The Mail-Journal, Volume 29, Number 44, Milford, Kosciusko County, 12 December 1990 — Page 20

THE MAIL-JOURNAL — Wed.. December 12,1990

DNR’s motion denied

On November 14, Judge Edward J. Meyers, in the Whitley Circuit Court, denied a motion by the Department of Natural Resources, and various residents of Lake Papakeechie who had joined the Department in this action as intervenors, to dismiss an appeal filed by the Papakeechie Protective Association, by which the association is seeking to reverse a determination by the Department of Natural Resources that Papakeechie is a public freshwater lake. The department, through Deputy Attorney General Michael Schaefer, and the in-

: MILFORD CHRISTMAS j B A A As You Patronize R L These Businesses “ Register To Win . . . Cys £ Use These Coupons Or Register In The Stores tgr? y”T & wm Kl Merchants Will . *'. -*-J *4l'4 /W |yf 1/ M |U| W^' Notify Their :r M Respective Winners - . ~ f „• 5 Drawing Held Christmas fve! jj "■———————•———————— — — ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ * $25 GIFT CERTIFICATE Ce ’ eb ™ t ?2l‘ S F,oral L & Gift Shoppe k k Walter Drugs, Inc. J Gift Lines K v. />r> ww*<c» a Fresh & Silk Flowers • Balloons • Plants A, 6 VI Ml It Ort! f Gourmet Baskets • Gift Baskets GIFT K A4 Stuffed Animals • Antiques * mi & • Main Street 658-4156 Redbook Wire Service TE •H “Your Small Town Florist" 658-3131 GZiilCOj NAME i NAME ■ & I & STREET I STREET £ I . fe| CITYSTATE CITY STATE £. PHONE, ZIP ; PHONE, ZIP k ; Jjjj Nothing To Buy — Need Not Be Present To Win Nothing To Buy — Need Not Be Present To Win s ------------------i-----__-.-_--__-__ k | Sharp I Shop Locally First! 17 j z- Emergency Car light " 7~7 — CHWIj Hardware VO. | The dollars you spend locally stay here | K Main Street HT .u" d . to help make our community a better place L B MILFORD *•*»». s« in which to live and work » • 658-4153 . Happy Holidays! & sz, : I .* { J°" ” 1 in I U PHONE, ZIP Atwood • Claypool • Etna Green • Leesburg <4 ” Nothing To Buy — Need Not Be Present To Win Milford • Pierceton • Warsaw Sb ..........-......-4.. - ..... J I FREE HAIRCUT & STYLE . $ ! Automotive | Shear Success { kt * ■■ "Hair Styling For The Entire Family" ? 101 S. Main - 658-9529 Main st. Bobi Doll & /, o /o\ Milford ChrisjyTevis & NAME 658 9834 Brenda Baumgartner k k NAME 7 STREET M STREET & X CITYSTATE j. J CITY:ST ATE Sb PHONE.ZIP — & T PHONE, ZIP tc Nothing To Buy — Need Not Be Present To Win ~ ,z Nothing To Buy — Need Not Be Present To Win t 7 T’A” »‘W m'” J J gene s c ß9puhqiie DOLL'S & * k '•**•*••■"•«***** ! 124 S. Main 658-4033 4 - * 651-9177 Open Mon. Thro Fri. 10-5, Sat. 10-4 M NAME NAME STREET STREET I £ CITYSTATE CITYSTATE Il PHONE.ZIP i PHONE.ZIP Nothing To Buy — Need Not Be Present To Win Nothing To Buy — Need Not Be Present To Win ! tfieUen I From I * A L 6 ”’ 9795 1 Tuck ®r S » A9 ,30 Srd Main At s name I < r 7~b> STREET | MILFORD » CITY STATE i INSURANCE CENTER | k 1 St. Rd. 15 ? phone,zip I 658-9468 M Nothing To Buy — Need Not Be Present To Win |

tervenors, through Attorney Paul D. Refior, had argued that the association had not exhausted its administrative remedies prior to filing the action in court. The association, through its attorney, Stephen R. Snyder, countered that an exception to the Administrative Adjudication Act existed, which permitted the association to bring this action without going through the various appellate processes within the Department of Natural Resources itself. The ruling by the court will permit continuation of the action and allow Judge Meyers to reach the

ultimate decision of whether or not Papakeechie is a public lake. Historically, no public agency has ever contested the existence of a one-foot boundary line around the shore of Lake Papakeechie, which area is owned by the Papakeechie Protective Association. In 1968, an internal memorandum from one section of the DNR to conservation officers, indicated that Papakeechie was from that point forward to be treated as any other public freshwater lake. The release of this internal memorandum to the public resulted in the immediate use of motorized

boats on Lake Papakeechie. * The DNR claims to have a lakefront ownership right on Papakeechie, as shown by recent surveys of the old Fish Hatchery. The court will be asked to determine whether such lakefrontage rights exist, or whether the Papakeechie Protective Association will retain authority over use of the lake. No date for final trial has been set by Judge Meyers. Ideal apple With the “criteria” for the ideal apple, the sweet, yellow Criterion may be eaten fresh, in salads or baked.

Milford's Main Street

AS PART of their seasonal greetings from the sunny South, Wayne and Irene Bucher enclosed a photo of their “brightly lit up” winter home in Fort Myers Beach, Fla.

It seems after the Buchers won first place in the Christmas decorating contest in their park last year, Wayne was inspired to come up with some new ideas for this year, including the hanging of 1,700 lights outside.

ALTHOUGH THERE’S no contest held in Milford, we thought it might be fun to recognize some of the community’s residents who have their homes “all decked out” with outdoor lights and decorations during this Christmas season. So, watch this Column for the next few weeks

Receptionist position —

New councilman expresses disagreement with decision

By SCOTT DAVIDSON Staff Writer

& &

The controversy over the receptionist/switchboard position in the county courthouse in Warsaw and what will become of the job as of January 1, is back in the spotlight once again aftei newly-elected county councilman Ray Compton expressed his opinion on the matter to the county commissioners last week. “I have a rdal problem with just getting rid of a good employee who has been with the county for the past 15 years,” commented Compton at the December 4 meeting. “Additionally, with my understanding of the law I think that the council may have overstepped its boundaries by deciding to not fund the receptionist position in 1991 without first consulting the commissioners on the matter. I think that the decision on the matter should have started here first,” he told commissioners Maurice Beer, Charles Lynch and Eddie Creighton. When the county council sat down in August to draw up the county’s budget for 1991, the

Commissioners hear concerns over leaf burning in the county

By SCOTT DAVIDSON Staff Writer

The issue of leaf burning in the county and possible solutions to the problem was the main topic of discussion during the December 4 meeting of the county commissioners. Dr. Doug Sawyer, a family physician in Warsaw, appeared before the commissioners to voice his concern over the issue of leaf burning in the fall and the problems that are caused by the smoke. "I think that the county needs to take a look at doing something to control leaf burning somehow because I believe it’s a widespread problem that needs to be addressed,” said Sawyer. Sawyer, who himself suffers from asthma, informed the commissioners that the smoke from the burning of leaves causes a lot more problems than people are probably aware of. “One time this fall the smoke in the area around my home was so bad that I had to go to the hospital in order to be able to breathe," said Sawyer. "Many of my patients have chronic breathing ailments and the smoke from all of the leaf burning in the fall is a problem that something needs to be done about to make the situation better for all of us,” he added. Current law in the state of Indiana says that the burning of leaves is legal as long as persons comply to certain guidelines with

and see the favorites of The MJ staff and the community. Just send us a postcard (addressed to P. O. Box 188, Milford, Ind. 46542) or give us a call at 658-4111 and well keep track of the best decorated homes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY wishes go to Leola Rapp of Milford. Mrs. Rapp will be 90 on Monday, Dec. 17. Anyone wanting to send her a card may do so by addressing it to her at P. O. Box 334, Milford, Ind. 46542. —o—

AMONG THE award winners in the Hoosier State Press Association’s 1990 Better Newspaper Contest was Paul Siegfried, son of David and Charlotte Siegfried of North Main Street.

group decided not to fund the receptionist position next year in an effort to save money. The group, which has already proposed replacing the current receptionist with a phone answering system, estimated that the change would save the county approximately $16,000. Marlene Weller, the current receptionist, declined to comment on the matter. Compton, who will replace George Klinger on the county council as of January 1, offered an alternative solution to the answer of just replacing Weller. “The county officials need to find a job for her if they want to put in the phone answering machine and I think that they could create a position where she could serve as a secretary/liason person between the public and the county commissioners and the county council,” said Compton. Commissioner Beer, agreed with Compton, stating, “The taxpayers deserve this service and you can be sure that we’re not the ones who recommended to get rid of her,” he stated. “I think that the persons in this county make good use of the benefits of having a receptionist in the courthouse

their burning. Those guidelines include things such as burning the leaves in a proper container for ventilation purposes as well as only burning the leaves at certain times of the day. Although the open burning of leaves is against laws already on the state statute books, Jon Cupp, who heads the county health department remarked that no one locally has the authority to oversee the problem at the current time. “It’s a very, very difficult situation because the state really can not enforce the leaf burning law and our department locally does not have the specific authority to deal with the situation,” said Cupp. “We do receive some complaints about leaf burning each year and we do enforce the law when a health threat exists but that’s about all we can do,” remarked Cupp. While the towns of Warsaw and Winona Lake have moved to ban leaf burning within their cities, the county currently has no such ordinance in place. Commissioner Eddie Creighton, after hearing Sawyer’s plea, questioned who would be the agency to try and enforce any county-wide regulations on leaf burning. “I think the big problem like with any law would be with the question of how to enforce it and who would be able to do that,” said Creighton. Cupp said that he believes that a total ban on leaf burning is not a

Paul is a photographer for the Huntington Herald-Press. He took third place honors in divisiton two for best sports photo and third place for best photo series.

LAST SATURDAY morning a little puppy showed up at the drive-thru window of the First National Bank in Milford. The bank’s operations manager, Vicki Jones, reports everyone immediately fell in love with the “frisky” young female pup. Not wanting to see the animal get hurt, the bank’s personnel took it inland one of the bank’s customers, Connie Bachota, offered to find it a temporary home. It is hoped the “missing pup-

and we need to continue the service,” Beer added. “I don’t see how we’re really going to save any money with this phone answering system,” said commissioner Lynch, supporting Compton. “Also, I think that it’s good for us to have someone down there in the main part of the building because she serves as kind of our watchdog for persons walk-ins who use the building,” added Lynch. Republican Compton, who defeated Democratic challenger Dave Kneller in the November 6 general election after defeating Klinger in the primary, said that the county is large enough that a position somewhere needs to be found for Weller. “There’s a 1,000 different things that she could do within the county structure and I feel that after 15 years of service there’s no way that the county can just eliminate her job without finding a place for her,” he emphasized. “I think that my alternative of making her a secretary/liason person would help county officials function better and a lot more professional and would be a help to the public. At the same time, we would be keeping a good county employee

possible solution to the problem at the current time. “Although I think that leaf burning will eventually be banned in the entire state, you can’t eliminate it right now when there’s no alternative* answer for disposal of the leaves,” said Cupp. “The key is that people need to burn their leaves in moderation and use some common sense and courtesy when doing so,” Cupp emphasized. “You can’t totally ban the burning of leaves but you can regulate the way and the time that the leaves are burned and I think that’s where we need to go here in the county,” he added. Sawyer added that he believes it’s time that the issue of leaf bur-

Arts celebrate Christmas at IU

BLOOMINGTON - From the original, as told in the New Testament, to the retelling of the familiar story in an opera premiere, Christmas will be celebrated on the Indiana University Bloomington campus through song, dance, music and art. Art Museum The Christmas season is not only for the ears but for the eyes and the IU Art Museum will offer special exhibition, “The Story of

py” will be reclaimed by its owner real soon.

A VERY special Christmas package arrived “a little early” last week for Michael and Patti (Zimmerman) Emel of Fort Wayne. Nanci Elizabeth, who wasn't expected until the end of February, arrived into the world December 6, weighing two pounds, nine ounces. Nanci Elizabeth is reportedly doing fine at this time and with continued progress, her doctors say she may be able to go home when she reaches five pounds. With the new baby’s arrival, Virgil and Nancy Zimmerman of r 2, Milford, proudly report they now have seven granddaughters and eight grandsons.

EVEN THOUGH the traveling might have been a “little rough” because of the lack of snow in the area, Santa Claus still made his appearance in Milford last night . (Tuesday) at the fire station. Approximately 55 persons were in attendance as the Milford Volunteer Firemen and their families and guests enjoyed their annual Christmas party, which featured a potluck dinner and of course, the arrival of their “special guest.” During the evening, Santa visited with the youngsters and presented each one a gift. A good time was reportedly had by all!

employed,” added Compton who will represent the fourth district. Commissioner Creighton, who appeared at the November 8 meeting of the county council to request that it reconsider doing away with the receptionist position, stated that the commissioners are in agreement with Compton on the issue. “We feel like you do on this matter but our hands are seemingly tied because the council members didn’t appropriate the dollars for the position for next year and they aren’t scheduled to meet again this year,” said Creighton. “We’re in a bind but I’m not sure what can be done now to try and solve the problem,’’ Creighton said. Compton, who will be one of two new members on the sevenmember county council as of January 1, believes that the council needs to somehow address this issue before it’s too late. “There needs to be some type of meeting between the council and the commissioners to get this situation rectified. I am very concerned over this matter and I have a real problem if we just get rid of a good county employee by eliminating a job that needs to be done,” concluded Compton.

ning be addressed by county officials. “We need to address the issue sometime because it’s going to cause more and more problems in the future if it continues as is,” he said. After listening to the opinions expressed by Dr. Sawyer as well as by Cupp, commissioner Creighton remarked that the issue of leaf burning in the county would be looked into and possible solutions to the question would be considered by the commissioners. The next regular meeting of the commissioners is set for Tuesday, Dec. 18. The meeting will begin at 9 a.m. and will be held in the old court room in the county courthouse in Warsaw.

the Nativity in Art.” Paintings and prints of the Nativity will make up the exhibit which opens Tuesday, Dec. ’lB, in the Museum’s Hexagon Gallery. From a massive oil painting by Abraham Bloemart depicting “The Adoration of the Maggi” to prints by Albrecht Durer, Hendrick Goltzius, Giovanni Benedetto Castiglione and Giovanni B. Tiepolo, the Museum will display the artists’ interpretation of Christmas.