Banner Graphic, Volume 22, Number 106, Greencastle, Putnam County, 7 January 1992 — Page 1

Greencastle, Putnam County. Tuesday. January?. 1992. Vol 22 No 106 35 cents J

SUE MURRAY New Council president

Sue Murray elected president of Greencastle City Council

By ERIC BERNSEE Banner-Graphic Editor For the first time ever, the Greencastle City Council will have a woman president in 1992. During an organizational meeting Monday night at City Hall, fellow Council members unanimously elected Democrat Sue Murray, the city’s Third Ward representative, as president of the Council. SHE SUCCEEDS Bob Sedlack, the two-term Fourth Ward Councilman who chose not to seek reelection in 1991. Mrs. Murray was nominated by new Fourth Ward Councilman Charles Miles with new First Ward Councilman Tom Roach seconding the motion. And new Second Ward Councilman Jerald Calbert’s affirmative vote made it unanimous. “Congratulations, Sue,” Mayor Mike Harmless offered.

Sen. Thompson invites constituency contact

With the beginning of a 30day session of the State Legislature Monday, State Sen. Dick Thompson (R-North Salem) reminds constituents to contact him with their concerns about the issues the General Assembly will face. THOMPSON, a native of the Morton area, now represents the city of Greencastle since the new district maps outlined by the General Assembly went into effect Jan. 1,1992. The southern part of Putnam County is still represented by Sen. Ed Pease (R-Brazil). Sen. Bob Hellmann (D-Terre Haute) no longer represents Putnam County as of Jan. 1. In the House of Representatives, Democrat Susan Crosby of Roachdale represents the entire county. “Effective representation means keeping the lines of communication open,” Thompson said. DURING THE legislative session, Thompson may be reached by writing the Senate, State of Indiana, 200 W. Washington St., Indianapolis 46204.

Wet day for Wednesday

Cloudy with 30 percent chance of light rain well after midnight Low overnight in the upper 30s. Rain likely Wednesday with high around 45 degrees. Chance of rain 70 percent Wednesday. Southeasterly wind at 5-10 mph during the period. Indiana Extended Forecast Partly cloudy Thursday through Saturday with a chance of rain on Thursday. Daily highs will range from the middle 30s to the middle 40s Thursday, cooling into the lower 30s to around 40 by Friday and Satur-

TOM ROACH Joins Plan Commission

“Thanks ... I think,” she answered in becoming, according to all available records, the Council’s first female president. Before Mrs. Murray was unanimously elected, Calbert originally nominated Councilman-at-large Mike Rokicki for the presidency. However, that motion died for lack of a second, which was more a reflection of Rokicki’s wishes than his popularity. ROKICKI WAS unavailable for Monday night’s special meeting but had previously advised fellow councilmen that he would rather retain his appointment to the Greencastle Development Commission than serve as Council president. And Rokicki got his wish. The second-term at-large councilman was unanimously re-elected as the City Council appointment to the

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SEN. DICK THOMPSON Represents city now

Constituents may also call Thompson at the Senate’s tollfree constituent number, l-800j--382-9467. Thompson also said constituents may write him at home, when the General Assembly is not in session, at Route 1, Box 119 C, North Salem.

day. Lows will range from the 30s Thursday morning, cooling into the lower 20s to lower 30s by Friday and Saturday mornings. Abby AS Calendar A 5 Classifieds AB,A9 Comics A 4 Crossword A 9 Heloise AS Horoscope A 9 Obituaries AlO People A 4 Sports A6,A7,A8 Theaters AlO

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MIKE ROKICKI Reappointed to GDC

GDC Board on a motion by Roach and a second by Miles. The City Council made one additional appointment from within its ranks, selecting Roach to serve as Council representative to the City Plan Commission. He succeeds Mrs. Murray in that capacity. Coincidentally, the Plan Commission appointment is the same one held by Roach’s wife, Sheri, during her initial years on the Council. Roach won election to the First Ward seat in November after his wife chose not to seek re-elec-tion. THE NOVEMBER election of Miles to the City Council, however, has created another vacancy on the Plan Commission. Miles has been serving on the planning body as the mayor’s appointment. However, his position as councilman negates that Col. 4, back page, this section

Keightly Rd. site appraisals revealed

By ANGIE HOWLAND Banner-Graphic Staff Writer Plans to build a new Putnam County Jail are progressing, but the questions of where to put it and how to fund it remain unanswered. Putnam County Commissioners Gene Beck, Don Walton and Dennis O’Hair are considering eight separate sites for the facility, but have concentrated primarily on a site along Keightly Road. That site, comprised of 14 acres and four lots, is located about a mile south of the county courthouse, west of U.S. 231 and would be visible from the Veterans Memorial Highway. More exactly, the land is located west of the McClure gas station and north of Ottawa Park. A FINAL VOTE ON the site selection has not yet been made the by commissioners but cnly the Keightly Road site has teen soil tested and appraised. Monday evening during the commissioners’ first regular meeting of the year, they voted to accept two appraisals made on the land and send them onto the County Council for further action. By law, two independent appraisers must give land values to a governmental body on land that is being considered for purchase.

Environmental focus for DPU winter term

By CHARITY SINGLETON Banner-Graphic Intern Making DePauw freshmen more aware of the broad nature of environmental concerns is the goal for this year’s freshman winter term program. According to Dr. Stanley Warren, dean of academic affairs, approximately 420 freshmen in the college’s school of liberal arts will be involved in the month-long program. “WE WANT THE students to see the big picture of global warming and the rain forests, and we want to encourage them to lead environmentally productive lifestyles,” Warren said. He said the students will be divided into approximately 25 groups of 17-18 students, each

Latest local tax shortfall hits GCSC funds hardest

By JOE THOMAS Banner-Graphic Assistant Editor For the second consecutive year, the Greencastle Community School Corp, will suffer with a budget shortfall that Putnam County Auditor Myrtle Cockrell says is due to the number of certificates of error allowed on tax assessments. IT MEANS THAT the reassessment of 1990 is becoming the nightmare that won’t go away. Last year’s bad dream produced a shortfall of more than $74,000 for the GCSC’s general fund. This year’s nightmare will generate a total budget shortfall of $258,834. Of that, $104,723 will come from the general fund. “I think we’ll have these until the next reassessment,” warned Mrs. Cockrell. The implication of that statement is that until a new reassessment is done (and assuming these problems are corrected and no new ones committed) the GCSC and other local governmental agencies will not be able to accurately predict their assessed valuation, their tax rates or their cash balances. FOR WHILE the GCSC is hardest hit among local government agencies, it is not the only one. Many of the townships will lose at least a little money, while the county must cope with a $28,381 shortfall and the City of Greencastle must deal with a shortfall of $32,565. The auditor’s books reflect the magnitude of the problem. In the City of Greencastle alone, more than $203,000 in certificates of error were allowed in 1991, which was the second budget cycle after the reassessment was supposed to have been finished. While incorrect assessment is the single most popular error on the

Greencastle FmHA office to close officially Jan. 24

The Putnam County office of the Farmers Home Administration (FmHA) at Greencastle will close Jan. 24 at the close of business, state director George A. Morton has announced. HOWEVER, FmHA services for Putnam County will be available at the Rockville County Office, U.S. 36 West, P.O. Box 307, Rockville 478720307. The phone number is 5692036. Wesley Cramer serves as county supervisor at the Rockville office. Out-of-office hours at the Greencastle branch, located on

Then, the governmental body cannot pay more than the average of the two prices. Appraiser Paul Jackson recommended that the 14 acres are valued at $105,000 and the four lots at $28,000. The second appraisal, made by Edward Helmer and Blanchard Ketchum came in at

group led by a faculty member. All of the groups will meet together for various sessions throughout the month that will feature workshops, movies and guest lecturers. SOME OF THE speakers include Randy Hayes, director of the Rainforest Action Network, who will be discussing the impact of the damage done to rainforests in various nations; Deborah Daniels, U.S. attorney of the southern district of Indiana, discussing the legal aspects of the environmental movement; and Cathy Prosser, head of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management who will be discussing her role in managing the environmental concerns of the state. Two other guest speakers will be

books, there seems to be no end to the number of errors that can be committed. FOR EXAMPLE, the single laigest correction benefitted Shenandoah Industries to the tune of a sll4, 891 personal property tax abatement That abatement was part of the incentive package offered by the City of Greencastle to land Shenandoah Industries in 1987. But forms must be filled out and filed annually. And this is where it gets a little confusing. The company must file is annual tax assessment forms with Greencastle Township Assessor Eleanor Delp, according to Mrs. Cockrell. However, the abatement form must be filed in the auditor’s office. In 1991, the firm turned in to Mrs. Delp the stack of tax forms comprising its tax assessment. Stuck in the middle of those forms, according to Mrs. Cockrell, was the piece of paper that alerted the auditor to the personal property tax abatement THAT SINGLE piece of paper was overlooked in the pile of other tax forms and so it was never filed with the auditor and thus was not granted on Shenandoah Industries’ tax bill. When the company appealed, the state ordered the county to grant the abatement Another popular error, Mrs. Cockrell said, was not allowing enough depreciation on older homes. It was a mistake that she thinks was made when a computer operator hired by ATEK entered data into a computer. Instead of putting in the current year at that time, Mrs. Cockrell thinks the operator simply copied data off the 10-year-old assessment cards. That ensured that depreciation allowed on older homes would

U.S. 231 North, will be announced later. Services for Owen County will be available at the Sullivan County office, Old U.S. 41 North, P.O. Box 528, Sullivan, Ind., 47882-0528. The phone number is 812-268-3311. Keith Milligan is the county supervisor at Sullivan. SERVICES FOR Montgomery County will be available at the Covington County Office, Route 3, P.O. Box 191, Covington 47932-0191. The phone number is 793-2234. Danny Laughner will serve as county supervisor at Covington.

$95,000 for the 14 acres and $28,000 for the four lots. AVERAGING those recommendations, the county cannot pay more than SIOO,OOO for the 14 acres and $28,000 for the four lots. Most of the 14 acres is zoned 1-1 (Industrial). The four lots are zoned RA (Residential/Agriculture) and

a part of the program and their sessions are open to the public. James Ridenour, director of the National Park Service, will be speaking on the measures taken to keep the national parks environmentally sound. Ridenour, former head of the Indiana Department of Natural Resources, will be speaking at 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 22 in the Kresge Auditorium. Also, at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, in the Lilly Physical Education and Recreation Center, Sam Chattin, head of an animal rehabilitation unit, will be speaking on the important role animals play in our environment. He will also be giving demonstrations with the animals he is currently treating. WHILE THESE students are participating in this environmental

be incorrect. JANETT BOLING, assistant superintendent for the GCSC, admitted the shortfall will cause some problems. She predicted that the school system will have to transfer funds and possibly seek a loan for cash flow purposes at some time in 1992. “This is kind of serious news, really,” Mrs. Boling said. “This year we will have to live with $104,000 less (in the general fund) than expected.” SINCE ALMOST all of the salaries are paid out of the general fund, this shortfall could pose problems for continuing contract negotiations between the school board and the Greencastle Classroom Teachers Association. Teachers have been working through the school year without a contract and wages arc the significant sticking point in the talks. Compounding the GCSC’s problem is that fact that the school system has yet to recoup last year’s $74,000 shortfall. That money was built into the 1992 budget and ultimately approved by the state. But all of that money will not be placed in GCSC coffers until the end of the year. And this year’s 5258.000 shortfall means that much money will have to be placed into the school system’s 1993 budget to be collected throughout next year. And if Mrs. Cockrell is right, it is a process that will have to be repeated every year until a new reassessment is completed. IN THE MEANTIME, the school system will find ways to get by, Mrs. Boling said. “We’ll survive, I’m, sure but it is sort of a blow. But we’re getting used to taking blows around here,” she said.

would have to be rezoned. Architects Odle, McGuire and Shook presented a preliminary sketch of the facility to the commissioners that includes three “pods” in the 31,000-square-foot building for 48 regular cells. If the population continues to grow, the area may be double bunked. Away from the regular inmate cells there is a separate 10-person dormitory to house work-release prisoners, a 10-cell pod for juveniles and a section for female prisoners. According to Sheriff Richard Lyon, a recent change in a federal law allows juveniles to be housed in an adult jail as long as the youths are sight and sound separated from the adults. CURRENTLY, juveniles can only be kept in the county jail for six hours, under specific conditions, because of the way the current facility is situated. The one-floor facility also includes an office area, communication area, indoor/outdoor recreation areas, program room, law library, drunk tank and other areas. Preliminary designs also call for a partial basement under about onefourth of the building. The basement is designed for a garage where maintenance may be done of Col. 5, back page, this section

study, DePauw upperclassmen are involved in a variety of on- and offcampus activities such as independent projects with faculty, mission work projects in foreign countries and internships. This is the third year for this freshman winter term program. Last year’s program also focused on the environment, while the topic of China and Japan was discussed the first year. Warren said he believes it is beneficial to the freshman class to enhance the first year of their college experience. ‘THIS PROGRAM allows them to do some bonding with each other, and to gain another year of experience before getting involved in internship experiences,” he said.