The Independent-News, Volume 104, Number 39, Walkerton, St. Joseph County, 8 March 1979 — Page 4

M \R( || 8, 1979 IHF INDFPF Nin\lM" S

| EDITORIALS

WHAT A WEEK THAT WAS |he past week has been one ot much eontrosersan lor the low n ot Walkerton and its residents . espccialh those in certain areas ot the town whi re a double dip" ot tale struek them And in both eases, the town and their emplovees took some unwarranted abuse as complaints, threats, accusations. ete . were thrown at people who had basically no control over what was happening Ihe first "bad news" to hit was the monthh eleetrie bills. Despite the taet that main ot them were estimated on kilowatt hour usage, the new line "power tracking factor" certainly put a different bottom line on all ot the bills. I his charge, certainly not a reduction but a sizeable increase, was a necessary item for the I own ot Walkerton to pass on to the customers Even legal thing had been done including previous notification of such coming increases to the customers This simply is passing on to the users the charges that are passed on to the town from their supplier, the Northern Indiana Public Service Company. This tvpe of increase hits even dav in other businesses . . . perhaps not as much all at once, but you can be sure that your local supermarkets have been passing their price increases on to you . . . you have pulled up to the gas pumps and seen the steadily rising prices when you purchase gasoline . . the cost of new cars .. . the cost of clothing . . . and yes. the cost of services of everyone reflects the prices those respective businesses have to live bv and it is passed on to you the consumer. Ihe problem with the electric increase is the size all at once. However. this is not vet a proven increase and after upcoming action being taken against the utility by Walkerton and several other towns and cities that buy their electricity from NIPSCO to resell to their customers, the final price may range widely, but not higher than they have asked for. The increase to users of the Walkerton utility is .018921 per kilowatt hour This goes on top of what the average residential customer pays now. .03 as that puts anyone using between 301 and 1000 kilowatt hours at this rate. The increase is steep, but it has been publicized that NIPSCO had passed a 56.7 increase on to Walkerton for what they have purchased. The town's bill went up considerably, from a high average useage of around $39,000 a month to this month's SS6.(XX). The town board and ladies that work in the office are trying hard to keep things down if they can. They aren't happy about having to put the increases on and especially taking the guff that has come their way. They are just doing a job. Any alterations possible in the future will be pursued by the town for your benefit and only time and the results of the legal action will dictate this. We have at another place in this issue, broken down the present rates and listed the new "power tracking factor" in an effort to help explain this all to you but through the efforts of the town to circulate letters and petitions that will be used in your behalf, they are asking for your help in doing their job that will reflect back on your future. The second problem was no secret to anyone that was around town, especially the southern part of Walkerton around State Road 23 and the Glenn-L Estates. That was the flooding situation due to several reasons Saturday and Sunday that has cost a lot of hardship and some definate property damage to those effected. There is no doubt that this "act of God” is something that can’t be helped in most cases, but to look at the area and say "flood" is quite shocking as this in not near any rivers or streams, or even hilly area, but you have seen the results of the rain, the rapid melting and run off that did flood this area last week end. Harsh words and worse have been thrown around here also, in fact, this is probably the key factor in the resignation of one of the town board members w ho also lives in this area and was working as hard to protect his own property as anyone else. These things happen when tempers flare and bad situations then cause unrational actions. But the name calling, the accusations, etc., did nothing to help the water go away . . . only the proper action and a lot of cooperation by. again the town board in calling a special meeting and declaring an emergency situation to get outside help, and a very hard working fire department that aided for hours on end in pumping water from homes and the area. I he only thing g<x>d that may come out of this . . . and we say may . . . is that possibly in the future a little more study and planning be made in areas of sub-divisions to see that basically a proper drainage is planned for According to the television commercial, "you can't fool Mother Nature and evidently over the years some have felt vou can. There is no doubt that what was once open land and farm land, being rapidly turned into a housing area w ith asphalt, homes, driveways, etc., has had a definate affect on the percolation of the area. There just isn’t as much land to handle the water as there once was and with the improvements, the building of everything, the run off and percolation has to be seriously changed. A proper study needs to be taken and even though costly, perhaps better engineering and planning in the land and plans could aid in a situation such as this in the future. Ihe town ot Walkerton docs not have a lot of direction to grow residentiallv and this direction is a natural . . that is if the area can take it I his is riot an only case, you see of water problems on TV and read about them in the papers all the time in new sub-divisions where once again mavbe man is trying to "fool Mother Nature". It is hoped that this situation be a one-time shot, that the flooding doesn t become a continued threat, but it must be accepted that water problems in that area have greatlv increased as the building in that direction increases and that somewhere along the line better planning and guidelines must be set. Yes, it has been some past week in Walkerton . . . but the town and its people are not working against the public, it is just at this time uncontrolable results. What the future holds will be to a large degree the results of what can be done by those in charge now and from now on. s^^whe (fAKEN FROM IHI HI ES OF IHI INDI PI ND! N I NF WS)

1974 Ihe I own of Walkerton will be canvassed for funds to help combat vanoer on Sunday, March 31, by

the Lincoln I ownship 4-H'ers. Ihe Walkerton Jaycees will be participating in the statewide effort to raise funds to aid the mentally

retarded of Indiana this Saturday and Sunday with the annual Honey Sales. Gregorv Davis has been selected to go to Bovs' State in June from North I iberty and alternate is Chris Weiss. Flame Hartsough has been chosen to represent North 1 ibertv at Girls' State and Deborah Fries is the alternate representative. Ihe Walkerton Chamber of Commerce has joined with hundreds of Indiana communities in an all-out voluntary gasoline and energy conservation program initiated by the governor. Otis Bowen. I he program, called PRIDE, will be implemented through a state wide citizen committee and a network of local commitces. PR IDF stands for "Partners In Reducing Indiana's Deficiencv of I nergv." 1969 Grand opening celebrations will be held for the Jacob Chalet Shops this Friday and Saturday. in Walk erton. The beautiful new shops, in the 400 block of Illinois Street, include the Feece Floral Shoppe, the DeWayne Pavey Insurance agency and Janet's Beauty Salon and Wiggery. A derailment of two engines and 14 cars on the Elkhart and Kankakee line of the Penn Central Railroad occured early Tuesday morning near the intersection of Riley ands Tamarack Roads, south of North Liberty . Mark Northam, an eighth grade student at Urey Middle Schook won a first place award at the Science Fair. The title of his project was "Through the Ether." He was entered in the physics division of the junior level. Also Vickie Taylor, also an eighth grader at Urey, won a third place for her project entitle "Chromatography" in the biology division, junior level. Kathie Bussie. sophomore at John Glenn, won a first in the senior space division for her project, "Algae Is Our Future." 1959 Contact negotiations between Wells Aluminum Corp, and UAW Local 194 were concluded this week after the local membership accepted the latest company proposals. This brought to a close negotiations which have been in progress since mid-October, 1958. On Friday. March 10th, the Junior Class will present their annual play in North Liberty. This year they have chosen to present "The Poeple vs. Maxine Lowe." The play is written by Luella McMahon and is not the usual farce comedy but a more serious drama in the form of a jury trial. On Monday evening a dinner was held at the Newstand in honor of the 1958-59 basketball varsity team for North Liberty High School. 1949 It seems that more northern Indiana residents have seen south ern Indiana than southern Indiana citizens who have seen the north end of the state. This may be because most of the state parks are in the southern Indiana and nearly all of the state forest land is there! Or it may be because of the advertising given southern hills by the Indianapolis papers and Indiana artists. The Dunes park is in the north west corner of the state. To find the other lake district park you must go to the northeast corner, Pokagon state park. Pokagon park is on the shores of two lakes. James and Snow, Lake James is very large though not so big as Wawasee. and Snow lake is middle-size. There is a rather large hill on the border of Pokagon that is known as Hell's Point, and it is really a hill too. though not to be compared, possibly, with what you have in Southern Indiana. It is only when you remember that these hills are all made from the glaciers. Hell’s Point is just a big stack of gravel. Ihe glaciers brought the gravel south with them This ice here at Pokagon park possibly was a half mile thick, maybe a mile thick. When there were heavy layers of

gravel and not so much ice. you have hills. Where there was nearlv pure ice and not so much gravel, vou have valleys or lakes. Ihe gravel is granite, not the kind of shale you have in the southern counties. It is very hard and of many colors. In some places this gravel is mined and one large hill near Syracuse in northern Indiana has been mined down below the water level so that you now have a rather large lake instead of a hill. The gravel came from the Laurentian mountains north of Lake Superior. It is not just a finespun theory, but a fact well proved. If you ever visit a glacier and study it. you will sec that, at the present time, glaciers did in a big wav. 1944 Sunday. May 21. has been set as the date for the mortgage burning ceremony for the Walkerton Methodist Church, according to Rev. W.R. Kuhn, the pastor. This is made possible through the success of the recent money-raising campaign. conducted under the leadership of Claude Houser, w hich freed the church of all indebtness. 1929 The first practical step in World ( hurch Unity was taken Saturday in the announcement of the plan of union whereby the Reformed ( hurch in the U.S.A., the United Brethren in Christ, and the Evangelical Synod of North America will form "The United Church in America." The plan has been unanimously approved by the commissioners of the three denominations and is now released to the million members of the three communions for their approval or rejection. Edward Grider, president of the State Bank of Walkerton. D.M. Cohen, president of the Farmers A Merchants State Bank of North Liberty and John Eastburn, president of the Lakeville State Bank. Lakeville, has been asked to serve as local chairmen for Philiippinc Day in their respective communities. Local committees have been established in every city and town in America to help carry on the work designated for Phillippine Day. May Ist, the anniversary of the Battle of Manila has been designated as Phillippine Day by the trustees of the Leonad Wood Memorial for the Eradication of Leprosy. On May 1, 1927, Major 1 General Leonard A. Wood appealed to the American nation for a fund of $2,000,000 to eradicate leprosy in the Phillippines, where the largest colony of these pitiful

WHAT IS THE POWER TRACKING FACTOR? I he "Power Tracking Factor" is an additional charge per kilowatt hour of electric used that recovers the town's increased cost from the utility. NIPSCO. The exact amount of the factor for Walkerton is 01M921 per kw h. The increase has hit seven tow ns and each has a different factor and thev are as follows: Bremen 017854 Etna Green 021947 Argos .'. 019768 Winamac 017451 Chalmers 018927 Kingsford Heights 015616 Walkerton 018921 I he Town of Walkerton is requesting the people to voice their complaints in the form of a letter or petition or both. You will find the letters circulating throughout the business section. Please fill one out and return it to the clerk’s office within the next two weeks. The present residential rate schedule for Walkerton (before fuel adjustment and power tracking factors) is as follows: First 30 kwh 07 per kwh 31 - bO kwh 06 per kwh 61 - 300 kwh 043 per kwh 301 - 1(XX) kwh 03 per kwh Over 1000 kwh 023 per kwh The commercial rate is: Up to 40 kwh 06 per kwh 41 • 1500 kwh 045 per kwh 1501 - 10.000 kwh 033 per kwh 10,001 - 25,(MM) kwh 025 per khw Over 25.(MM) kwh 023 per kwh

human beings found anywhere, are living under the Stars and Stripes. Over $1,000,000 has been raised with the goal hopefully to be reached on May 1 st. I he Miladv Shoppe, formerly the Walkerton Hat Shop, which has recently moved into its new room, will hold a spring opening Saturday. according to Mrs. Blanche Smith, the manager. P-L-J SCHOOL BOARD NEWS I he Polk-Lincoln-Johnson School Board met in regular session on I uesday, March 6. The board accepted the only bid presented on the school corporation insurance from the Farmers State Bank of LaPaz. The cost for the total package each year for the next three years is $18.611. This agent was also the previous carrier for the school corporation. The board accepted the resignation of Carol Huffstctter as assistant volleyball coach at the high school. Procedures and guidelines to determine the eligibility for assistance to families in payment of fees for school b<x>ks and supplies were adopted by the hoard. They also approved summer programs which include driver education, varsity baseball, baseball for 13-15 vear olds, remedial reading and mathematics for grades one through eight, band, basketball clinic for 1 grades five through eight, and summer recreation. Conference requests were granted to John Hostraw scr. head Exitball coach, to attend a football clinical Purdue University on April 4-6; and ( harles Mellon, athletic director, to attend the Athletic Directors' meeting at Indianapolis on March 19-20. । The board members will attend the Farm Bureau dinner-meeting at Bremen on March 14 with topics ' concerning school budgets and school financing problems to be discussed. i K M Associates of Elkhart, architect. were represented by Terry Short who presented a tentative feasibility study for the renovation of the Urey Middle School and plans to comply with the Handicap Act in the three buildings. The definate costs will be made known in the near future. The next meeting will be Tuesday. March 20. at 8:00 p.m. in the administration building with an executive session starting prior to the meeting at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of staff evaluation.