The Mail-Journal, Volume 22, Number 13, Milford, Kosciusko County, 27 March 1985 — Page 1

Phones: 658-4111 & 457-3666

VOLUME 22

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GRADY BARN FIRE — This is a nighttime scene at the Jerry Grady farm located southwest of Syracuse late Saturday night when a fire consumed, a large farm building. Cost of the damage by the fire was estimated to be approximately $140,000.

Five departments answer call — $140,000 fire loss at Grady Farms

By DEB PATTERSON Staff Writer Spontaneous combustion was the cause in a large barn fire at Grady Farms, CR 1000 N, just west of SR 13 and five miles southwest of Syracuse, Saturday evening, Marches. Syracuse Fire Officials'estimated the damage loss at $140,000. Mary Popenfoose, a neighbor, notified the Syracuse Fire Department at 8:44 p.m. A large orange glow could be seen by firemen driving to the scene. Upon arriving firemen found the flames had broken through the roof and the barn was engulfed in flames. Assistance was called at 8:52 p.m. from North Webster, Milford, and Turkey Creek Township Station 11. By 9:10 p.m. more help was needed, particularly water, and tankers from Pierceton and Leesburg, along with firemen, were called in to assist. Close to 60 firemen battled the blaze for over three hours, pro-

Sen. John Augsburger to speak at Milford 'Citizen of Year' banquet

Senator John B. Augsburger will be the featured speaker at the Milford Area Development Council, Inc., “Citizen Os The Year” banquet to be held this Friday evening. The buffet-style meal, being prepared by the MAD committee, will be served at 6:30 in the Milford Community 7 Building. Ticket prices are the same as last year and are available at designated local businesses. Senator Augsburger, r 2 box 265 D-3 Syracuse, graduated from Milford High School in 1952. He went on to Bluffton College, Bluffton, Ohio, from 1953-54 where he studied general business. He graduated from Indiana University, Bloomington, in 1956 with a BS degree in business. He has been president of Augsburger’s Incorporated for eight years andhas always been self-employed. Political Background The Indiana senator has served district 13 since 1976. This includes DeKalb, Kosciusko, LaGrange and Noble Counties. The committees he has served on are Agriculture and Small Business; Commerce and Consumer Affairs; Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs; and Natural Resources Advisory Interim Study, both of

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tecting surrounding buildings from being lost. Fire officials reported over 60,000 gallons of water was used from trucks and tankers with additional J water being supplied from hydrants in Syracuse and from Skinner’s Ditch behind Grady Farms. Milford and North Webster Fire Departments left the scene between 11 p.m. .and midnight, while Syracuse’s Firemen stayed at the scene until approximately 4 a.m., Sunday. Loss Jerry Grady, part owner in the farm, stated they were at home at the time the fire broke out, but were not aware of it until firemen had been contacted. Grady Farms raises feeder cattle and agricultural crops and is a fivegeneration farm operation. Grady stated the fire started in a bank barn, measuring 40 feet by 100 feet, located in the middle of a complex of sheds. Also damaged was two-thirds of two sheds which measured 30 feet by 100 feet and 40 feet by 120 feet. There is insurance on the buildings and plans will be made to rebuild. Lost in the blaze was one round

which he served as chairman. The senator has served on the Indiana Film Commission since 1980, Indiana Soil Resources Commission since 1983, Indiana Tourism Information and Promotion Fund Review Committee since 1978, State Convention Delegate from 1966-1976, and Precinct Committeeman from 1966-1976. Additional positions Senator Augsburger has held are board of directors of Indiana Retail I ■■ - ■-r a JOHN B. AUGSBURGER

Fire fighting units from Syracuse, Milford, Leesburg, North Webster and Pierceton responded to the call and were successful in. containing the fire.

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PROVIDE WATER AT FIRE — A constant supply of water was made available at the Jerry Grady fire late Sunday night by using this water “tank.” Syracuse tankers made repeated trips into Syracuse to get water from hydrants to replenish the water supply.

baler and roller mill, four to five tons of feed and feed additives and 6,000 bales of hay and straw. Syracuse Fire Officials estimated there was 300 bushel of soybean seeds also destroyed. Grady commented one stepr.

Grocer’s Association, board of directors of Mutual Federal Savings Bank, past president of Milford Chamber of Commerce, county chairman from 1974-75 of the United Way Fund Drive, Milford Area Development, Masonic Lodge No. 418, and Indiana University Alumni Association. I e was honored in “Who’s Who in the Midwest,” in 1983-84 and won “Outstanding Legislator of the Year Award,” by the Indiana Wildlife Federation in 1984. Past Winners Winning the coveted award of “Citizen of the Year” in past years have been Dorothea Kerlin, 1971, the town’s librarian who worked hard for improvements at the library-,' Carl Duncan, deceased, 1972, who served as town board president for a number of years, giving many hours of his time to the work of the town; Harold Young, 1973, Milford’s school principal for 33 years; Edith Baumgartner, 1974, honored for her volunteer work; Bertha (Wehrly) Gilbert, 1975, honored for her timeless service and dedication to piano teaching; Dorothy Williams, 1976, a school, teacher who went above and' beyond the call of duty; John Perry, 1977, for the work in form-

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27,1985

valued at SSOO to S6OO was lost, out of 1,200 head of feeder cattle present on the farm and near the barn. The steer was not in the barn when it died, but in a nearby feed lot. No animals were lost in the fire itself.

ing the all-volunteer emergency medical service in Milford; Dr. Floyd Rheinheimer, 1978, for opening his family practice in 1954; Ned Speicher, 1979, honored for his years of service to the youth league of the community; Dr. T. A. Miller, 1980, for his service on the town board and his tireless work in securing an EPS grant for the construction of the sewage plant which now serves the town; Jean Treesh, also 1980, honored for her work on the town board and for the endless hours she put in raising funds for the emergency medical services equipment; Elmer Hartter, 1981, named for the many things he did for his community and for his dedication to his church; Ralph Neff, 1982, a bus driver for 48 years and a nursing home volunteer; Priscilla Myers, 1982, for her community service and a nursing home volunteer; Karl Keiper, 1983, an outstanding teacher and the person who became the president of the reorganized MAD council, spearheading the building of the community building; and Arch and Della Baumgartner, 1984, the first husband and wife to win, for their outstanding community support for the betterment of the community.

Third meeting tonight —

School re-zoning plan received mixed reviews in board hearings

By CHRIS CAULEY Staff Writer The proposed re-zoning plan concerning the Syracuse, North Webster and Milford school districts has opened to mixed reviews in two special Lakeland Community School board meetings this past week. The board met with parents in two special meetings, last week at Syracuse Elementary and Tuesday night at North Webster Elementary. A third special meeting will take place tonight at Milford Elementary at 7:30 p.m. The re-zoning plan, first made public at the school board’s regular monthly meeting two weeks ago, would alleviate overcrowding at Syracuse Elementary by re-defining the existing school boundaries of the three community schools — boundaries that board members point out have not been changed since 1967 — and by building renovations at the three schools, especially at Syracuse. The proposed changes would lower the elementary enrollment at Syracuse by some 128 students in the 1985-86 school year. Those . students would be absorbed into the North Webster and Milford bools. | -JIN I — ■ — Commodore closes its housing plant The Commodore Corporation, with its. national headquarters in Syracuse, is permanently closing its only modular housing manufacturing plant at Algodones, N.M. The announcement was made early this week at Syracuse. The closing is part of Commodore’s previously-announced restructuring plan under which it will concentrate on its core of profitable mobile home manufacturing operations. The company had already reserved for the expenses of the closing within the Special Charges it provided during the quarter ending December 29,1984. The Algodones plant was purchased by Commodore in 1981, and was operated under the name CC Housing Corporation as the firm’s only modular housing plant. It employed about 80 workers. Commodore is a leading manufactured housing company with producting facilities throughout the U.S. and Canada. It stock is traded on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol CCT.

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NEW SATELLITE SERVICE HOME — Dave Tarman's Noble County Satellite Service, now located in Cromwell, will soon have a new home in the Syracuse community. Completion of a new 50 by 120-foot pole type building op Palm Drive in Wawasee Village, shown above, is expected within the next several weeks, which will become the home of Noble County Satellite

School Superintendent Dr. Kenneth Webster noted Tuesday night at the North Webster meeting that his first priority upon taking his position in January was to come up with a plan to alleviate the overcrowding at Syracuse, long a source of irritation to Syracuse teachers and parents. “This is a proposal,” he told the audience Tuesday night. “The intent was for someone to start somewhere. It is not something to live or die with, but we had to take the first step.” Webster pointed out that because of new teacher-student ratio guidelines that are part of the new statewide 'Prime Time “This is a proposal. The intent was for someone to start somewhere. It is not something to live or die with, but we had to take a first step.” - Dr. Webster. program, a number of other Indiana schools are facing similar problems. With Prime Time, the ratio of students to teachers is supposed to be 18-to-l in kindergarten and Ist grade, 20-to-l in 2nd and 3rd grade. “Over t 5 percent of the schools in the state are in the same bind, ”

A shot at development —

Milford Town Board votes to join KDI for one year trial 1

The Milford Town Board voted unanimously to approve joining hands with Kosciusko Development, Inc., for one year in an effort to seek new industry for Kosciusko County. The vote was taken at a luncheon meeting in an uptown Milford restaurant Monday noon. Also present at the meeting were members of the Milford Area Development, organized some time ago for the same purposes. Hear Debbie Wiggins At the informal meeting, Debbie Wiggins, director of KDI, outlined the purpose of the group and how it expects to go about meeting its goals. She said KDI, is zeroing in on three industrial parks in Kosciusko County, and one could easily be located in Milford. Such essentials as city services — water and sewer — are required, she said, for chances of an in-

Webster said. “I think I read where Fort Wayne needs something like 136 classrooms. Several Objections “Right now at Syracuse we have the equivalent of five classrooms in four, and that is not conducive to better learning.” Approximately 120 persons attended the meeting at Syracuse last Wednesday, and about 100 attended last night’s conclave at North Webster.

Miller's Merry Manor wins approval of Syracuse BZA

Syracuse Board of Zoning Appeals met Thursday evening, March 21, at which time two petitions were granted and one was denied. Miller’s Merry Manor won unanimous approval on a petition for an exception for the purpose of constructing a 66-unit nursing home in a residential district on the north side of Palm Drive. Stipulations for the approval were there must be shade trees on the east and west sides which would be used for screening and an entrance oh the west side to allow for trucks and ambulances. Objecting to the plan were several homeowners who live close by. Reasons for their objec-

dustrial park to get off the ground. These are services Milford can and is willing to provide. She spoke of the annual Hoosier Hospitality, to be held at French Lick, Ind., Sept. 30 to Oct. 4, where cities and towns will tote out their finest wares in an effort to attract industry. Mrs. Wiggins said KDI hopes to be there in force, and invited Milford Area Development to have representation there, also. Cost To Join Cost to join KDI for the town of Milford is $1 per resident — or $1,147 — according to town clerktreasurer Monica Bice. Mrs. Wiggins said other towns that have already joined KDI include Silver Lake, North Webster, Etna Green and Warsaw. The city of Warsaw had already given $15,000 (or about $1.50 per citizen) to KDI. The Kosciusko County Council has given $30,000 and private industry in the county has contributed $13,000, Mrs. Wiggins

Service. The building is being built by Elder Construction Company for Hubert Dunithan, who will retain ownership. Tarman said this week he plans to conduct a satellite retail service at that location, using part of the large building for storage. He plans a public open house once he is situated in the new location.

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The objections, or concerns, of the parents and teachers who attended those meetings could be summedLdp in several categories: • That the proposed re-zoning plan is a temporary solution and not a long-term answer; • That the plan would disrupt community ties and, to some degree, family stability; • That the plan would be an ad- ' (Continued on page 2)

tions were the depreciation of property value, the nursing home is not compatible with the area, and a surface drainage problem. An exception tor the purpose of expansion of a non-conforming use by an addition to a residence on a lot with a commercial use received unanimous approval by John Shopoff but an old trailer that stands there must be removed. Denials A variance for a construction of two homes on property with 70 feet of road frontage and 18,138 square feet was denied for Carl and Sandra Brandon, the reason being the lots were too small for two homes. C,

said. She said important committees in KDI include: Industrial procurement, sites and buildings, local expansion, and research and promotion. At the Monday meeting were Milford Town Board members, president Jean Treesh, Darrell Orn and Dennis Wuthrich; and Mr. and Mrs Mike Umbaugh, Paul Reith, Bill Leeman, Arch Baumgartner and Bill Knowles. Important questions were asked of Mrs. Wiggins, as several of those present felt the town of Milford might lose its autonomy over local industrial development. Mrs. Wiggins said this is not the case, that the county and Milford efforts would and should work in tandem. Brochure Committee Following the above-mentioned meeting, those who are on the Milford Area Development Council’s brochure committee met and approved photographs and copy for a four-color brochure the development group is sponsoring.