s holiday period which starts at 6 p.m. Dec. 29, and continues until midnight Jan. 1. State Police, in its effort to maintain safe roads, will have

seem to take their sledding to heart as Boogie uses leg power to start them on their way. Or is that really his handy dandy foot brake in case the speed gets too ex-

Statistically speaking Age of residents, income, taxes increasing

Editor's Note: There is an old saw that tells us figures never lie but liars often figure. Another says we can find statistics to tell us anything we want to hear. But whether we believe them or not, statistics tell us where we’ve been, give us an idea of where we are, and can guide us in where we want to be. Nonetheless, it is always important to remember that statistics are not determiners and statistical projections are not absolute that cannot be changed. The numbers used in this story were compiled from The Indiana Fact Book, 1989 which is published by the Indiana Business Research Center at the Indiana University School of Business. They were gathered from sources such as the U.S. Bureau of the Census, the Indiana State Board of Health, the UJS. Bureau or Economic Analysis, and the Indiana Department of Employment and Training Services. By JOE THOMAS Banner-Graphic Assistant Editor A statistical profile of Indiana published by the Indiana University School of Business shows a burgeoning prosperity in Putnam County, the likes of which have not been seen in local history. However, the profile does not yet include a complete accounting of the effects of International Business Machines’ March 30, 1987 closing of ifs Greencastle plant. IBM was the County’s largest and best-paying employer, providing jobs to 985 people. THE STATISTICS are provided by the The Indiana Fact Book, 1989, published by the IU School of Business and the IU Business Research Center. Its figures, in some cases, go as far back as 1979 and are as recent as 1987. Its projections stretch into the future as far as 2020. Nonetheless, a complete picture of the effects of IBM’s closing has yet to emerge, though parts of die frame can be seen. POPULATION Putnam County’s population in 1980 was 29,163 and the Fact Book expects that to climb to 30,510 by

Operation CARE (Combined Accident Reduction Effort) working during the holiday travel period with 215 troopers working 8 Vihour shifts. CARE provides federal money to pay troopers to work days off providing extra patrols during the holiday periods of increased traffic. Motorists can set the example both on and off the road, ISP officials stress. The trend in traffic safety today is to change the name of accidents to crashes. Indeed, most crashes are preventable through responsible driving. Don’t Col. 1, Back Page, this section

Street Dept, to pick up Christmas trees Tuesday The Greencastle Street brush chipper to grind them Department will begin the col- down to mulch,” Wright told the lection of residents’ discarded Banner-Graphic. Christmas trees Tuesday, according to Street Commissioner Jim Of course, Wright said street Wright department workers may not get Wright instructed residents to all the discarded trees collected have their Christinas trees out by on Tuesday. “They should just curbside beginning at 8 a.m. leave them out there and we’ll “WE’LL BE USING the get to them,” he added.

sometime in 1990. It will grow to 31,150 through the 90s and will peak at 31,430 in the year 2010. However, population is expected to decline to 31,230 by 2020. Those figures show a 6.8 percent growth rate from 1980 to 2000 and a 0.3 percent growth rate from 2000 to 2020. Natural increases will account of more than 61 percent of the growth, while migration will account for the remaining 39 percent, according to projections. THERE WILL BE 5,430 babies bom to Putnam County parents between 1985 and 2000, according to the Fact Book, while 4,630 residents will die in the same span. That is a net natural increase of 800 people, while 500 more people are expected to move into Putnam County than will move out in the same 15 years. A statistical history shows that from 1980 to 1986 there were 2,200 births and 1,700 deaths, for a natural increase of 500 people. A total of 300 more people moved in than nipved out However, that figure does not include people who left with IBM closed, nor the 200 or so houses sold by Merrill-Lynch as part of IBM’s pullout But while the county’s population is expected to increase over the next 20 to 30 years, it is also expected to grow older, as the median age will rise from 30.8 years in 1985 to 35.2 years in 2000. AGE GROUP projections also show an aging population. An age-group study of the county’s 1985 population shows

Thanks to the last straw, Chandler saves plants

MOUNT MERIDIAN, Ind. (AP) Putnam County strawberry farmer Jerry Chandler braved the freezing weather to keep straw on his plants during the cold snap. The straw atop a 6-inch snow cover may have saved his crop when the mercury plummetted to 26 degrees below zero last Friday. “WE’RE REAL fortunate,” Chandler said during a noon

frame? Both were spotted Wednesday at 1017 S. Indiana St. (Banner-Graphic photo by Gary Goodman).

18.34 percent were 14 yews or younger, while 22.78 percent were 15-24. The largest bracket was the 25-44 category with 26.40 percent of the population. A total of 19.67 percent were 45-64 while 9.58 percent were 65-79. Only 3.1 percent of the population was 80 or older. However, an age group projection of the county’s population in 2000 shows the younger categories shrinking with the older categories growing. BY THE TURN of the century, only 17.43 percent of the population will be 14 or younger and wily 19.22 percent will be 15-24. The 25-44 age bracket will still be the largest, with 27.41 percent on the county’s population. The 45-64 category will grow to 21.92 percent, while the 6579 group will grow to 10.27 percent Even the oldest among us will grow in numbers, but wily to 3.7 percent of the population. But population figures can be tricky items to project. For example, a lock at the Indiana Fact Book, 1985 sets the county’s 1990 population at 30,000 with growth to 30300 by 2000. The 1989 edition raises those projections to 30,510 fw 1990 and 31,150 for 2000. The county’s residents are expected to grow collectively older during the rest of the 20th century as the median age will rise from 30.8 years in 1985 to a projected 35.2 years in 2000. INCOME And while the population and its Col 4, Back Page, this section

break in his winter field work. “There would have been serious injury to the strawberries from the extreme cold if there had been no snow. I think we’re in pretty good shape.” Strawberries can survive temperatures of 15 degrees below zero, but there would have been significant damage with lasts week’s readings, Chandler said. THE THREE inches of straw Col. 6, Back Page, this section