Nappanee Advance-News, Volume 129, Number 48, Nappanee, Elkhart County, 30 November 2006 — Page 2

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■ Advance News • Thursday, Nov. 30, 2006

letter lo** editor

We strongly oppose a proposed zoning change from A-l to M-l for the property north of Waterford Street and west of State Road 19 in Wakarusa. Such a zoning change would have a serious negative impact on the quality of life and property values for all who live adjacent to this proposed development. We have had several respected realtors who have sold homes in this area for years tell us to expect our property values to drop 15 to 20 percent. As owners of adjacent property to the proposed development, we have participated in several meetings with the developer, town officials, members of the Town of Wakarusa's comprehensive planning committee and county officials. We have also sought counsel from an attorney and an engineering firm, both of whom have significant expertise in these matters. We have come to the conclusion that the needs of our town will be better served if this newly annexed area be developed with a business corridor along State Road 19, and badly-needed single family homes on the remaining property, rather than manufacturing or light industrial as is being currently proposed by the developer. If you feel the same as vye do, please call the Wakarusa town manager or one of the town council members or attend the meeting on Dec. 6 at 6:30 located at the Town Hall where the outcome of this will be decided. Thanks for your support, Randy and Jane Abel Steve and Annette Brown John and Tricia Foster Dave and Dawn Maugel 441 news The first meeting of the 4-H shooting sports club will be held Saturday, Dec. 9 at noon in the lower level of the ECCC (Elkhart County Community Center) building at the fairgrounds in Goshen. Youth must complete the hunter safety education course before completing 4-H shooting sports club work. This enrollment meeting is very important for first year 4-H members. Parents are encouraged to attend this meeting. The Elkhart County 4-H shooting sports club will again offer a hunter safety education course on Jan. 20. This course is required for all those who are interested in participating in 4-H shooting sports in 2007. The program is free of charge. Participants must preregister. Any youth, third through 12th grade, who is interested in taking the course or is interested in more information should contact the Purdue Cooperative Extension Service office at 5330554.

PARKING, from front

will require violators to pay a fine of up to $250. Though nothing is definite, citizens have already expressed concern over this idea. Nappanee resident Josh Hunsberger has brought his concerns before both the board of works and the city council. "I"m mostly concerned about citizens' rights," he said. While many, like Hunsberger, may consider the ordinance to be a bit harsh, the City of Nappanee will be willing to make exceptions. For example, a 10-hour permit will be issued at no cost for special occasions that may require guests to park on a host's front lawn. This may include birthday parties,

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graduation open houses, anniversary celebrations and so forth. In addition, the ordinance will not regulate back yard parking. "We want to be user and owner friendly," said Mayor Larry Thompson. According to Thompson and Hoffer, the council plans to handle the ordinance with extreme care, and is in no hurry to pass it at this time. "We want to cover all bases and address all issues first," said Thompson. Citizens will be notified as to when the ordinance will appear on the plan commission's agenda, and are invited to attend the meeting on the chosen date to express any concerns that they may have.

Community

FAMILY, from front

ing to tailor their service to suit each customer. "We get quite a bit of suit-and-tie in here, which is kind of surprising," said Richard. In addition, the Wilsons work to maintain a relaxing atmosphere that kids and adults alike can enjoy. "Right now you can hear the kitchen," said Richard. "That's one thing we want to change." While the menu has remained much the same, the Wilsons hope to update and improve the restaurant itself, starting with a new coat of paint. They eventually hope to include a a few big-screen TVs and Wi-Fi. Other plans include offering special group rates for church youth groups and high school athletic teams. For the Wilsons, the restaurant's location has provided a bit of a challenge as far as attracting new customers. "It seems like we're so rural yet so close to the city that finding the promotion is kind of a challenge," said Richard. The number of customers that the Wilsons see on any given day varies, as well. "(We get) anywhere between 10 and 1,000, it seems like," Jake commented. The Wilsons hope to keep Big Papa C's a family venture for as long as possible. "I'm trying to get my other son, Jared, into it," said Richard. "He's 18, and he's still in Illinois, right now." The Wilsons came to Nappanee from Mattoon, 111., close to the city of Champagne. Despite their current involvement with the pizza business, it was originally the local RV industry that brought Richard to the area. He commented on being in business with his son, and on the father-son relationship that has developed as a result. "It's what I kind of always wanted back in the early days," he said. "It's a way that we can be together and do some pretty big things." Richard and Jake plan to hold an open house on Tuesday, Dec. 5 from 5 to 7 p.m., at which time they will be offering Italian beef sandwiches and pizza samples. Drawings for $25 Chamber of Commerce gift certificates to Nappanee businesses will be held every half hour.

Wakarusa resident gains coveted AtHome America promotion

Staff report WAKARUSA Cristie Lechlitner, a resident of Wakarusa, certainly feels "at home" with AtHome America, one of the country's leading direct sellers of homedecorating accents and furnishings. She was recently promoted to the Two-Star Special Team Leader level, a coveted accomplishment within the organization. "It is always enjoyable to be recognized for hard work with an advancement to the next level," said Lechlitner. "It is particularly rewarding to be able to pursue my career and personal goals with a company like AtHome America." In order to reach the Twostar special team leader level, Home Style specialists must reach certain levels in their personal sales and team sales as well as add new members to build their teams. This can only be done with hard work and commitment to the

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AtHome America mission, according to Lisa Brandau, co-founder and president of the well-respected direct-sell-ing organization.' "As an organization, we do everything we can to support our Home Style specialists in the field. However, it is up to each individual to pursue her dreams of financial independence with passion and commitment," Brandau said. "So, when someone like Lechlitner reaches this level, it really makes us so proud and is a reflection of her tireless efforts." For more than 20 years, AtHome America has been decorating homes through Home Shows with their extensive collection of stylish and affordable home-decorating accessories, designed with family in mind. Lechlitner has been a part of the company since Feb. 4, providing her unique services to this area. For more information, contact Lechlitner at 862-4853 or www.athome.com/cristie.

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PHOTO SUBMITTED Pastor Jan Brown of the First Mennonite Church in Nappanee, stands with her husband, Claude. Brown recently became the pastor at First Mennonite after serving in several other churches throughout her lifetime. On Sunday, Nov. 5, First Mennonite Church, 900 West Market Street, chose as their pastor Jan Brown. She started her path to becoming a pastor at First Mennonite more than 20 years ago and now she has come home to First Mennonite. Jan has served for many years with the United Methodists and retired in 2002. She has also served as pastor to the Mt. Tabor Church of God and now, as a retired pastor, affirms her service to this local church that has been without pastoral care for 18 months. Jan is a local person who serves on the Nappanee City Council and is active in other areas of service to the City of Nappanee. Currently she serves on the board of directors with the Open Door and acts as vice president to the Nappanee Ministerial Association. Jan and her husband Claude Brown have five children and 11 grandchildren who reside in or around the Nappanee area. First Mennonite Church extends an open invitation to all to come and worship with the congregation and hear Pastor Jan Brown each Sunday at 9 a.m. for Sunday School and/or 10 a.m. for morning worship.

Local food drive deemed a success

A million thanks to the Nappanee community for their tremendous support of the third annual communitywide food drive sponsored by the Nappanee United Methodist Church. Food donations were received from Nappanee and Nappanee area residents on Saturday, Nov.-11. The previous Saturday, Nov. 4, they placed over 3,000 grocery bags on the doors of homes in the Nappanee area. An attached note asked residents to fill the grocery bag with non-perishable food items and to place the bag on their porch the next Saturday,

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when the bag would be picked up. It was an effort to reach out together to show God's love to the community? Once again the food drive was a huge success, collecting 8,735 cans that were given to the Open Door food pantry in Nappanee. Hank Whelan, director of Open Door, was elated to receive such a huge quantity of food and indicated that this will enable them to continue to help people in the upcoming winter months. Thank you to each and every person in the community who participated and reached out in love for those less fortunate.