The Mail-Journal, Volume 27, Number 32, Milford, Kosciusko County, 21 September 1988 — Page 1

Milford 658-4111 & Syracuse 457-3666 T \ ■

VOLUME 27

Syracuse sewage plant 2 V 2 months ahead of schedule

I By GLEN LONG Staff Writer Syracuse Town Board members received an optimistic report on progress of the new sewage processing plant at their Tuesday, Sept. 20, meeting. Tom Cievidence, resident engineer for TenEch Engineering Inc., said 94 percent of the concrete is poured and the plant pro\ ject is about 2V2 months ahead 01 schedule. He said 850 feet /of sewer pipe has been installed and the sewer line project is on schedule at this time. “We will keep disruption to townspeople as low as possible,” he stated. Ron Conley, who is heading up the street and water department, informed the board that traffic flow in and out of Syracuse Elementary and Junior High School will be disrupted in about a week as sewer work progresses on South Main Street. Board member Carol Koble will inform Principal John Naab of this fact. Conley was instructed to put a sign at the downtown intersection to inform truck drivers when Main Street is closed around the curve. The board agreed to look into putting another street light at Marsh Harbor condominiums, near Miller’s Merry Manor, after Phyllis Gerstner and Don Deck stated the need. They said a pole is already there and the condo association could possibly help with the cost of a light. Board member Carl Myrick said a change order is needed to include a power source for the dog pound and police shooting range in the electrical supply to the new sewer plant. Ron Helman, sewer department manager, was instructed to contact TenEch about the change order. The board accepted bids from United Telephone Company for addition of needed telephone lines for the police and fire departments. The bids were taken under advisement.

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PRESENT |l,ooo CHECK — The Milford Lions Club presented a check for SI,OOO towards the purchase of the new ambulance for the EMS Monday evening. Accepting the check from Lions President Keith Beer is EMS President Cheryl Brunjes. Left to right are Lions Immediate Past President Kent Doty; Vice

Milford Lions Club presents SI,OOO to EMS for ambulance

The Milford Lions Club presented a check for SI,OOO to the Milford Emergency Medical Service Monday evening as a donation towards the purchase of the new ambulance} The presentation was made at the Club’s September meeting and came during EMS Week. The check was presented to Cheryl Brunjes, president of the EMS, by Lions President Keith Beer. Brunjes commented to those present that “It’s groups like this that keep our ambulance service going.” She said that the

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Helman reported that the town fire hydrants will be flushed on Sept. 29 and 30. He also informed the board of the need for a pickup truck to replace an old sewer department van which is beyond repair. The board agreed with President Hughes and Conley that the town’s old concrete block building on North Huntington Street is beyond repair and should be torn down. They discussed the possibility of building a new building if storage space is needed at that location. Qther Business Hughes reported that Mary Lou Smith has worked through all the recent sewer bills in question and has found not one mathematical error. He said one sure way to lower a water bill is to not waste Youths suffer serious burns Eric Hamman, 12, suffered burns over 14 percent of his body, and his cousin, Robert Richardson, eight, suffered burns over 50 percent of his body when gun powder was thrown on a bonfire. Both boys are in the Saint Joseph Hospital, Fort Wayne. Hamman is the son of Sue Hamman, Milford, and Rick Hamman, North Webster, and Richardson is the son of Rick Richardson and Jane Richardson, Tippecanoe Lake. Hamman underwent skin graft surgery on Tuesday on both his legs, from the ankles to the knees, and is doing well. Richardson. is in serious condition and was scheduled to have skin graft surgery today. The boys were injured following an incident Saturday, Sept. 17, at a home on Tippecanoe Lake. According to information obtained, the two were attempting to dry themselves off and warm up when one of the boys threw gun powder on a bonfire, trying to enhance the fire. North Webster Emergency Medical Service transported the boys to the hospital.

ambulance fund is now about SB,OOO short of its goal of $57,000. The ambulance is slated to cost $54,500 and the emergency frequency radio system within the ambulance an additional $2,500. Max Evans and his son, Marc, attended the meeting to acquaint the club with the current activities of the Milford Boy Scouts. Evans, who serves as scoutmaster, stated that the troop now has nine scouts and pointed out that “scouting is one of the best investments we have in this community.” Evans is presently look-

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

water and to not use so much. “We’ll continue to do our best to not have errors,” he stated. Hughes added that five subscriber water meters were sent to Fort Wayne for testing and all tested almost 100 percent perfect on volume measurement. Hughes will serve as liaison with the EMS department since the resignation of board member Bill Hess. He also reported that representatives from the state have stalled the planned sewer line extension on South Harkless Drive for at least a year, until the in-progress sewer project is completed. Hughes reported that it will take from 30 to 60 days to get a state permit to get the sewer line under the bridge on Harkless Drive properly repaired. He said the town’s insurance will not pay for this repair. Helman was asked to get a quote from Phend and Brown for sealing the town hall parking lot and re-striping the parking areas. Hughes said Phend and Brown estimates its street repair work will be finished by the end of September. State contract for Phend and Brown The Indiana Department of Highways announced the approval of repair contracts on Sept. 9. Director John P. Isenbarger gave notice of official action being taken on 10 contracts for Indiana roadwork. Contract bids for three maintenance and seven road contracts were opened on Sept. 6. The sum total of all contracts awarded or pending amounted to $1,061,778.84 with the engineer’s estimates totalling $1,154,148.48. In Kosciusko County, Phend and Brown, Inc., of Milford was awarded a contract of $59,399 to repair bituminous turn lane construction, drainage correction and intersection radius reconstruction along SR 15 in Warsaw.

President Tom Sorensen; Treasurer Elmer Sorensen; Vice President Dennis Wuthrich; President Keith Beer; EMS President Cheryl Brunjes ; Kent Sawyer, a member of the EMS ambulance research commit;, tee; and EMS Treasurer John Corbin. The presentation was made during Indiana’s EMS Week.

ing for an assistant scout leader. Marc Evans told the group that he must do a community service project as he works toward becoming an Eagle Scout. Evans chose to develop a directory for the Milford Cemetery as his project and he hopes to have it completed in about two weeks. Evans asked the Lions to help him defray the material costs for the directory and the club agreed to donate one half of the total $260 cost. The directory will stand near the center of the cemetery and offer visitors assistance in

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21,1988

The board voted to have the contractor widen and stripe the curve at Harkless and Chicago streets to improve safety. The town will do preparation grading in order to get a price of $1,285 for the job. Each board member has received a letter from Indianapolis attorney Stephen Schrumpf expressing concern about open dumping of fill materials on the property of Hubert Dunithan on Palm Drive east of SR 13. The letter was on behalf of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Stanley Schrumpf, who own property in Hunnicutt Addition, adjacent to Palm Drive. The board instructed Bob Reed, attorney, to send a copy of the letter to the county health department since the letter states dumping was done without properpermits. The board adopted additional appropriation ordinance 88-10 as presented by Reed. It included $5,000 for street repairs and S6OO for repairs. The next regular meeting of the Syracuse Town Board will be Tuesday, Oct. 18.

Long urges caution on radon testing

By GLEN LONG Staff Writer r X Since the recent announcement by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) of the federal government that radon gas is more prevalent in midwest homes than previous studies had shown, many newspaper articles and television newscasts have been done on the subject of health concerns and testing for the presence of radon gas in homes. Howard E. (“Red”) Long Jr., owner of Ace Pest Control with offices at Lake Wawasee, has com-

locating grave sites within the cemetery. Kent Doty announced that the club would again be sponsoring the annual Halloween Party at Campbell’s IGA on Saturday, Oct. 29, and that details of the festival are still being formulated. Guests attending the meeting were townsmen David Bess and Wayne Richardson. Also attending was Kem Zolman, a new Milford resident, who is teaching math at Wawasee High School and coaching JV boys basketball.

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MAIN STREET CLOSED INDEFINITELY — There will be sections of Syracuse’s South Main Street closed at first, then all of South Main will be closed as employees of Dye Plumbing and Heating work on the new sanitary sewer lines on the east side of the street. Bob Banwart, construction superintendent, stated South Main will be closed systematically between Mill and Brooklyn Streets over the

pleted a course on radon and jadon testing at Texas A & M He agrees that* there is need for homeowners to have their homes tested, but stressed that there is no need for panic and “crash testing.” Long added that the method of testing is important, because, while the level of radon gas is a factor, its presence is variable, more likely to be present in a house that is well-insulated and kept closed. He said therefore the best test for radon is one which spans a period of time rather than one which gives just a few days “snapshot” look. Two Tests Available Long pointed out that radon is a radioactive gas which occurs naturally in nature. It is the product of decaying uranium in the earth. The elements produced as radium decays are called daughters or more recently, progeny. It is these progeny which can be measured in a radon test to determine the amount of radon present in a structure. There are two generally accepted methods of radon testing, according to Long. One of these is the charcoal canister method which can capture only 3.8 days of test material. The other method, which Long said is far more reliable, is the alpha track test, which can be used to capture test data for a period from one month to one year. “Because radon is present in varying amounts over time, the alpha track test gives far more reliable results,” stated Long. “As radon decays the presence of its progeny elements is noted on the piece of film in the ,small alpha canister which has been placed in a building. “The-charcoal test is extremely limited because it must compete with moisture in the air as data is captured. The four days of captured data may indicate a high radon level at a short peak time or may indicate a low level at an especially low level time. The results are just not adequate to tell the true story in a house. Os course several charcoal tests can be taken, but this can increase the cost beyond the cost of one alpha track test.” Long cautions home owners to approach the subject of radon logically and without He said the EPA reports are listing radon levels as high as 72 picocuries, far above the measurement of four which is considered a safe level. He said that actually only 26 percent of Indiana homes tested have shown radon contamination levels of four picocuries or more per liter of air and an average of the homes tested is 3.6 percent. Locally, Long has been doing radon tests for 15 months and said his highest readings have ,' . . ■ ■■ • ■ . 1 ‘ . » • ,

been 24 picocuries. He explained that a picocurie is a minute unit - uaed in measuring radioactivity .- Long said prices of testing can vary depending on the locality.

Closed hearing held on Evans store fire

The Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office subpoenaed six witnesses to testify in a state fire marshal’s hearing Tuesday regarding the January 10 fire of the Evans Store in Milford. The closed hearing lasted most of the day. Tony Ciriello, former deputy state fire marshal, stated the hearing is a fact finding hearing byway of interviews. “We are taking what was found at the investigation and getting answers to questions we have to eliminate rumors and sort out the facts,” commented Ciriello who is now a county police officer. Officials from the state fire marshal’s office spent Monday preparing for the hearing by going over the facts already collected. Following Tuesday’s hearing the statements taken will be re-evaluated to see where the investigation will go from there. It is expected it will be at least a tnonth before jhe evaluation is completed. Max Evans, owner of the store, was one of the six who were'subpoenaed. He commented he spent P/ 2 hours giving testimony on Tuesday and that the hearing was “one of the biggest jokes.” He also stated he has proved the fire

Syracuse man one of several arrested on drug charges

Randall Murphy, 28, Syracuse, was arrested, along with 12 others, last week by federal investigators on a charge of conspiracy to distribute more than sls million worth of cocaine over 2M> years. Murphy’s arrest comes from a 135-page indictment handed down last Thursday by a federal grand jury in South Bend. The indictment is the culmination of a seven-month investigation by federal investigators and police in Indiana and Florida. Others charged include Michael Bryant, 29, Goshen; Michael Wright, 33, Elkhart; Louis Willekens, 32, Mishawaka; Gene Shook, 37, Battle Creek,

next several months for the construction work. Eventually the street will be closed completely from Mill Street to Railroad Street. Banwart has stated if at all possible the street will be open to traffic after working hours. No designated detour routes have been established. Currently worker's are working on the section between North and Portland Streets. (Photo by Deb Patterson)

He said a charcoal test placed by the homeowner and sent away for -analystswill cost about S2O-tmd some experts suggest four to eight tests per year. He added

wasn’t arson and that it started in the front, not back as reported. “I’m sure it* was electrical or something like that,” noted Evans. Evans stated he is upset over

Housing development planned near Milford by Wolfermans

I By GLEN LONG Staff Writer Don and Sue Wolferman, Milford, will soon be submitting a petition to the Kosciusko County Area. Plan Commission to rezone 79 acres of land southeast of Milford from an agricultural to a residential district. The acreage lies on the north side of CR 1150 N, east of Old SR 15. Wolferman said he anticipates that about 20 residential lots will be platted along the county road from east of the Conrail tracks to the Camp Mack Road. “We feel that Milford needs housing and hope to provide sites for medium

Mich.; Linda Martin, 45, Floyd McElhaney, 37, Dottie C. Harris, 33, all of Lakeland, Fla.; Melinda K. Stewart, 33, and John D. Vodde, 37, both of Fort Wayne. Stewart and Vodde have been charged as being second level dealers in a cocaine distribution network organized by Donley L. Clark, 34, Lakeland, Fla. Clark is accused of being the supplier of the network and is being held in Florida. . The ring allegedly operated in Michigan, South Carolina and Kentucky. Cocaine “mules” brought cocaine to northern Indiana by car from locations in Florida. Some of the mules were confidential informants for

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that an alpha track test now costs about S7B, but measures the radonsituattonover a fullyear. “Homeowners need to take the (Continued on page 2)

the whole deal and hopes that nobody ever has a fire. “If you ever have a fire, today nine out of 10 are considered arson. If they do, you are going to go through (Continued on page 2)

income families,” he said. “This is all new to us. If things go as planned, it’ll be a long project before we get it done.” Wolferman indicated that other development on the rezoned area will be platted later, after the area along CR 1150 N. The couple had previously considered developing a mobile home park west of their home on Old SR 15, but both agree that this is no longer a possibility because of the prohibitive cost of the required sewage system, an estimated $250,000, according to Mrs. Wolferman. t If the APC approves the project, possibly at its Oct. 5 meeting, it will recommend approval by the county commissioners, who will make the final decision on the rezoning

authorities. The indictment charges that Clark supplied more than 60 kilograms of cocaine to northern Indiana between January 1985 and July 1986. Informants brought the cocaine, purchased from Florida, to Indiana for sale to numerous second-level dealers. It was during this time the informants also provided information to state and federal authorities about second-level dealers to whom they sold cocaine. Murphy will appear in federal court later this week before U.S. Magistrate Gene B. Lee in South Bend, where the case will be tried.

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