The Mail-Journal, Volume 29, Number 44, Milford, Kosciusko County, 12 December 1990 — Page 1

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Milford 658-4111 Syracuse 457-3666

VOLUME 29

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Council says ‘read my lips' —

New town hall to be raised, not taxes

By MARY JANE LORTON Staff Writer

Plans for a new town hall in Milford are now “off the back burner,” exclaimed councilman John Lehman. And the town Won’t have to worry about higher taxes, he continued, after the Milford Town Council gave the go ahead to proceed with the

Neighbors feuding over placement of carport

More than 11 years ago a carport was constructed on a tract of land on North Webster’s Lake View Drive. The homeowner responsible for the placement of the carport went to the board of zoning appeals prior to construction and was granted an approval. Yesterday (Tuesday), during the regular monthly meeting of the county board of zoning appeals, a petition to allow the structure to stay was represented. According to Stan Pequignot, the attorney who represented petitioners Bruce Maish and James Babcock, the carport was constructed more than 15 years ago and failed to bring any complaints from adjacent property owners, Mr. and Mrs. James Lozier. Further, he noted that it was the petitioners who discovered a 15-square-foot encroachment on the adjoining property and brought the matter to the neighbors’ attention. Maish and Babcock’s petition requested a variance that would permit the carport to remain at a zero-foot setback from the property line. Presently, there is a pending ti-

At Milford —

To establish drop-off site for recyclable items

By MARY JANE LORTON

Staff Writer

Following the lead of other municipalities in Kosciusko County, Milford will soon establish a drop-off site for recyclable goods. While the specific location of the collection area is still undecided, the purpose of the facility is clear: To provide an opportunity for those who want to recycle to do so, and to promote greater environmental awareness. The idea of the facility was laid before the Milford Town Council during its regular session, Monday evening. Presenting the details on the site was Bob Knudsen, Kosciusko County advisor for solid waste management. Hoping to eliminate the problem of people using the collection area as a trash dump,

design phase of the building project. This unanimous approval came following a lengthy discussion about the new structure, during a regular meeting of the council on Monday night, Dec. 10. Noting the council had not yet made a decision to go ahead with the second portion of the project, town attorney Jay Rigdon said a motion to enter into the design phase would be needed, should

tle action in Kosciusko Circuit Court to determine actual property lines. Opposing comments from Bill Fagan, a Fort Wayne attorney representing the Loziers, noted that the original petition, filed in 1979, asked for the BZA's approval for the carport to be constructed at least 10 feet away from the side property line. He stated that his clients did not question the placement of the carport because “they trusted the BZA’s decision.” The four member board agreed that the carport must remain five feet off the property line. That ruling will be in effect after the court decides where the property line will be drawn. Day Care Approved Without contest, Marsha Weaver’s petition to operate a child care business in North Webster was approved. Gary Weaver, who appeared before the board on his wife’s behalf, noted that Marsha is licensed in the state of Indiana to care for 10 fulltime children and five part-time in their home, located on Syracuse-Webster Road just south of CR 800 N.

Knudsen said! the site would be fenced in. In addition, he stated it would be staffed by volunteers. When a volunteer is not on duty at the site, the collectionarea would be closed to the public. Prior to the evening session, Knudsen discussed the project with Dallas Winchester 11, Milford utilities commissioner. Winchester suggested the town establish a collection area either near the town's well, or by the street department. ? Besides setting up collection areas in the county, Knudsen reported he would be starting a major education campaign wjthin the school system. While final details on the dropoff site have yet to be worked out, it is likely recyclables will be collected after the first of the year. Dangerous Dogs In other business, the council unanimously passed Ordinance 1990-15, concerning potentially dangerous dogs. The ordinance requires that dogs meeting the

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

PROPOSED FACADE OF NEW TOWN HALL

council members choose to proceed with this undertaking. The town has already acquired a preliminary sketch of the floor plans and facade. Measuring approximately 3,025.75 square feet, as proposed, the new building would be all one "level, without a basement. Cost of the design phase is roughly 6.9 percent of the tofel construction cost, stated the attorney, as- he estimated the

The next meeting of the BZA will be held Tuesday, Jan. 8. All meetings begin at 8:30 a m. in the basement of the Justice Building, Warsaw.

APC sides with remonstrators *» on Bowser Road property division

Neighbors trying to protect their privacy and surrounding farmland may have provided the final incentive which pushed the majority of the APC board members to the opposing side of a rezoning petition. Filed by Resia Rinker, the petition requested that a 7.7 acre tract of land on Bowser Road, Syracuse, be divided from an existing property for the purpose of building a house. Speaking in favor of the petition at last Wednesday’s, Dec. 5, meeting was Rick Pinney, a Syracuse realtor. He stated that the 32.81 acres would be divided into two lots, one totaling 7.7 acres and one almost 25 aeres. He

definition of “potentially dangerous” be licensed, as such. According to the town attorney Jay, Rigdon, a potentially dangerous dog involves any canine that inflicts a bite, has a history of biting, or is trained to bite. Those owners who do not register their special canines can be fined up to S2OO. The ordinance will be enforced by the town marshal, David Hobbs. In another matter, Milford resident John Weiss updated council members on possible solutions to a drainage problem on his property. He indicated further discussion is needed before a decision can be made. Reporting for the utilities department, Winchester noted the sewer project on South Main is completed. ‘‘Everyone can be hooked up, except two residents at this time,” the commissioner stated, adding, 100-day notices will be sent out after the first ofthe year.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 12,1990

price tag on the new building to be $205,000. Should the council decide to proceed, Rigdon told council members they would also need to select a site for this new facility. While some consideration was given to alternate locations, the council motioned to build the town hall where the current structure is located. Included in this same motion,' was the cil’s authorization to continue with phase two. A letter indicating the council’s desire to proceed with plans for a new town hall will be drafted and mailed to Stevens-Lobsiger and Associates of Huntington, architects for the project. Prior to voting on tMfc matter, the council asked Rigdon to discuss financing. Rigdon stated, the town has been contacted by Summers Company of Forb Wayne and Golden Bear International of Florida, about leasepurchase agreements.

also responded to neighbors complaints that the 7.7 acres could eventually be divided into seven one-acre lots. Pinney a stipulation would be written into the deed stating that the property could not be divided. Neighbors opposed to the petition were Susie Kern, Debbie Parker, Max Broekers and Wayne Sholtey. Two votes were taken by the APC members. The first, a motion to approve the petition, could not pass a 2-5 vote so a second motion to deny the petition was voted on. That vote turned a 5-2 decision which will go to the coun-

Noting the chassis of the department’s C-65 dump truck burned, Winchester said he is working with the insurance company on the claim. In the meantime, he said the department is using a Milford Co-op fertilizer truck to spread salt. He thanked councilman Denny Wuthrich, manager of North Central Cooperative, Inc., for this assistance. In addition, Winchester stated if it should snow, councilman John Lehman has volunteered the use of his truck to plow streets in Milford. Again, Winchester extended his thanks for this help. The truck was damaged on November 28, when a fire broke out in the street department building. While building commissioner Bill Durbin said he did not have much to report, he did say he had been informed of a trailer in violation of town code. The trailer, located at 318 E. Williams and owned by Ron Davidhizar,

Rigdon continued by outlining the lease-purchase idea, noting its advantages. “When an outside corporation sets up a leasepurchase agreement . . . (one avoids) the constitutional cap on borrowing,” Rigdon explained. He continued by explaining this type of agreement would allow the town to raise funds for other projects. “It gives you more flexin the future,” he concluded. While payments on this type of financing depend on the length of (Continued on page 2)

2C rate hike at Syracuse

The Syracuse town tax rate is expected to increase by two cents in 1991, after the Indiana State Board of Tax Commissioners approved a budget of $1,422,702 (up from this year’s figure of $1,265,573) last Friday.

ty commissioners for a final hearing. Camelot Subdivision OK The APC unanimously approved the final layout of the Camelot Hills Subdivision, Milford. Now scheduled for finalization, the subdivision will feature an additional 17 residential lots. Phil Beer represented the petition through all of its phases and has cooperated with the board’s requests. However, at the December 5 meeting, Beer could not see the reasoning for adding a stipulation to the entire 17 lot subdivision that a covenant be added stating that homeowners could not object to agricultural smells.

has several broken windows and a door, Durbin related. The building commissioner stated he would speak with Davidhizar about the property. In another matter. Barb Richardson informed council members that two park board members, Jean Treesh and Joellen Free, would be leaving their posts as of January 1. Those interested in serving on the park board should contact a council member. Reporting on the town's budget hearing held early Monday morning, clerk-treasurer Monica Bice said the tax rate was approved as advertised. The tax rate is $2.04 per SIOO assessed valuation. The assessed valuation, which is higher than last year’s figure but lower than what was advertised this year, is $11,387,750. In final business, Bice noted she does have supplies to register people to vote. The council slated its end of the year meeting for Friday, Dec. 28, at 5:30 p.m.

Board seeks input —

Wawasee working on drug testing policy

By DEB PATTERSON Staff Writer

Consideration of adopting a drug testing policy and procedure for extra-curricular activities was recommended to members of the Wawasee Community School Corporation Board of Trustees last evening. Board members accepted the recommendation but will be seeking additional input from patrons, students, and others concerned. Hal Traviolia, athletic director, stated adoption of such a policy places the corporation at the ground floor of something that is going to happen. There are only three schools in the state and one in Illinois that have implemented such policies. A urinalysis testing committee, made up of administrators, visited four schools:, Munster schools; two schools in the Tippecanoe School Corporation, Lafayette; and Homewood Flossmoor, Chicago, 111. All four are similar in size to Wawasee. Traviolia explained how the programs work at those schools, as well as the fact that only one of those schools, Homewood Flossmoor, had testing for extra curricular; the others for athletics only. He pointed out that while the athletic only testing has been proven legal by a court decision, no one has wanted to challenge the testing of extra curricular students.

The net tax rate of $2.25 per SIOO of assessed property is expected to raise $654,888 of the total town budget. That figure is based on a net assessed valuation of $29,049,807 (compared with $27,024,955 in 1990).

He did agree however, that each deed bear the stipulation individually. The approval of the Camelot Hills residential area completes the development in that area. The next meeting of the APC will be Wednesday, Jan. 2, 1991, at 1 p.m. in the Kosciusko County Justice Building.

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CHRISTMAS WISHES — Five-year-old Katie Murphy, right, carefully dictated a wish list for two to Santa Claus on Saturday. Katie’s sister, Carly, 3, listened carefully making sure her older sister didn’t miss an item. After a fire truck ride through Syracuse, Santa — played by Garry Miller of Milford — stopped at Fisher’s Mower Shop where a special little house had been decorated. Many children greeted Santa through the late morning-early afternoon event sponsored by the Syracuse Merchants Association. Katie and Carly are the daughters of Kerry and Janice Murphy, Syracuse. (Photo by Stacey Lesch) r

No particulars as to how it would be done at Wawasee were pinpointed, other than the fact it could cost sl2 per test, and volunteer testing (allowing parents to put kids’ names into a drawing as well as testing kids at parents’ request and expense) will be allowed. Positives were noted as far outweighing the negatives. It was pointed out that if such a policy would be adopted, involvement of parents and students would be sought. More discussion on the topic is expected at the January school board meeting. 1991-1992 Calendar Approval was given to the 1991-92 school year calendar. The calendar, similar to the existing calendar, will see the first student day as August 20 with the last student day May 29. Next year fall break is planned for October 24-25; Thanksgiving, November 28-29; two weeks at Christmas, December 21-January 5; President’s Day, February 17; spring break, April 6-10; Good Friday, April 17; as well as Labor Day and Memorial Day. The calendar has 180 student days and 185 teacher days. Bid Approved The bid of City Roofing, Elkhart, of $31,946 was awarded for the reroofing of th.e mechanics shop building. Work will begin in the near future and be completed in 10 calendar days. City Roofing was the lowest bid-

The largest departmental increase from 1990 is in the fire department. Fire Chief Jerry Byrd budgeted $221,388 for 1991, up from $155,291. A bulk of that increase was slated for a fulltime fire chief and two full-time firemen, with $26,632 and $37,000, respectively, set aside for those positions. The town council will have a final say in whether the full-time positions are granted. The council will also be faced with a decision on whether to utilize $20,000 that was set aside for a town manager or mayor’s position. The funding was orally approved by the state tax board, although Clerk-Treasurer Elgie Tatman said that written approval usually isn’t documented until early January. The council meets in regular session at 7:30 p.m. next Tuesday, Jan. 18.

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NUMBER 44

der of base bids according to CRS Roofing, Syracuse, submitted a bid of $31,772 on an alternate roofing material. The opinion of Barton Coe Vilamaa was that there was no value comparison between the bid based on specification with the alternate bid. Other bids were received from C. L. Schust, Fort Wayne; CMS Roofing, Fort Wayne; Midland Engineering, South Bend; and Pettigrew Roofing, Fort Wayne. The bids were opened Monday, Dec. 10. Approval was given to the donation of over SSOO by Tom Combs, owner of CRS Roofing, Syracuse, to provide two student scholarships to Wawasee Middle School to the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. The scholarships will be awarded as part of an incentive program to seventh grade students. The first scholarships will be used in April 1991. Concern was noted by board member William Troup of no mention being made of Milford Middle School students involvement and that there has been a great effort to have all the students treated the same. Dr. Roger Thornton explained that it is not true that the middle school programs are the same at both sites, but there are strengths at both sites. “I hope both schools and businesses in each community grow independently of each other,” stated Dr. Thornton, noting that parents have a choice in which school their student will attend. All board members were in favor of the scholarship and pointed out it was a donation made by a businessman to his community. —. Reports Made Recognition was given to Allene Dewart, Wawasee High School LPN, and Myra Alexander, corporation LPN, in recognition of the work they performed in a recent life threatening situation involving a school student. Also, recognition was given to Jan Perzanowski who received a Leadership Award through the Chapter I program for having a large percentage of parents involved in parent meetings. She was also a guest speaker at a State Learning Disabilities Conference in November. Board members were provided a report from Kathy C. Hunt, (Continued on page 2)