Banner Graphic, Volume 22, Number 105, Greencastle, Putnam County, 6 January 1992 — Page 1
New angle turns trees into cover Jaycee Park fish to benefit By LISA MEYER Banner-Graphic Staff Writer Being a little fish in a small lake is not an easy thing these days at the Greencastle Jaycee Park. The lack of hiding spots in the five-acre lake makes the tiny minnows easy prey for the larger fish. That is leading to a stagnant population of medium-size fish, mostly bluegill, which is not as attractive to sport fishermen who would fish at die lake. BUT A GROUP of students at Greencastle Middle School plan to change that scenario. The Science Club, under the direction of biology teacher Larry Hilgeman, has undertaken a project to build up the underwater cover for the fish, and at the same time, do some practical learning outside the classroom. “These kids are really turned on by science,” said Hilgeman, an Indiana University graduate and former naturalist at the Brown County State Park. “I know it’s a Nintendo age, but contrary to popular belief, these are not the science-less kids people think.” IN FACT, THE Science Club memberships has doubled to 80 since last year. Hilgeman credits that show of interest in science to the projects that the club undertook in his first year, including a cookout/clean-up at the park. “We’ve got a lot of able hands and a lot of young energy,” he said during a recent overcast day at the park. ‘The kids love it.” As volunteer caretaker for the Jaycee Park, Hilgeman can provide an open lab for the students to work
Judy Wilson named Merchants Assn, president for 1992
Judy Wilson of Greencastle Photo Supply and Portrait Studio is the new president of the Greencastle Merchants Association for 1992. Other officers announced by the GMA are: Beth Cox, Central National Bank, vice president; Karen Bailey, Horizon Business Center, secretary, and Zaida Benassi, First Citizens Bank, treasurer. “ON BEHALF OF the Greencastle Merchants Association,” Mrs. Wilson said, “I would like to thank (1991 president) Mary Jane Mace and all the members of the Merchants Association for a fine year.” The upcoming year, she said, will begin with a kickoff breakfast at 8 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 8 at the Walden Inn. Coffee and danishes will be served, sponsored by Central National Bank. “We urge that all members attend so that you will be brought up to date on the calendar of events for the coming year,” the new president said. Col. 6, back page, this section
Case of the missing sun
Cloudy and continued unseasonably mild with low overnight near 35 degrees and high Tuesday around 45. Indiana Extended Forecast Wednesday through Friday: Mild with little or no precipitation expected through the period. Highs Wednesday and Thursday in the upper 30s to middle 40s in the north and middle 40s to around 50 in the south. Lows in the 30s. Highs Friday in' the
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Larry Hilgeman stacks and cleans used Christmas trees that the Science Club at Greencastle Middle School will use to build underwater cover for fish at the Greencastle Jaycee Park.
on outdoor projects. The club’s latest undertaking falls in place with Hilgeman’s priority of shaping up the lake for a future of good fishing. USED CHRISTMAS trees are the main ingredient in the learning mixture for the sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. Already, a stack of trees fresh from the holiday season have been stacked by the Jaycee lake. Using sturdy plastic rope, the students will tie the evergreens to cement blocks. If the lake freezes, Hilgeman said, the covers can be set on the ice at selected spots around the lake. When the ice thaws, the trees will sink to the desired locations to give young fish somewhere to hide. HILGEMAN SAID he does not
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JUDY WILSON New GMA president
middle 30s to middle 40s. Lows in the middle 20s to lower 30s. Index Abby A 3 Calendar A 3 Classifieds A 7 Comics A 4 Crossword A 7 Horoscope A 7 Obituaries A 8 People A 4 Sports A5,A6 Theaters A 8
The students are spearheading the project, which is intended to improve the park for future generation of fishing enthusiasts. (BannerGraphic photo by Lisa Meyer).
expect the lake to freeze this year, however. If need be, he will take the trees out by boat and sink them where the students decide the cover is most needed. Since there is time yet this winter to wait for the lake to freeze, the students can use that time mapping the lake to find the locations that could best use cover. With a depth finder commonly used by fisherman, the topography of the lake can be plotted, Hilgeman said. The lake topography has changed dramatically since it was built about 30 years ago, he said. BEAVER DAMAGE has killed many of the trees along the lake shore and that has led to erosion, which has filled the lake with sediment That change in depth also
No easy fix for troubles of new teens
By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Editor We’ve had a teen-ager in our midst for just over a week now. And amazingly, the initial transition seemed so smooth. Twelve-year-old girl one day; 13-year-old young woman the next This is easy, I thought Where’s the defiance? The acne? The peer pressure? The mood swings? The us-vs.-them attitude? Oh sure, there have been symptoms of each. But this whole teen-ager thing was falling into place easier than a soap-opera plot. After all, I’ve always envisioned a scenario similar to that old dad-and-daughter McDonald’s commercial. YOU REMEMBER the one. Dad picks up a backseat full of giggling teen-age girls, suggests stopping at McDonald’s for a snack and then is greeted with the cold shoulder and an icy “you’re-not-going-in-too?” stare as the girls spy the teen-age boys they’ve been giggling about. Dear old dad is relegated to munching fries alone in the parking lot while daughter and her accomplices make goo-goo eyes inside. Dad, I’ve always thought, is the one deserving of a break today ...
Legislators expect short and uneventful election-year session
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) An election ahead of them, a long and contentious session behind them, Indiana lawmakers just want to do their work quickly and go home in 1992. The state’s 150 citizen-legislators report to work Monday for a 30-day session designed to handle emergency legislation and make adjustments in the state budget. BUT WITH NO emergencies and no new money to spend during the recession, lawmakers don’t expect much to happen. There will be plenty of debate, a lot of electionyear rhetoric, but few major bills passed during 1992, lawmakers believe. If they’re right, legislators will finish their work by late February, leaving plenty of time for campaigning before the May primary in which nominations will be determined for the 125 legislative seats
caused the hiding spots for the smaller fish to disappear, he said. Using the Christmas trees as was the idea of Hilgeman’s friend, outdoorsman Duane Lewis, who often gives him advice concerning the environment. Contacts at the Department of Natural Resources said the idea was a good one, Hilgeman said, but they pointed out that the soft wood of the evergreens will decompose in about a year. THAT TIMING is good enough to allow another group of Science Club members to participate in a cover-building project. In the meantime, he said, the cover can be supplemented with hardwood branches, such as oak and maple. Hardwoods have been shown to Col. 4, back page, this section
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But no, that would be too easy. To this point or take a cha-ching this dad has been there to put the pieces back together. WE’VE SQUISHED the rubber heads back on Barbie and Ken when it seemed that all about us were losing theirs. We’ve found the missing stuffed animal of choice when it seemed that sleep would never come without it. We’ve used glue, guts and guile to put her
that will be contested in the fall general election. “This should be a year of very modest expectations because there’s no money beyond what we’ve spent,” said House Speaker Michael K. Phillips, D-Boonville. “AND I DON’T KNOW of any emergencies that have been identified that have to be dealt with,” he said. Committee hearings will start Tuesday, and Gov. Evan Bayh will give his charge to the Legislature in his annual State of the State address on Thursday. Phillips and Senate President Pro Tern Robert D. Garton, R-Colum-bus, said they expect to call the two legislative chambers into session almost every weekday in January, thus rapidly depleting the number of working days the law allows for the session. Col. 6, back page, this section
Full meeting load to usher in new year at City Hall
By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Editor While most of us rang in the new year last week, City of Greencastle officials will mark its arrival with three public meetings this week. The City Council will meet in a special reorganization meeting at 7:30 p.m. Monday (tonight) at City Hall. ON TUESDAY, the Greencastle Board of Zoning Appeals will hold its first meeting of 1992 at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall. And on Wednesday at 7 p.m., the Greencastle Board of Park Commissioners will usher in a new year of meetings. Tonight’s Council session is expected to be brief. The Council will elect a new president to succeed Democrat Bob Sedlack, who did not seek re-election in the Fourth Want The new Council is composed of At-Large member Mike Rokicki, First Ward Councilman Tom Roach, Second Ward representative Jerald D. Calbert, Third Ward member Sue Murray and Fourth Ward Councilman Charles Miles. All, except Calbert, are Democrats. The City Council will hold its first regular session of 1992 at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 14. MEANWHILE, the Zoning Board also has a light agenda Tuesday night. The lone item advertised by Chairman Jinsie Bingham is a request by Tim and Jeannine Conway for a special exception to use a relocated building at 205 S. Indiana St. for a multi-family dwelling in a C 2 (central business) district. The Conways moved the former DePauw University-owned house from Hanna Court to the lot im-
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Indiana Assn, of Fairs honors Kenny Harris
Longtime Putnam County 4-H Fair participant and organizer Kenny W. Harris of Greencastle was named Sunday to the Hall of Fame by the Indiana Association of District and County Fairs. BASED ON HIS years of 4H work and community service, Harris was one of four recipients from across the state to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He received a plaque for the honor and the Putnam County Fair Board received a ribbon that will be displayed in the Community Building at the county fairgrounds. HARRIS HAS served as a past president of the Indiana State Fair Board, as Putnam County Extension agent, as a member of the Putnam County Fair Board and has had several other involvements at the local and state levels.
mediately north of Ashley Square Twin Cinemas last summer. It will ue used as apartments, which are permissible as special exceptions (requiring case-by-case approval) in the C 2 district under an amended ordinance passed during the last quarter of 1991. IN ADDITION TO the Conway request, the Zoning Board will also conduct reorganization. Presently, Chairman Bingham is joined as an officer by Vice Chairman Jerry Rud and Secretary David Wood. Mrs. Bingham is in her third year as chairman of the zoning panel. Other Zoning Board members are Claudia Williams and Warren Harlan. According to City Hall, the Zoning Board terms of Harlan, appointed by the City Plan Commission; Rud, appointed by the City Council, and Williams, appointed by the mayor, technically expired Jan. 1, 1992. They will continue to serve, however, until reappointment or the appointment of a successor. Meanwhile, Wood’s term expires Jan. 1, 1994, while Mrs. Bingham appointment runs out Jan. 1,1995. IT’S THE PARK Board’s turn Wednesday night when President Greg Larkin follows an agenda that will include updates on the new city pool project and the Robe-Ann Park site plan. Joining Larkin on the Park Board are Leslie Hanson, Debbie Barnes and Bob Breese. Stan Lambert is park director. The City Park Board normally meets the first Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m.. However, it postponed its Jan. 1 meeting to Jan. 8 because of the New Year’s holiday.
prized possessions back together until now that is. And now, as Daughter No. 1 becomes our Teen-ager No. 1, the challenge is greater than our arsenal of Mr. Fix-it magic. Her beloved cat has picked just this juncture in life to disappear. Missing nearly two weeks now, the cat she has adored more than all the New Kids on the Block combined is most assuredly gone forever. Such cruel reality accompanied the arrival of her 13 th birthday. OUR NEW TEEN-AGER sat on the stairway alone the other night, crying to herself while admitting out loud that she doesn’t expect her cat to ever return. “I have a hole in my heart,” she sobs to her mother as dad is forced into a background role in this first teen-age trauma. A hole in her heart? That I can’t fix. It won’t be her last, I’m sure. And almost assuredly the next one won’t be left by a cat. And I’m sure I won’t be able to fix the next one either. I just hope she never quits counting on me to do so. After all, it could get awfully lonely eating those french fries out in the car.
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KENNY HARRIS Hall of Famer now