The Mail-Journal, Volume 23, Number 10, Milford, Kosciusko County, 5 March 1986 — Page 4

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed., March 5,1986

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Editorials A time for decision Last week the Milford Town Board sent a clear message to the Kosciusko County Board of Zoning Appeals with a statement that the town board was opposed to the proposed Pine Ridge Court mobile home park on 1250 North of Milford At the February meeting of the BZA two weeks ago, the matter was tabled until its March meeting. BZA members asked for several points to be addressed by the parties involved. Os these, one was that the Milford town board become vocal on the issue and give a recommendation to the BZA. The board responded at the urging of at least 100 townspeople present at a special meeting last week with a motion that asked the BZA to deny the special exception for the mobile home park in that location. Most all of those present agree that the Milford area is in need of housing. Some of the better residential housing in Milford already exists on 1250 N and four or five homes have sprung up on 60W in the past several years. Indeed, the Virgil Zimmerman tract of land is ripe for development. Certainly this is the direction for residential growth in Milford. However, the town wants a say in the type of housing developed in that area. And concensus appears to be for something a step up the residential ladder from a mobile home park. Many townspeople feel that a mobile home park on 1250 N, no matter how restricted and controlled, is simply not compatible with the surrounding housing. .As pointed out in the February 25 town board meeting, there are existing mobile home parks south of town. The Graff and Ulrich locations lie just north of Bear Creek within the city limits and the Speicher Park is only a mile away to the east on 1150 N. What better place to expand mobile home housing than in this area? With city sewer and water snaking south along SRIS to Barth Manufacturing and a landowner in the immediate area interested in developing a park, the solution seems to be at hand. This commentary would fall short, however, if it did not point out that the park designed by Harlan Beer and sons, Rod and Barney, has the potential of becoming one the finest mobile home parks in the area. Any developer weaving his way through the Kosciusko County Mobile Home Ordinance would do well to take a leaf from the Beers’ book. Their proposed park, with its first class design and tight restrictions, will only enhance its surroundings when placed in the proper location. Next Monday morning the BZA will make a final decision on the proposed Pine Ridge Court mobile home park. Milford residents interested in supplementing the town board recommendation should plan to attend that meeting or write the BZA in care of the Kosciusko County Courthouse voicing their opinion. We feel that the BZA members, who spend considerable time and effort with their responsibilities, are a responsive group of individuals. A decision by the BZA in line with the recommendation of the Milford Town Board to deny the special exception for the mobile home park on 1250 N would definitely be in the best interest of the Milford community. 7 -RLB Locked out? Each year perhaps a million drivers lock themselves out of cars — sometimes with the motor running. What can be done about this? Ford has introduced some cars with five-digit combination locks. But some forget the combination. A better remedy might be for car makers to provide a door on the driver’s side which can only be locked with the key. That would insure that the driver takes the key out of the car to lock it — and therefore couldn’t lock himself out. So long as doors can be locked without a key, some are going to lock themselves out of their cars. '

What others say -

What about franking privileges ? In budget cuts

While President Reagan, who, in the words of his press secretary, “takes a dim view of any spending bill that busts the budget,” vetoed the recent Treasury-Postal Appropriations Bill, forcing the Postal Service Board o Governors to initiate their “Step 14” phase of raising postal rates and then try to sneak in another, it is ironic that he made no attempt to point out that one of the problems of the postal deficit lies right on his back doorstep: in the Congress of the United States. Widespread abuse of Congressional mailing privileges — franking, or free postage — is one of the small scandals that seldom gets mentioned. The mailings may be free to the Congressmen, but you and I as taxpayers and postal patrons pick up the tab. During the period from July to September, the biggest spender was Senator Alan Cranston (D-Calif.), $1.6 million, followed by Arlen Specter (R-Penn.), $790,000; John Heinz (RPenn.), $650,000; Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.), $600,000, and Don Reigle (D-Mich.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), $500,000 each. And those figures greatly underestimate the cost to the taxpayers of the mailings. Congressmen have press secretaries to write their newsletters, and artists to design them, and government presses on which to print them. They get many services free, or at a reduced price, that would cost a lot of money in the real world. Thus, the supposed cost of the mailing only represents one-third to one-half of the actual cost to the taxpayers. Os course, the officeholders involved claim that they are providing a service to the folks back home by letting them know what their Congressmen are up to. But the truth is that most Congressional mailings are little more than campaign brochures. That’s why the official cost of the mailings will escalate from SB6 million this year to an estimated $144 million in 1986, which,

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it so happens, is an election year. Does anyone doubt that the mailings are used by an incumbent to build himself a propaganda machine in order to ensure his reelection? What challenger would have the resources to spend $1.6 million or more on mailings in just three months, as Sen. Cranston did? How can you ave free and fair elections when the incumbent is given such an incredible advantage? It’s like a marathon where the previous year’s winner is given a four-hour headstart. J Indeed, the advantages of incumbency are so strong that many Congressmen are, in effect, elected for life. It wasn’t always that way. Os the original 26 members of the U.S. Senate, only four served two full terms; none sought a third. Daniel Webster served only 2 and one-half terms (five years) in the House, and Henry Clay only five terms. Before his election to the Presidency, Abraham Lincoln served a single two-year term in Congress. Today the average member of the House has served more than a dozen years. Only 9.4 percent are first-termers. Os the 468 Congressmen whose terms ran out in 1984, 437 sought reelection and 418 of those won. The practical effect of those privileges is that it has become extremely difficult to defeat a sitting Congressman, no matter how much his philosophy differs from that of the folks back home. He has a huge staff — 50 or more for some — and many staff members do almost nothing except work on his reelection. He commands free time on the radio and TV and free space in the newspapers. An entire bureaucracy exists to enable a Congressman to take credit for federal grants to his district, most of which he had nothing to do with. Every day the advantages of incumbency grow and our elections become less fair. The big question is: If this continues, how long can democracy survive? - LAGRANGE STANDARD

Letters to the editor

In response to questions Dear Editor: I am writing in response to the questions raised last week in the letter written by Shirley Timmons about the proposed mobile home park on CR 1250. The sandy soil composition in this area is not a drainage problem. The drainage of the park has been planned and is included in the blueprints that were presented to the BZA. These prints were available at the meeting for inspection. The dirt to build the landscaped buffer around the park will come from the dirt stripped off when the roads are built. For county land to become city taxable property it must first be annexed. For land to be annexed it can be a request by the town or the property owner; and must be approved by the town board. This process takes several months. The “life” of a mobile home is determined exactly the way the “life” of a house is determined. It depends entirely on the care and maintenance it receives. Any mobile home already in Milford that meets the restrictions of the park would be welcomed. The interior streets of the park have been designed to reduce speed. The longest through street being 890 feet. Speed bumps would be installed if necessary. As long as this property is not part of the town it would not require town law enforcement. It would be handled by the county. All maintenance, this included road repair and snow removal would be the responsibility of the park owners. The park regulations are as follows: < 1. No mobile home may be moved in that is older than five years. 2. No outside storage of any kind. Manager’s approval required on location and size of sheds. (Approx. 8’ x 10 ’) 3. No pets. 4. Unsightly lawns will be maintained by management with cost added to the tennants monthly lot rent. 5. Two cars per lot, no cars left in the street. The man we have in mind to manage the park has at least ten years experience in managing and owning mobile home parks. There is a playground included in the park plans and a plot for future tennis courts if the need is there. There will be no pool. The water and sewer, if available to us, would not cost the town or taxpayers anything. We would pay the entire cost of running these utilities. After it is installed anyone can “tap” in along CR 1250. Our rate would be 14 times that of a town resident. The lighting in the park would also be installed, maintained, and paid for by the park; costing the town nothing. If this land is divided into a county sub-division there probably will be no city sewer. There would probably not be paved roads and no sidewalks. The costly landscaped barrier on the north and east side would be eliminated. Kosciusko County has no zoning against a mobile home being placed on an individual’s lot. There would be nothing to stop them from moving in. Since the park regulations would not be in effect these units could be any age and any size. The owners could have any number of cars, motorcycles, mowers, dogs, etc. in their yard. This is not what we want for Milford. By retaining ownership of the land we can set rules and regulations governing the park. We are interested in providing a park of high quality that would be an asset to the community. Kathy J. Beer Oh, No! Not Aids! Queer as it may seem, the community of Milford and its surrounding area could be infected with AIDS Allowed Illogical Development Syndrome. If the proposed zoning exception is allowed for the construction of a mobile home park on the south side of CR 1250 N, at the northwest edge of Milford, it will es- * fectively stop any and all high tax base conventional housing expansion in this prime residential housing area, devaluate the present housing 10 to 20 per cent, according to a certified real estate appraiser, and be a mockery to the newly completed multimillion dollar Milford Jr. High School, as well as to a dedicated community that is fighting an uphill battle for its future. It will be, as AIDS implies, only a harbinger of a host of diseases that can cripple, maim and ultimately kill our town and community if allowed. At the last Milford Town Board meeting our concerned citizens packed the community building and resoundingly denounced this unwarranted expansion plan. Our farsighted town board voted against this plan and a member of the area plan commission showed us that there

would be a seriously flawed decision if this project were allowed, since it was incompatible with logical future expansion and that new mobile home parks are being planned on the outskirts of Milford where other well kept mobile home parks now exist. It should be clear that the only known antidote for this insidious disease is logical action by our board of zoning appeals in denying a special use variance in this area. We can only hope that the members of our board of zoning appeals are the long sought cure and not the carriers of this terminal disease! A Milford citizen Urges town's opposition Dear Editor: According to the literature published by the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, trailer homes and parks are not permitted there. I am presuming that it is because trailer parks frequently become a detriment and an eyesore to the area. For the same reason, I would urge our town board (of Milford) to not just “go on record” as being opposed to a trailer park on CR 1250 N, but to vigorously oppose any in the close proximity of our community. Berniece H. Dwyer A quick road to China Dear Editor: To whom it may concern: The street repaired from Augsburger’s and Hooks, north out to the main road, is wonderful. But, what’s happening at the end of the road? The holes are definitely an eye sore for the village. If that is a quick road to China then a sign should be posted. A frequent shopper. Gloria Bertram Cromwell Bedtime story Dear Editor: Tell you a bedtime story? O.K. Last year a Realtor called Todd’s ran a contest to name the condo’s being built on Lake Syracuse. Grandpa entered and read in the paper that his entry was in the finals. If I won I was going to buy you that Cabbage Patch doll ypu always wanted. No 1 did not win but then none of the other entries won, because, Todd’s cancelled the contest with the excuse that it would select the name from within the organization. No, Kristie, that’s not the end of the story. Todd’s again are running a contest to "name the condo” being built across the channel from the Shrimpboat. Silly, of course I'm not going to enter again. You would not want a fool for your Grandpa, would you? Ole Jim Martin P S. Thanks to Gramma you got your Cabbage Patch doll anyway. Opposes location Dear Editor: Concerning the mobile home park proposed for the south side of 1250 N just west of Milford, we would like it known that we are opposed to the location proposed, not the mobile home park itself. This proposed area northwest of Milford has the best potential for good permanent growth which Milford needs. The homes here are nice homes and as other homes of similar value are built this area could definitely become a greater asset to Milford. We have nothing against mobile home parks or the people who live in them. However, the fact remains that the majority of people who reside in them are temporary residents. There is another area in Milford available to become a mobile home park. It is an area that would be connected to the other existing mobile home parks in Milford. This area would be much more suitable. Let’s keep the living areas complimentary to each other. Build mobile home parks where mobile home parks already exist and build homes where homes already exist. Name withheld by request.

THE MAIL-JOURNAL (U.S.P.S. 3258 4000) Published by the Mail journal every Wednesday and entered as Second Class matter at the Post Office at Syracuse, Indiana 46567. Second class postage paid at 103 E. Main Street, Syracuse, Indiana 46567 and at additional entry offices. Subscription: sl6 per year in Kosciusko County, $22 outside county POSTMASTERS: Send change of ad dress forms to The Mail-Journal, P.O. Box 188, Milford, Ir>diana46s42

"CRUZIN AROUND 'CUSE"

THIS COLUMN has consistently reached out for readers to fill this space, in order to air the concerns and ideas of community leaders that ordinarily have a limited audience. We have seldom failed when we asked townspeople to come up with a column, during a sabbatical of the one who ordinarily fills this chair. In the February sth issue, Carl L. Myrick, Syracuse Town Board president for the past six years, did the honors, and did it admirably. He spoke to the myriad problems of a small town government, which has to do with police and fire protection, streets and parks, and the EMS, to mention the obvious. Myrick wrote, “In the past years the street and water department has paved 4.82 miles of streets, installed over eight storm sewers, cleaned 24 miles of sewer mains, bought new equipment to help in all areas of their work, (and) they have extended and repaired several water and sewer lines.” He wrote of the new town hall, now occupied, bn South Huntington Street, and the many meetings and planning sessions this entailed. Myrick and his board held steady in a swirl of opposition regarding overall costs for the new town hall, and indeed it is a costly structure, as noted in this column before. But those are bygone concerns, and most everyone who has examined the new town hall agrees it is nice, and functional, and well that we have all phases of local government in one good and convenient location. Myrick concluded his State of the City column with, “All in all, I am pleased with the accomplishments and the improvements that the board has made for the Town of Syracuse in the last six years. I think 1 have made some friends and hope that the criticism that came along with the job will be replaced some day when the benefits of the work are appreciated.” IN THE February 12th issue, a column appeared under the name of Edith Gray, not well known in the community, but the subject of her discourse is well known in the lakeland area. Mrs. Gray is the Elkhart office manager for Hoogenboom-Nofziger Realty, and has long been a personal friend of J. B. Hoy of Tippecanoe Lake. Essentially a bookkeeper, she chose to write about some “intangible assets.” and focused in on J. B.’s long and well known “Rose For Friendship” initiative. She recalled that Hoy’s unrelenting spirit brought his Hose for Friendship to the attention of the Indiana Legislature in 1976. She wrote. “In February of that year the Legislature passed a little-publicized resolution designating the fourth week of June as ’A Rose for Friendship Week’ with the Wednesday of that week being ‘Friendship Day’ and the then Governor Otis R. Bowen, M.D., now Director of the Department of Health and Human Services, so proclaimed it on April 2, 1976. As he did so, he mentioned to members of the press and J. B. Hoy . . . carried to complete fulfillment, a Rose for Friendship could bring peace to all the world.” Mrs. Gray wrote further: “In addressing the Indiana assembly of lawmakers, J. B. Hoy said, •Rose is a key word, a symbol, for in the face of a rose the heart of God is revealed. In it you see love, tenderness, kindness, thoughtfulness. A rose is for friendship, for remembrance, for forgiveness. In its larger meaning, a Rose for Friendship can be an act of kindness, a token of remembrance, a compliment, or just a friendly word. In so doing, we lengthen our shadow, for kindness and thoughtfulness are watermarks of character.’ ” J AND ON February 19th this column was ably filled by Rev. Richard Dunning, pastor of the Grace Lutheran Church of Syracuse, located on the corner of East Main and Harrison Streets. Not widely known due to the brief time in the area, pastor Dunning and his wife Esther (she’s proofreader at The Mail-Journal printing plant at Milford) make their home on Waubee Lake. His well-written article concerns the 125th birthday of his church in Syracuse and in Kosciusko County. He wrote, “At a time when a number of communities in the area are celebrating significant anniversaries, Grace Lutheran Church of Syracuse also marks another milestone in its history, the 125th anniversary of its founding in Kosciusko County.” He recognized Mrs. Rebecca Kindig, Mrs. Preston Miles, Mrs. Elhannon Miles, Mr. and Mrs. Valentine Kettring and a Mr. and Mrs. Isenhaur for their part in founding the church in 1861. Pastor Dunning wrote, “Grace Church has had a rather small membership throughout most of its history. Because of limited resources, it has shared pastors with other churches in plural parishes part of the time. For many years it belonged to a three-church parish.” The church plans a number of events to celebrate its 125th anniversary. He noted the town’s 150th anniversary in 1987, stating, “We have come a long way together. May we continue to grow and to go forward in the same way— together — and may our future be as bright as our past.” Most certainly this well-researched piece will have a place in the church's — and the community's — archives. • WE NEVER want to leave out the young folks, and so we asked the guidance department of Wawasee High School to come up with the best and brightest journalism students to fill this space last week, February 26th. And we weren’t in the least disappointed. Sheila Bogart and Rhonda Wilson shared the chore. Sheila is editor-in-chief of the Smoke Signals school paper and will be majoring in journalism at India na/Purdue University at Fort Wayne next year. Rhonda is assistant editor of the P a P* r /

“What should our angle be?” they asked themselves, and turned to fellow staff members and their advisor for suggestions. What resulted was an excellent article on trivia concerning little known facts about Wawasee High School. After all, Trivial Pursuit is one of the most popular parlor games at the time. For instance, did you know the school's Penny Pitch collected >22,000 for area needy people at Christmas time in the 18 years it has been in existence? Since the National Honor Society took over the responsibilities in 1977-'7B, >15.000 has been collected. We didn’t know that! In fact, we didn’t know most of the questions asked, and certainly would have flunked their test. We give Sheila and Rhonda an A-plus for their article. With willing and able young folks like this, it looks very much like we'll be passing the future into good hands. AND SO one can see. our worries were small as we set out for a motor trip across these United States. It had been a good many years since we drove across the country, and like the fellow speaking for the airlines says, “flying is great,” but to see the diversity of America, one mustdrive. Old Route 66 follows the same path, but has been replaced with 1-44 and 1-40, but names like St. Louis. Joplin, Amarillo, Oklahoma City, Tucumcari. Santa Rose, Grants and Flagstaff are still on the map. In away it’s sad how has bypassed the main streets of these towns, and in doing so reduced their tourist trade, an important part of their town funding, to a trickle. Grants, New Mexico, is an example, with its main street resembling something of a frontier ghost town. We found qur first snow at Flagstaff, with its 7,200-foot elevation, but it was all down hill from there to Phoenix — “in«the valley.” as they say there — and the blanket of snow quickly gave way to balmy, albeit rainy, weather. Natives called February their “worst February” in years, but we found it tolerable. Phoenix has had unprecedented growth since WW 11, and is now the ninth city in population in the United States. New home subdivisions and huge shopping centers make one wonder about the enormous wealth in our country. Certainly Scottsdale, where we located, is a showcase of model living. It’s the home of retiring Arizona Senator Barry Goldwater, whose ancestors settled there years ago and founded department stores that still bear the family name. Goldwater has a large American flag flying in front of his Camelback home at all times, flooded with light at night. And when he’s in residence, the Arizona state flag flies beneath it. Phoenix is also the home of the late Carl Hayden, who became one of that state's two US Senators when Arizona became a state in 1912, and remained in office until his death several years ago. His family’s large flour mill seems to tower over that portion of the sprawling city where it is located. Strangely, the city is fighting growth, and the impending lack of water is an important part of this movement. Phoenix is nearly 50 miles across, and it seemed ail we got done was to drive to one destination or another. We visited Ralph and Marge Thornburg in their Scottsdale Town House, and Jack and Mary belle Sharp of Milford who winter there, and called on Earl and Marjorie Hartter, former Milford residents. A local television program highlighted the small town of Florence, some 65 miles southwest of Phoenix, as the town where the movie Murphy's Romance, featuring James Garner and Sally Fields, was filmed. Next day we drove there, and had a field day talking to locals about the five-month visit of the Hollywood crew and cast. The little theater that was closed, was spruced up and opened for several scenes; it’s closed again. And the drug store where Garner was the widower owner and attendant was reopened and rebuilt for those scenes. The American Legion hall and Elks were done over. The Legion bartender could regale one with stories of his knowing James Garner. Florence is a dusty little western town, but it apparently had its day in the sun when the Hollywood team came to town. They lived in fancy travel trailers, primarily because there were no suitable motels or hotel quarters. On our way back to Phoenix from Florence, we turned off the road to visit the old barn on the site where the movie was made. The old house one sees in the movie is gone now. We were told some rowdies held a nighttime party there one night and burned it down. What a pity, we thought. We also visited Carefree, some miles north of Phoenix in about the most hilly country we’d ever seen, where movie and TV bigs have expensive homes. The water and sewer problems seemed immense to us, but they keep right on building. We also visited Sedona with a friend, where enormous colorful rock formations jut out of the earth. So many of these sights have been filmed in western movies. One day we set out for the famous Roosevelt Dam, but gave it up as night closed in, settling for a visit to Tortilla Flats - nothing like you’d expect. It’s simply a beer-guzzler’s way station with dollar bills attached to name cards and stuck all over the ceiling and walls. No one seemed to know how it all started, but it is an attraction, give ’em that. All good things must end. and we turned our thoughts toward our trip home. Our sister-in-law. Edith Baumgartner, of Milford, who had been wintering in Palm Springs. Calif., joined us for our last week in Arizona, and made the trip home with US. We returned by a different route, taking us to Tucson, and in to the tiny town of Tombstone where we telephoned Carolyn (Sissy) Augsburger, a resident there for a number of years. We can (Continued on page 5)