The Mail-Journal, Volume 9, Number 45, Milford, Kosciusko County, 6 December 1972 — Page 1

Phones: 658-4111 & 457-3666

VOLUME 9

H # KB ■ . W r ~“j .JBg // * JL / ~.. if >jfe|- ' ®F A f A SIGN OF CHRISTMAS — Another sign that Christmas is approaching is the Christmas decorations which were put up in Milford last Wednesday. Above is one of many poles in Milford which displays the bright balls, bells and wreaths of the holiday season.

New federal funds available — Milford considers new sewer system

Members of the Milford town board decided at their meeting Monday .night to consider a completely new sewer system for the town. This decision came about after board members talked with L. E. Woodman, president of Baxter and Woodman, Inc., of Crystal Lake, 111., civil and sanitary engineers who are working on Milford’s sewage treatment facilities. Woodman told board members that a new federal ruling allowed for grants of 75 per cent to finance the installation of sanitary sewers in towns. Board members are currently planning to use the present sewer system where available with new sewer lines being layed only where sewers are not now layed. However, if such a grant is available the town could keep its present sewers for storm sewers and install new sanitary sewers for all users. Board members asked Woodman what delay a project like this would cause with the sewage treatment plant which the town is expecting final approval on at any time. They were told it would have nothing to do with the treatment facilities and therefore cause no delay. Dr. T. A. Miller, president of. the town board, stated two things

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Consolidation of THE MILFORD MAIL (Est. 1888) and THE SYRACUSE - WAWASEE JOURNAL (Est. 1907)

had been worrying him. First, the financing of the project and secondly the fact of the joint sewer system. Miller noted there are several serious weaknesses in the old system. The board asked Woodman how the town stood on sewage systems in the proposed annexed areas and was told there were no (dans at the present time because the plans being used were drawn in the middle 1960’5. The proposed areas will definitely be included if new plans are drawn. Attorney William I. Garrard asked Woodman if the proposed new sewer lines could be used if the plans were re-drawn and was told they could. He asked again about the area to be annexed and was again told it would be added. He also asked if the firms engineering fees would be added on to the present project and was told it would. The attorney recommended the town proceed and Woodman was instructed to obtain additional information and report back to the board. To Push Suit Garrard asked board members for permission to request the plaintiff prosecute the park suit or that it be thrown out. Board members were in full agreement

Area II annexation in Syracuse is completed

The annexation of a tract of land contiguous to the town of Syracuse, known as Area 11, was completed some time ago and will become effective March 2, 1973, according to Syracuse town attorney Bruce Frey. Attorney Frey made the statement at the town hall last Thursday night before a joint meeting of the Syracuse town board, the plan commission, and board of zoning appeals. The matter came up when interested parties questioned Frey on the status of the town’s annexation efforts. The initial impetus for the annexation of three separate tracts of land to the town of Syracuse was provided by the Syracuse-Wawasee chamber of commerce. Areas I and 111 are still in litigation, but attorney Frey told the joint meeting last Thursday that he has complete confidence that the town of Syracuse will win the annexation battle. AreaH He said Area II includes Wawasee Heights, Weatherhead, the area around the Syracuse cemetery, and basically follows

Car-school bus crash injures Syracuse woman

A Syracuse woman, Charolotte J. Cook, 40, was admitted to Goshen hospital with head injuries Monday morning following a car-school bus crash at 7:45 a.m. on snow covered and slippery Indiana 13 about one and one-half miles north of North Webster. State officers reported the Cook

$1,750 damage to two cars involved in collision Cars driven by Mary L. Culver, 28, r 1 Leesburg, and Jesse E. LeCount, 83, r 1 North Webster, collided Wednesday at the in-

that this should be done. The suit was filed by the heirs of Cleo W. and Elinor Estep, namely Janet Fisher, Joe O. Estep, Francis E. Watkins and Eugene C. Estep, on March 25, 1970. It asked for property which they claimed belonged to them, namely a portion of the property known as Lakeside Park which has been operated as a public park by the town of Milford since the 1930’5. One of the plaintiffs, Eugene Estep, had died since the suit was filed. Immediately after the suit was filed members of the town board instructed Garrard to procede with legal action on the suit. Garrard also told board members he would appear for the town on the remonstrance filed against the annexation. He said the first step in the case is for the court to determine whether or not the remonstrance had been properly filed. The law requires remonstrances be signed by either 51 per cent of the land owners or by those who own 75 per cent of the total valuation. New Clerk Board members officially* appointed Harry Schultz as clerktreasurer of the town of Milford. His duties will begin on January 1. Schultz will be replacing Mrs.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 1972

the present corporate limits on the west side of the town to encompass everything west of state road 13 down to what will be the extension of the entrance to Oakwood Park, if the line were drawn directly west. Area I includes everything on the north side of Syracuse to the Elkhart county line, beginning at North Huntington and extending across road 13 along the county line over to and including roughly the west third of the north shore of Syracuse Lake, then back west along the existing limits of the corporation. And, finally, Area 111 is bound by the town corporate limits on the north, by road 13 on the west down as far south as the intersection of old road 13 and new road 13, and it takes in some of the property mi the north side of the road as far as the bridge where one goes to. Kale Island, which is all of the area mi the north side of the road as far up as the existing corporate limits running along the shoreline of the marsh area. Area 111 is more or less of a triangular-shaped piece of property, Frey pointed out. Litigation Litigation surrounding an-

auto skidded out of control and crossed the center line, colliding with the front end of a northbound Lakeland Community School Corp, bus operated by Ray E. Darr, 41, r 2 Syracuse. No injuries were sustained to the bus driver or his passengers. Damage was set at SSOO to the bus and $1,700 to the Cook car.

tersection of state road 13 and Epworth Forest Rd. Estimated damage was set at SBSO to the Culver car and S9OO to the LeCount vehicle. LeCount was cited following the accident for failure to yeild the right-of-way.

Doris Wolferman who tendered her resignation effective the first of the new year. A special meeting has been called for Wednesday, Dec. 27, for the purpose of finalizing the year’s business. Schultz will be sworn in by attorney Garrard at that meeting. Change Meeting Night Effective with the first meeting in January the Milford town board will be meeting on the second Monday night of each month. Previously the board held its meetings on the first Monday night of the month. While in attendance at the meeting Mr. Woodman requested the town pay 75 per cent of the total amount which would be due to the engineering firm for the sewage treatment facilities. Woodman explained this amount, according to the firm’s contract, was due as soon as plans were approved by the state. This approval is expected momentarily. Woodman explained the total amount due the company at this time is $30,637 with the town to receive a credit of $6,647.17 for payment made on the sewer portion of the project which did not change when the town went from a plant system to the pond (Continued On Page 8)

nexation of Areas I and in should be resolved within the next several weeks, Frey said. He added, “The present delay in the court hearings involves considerable legal questions that have been presented by recent Indiana appellate court decisions pertaining to annexations which have left all of us including the court somewhat uncertain as to the correct manner to proceed under the law in order to conclude this matter. “The remonstrators and their attorney are presently examining the computations that have been made by the town of Syracuse in order to determine if they might stipulate to the number of land owners in the contested areas and the number of remonstrators who have signed the petitions. “If the remonstrators do not agree, then the court will be obligated to appoint a commissioner to make independent computations and the costs of the appointment of this commissioner will become a part of the court costs taxed to the losing party in the remonstrants, and I would estimate these costs to be in the neighborhood of $2,000 additional.”

Experiment with downstyle heads Another innovation is being initiated by The Mail-Journal this week — that of downstyle headlines. This means, simply, that only the first letter in a headline and proper nouns will be capitalized. This style has become a growing trend in the newspaper industry, and we thought we’d give it a try. It’s supposed to make for easier reading. We welcome reader comments mi the new style.

CARL SHEARER Corl Shearer to Hillcrest Carl Shearer, minister of the Milford Christian church, announced that he has accepted a call to the ministry of the Hillcrest Christian church in Hazel Crest, 111. Mr. Shearer and his family moved to Milford from Kansas, DI., in July of 1956. He has been active in the community, serving on the Milford library board. The Shearers have four children: Debbie, who is now married to Dan Beer of Milford; Lydia, who is a freshman at Lincoln Christian college, Lincoln, Ill.; Mark, who is a junior at Wawasee; and Andy, who is a freshman at Wawasee. The church to which Mr. Shearer has been called is a new congregation of less then three years old and he has been called by them and the Chicago District Evangelistic Association to be their evangelist. The Shearers expect to be moving about the third week in January. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. —Matthew 12:34.

■ 11 ”■ n | K ■■'WSf * ■ ** 3 • JkwHp * ** FIRST CHARTER RIBBON CUTTING — Retired attorney Seth Ward of Lake Wawasee presided at the formal ribbon cutting for the open house of the new quarters for the First Charter Insurance Agency, held at 11 a.m. Friday in Syracuse. Open house was held mi Friday and Saturday when hundreds of neople visited the new quarters, an old landmark which has been completely restored. Ward wasbilled as a “mystery dignitary,” and was escorted to the site of the ribbon cutting by First Charter general manager John R. Walker. He was properly attired for the occasion with white gloves, white scarf and boutonniere. This photo was taken as the newly-cut red ribbon fell to the ground. Appearing with Mr. Ward are Mr. and Mrs. Walker. Others in the photo include Syracuse town board president Tom Prickett, Mrs. Ray Walker, Mrs. Robert Swager, Mr. and Mrs. David Smith and grandson, C. D. Barnes, Richard Hadley, John A. Caple, Jay Busscher, Jay Peffley, Noble C. Blocker and Rev. Ross Cook. A heavy snow fell during the ribbon cutting ceremonies.

Citizens protest — Withdraw application for package store in Milford

After a number of residents of the Milford community including representatives of the town board and ministerial association appeared and voiced objections to the granting of a license for a package store in Milford, W. U. Baker of r 2 Syracuse withdrew his application. The hearing was held in the court house at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Had the permit been granted it would have allowed Baker and his wife Romola of r 2 Syracuse to open a package store, Bola’s Liquor, Inc., in Milford. The Bakers had taken an option on a building located on state road 15 near its intersection with the Milford Syracuse road. They contemplated remodeling the building if the license were approved. Members of the Milford town board went on record Monday night at their meeting as opposing said license. They were in agreement that the town had enough liquor outlets. Mrs. Bessie Sunthimer, board member, appeared at the hearing and voiced the board’s objection. Rev. Jerald Radcliff, pastor of the First Brethren church, said the ministerial association felt there were more places in town to get something to drink than there were churches. “There is one place to buy package liquor already, and we don’t need two,” he continued. Mrs. Carl Shearer said she thought, “with three taverns and a package store in town we need to draw a stop to this.” She continued by saying, “We are not against Mr. Baker, personally, it’s just that we don’t need any more liquor outlets.” Mr. Baker said a package liquor store doesn’t have problems like other places. “If we put the liquor store in,” he said, “we are going to have another building for a fabric shop.” Baker continued that he has been around for 15 years and has seen both problems and good things. “It’s up to the operator,” he said. Baker also said he had made a research of property owners

within 500 feet of the building and no (Mie objected. The old building would be tom down and a new one erected. Mrs. Shearer said the trouble isn’t all caused by Milford people, but people coming to tavern from other towns. Rev. Orville Kilmer said the town is interested in the fabric store, however, he said the liquor store would not only affect the people within 500 feet, it affects the whole community. He said the ministers feel very “keen” about bringing in another liquor store in the area. He said the ministers are trying to teach younger people die right way. Kilmer, too, said the ministers had nothing against Baker and they would back the fabric store but not the liquor store.

Indiana Central women's choral ensemble at Calvary church

For the first time in many I years, Indiana Central college < has a women’s choral ensemble. 1 Growth in the Department of Music has made this necessary, j Professor Farrell Scott, < director of the group, indicates < that the ensemble has been < working on all kinds of music in < order to present variety in their programs. This includes early ] sacred, contemporary sacred, < art songs, classic, novelty and i contemporary art songs, as well as modern arrangements of pop ! tunes. With this variety he <

Hickory not fined for dancing

An article on the front page of this paper several weeks ago stated the Hickory Lounge in Milford had been fined on several charges, including violation of the dancing code. Reports this week show this to be incorrect. The lounge was fined for standing and consuming and insufficient lighting. All charges in June were dismissed. Hie article also stated the raid was staged by federal excise

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Carl Shearer, pastor of the Christian church, said he had been a minister inMilford for 16 years and said he thought Mr. Baker’s petition from the people who were within 500 feet of the building did not reflect majority of the people in town. After a short meeting of the Alcoholic Beverage Board officer Jack Brendt announced that Baker was withdrawing his application. Other members of the board are Warren Rosbrugh, John Shively and Earl Evans. Those attending from Milford were Rev. and Mrs. Jerald Radcliff, Rev. Orville Kilmer, Pastor and Mrs. Carl Shearer, Mrs. Bessie Sunthimer, Mrs. Edith Baumgartner and John Perry.

believes they can meet the needs of most any group desiring a musical program. The group will present a program of Christmas music at the Calvary United Methodist church, Syracuse, this Sunday evening, Dec. 10, at 7. The pastor of the church, Rev. Ross Cook, extends an invitation. Miss Karen Carpenter of 1204 Ranch road, Warsaw, daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Don Carpenter, and Miss Rita Cook, daughter of Rev. and Mrs. Ross Cook of Syracuse, are members of the ensemble.

men. It should have read state excise men. Court news Divorce Filed Aurora S. Hernandez, Milford, vs David E. Hernandez. They were married May 23, 1970 and separated September 22, 1972. She asks for custody of one child when the divorce was filed in Elkhart county circuit court this week.