The Mail-Journal, Volume 16, Number 10, Milford, Kosciusko County, 28 March 1979 — Page 2

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THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., March 28,1979

Battling — (Continued from page 1) March l 4 Another reason for this besides the heavy '►aler flow, is the fact the plant is Doll taking oift all the harmful Pailicles of the water. Fred l!«k, street and water departOi«it employee, commented, “ The sewage comes in to the digester (two and one-half hour settling time), then it goes to another area, the aeration basin (where the particles are consumed by bacteria) and finally it goes through the final filters. Supposedly, if the plant is operating right, we should have 90 to 95 per cent clear water going out into the creek.” Mock added, “With the high flow, we’re luqky if we get 70 per cent.” The Environmental Protection Agency recommends a 90 to 95 percentage of clear water, due to the fact Turkey Creek eventually runs into Lake Michigan. It is this reason the expansion was made to the plant. Conrad said, “Before the expansion, the plant could handle 250,000 gallons with a purification of 81 to 82 per cent. The EPA came in with the demand on the Turkey Creek watershed; to reduce the pollution into the stream. That’s why we expanded.” Os course, another reason for the expansion was to handle the areas of town wishing to be annexed. What’s The Solution? The Syracuse Town Board has been trying to come up with a solution to the plant’s problems for several years. It was for this reason TenEch, an outside engineering firm from South Bend, was hired last year. TenEch proposed a three phase plan of study — review of the physical characteristics at the plant; determine how the plant is operating in regards to its capabilities; and recommend changes and improvements. In his first report, Paul Turpin from TenEch, said one problem is the lack of monitoring devices at the plant. “The lack of an operations and maintenance man at the plant is a serious problem. All the problems should be documented,” he said. In Turpin’s second report, he said another of the plant’s problems is in the aeration and trickling filters which are handling too much of the load. ! Again, hej stressed the need for an operations and maintenance manual. Turpin came up with several recommendations in his final report to the board. He suggested the primary clarifier and digester of the plant be inspected. This clarifier is used to settle out heavy solids in the water. Turpin’s other recommendations dealt with the sludge recycle pump and in drawing up a description of emergency and routine job work. Last week, the board decided to go ahead and inspect the primary clarifier. Approval is being gained from the Indiana State Board of Health. TenEch will supervise the work. Town labor will be used. This work should be done within the next few weeks. Board Responds Members of the town board feel a real concern to get the problems solved. John Cripe. board member, has commented, “We have been under the impression of buying a working treatment plant which could handle a flow of 500,000 gallons. If we can reach this capacity, we can handle a lot of things.” Cripe added the plant should handle the town’s water needs for 15 to 20 years, once the problems are solved. “Get that plant operating at the level it was designed to be operated.” Both Paul M. Isbell, board president and Forrest ("Bud”) Smith, board member agree with Cripe. Iron Removal Plant The town of Syracuse has old water lines, so as a result, some of the water is rusty. It is this reason an iron removal plant was built. There are problems with this plant, too, however. The equipment used in the plant is Army surplus. M&ny other things still need to be done to the plant, before it is put into operation. Paul M. Isbell has stated he is not satisfied with the plant. Some of the things he wants done include; painting and color coding of the pipes; an adequate drainage system; plus an operations and maintenance manual. One other problem Conrad could see is the added water pressure on the pipes. He feels water leaks will pop up when the plant is turned on. He said, “Most of the pipes are too old to handle the extra pressure.” Stremmel and Hill, contractors, will be discussing the problems with Isbell and Conrad. More Problems Yet another problem with the water system in Syracuse is inflow and infiltration into the lines. Conrad said there has been this problem all along. Lessig has been trying to discover where the inflow into the system lies since 1974. He submitted a written report to the board last week stating there is more of an inflow problem than

an infiltration one. Future study will be made on Lessig’s report. Overall, Conrad said the system is in good shape, as far as the lines go. He said, “The main lines are ok. At the present time there are no problems with our water lines.” Recently, the town has installed water meters for the charging of water used. The base rate for the town is a minimum $3.25 for 25,000 gallons of water used. Metering will start in May. This rate went into effect March 1, 1977. Money from the rate is used for all system maintenance and repairs. The old rate was $3. Is this rate raising enough money? Vella Baumbaugh, town clerk, said, “So far, the water is holding its own.” Chet Cider — (Continued from page 1) ment. Elder*, said he had his home, known as “The Castle” on East Medusa Street, and seven other properties under construction three years ago when the dispute over the wetlands erupted. “That was the beginning of my financial troubles,” Elder commented this week, adding he had to sell the properties “50 cents on the $1.00," causing him considerable financial loss. Along with Elder in the agreement were Elsie L. George and Don M. George, Jr., their heirs and business interests. Elder said, "I hope these troubles are behind us and we can begin in earnest to develop the remaining property in the disputed area. Thornburg — (Continued from page 1) Other Officers Other officers elected to the board of directors include Dr. Wymond Wilson, a Mentone physician, as vice president; Robert Ferverda. Leesburg, a customer service .manager Zimmer-USA, as secretary; John Frederich, Atwood, general manager of Creighton Brothers Farms, treasurer; and Robert Maish, Tippecanoe Lake, president of Little Crow Foods, as chairman of the board of directors. Re-elected as members of the board’s executive committee were Arch Baumgartner and N. John Perry, both of Milford. Larry Castaldi and Tom Lemon, both of Warsaw, and Robert Maish of Tippecanoe Lake. Sock hop — (Continued from page 1 > before the dance to advertise it on their signs. She also mentioned who to contact to have a flashing sign in front of the Legion Hall. WOWO DJ Jack Underwood, disc jockey for WOWO, will be the evening DJ from 9 p.m. to midnight or longer depending on the crowd. All representatives of organizations in attendance at the meeting will be reporting back to their organizations. Another meeting will be held at the Syracuse Fire Department on Thursday, April 19, at 7:30 p.m. at which time there will be reports on what the groups have decided and how many tickets they wish to have. Before the next meeting Johnson will give a more exact listing of specific items presently needed.

Auxiliary hears about Americans Wawasee Unit 223 American Legion Auxiliary met in the Legion Home Tuesday evening, March 27, with 16 members responding to roll call. Blanch Kline, Americanism chairman, gave a talk on Americanism and Legislation. She reminded the group of birthdays of great men in the country’s history during February and March. A report was given of the Legion’s birthday party celebrated Sunday, March 25. First-born children have higher IQ’s A study released by the National Institute of Mental Health says that first-born children in small families have higher IQ’s than their siblings. According to the report, research scientists Lillian Belmont and Francis Marolla of the New York State Department of Social Hygiene studied the records on an intelligence test given to 400,000 19-year-old men in the Netherlands. The researchers found that the 19-year-olds who had been firstborns got better scores on intelligence than those children born later.

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OPENS TACKLE SHOP — Larry Stover and Ginny Schue are co-owners of the Tackle Specialties shop in the Wawasee Village. Their store specializes in custom rods, rebuilt service and live bait. All rods sold at the shop are built by Stover from blank scratches and he will build them any way the person desires. He also will fix a broken rod on the spot. All fishing rods are made of graphite or fiberglass and are from Fuji. Perfection and Snake guide. * The shop is open seven days a week and carries a complete tackle service.

Pot tops cigarettes in sales Americans spend more money on marijuana than they do on cigarettes. The Drug Enforcement Administration estimates the illegal imported marijuana trade in the US was worth as much as S2O billion in 1977, outstripping the $15.8 billion in cigarette sales reported by the Tobacco Institute. Total pot sales are at least 10 , times the amount spent on buttepf more than twice the amount spent in barber and beauty shops, about twice what is spent on jewelry and watches and more than is spent on new shoes and shoe repair The DEA estimates that about 22 to 33 million pounds of pot are sold in the US each year — 50 per cent comes from Colombia (at $45 an ounce), 38 to 40 per cent from Mexico (S3O an ounce) and most of the rest from Jamaica ($2 to $25 an ounce). Less than 10 per cent of the marijuana sold is domestically grown. Thief misses S 1 million chance Whoever stole a $425,000 Pablo Picasso painting from an art gallery recently left behind another valued at $1 million, a gallery spokesman says. The 1939 oil painting was stolen from the Mira Godard Gallery in Toronto after a glass door was smashed to gain access. Hanging four feet away was a larger Picasso painting — Guitar, Fruit Dish, with Oranges — painted in 1925 and valued at $1 million. Gallery administrator Elizabeth Levitt said the stolen painting would be almost impossible to sell because any reputable dealer would recognize it. Equality contributes to rate Women’s equality issues are reportedly becoming a common factor in the break-up of marriages in the United States. Redbook magazine reports that its nationwide poll of marriage counselors has found that the three most common reasons leading to divorce today are a breakdown in communication; the loss of shared goals and interests; and sexual incompatibility. The magazine reports that comparisons with earler surveys indicate that the “women’s movement” is fast becoming a major factor in US divorces. Redbook says that women’s equality issues ranked ninth among problems of couples at large, but rose to fourth among couples in their 20’s. The survey found that women’s issues replaced both in-law and religious problems on the list of the most common marital difficulties. Kindness has never yet done anyone serious harm.

"Do not sit among the mockers, they are the meanest of all creatures." Matthias Claudius

jj^| FI VE 1979 FORDS UNDER $ 4,400. COME IN NOW DURING OUR OPEN HOUSE. FORD PINTO PONY. NEW DESIGN FOR ’79. * JMm L This year's Pinto Pony is new up front. <r new m back and new inside It may FORD MUSTANG. A NEW BREED FOR’79. Aerodynamic styling and great choice of models make the 79 Mustang one 0 f the most exciting Mustangs ever. (White sidewalls $43.00 FUTURA. CiHOTV* " WOT,wtell THE NOW CAR. M It s sporty, stylish and NOW. Futura ® is a personal car in the tradition of Thuriderbird. (White sidewalls $43.00 J Front-wheel drive and rack ** j ~~~~ —and pinion steering help Fiesta tame the road. And it's sold and serviced at over 5,000 Ford MONEYOFANY R C/5l PfpLWfjlM (Based on EPA volume index and sticker prices.) § Plus the lowest sticker price of any mid-size car. -Base sticker price Title, jr ' • / . _ _ taxes, destination charges I |ii / m extra cost option.) I I C. S. MYERS, INC. 113 W. Catherine St., Milford * HMDSFOR 30 YEARS

Court clerk’s error sends him to prison A San Francisco jury has awarded SIOO,OOO to a San Francisco musician and housepainter bec«iuse a court clerk’s mistake lei to his spending 15 months in state prison. When James Russell pleaded guilty to petty theft in 1971, the clerk accidentally recorded “felony” instead of "misdemeanor.” and Russell wound up spending 15 months in Soledad Prison, rather than the 83 days he would ha ve served in a county jail under normal misdemeanor proctrdures. The jury found the clerk and his employer, the city of San Francisco, negligent for the recording error. Russell says the first thing he wants to do with the money is “throw a rock *n' roll party for his friends Tipping to be stopped in favor of surcharge? Tiping for service in restaurants may soon be a thing of the past. The National Restaurant Association reports that a poll of its members has found that 72 per cent of them are prepared to replace the practice of voluntary tipping with an automatic 15 per cent “service charge.” because of expected new federal regulations. The government is proposing rules that would require restaurants to keep better track of all the tips their waiters and waitresses collect. The restaurant association says that a vast majority of restaurant owners believe it would be easier to do away with tijos — and add the 15 per cent surcharge to each customer's bill. This extra collection would icportedly be divided among the employees.

Report from your State Representative by Thames L Mauzy

If the words “time” and “money” were to be combined to coin a new term, the result would be highly descriptive of the remaining days of the 1979 session, and chief concerns of legislators during that time. This past week, session debate about whether or not the Assembly should recess a few days to prevent last minute logjams, brought the “time” issue to the forefront. The House defeated motions to take time off. and if we proceed on schedule, the deadline for passing Senate bills from the House was Tuesday. March 27. That would make our last allowable working day Tuesday, April 3. The “money" factor comes into play when you examine all of the major issues yet to be resolved Overshadowing virtually every legislator's personal priorities will be the “big dollar” bills such as how to pay for repairs, longterm, to our state’s highway system; a funding formula for aid to local public schools; property reassessment and its potential impact; the three appropriations measures; and, the series of tax-cutting items advanced by Republicans in the 1978 election. Because massive changes have been made in those House bills, conference committees will determine their final form. Appointed by the Speaker of the House and the President of the Senate, conference committees consist of a Republican and a Democrat from each house, whose assignment is to rework the bill into a form acceptable to all.

Conference committees have a great deal of power, and may even “strip” a bill entirely and insert new subject matter. However, that power has been limited somewhat by a recent change in the rules requiring the substitution have the written consent of the authors, and that conference committees be open to the public. At this point, 'subject matter that is a strong candidate for insertion in a “stripped” bill is the measure which seeks to repeal Indiana’s 1975 direct primary election law. Although the repealer was approved by the Senate in February. its path in the House was. blocked this week with the recess of the House Elections Committee prior to voting. State House observers speculate its author, who happens to be the president pro tern of the Senate, may yet try to revive the proposal via conference committee. This past week, we approved over 46 Senate bills. Those that were changed markedly from the author’s original intent will result in a motion to “dissent” from House amendments, and conferees will be appointed. Those where little or no changes were adopted will result in a motion to “concur” in House action, and be signed by the Speaker of the House, the President of the Senate, and then sent to the governor for action Already. 16 bills await his signature or veto. Under the constitution, if the governor fails to act within seven days of its receipt, it automatically becomes law.