The Mail-Journal, Volume 28, Number 39, Milford, Kosciusko County, 8 November 1989 — Page 1

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VOLUME 28

m huh __ agjijl' j<g - "^^w' t k 77^.rririii 1 ”■ ■ '!Si •• .* ""■ APPROVED DRAWING OF SYRACUSE PUBLIC LIBRARY EXPANSION FROM HARRISON STREET

Approve plans for expansion, remodeling of Syracuse Library

I By DEB PATTERSON Staff Writer Plans for expansion and remodeling of the Syracuse Public Library are nearing completion. The library board of directors have approved the exterior plans and with minor changes in the actual floor plans expected. The cost of the expansion/ remodeling has not been released but, the issue of general obligation bonds will not exceed $1,150,000. The exact amount of the project will not be known until bids have been received and awarded to contractors. While the approval from the state board of accounts has been received to sell general obligation bonds, actual issuance of these will not take place until late January or early February. According to Rosalyn Jones, librarian, it will be a couple of months before the library board will have all the details worked out for the final and official drawings of the expansion/remodeling project. It is possible the working drawings will be ready and bids can be received prior to issuance of the bonds. Board nembefs officially approved the current plans during a meeting last week. The approval came after several years of work A feasibility study was started in 1987 with the final report given in

Commissioners meet —

County personnel still under scrutiny

i By K ATE WOLFORD Staff Writer Jon Cupp, head of the county health department, gave input on Kosciusko County's personnel policy at a November 7 meeting of the commissioners” — warning that the policy, if revised, should have something positive in it for county employees. The personnel issue came up during a discussion about a health department worker who will be on leave due to surgery. Cupp was asked for his opinion on the matter The personnel policy is expected to be revised and expanded by county officials. Cupp said, “There are some things in there that need some ironing out.” These included deciding whether to “grand father” the policy in regard to existing workers He felt that .the issue of how current workers would be affected by any changes should be straightened out before moving on the rest of the policy

September 1988. Since that time the board has worked on finding an architect and finding a right plan There will be a 6.249 square foot addition built to the south of the existing library, which is 4,100 square fe*t Recently the library was given a variance from the town's board of zoning appeals to build up to the alley line in the back, three feet from the east line, and two feet from the west. Because of the size of the building, the library would have been required to provide 103 parking spaces, but this requirement was waived primarily due to the two town lots and on street parking in the area. The Plans The remodeling will include rearrangement of the main and

Nov. 10 is deadline for paying property taxes

1 Judy Cox. Kosciusko County I treasurer, points out that - November 10 is the deadline for ; paying the second installment of ; real .estate, personal property. > mobile home and drainage/ditch ? assessment taxes. Payment can be made at the treasurer’s office, or at a bank in i the county. If making payment 1 by mail. Cox says the taxpayer should be sure the envelope is i postmarked by the deadline, i "There is a ten percent penalty

Cupp also expressed concern about the county's year long maternity leave. While he assured, "I'm not opposed to the mothers staying home with their babies." he said hiring professional people to work temporarily is difficult Longevity, county residency requirements for employees, whether to allow members of the same family to work in the same department and moonlighting were also of concern to Cupp. Cupp also raised the issue of the health department's adoption of the county personnel policy in 1987. Prior to the adoption, the health department had its own policy The county guidelines were adopted with the understanding that all departments within the system were using it. If was later discovered that the sheriff's and highway departments were not abiding by the policy. Since then, Cupp said, he'd been trying to “'cripple along" as best he could with the county policy A personnel policy meeting will be held on November 21 Cupp was asked to attend that meeting

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

lower level completely, including a new front entrance and a side entrance on the east. The side entrance will include a vestibule and elevator, making the library handicapped accessible. Due to the slope on the back portion of the library's property, the entrance into the new addition will be street level into the foyer. From there an elevator or stairs can be used to reach the main or lower levels. The museum will be housed in the southeast section of the main level and will be approximately 21 feet by 32 feet Also on the main level will be the adult books with a young adult section. The lower level will house the children's books with a meeting room, small kitchen area, staff/storage area. The meeting

for delinquent payments." says Cox. Both the post office and treasurer’s office will be open on the 10th as the post office will celebrate Veterans Day on Saturday, while the treasurer's office will celebrate on Monday. Hours fo> the treasurer's office are 8 a m. to 4 p.m.. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a m. to 6 p.m. on Friday. For more information, call the treasurer's office at 372-2370.

In another health department related matter, the commissioners and Cupp discussed options in the quest to keep children off the rotunda opening. The health department is currently located on the third floor of the courthquse. A rotunda opening with a sheer drop down to the

School bus bids are being studied

Bids for three new 66passenger school buses and one 54-passenger handicapped school bus for the Wawasee Community School Corporation were opened at 1 p m , Wednesday. Nov 1 Five bids were received for either a bus body, bus chassis

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 8,1989

room will include a partition to allow two activities at a time. This room will seat 64 persons. Mrs. Jones noted complete details of the exterior have yet to be worked out. It is planned to have the main areas of the library carpeted. ,X See floor plans on page 2.

Sv • I

THE NEW LOOK APPROVED FOR SYRACUSE PUBLIC LIBRARY TO BE SEEN FROM MAIN STREET

main floor where the information desk sits i.as proven a temptation to young department clients. It seems that kids who are taken in for immunization on Tuesdays are climbing on the opening, spitting over the edge and dropping rocks. Not only does the situation present poten-

or complete bus (body and chassis). All bids were taken under advisement and a recommendation is expected at the November 14 meeting of the Wawasee Com munity School Corporation Board of School Trustees According to

The expansion and remodeling will provide more library space for use of the library for studying and housing of books Space is also being included for listening of records and tapes, more work space for the librarians and r'-'t rooms on each level as well as drinking fountains Currently the library has 30.000 books. Once the project has been completed there will be a capaci-

tial liability for the county, it's unpleasant for the receptionist The solution to the rotunda dilemma could be moving the im munization area to another location in the courthouse or the .Justice Building Cupp preferred the courthouse location as it would make dealing with records

Rogor Kryder. business manager, while some of the bids appear to be low. all bids will be analyzed to come up with “the lowest and best bids." Base bids on the 66 passenger bus bodies were: Kerhn Bus Sales. Silver Lake, Thomas body.

ty for 81.000 books Borger Jones Leedy, architects and planners from Elkhart are architects for the project. Members of the library board are: Charles Koser. president; Jack Elam, vice president; Virginia Ditmer. secretary; John Naab, treasurer; Rev. David Hyndman; Billie Rigdon; and Shanda Blue.

easier. Also, Cupp emphasized that at least a washroom and probably toilet facilities were essential to any location. Cupp was asked by the commissioners to look into finding both short and long term solutions to the problem

$12,627.50; Leonard Supply. Company. Silver Lake. Carpenter body, $33,188; Midwest Transit Equipment. Kankakee. 11l . Blue Bird body. $14,477; and Merchant House Transportation Sales, .1- . .■ (Continued on 1 page 2 >

Court decision raises concerns

f By DEB PATTERSON Staff Writer A recent decision byKosciusko County Judge JameSy Jarrette has raised concerns. Is technical conformance of a state statute more important than a violation of the law? Is this technical conformance more important than lives of school children 0 Based on* Jarrette’s ruling to dismiss a charge of passing a school bus while loading or unloading, the answer ap pears to be yes. The violation was passing a school bus while it was loading and unloading A motion to dismiss the charge was filed by the defense because the bus was not in conformance with a state statute and this became the issue The technicality: The white band, painted around the outer edges of the stop arm sign, was one-eighth to one-sixteenth of an inch smaller on two of the eight sides than required by state specifications. The specifications say the signs shall have at least. one-half inch bands. Frustration is being felt by of- ■ ficials of the Wawasee Community School Corporation. The case involved one of the buses in the corporation's fleet. The Beginning On December 6, 1988. a driver passed a Wawasee school bus on SR 13 while the bus was stopped to load school children. The stop arm was put. The driver of the vehicle passed the bus from the rear, on the right side. The children who were getting on the bus had just entered the step well. Because each bus is equipped with a radio linked to the corporation office, the infraction and information was radioed back to the office Roger Kryder. business manager and transportation director; Roy Stiffler, director of buildings and grounds: and Myron Dickerson, dean of students, met the driver of the vehicle as he drove into the high school parking lot and accompanied him to the high school office. While in the office, the student admitted to Dr. Roger Thornton, superintendent, and Dickerson he had passed the bus while it was stopped and loading students Police were notified Defense attorney David C. Kolbe and Deputy Prosecuting Attorney Robert Schloss measured the stop sign on the bus. They found that two of the eight sides were below the required measurement. A motion to dismiss the charge was filed by Kolbe. The Decision The decision to dismiss came on October 11 Judge Jarrette stated Tuesday of the week that the way the law has been written there were no alternatives in this case. "The way the law is written it is all 'shalls.' there is no maneuver room fora judge." Before issuing a decision. Judge Jarrette reviewed Indiana Code 9-4-1-23 which states the

WH AT IS WRONG WITH THIS SIGN’

NUMBER 39

driver of a vehicle meeting or overtaking from either direction any school bus stopped on a roadway shall stop before reaching such school bus when the arm signal device is in extended position and the driver may not proceed until the arm signal device is no longer extended He also reviewed IC 9-4-l-123ib> that states a violation only occurs in the event the bus in question is in compliance with the markings required by the State School Bus Committee. At the time of the alleged violation. 375 Indiana Administrative Code 1-3-471 3hC> was in effect. This statute says “the device shall have a white band, at least onehalf inch wide. . .” Both the state and defense agreed some places on the sign were less than the required width iX See school corporation's statement on page 5. These areas are what Judge Jarrette based his decision on. He noted had IC 9-4-1-1231 b> not been included in the law or wording changed, deleting the word shall to substantial, the ruling would have been different. Schloss commented, "The judge interpreted one of the statutes as saying school bus markings must be in perfect compliance with the statute, rather than in substantial compliance.” Schloss, on behalf of the state, argued the statute should be taken as substantial compliance. Schloss doubts there are any school buses in the county “just so perfectly marked in accordance with the statute. " All buses and equipment for buses are manufactured according to basic state specifications established by the state school bus committee "Anything mechanical is prone to error," stated Schloss. The deputy prosecuting attorney does not believe when the statute was written it was to be interpreted that way. “The purpose of the statute is to require markings so that oncoming vehicles can properly identify a vehicle as a school bus and see if it is stopped. That is why markings are required.” The attorney’s interpretation of the statute is the markings must be substantially in compliance with the marking requirements. "I'm not saying the judge's interpretation is not reasonable. In my opinion, it reads as longas it (the sign) is in substantial conformation with markings no case should be dismissed.” Crossing Arm There was no doubt, in the court hearing, that the sign in question was that of a school bus stop arm. Pictures were submitted to the judge who was in agreement it was a school bus stop arm Schloss commented people even testified at the hearing that if. the border on the stop arm was properly marked in width it would not be any easier to see. The fraction of an inch two of the eight sides are off "didn't affect" it being seen. (Continued on page 2)