The Mail-Journal, Volume 27, Number 23, Milford, Kosciusko County, 20 July 1988 — Page 1

Milford 658-41X1 & \ 457-3666

VOLUME 27

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ALL IS LOST IN BLAZE — A Syracuse family lost its home and all belongings in a fire that completely destroyed their mobile home Saturday morning at approximately 10 a.m. The Michael Coy family is now residing at Wayne and Betty Coy’s

Fire destroys home

A fire completely destroyed the home and belongings of a Syracuse family Saturday morning. Two mobile homes joined together under a shell-like structure owned by Michael D. Coy, near the intersection of SyracuseWebster Road and CR 620E, were completely engulfed in flames and the side walls were down when Syracuse and North Webster Fire Departments arrived. Cause of the fire is still under investigation. The call was first received by the North Webster firemen

Not on tax roHs — , j Jefferson Township residents must pay to use area libraries

I By KATE WOLFORD i Staff Writer The Milford Public Library is a popular spot for the citizens of Van Buren Township. According to figures contained in the ' librarian’s June report, 874 materials were circulated among adult library patrons, while 3,520 were checked out by area children. As of June 30, there were 724 adults and 313 children registered at the library. At one time, through a contract, the residents of east Jefferson Township also had access to the Milford Public Library’s services, with no individual charge.

At James Lake — 7 apply for aster-the-sacs permits

Seven after-the-fact applications for Department of the Army (DA) permits were received last week. The proposals for construction or filling of land near James Lake east of Leesburg were fulfilled without authorization from the DA. Upon discovery of the unauthorized activity, each applicant was prohibited from any further construction within the US Army Corp of Engineers’ jurisdiction. The property involved is part of a development by Lakeside Associates, which had a DA Permit denied on Feb. 18,1981, duel© the potential adverse impacts to a wetland within the site development area. The unauthorized activities occurred in the wetland, or a fringe area of aquatic

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at 10:07 a.m. and while enroute to the scene notified Syracuse of the fire in their territory. Syracuse responded with firemen and equipment. No one was home at the time and no one was injured, but a few firefighters were forced to rest due to the heat. Syracuse Fire Chief Jerry Byrd stated that at first it was thought that one of the Coy children was at home but when Michael Coy was found in Warsaw around noon he said all the children were with him. Coy was advised to keep an eye on the fire scene for any hotspots. Family members include Michael Coy and children,

When the last contract expired at the end of 1986, however, the trustee and advisory board of Jefferson Township were informed that they would have to merge with Van Buren to become part of the library’s taxing unit if they wanted continued access to the Milford facility. Jesse Berger, Jefferson Township’s trustee, as well as the township advisory board, felt the economic cost was too high. They decided against the merger. “It (the decision) was basically based on dollars and cents,” says Berger. “It (the merger) was going to up our taxes considerably.” Members of the Jefferson Township Advisory Board are Dale Berger, Harlan Wuthrich and Elmer Rapp.

vegetation, in the lake adjacent to the wetland. Those landowners undertaking "'-construction include: James who filled an area 40 feet wide at the lake’s edge, constituting a loss of approximately .17 acre of James Lake; Donald Mort, who constructed approximately 100 linear feet of a sixfoot high seawall and filled the area behind the seawall an average of 40 feet into the lake, accounting for a loss of approximately .08 acre of James Lake; Steven Beavers, 100 linear feet of six-foot high seawall and 260 cubic yards of fill constituting a .08 acre loss to James Lake, and Charles Freer, a 110 linear foot, six-foot high seawall and 60 cubic yards of fill, accounting for a .03

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

and Doug Coy’s residences and are in need of a home. The Syracuse and North Webster fire departments were called to the scene. No cause has been determined for the fire. (Photo by Deb Patterson)

Rodney, 17, Chad, 13, Melissa, 10, and Derek, five. Needs Home And Clothing The family is now dividing its time residing at Wayne and Betty Coy’s, parents of Mike, and the Doug Coy family on Knapp Lake. The family is in need of clothing and a place to live. Derek is a size S husky pants and size 2 shoes- He likes to play with cars and trucks. Melissa is a size 12-14 and 6Ms women’s shoes. She likes to embroider and read. Chad wears size 32 or 34 waist, 30 or 31 length, size 9 shoes. He likes to put together model cars. He bought one the night before the

At the same time, the Nappanee Public Library, which had been serving the residents of west Jefferson Township, also wanted a merger. Although the township board had the option to merge entirely With either library, the members felt that they would have to go with both. “We felt that if we do it for one we’d have to do it for the other,” Berger explains. The Nappanee tax rate would have been much higher than the Milford rate. At present a very small section of west Jefferson Township has been annexed by the town of Nappanee, and pays a library tax. Current tax levies for the Milford Library total .1749 while the total rate for Nappanee is .4917 (.2023 for the general fund and .2894).

acre loss to James Lake. Also, Jerry Rains, who constructed a 100-foot, six-foot high seawall and filled 60 cubic yards into the lake for a loss of approximately .01 acre; Phillip Lowe, 210 linear feet of a four-foot high seawall and 550 cubic yards of fill, accounting for a .30 acre loss to James Lake, and Donald Watson, who placed 200 cubic yards of sand and gravel for fill in .20 acre of James Lake. The prevention of erosion at the lake front was cited as the reason for the construction in all but one of the cases. Each application will be considered on its own merits, but due to the close proximity and probable interrelationship with the surrounding environment, the

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20,1988

fire for a 4-H project for the Kosciusko County Fair but it was in the fire. Rodney wears a 29 or 30 waist in pants, medium shirt, and size 7V 2 in shoes. Mike wears a size 29 or 30-29 in pants, medium shirt, and size 7*& or 8 in shoes. Drop off locations are Hibschman Motors, South Huntington St., Syracuse, from 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and American Legion Post 223, SR 13S, Syracuse, evenings after 3 p.m. An account has been opened at the State Bank of Syracuse for those who wish to make donations. They may be made to the Michael D. Coy fire fund.

Milford Public Library Director Mary Jurss is concerned about the effect that not supporting a library through taxes will have on the families of Jefferson Township; especially the children. “I think that the children are hurt the most by it,” she states. “They have neither political or financial clout. They come in here and ask to take out books, and I have to ask them ‘Where do you live?’ ” Children who do have access to the Milford Library appear to use it enthusiastically, along with the rest of the family. For example, the summer reading program for kids entitled “Summer of Champions” has been so successsful that its special Wednesday programs have been held at the

construction proposals were announced together so that cumulative impacts could be properly addressed. There are no known facts that indicate that any of the projects have destroyed or endangered any known critical habitat of a threatened or endangered species listed or proposed. The DA noted that permits will be granted unless their issuance is found to be contrary to the public interest. Written statements received in the US Army Corp of Engineers office, Louisville, Ky., by the closing date (August 11) will a part of the official record for each individual application and will be considered in the determination for that application.

At state convention — American Legion honors newspaper and Syracuse's marshal, R.E. Ziller

The Mail-Journal and Syracuse Town Marshal Robert E. Ziller were honored by the Indiana American Legion during that organization’s 70th annual convention in Indianapolis last weekend. This newspaper was the recipient of the Fourth Estate Awards to print media and Ziller was one of 11 police officers to win district honors. The “Law Officer of the Year” award went to William Randall Chandler, town marshal •Os Carthage. The state “Firefighter of the Year” award went to District Chief Stephen A. Adams, Sr., of Fort Wayne. Ziller was chosen to represent the second district in the competition. He and his wife, Betty, were in attendance at the convention to receive the district award. Ziller has been town marshal at Syracuse since September of 1985, coming to the Lakeland community after serving as a lieutenant in the East Chicago Police Department for almost 10 years and working with that department for almost 24 years. Since beginning his duties as town marshal, Ziller has put many positive changes into effect in the Syracuse Police Department and has changed the image of that department through improved public relations and by making the police officers more visible in the community. -Under Ziller’s leadership the Syracuse police spearhead the Just Say No program. The department also sponsors a bicycle safety program and Ziller was instrumental in starting a Neighborhood Crime Watch in the community. Other programs include Officer Friendly for the

Milford Community Building. “The mothers love it just as much as the kids do,” says Jewel Bregel, who oversees children’s services at the library. “It’s not just the mothers who come to the programs, the fathers do too,” she adds. In the end, however, the question about lack of library services (without individual charge) in Jefferson Township always seems to come back to money. Libraries are costly and the money has to come from somewhere. Jurss says the tax based system is a fair one. “It’s going to cost everyone something, but it’s for the common good. Those that have more, pay more. That’s true of everything in this country.” Jefferson Township residents who wish to use the Milford facility may do so if they purchase a non-resident card. The cost is S6O per year for an entire family. Ac(Continued on page 2) Applications being accepted at post offices Applications for postal clerks and street and rural postal carriers are being accepted at this time at all area post offices, according to Nancy Kurzhal, postmaster at the Milford Post Office. The positions are for the four different areas, Mishawaka, Plymouth, Goshen and Warsaw, covered by the South Bend Sectional Center of the post office. Kurzhal said that she urges anyone in the area to come in to the Milford Post Office or some other office in the area to apply for the open positions.

Syracuse youngsters and hand gun safety courses. Ziller’s nomination for the award was made by the Syracuse American Legion Post. Fourth Estate Award The Mail-Journal’s entry was sponsored by the American Legion Post 253 of North Webster. The Fourth Estate Award is given annually to the newspaper which most accurately embodies and supports the ideals of The American Legion. Post 253 reported this newspaper has been very cooperative with the post, consistently sending photographers and reporters to cover activities and events taking place at the post. The report notes the paper has, “also been outstanding in printing letters to the editor and press releases from state headquarters.” The state news release continues, “This past year, there have also been several feature stories in The Mail-Journal about veterans who live in the area. This is another way of remembering those who served their country in times of war. ” American Legion Commander Larry Bartlett of Highland said, “The Mail-Journal did more than just run an occasional story about

JE3|MBBBBRSfIBBtiBRiEX wB eB JBB * jhj|gJ|h j i ■ wSW ■ 3Sk # IBBSII >1 wwhIIB v WSpf I fl 111 All BO C% W ■ .? <?•>'•** fc’-' : “? ' j -■ '.■■■'■-■ I ill *1 »■' *1 |8 ■ -.-■ f- »~ I fl fl fIE * ■■ zw- : ; s* z* $ 4 i\\ . ’ ' ■’'-WEp # A ' *mWF<W' <lM^■ t w FOURTH ESTATE AWARD — The Mail-Journal is the recipient of the Indiana American Legion’s Fourth Estate Award for 1988. The presentation was made on Saturday during the organization’s 70th annual convention. Editor Jeri Seely was in Indianapolis to accept the award on behalf of the newspaper. From left in the photo are Terry Smith of Columbia City, state public relations officer; Ted Stenger, southern vice commander; Mrs. Seely; and Kerry Koontz, commander of the North Webster American Legion Post. ” IfT IMM ▼Bg --' gj BBL jr fl ”B t gjlfcOWflw 4 'WBIBi FlL\. w' W pßSfcfcM* pIMe i l'< - i^g..... .tW MMy & I --I ir Sil W" i t I IllLii ilolfei 10l . : I fi iff WB - J | ■ EEHBEHr * fa fIHIHHHHMHfIi TOWN MARSHAL HONORED — Syracuse Town Marshal Robert E. MBer was honored as the second district police officer of the year during the American Legion convention in Indianapolis last weekend. Ziller was one of 11 district winners. Pictured above are Jim Coomey, second district law officer chairman; Ziller; Betty Ziller; and state commander Larry Bartlett of Highland.

the Legion or veterans. The photographs and stories carried by the paper depicted the volunteer spirit and patriotism shown by typical Legionnaires and their families.” The commander commended this newspaper for “looking beneath the surface” and show- _ ing-the_community spirit of the North Webster area and its veteran population. The North Webstar Legion Post submitted a scrapbook to the Indiana Legion Headquarters which contained clippings published during the past 12 months. The entry was/elected for the Fourth Award from among other entries submitted from the 11 Legion districts in the state. New Commander Billie J. Holmes, a WWII Army Air Corps pilot, was named commander of the state organization on Sunday. A 43-year member of the American Legion, Holmes has served in different leadership areas with the Legion, as well as being active in the 40 et 8 and other community organizations. Holmes is a native of Lafayette, now residing in Brownsburg. His military career is an over 40 year combination of active and reserve duty. After flying B-24 bombers in WWII,

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Holmes joined the reserves immediately upon his discharge in 1945. He remained a reservist until 1969 when he returned to active duty until 1976. He retired from the reserves in 1983, attaining the rank of colonel. xyiis civilian career has been as ' diverse as his military career. A \ Purdue University graduate, he was a teacher, coach and principal, and served as superintendent of the Tri-County School Corporation. He is now the service officer of the American Legion 6th district, and is employed by the State of Indiana as deputy director of veterans affairs. Among Holmes’ Legion accomplishments are terms as commander of post 331 in Brownsburg, post vice commander, district commander, chaplain and membership chairman and state southern vice commander, membership chairman and commission chairman. Other affiliations are as follows: Voiture 1390 of 40 et 8, Shrine, Masonic Lodge, Scottish Rite, Retired Teachers Association, Sons of the American Legion, Red Cross, AARP, and Lions Club, where he has also served as president. Holmes and his wife, Wilma, have two sons and one daughter and six grandchildren.

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