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2018 White County Progress
2018 White County Progress BUSINESS, AG, AND TECHNOLOGY
Special supplement of the
The grand re-opening of the Monticello McDonald’s was celebrated with a VIP Party and ribbon cutting Friday, as members of the community got a glimpse of the “future.” (HJ PHOTO BY GREGORY MYERS)
Monticello McDonald’s unveils ‘Experience of the Future’ BY GREGORY MYERS Regional Editor gmyerskvp@gmail.com Expect big changes over the next two years at McDonald’s, and the popular fast food restaurant’s location in Monticello will be one of the first in the region to show off the new look and feel. The changes, which McDonald’s call “experience of the future”, will affect how you order food, the kind of food you can order and even how that food gets to you. The biggest switch that will be rolled out nation-wide next month is McDonald’s move to fresh never frozen beef. McDonald’s used to “flash freeze” its beef patties, and the move to fresh beef also means more training for employees. “We are amping up our food safety procedures to prepare for this rollout,” said Mark Hammons. Mark and Patricia Hammons own the McDonald’s in Monticello as well as two in Logansport, one in Delphi and one in West Lafayette. “The company’s approach to the new food safety procedures is to take what the state and county requires and go above and beyond that,” added Mark.
A New Look
The McDonald’s in Monticello also recently unveiled its newest remodel, featuring a wide-open floor plan with a diner atmosphere. According to recent reports, McDonald’s is using a big part of its saving from the new lower corporate tax to help pay for 4,000 of its stores to get a facelift. “It really is a country-wide initiative to get more of our restaurants looking similar,” added Patricia Hammons. “McDonald’s wants the experience to be the same and not so different from state to state. We feel every seven years, we need to refresh our look to keep relevant with our customer base.” One thing the owners are extremely proud of is that they were able to use a lot of local tradesmen and a local general contractor for the project. “We wanted to get this project done quickly to have everything up and running by summer,” said Patricia.
Owners Mark and Patricia Hammons (right side) are shown training employees Crystal Mendez (far left) and Jessica Bondarevich how to use the self-ordering kiosks. (HJ PHOTO BY GREGORY MYERS)
A New Way To Order
As part of the remodel, the Monticello McDonald’s installed four self-ordering kiosks as the chain angles for new developments in delivery and digital ordering. While some critics claim the switch to the kiosks is a way to eliminate jobs, the Hammons say that is not the case and they are actually looking to add employees. “The adding of the kiosks is move away from customers feeling hurried to order,” stated Mark. “We want our customers to feel engaged and valued, not rushed.” Hammons added that early testing has showed that a lit-
tle more than half of McDonald’s customers preferred to use the kiosks to order themselves, go sit down and wait for their food to be delivered. “What McDonald’s has learned is with the kiosks, we are able to handle more orders and serve more guests,” added Patricia. “The demand for kitchen help will increase as will the need for help in the lobby with table service and helping others with the kiosks. We are still hiring now and we start well above minimum wage, and offer some great perks
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2018 White County Progress
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Brookston seeing growth
BUSINESS, AG, AND TECHNOLOGY
BY JAMES D. WOLF JR. news@thehj.com The summer of 2017 may have been rough for Brookston businesses with Indiana 18 under construction, but by year’s end, businesses were opening, building and revamping. They’re mostly smaller businesses by entrepreneurs and hospitality businesses, but there’s also some townplanned growth.
Crasian Brewing Company
To m a n d M i c h e l e Bulington opened Crasian Brewing Company at 207 S. Railroad St. Brookston in September -- in time for the Apple Popcorn Festival, and they had their grand opening on Nov. 18. They’d been brewing ales at a commercial level since August, but “we wanted to wait until we felt our beer was good enough so we could do our big opening,” Michele said in November. The couple had always wanted their own business, and with their children grown older, they saw the chance to make a hobby they’ve had for six years into that business. Although they’re from Monticello, Brookston spoke to them, including the building they chose, which took them seven months to renovate and construct the brewery in. They chose the name because it’s slang for “any Asian who partakes in a crazy event,” said Michele, who’s of Asian descent. She said she’s been called that before and people thought it would be perfect for this crazy venture. They plan to self-distribute to local bars and restaurants and to add canned
beer for people who want takeout. The brewery is open for business Thursdays through Sundays, and the Bulingtons plan to operate the brewery for 12 months, then evaluate its future. “If we get to the point that our jobs are holding us back, we’ll have to make a decision,” he said.
Jackson Street Pub
After a long period of revamping the old building at the southeast corner of Indiana 49 and Indiana 18, the Jackson family opened Jackson St. Pub at 121 W 3rd St. slowly before the winter holidays. “We had no idea it was going to take five-and-a-half years. We’re pretty particular about our work, and it shows,” said Aaron Jackson, who operates the bar with some help from his parents, Brian and Teresa Jackson. Jackson described the bar as having a “small town feel and big city atmosphere” They exposed the original tin ceiling and restored it and exposed the brick walls, he said. The floors are new, as is the back bar, but the mirrors on the back bar and the wooden bar where people drink were already in the building. The Jacksons sandblasted and painted the iron beams in the building’s front and replaced the glass in the storefront windows, and Jackson bought the tabletops from a closing restaurant, stripped them down and refinished them. Jackson said the business has a “full but to-the-point menu” with the crab rangoon appetizers being the most popular item, and weekend steaks are a must-have.
Crasian Brewing Company in Brookston was packed during its official open house and ribbon cutting on Saturday. Co-owner Michele Bulington (behind the bar) jokes with some customers while getting orders together. (HJ PHOTO/ JAMES D. WOLF JR.)
Jackson St. is also bringing signature cocktails and planning on a bloody Mary bar. “I wanted the bar to be a hangout, but the restaurant goes hand-in-hand,” he said.
Top Notch
The Top Notch Bar remains open, but owners Gary and Pam Hendryx are looking for the next couple that will take over the 60-year-old bar and restaurant after they’ve run it for 28 years. There have been four owners since it opened, and the couple isn’t in a hurry to sell but are looking for the right energetic young couple to continue the traditions. Pam compared Top Notch to the bar in the t.v. show “Cheers” because of the regulars, including people who play euchre during the days
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2018 White County Progress
BUSINESS, AG, AND TECHNOLOGY
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McDonald’s is now doing table service to help their customers fell more relaxed and valued. Shown bringing food out to a table is Vicky Martin. (HJ PHOTO/
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Continued from page 1 including tuition assistance.” Don’t want to use the kiosks to order—no problem claims the owners. “We will have a regular register open at all times for guests that don’t want to use the kiosk,” said Patricia. To go along with the self-ordering kiosks, McDonald’s also offers mobile order and pay, along with curbside pickup. “By enabling mobile order and pay through the McDonald’s app, customers can personalize their order while skipping the drive-thru line and instead choosing curbside delivery,” according to a company press release. Other changes at the Monticello
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McDonald’s include: Additional dessert options and morning pastries More toppings for sandwiches Upgrade of the Wi-Fi system New digital drive-thru menus New employee uniforms “We have to meet the customers’ demands and that is fresh food and convenience,” concluded Patricia Hammons. “Monticello is a great community to do business in and the customer shave blessed us richly at that location,” stated Mark Hammons. “I’m excited to go through these changes there.”
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BUSINESS, AG, AND TECHNOLOGY
Brookston Continued from page 1
there. “You can come in and find out how much rain the farmers got that night,” she said. They also want the potential new owners to retain the weekend steaks and onion rings they’re known for. Gary still cuts the steaks on Tuesday for marinating in a special marinade that only three people know – Gary, the previous owner and a man who’d helped them for a few years. The pork tenderloins are fresh, breaded when ordered, and none of the meat is frozen Top Notch’s reputation brings people from all over, and the bar got more attention by being listed in a recent “Indianapolis Star” article on the top dive bars to visit in the state and by being mentioned by Mitch Daniels in the “New York Times” twice. It’s not unusual that people are waiting in their stockroom on weekends, sitting on boxes and getting complimentary onion rings while they wait for a table. “Wouldn’t it be crazy if you didn’t continue the steaks that people come for,” she said. “It would be a shame that it wouldn’t be the same as it’s always been.”
More Growth is Coming
The old Bartlett Ford dealership is becoming a new Casey’s gas station and convenience store at the intersection of Indiana 43 and 4th Street with the old building torn down to make room for new development. It should be completed this year. In the civic area, the Town Council has been looking at costs to build a gazebo on the empty lot at 1st Street and Indiana 49, across from the Dollar General store. The gazebo would be paid by the fund left by Juanita Waugh, who also left her home – now gone – and the property to the city. The town also is planning to build a fire station on South Street and have created a Tax Increment Financing district in the downtown to help fund that. The fire station would go between 1st Street and 2nd Street, north of the post office. Under the TIF, the town can make improvements to infrastructure such as streets and water and sewer lines, then any increase in property taxes would first pay off the bills for those improvements. The town also has room to grow, not just with land available but with excess sewer capacity, which not many municipalities in
After 28 years of owning Top Notch Bar in Brookston, Gary and Pam Hendryx are looking for the right people to pass it on to. (HJ PHOTO/JAMES D. WOLF JR.)
White County have. “We could have a factory come in,” Town Council President Joe Butz said. Council Vice-President Terry North said, “(That’s) depending on what they need, but we’ve got a lot of capacity.”
They’re working with the White County Economic Development, but town officials aren’t pursuing projects to the point of putting in speculative buildings for immediate occupancy. North said they don’t want to be developers.
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Wednesday, february 28, 2018 Page 5
HEALTH AND EDUCATION
IU Health White Memorial Hospital
IU Health White Memorial continues to add programs and services BY GREGORY MYERS Regional Editor gmyerskvp@gmail.com When it comes to “progress”, IU Health White Memorial Hospital has been at the forefront of adding new programs, technology and equipment over the past several years. While it is still a relatively new campus, opened in 2008, the hospital administration and staff continue to look for ways to not only provide better medical service but to also accommodate their clients. “We offer a lot of services that people just don’t know about,” said Mary Minier, President IU Health White Memorial. “White County residents don’t need to travel to Lafayette or further away for good medic al care. In addition to visiting surgeons, we have IU Health Arnett Surgeons who provide surgery services at IU Health White Memorial. Our IU Health Arnett surgeons have an office located in our Medical Office Building where they see outpatients for surgery consultations and are able to schedule surgeries at our location.” Along with its enhanced surgery service, IU Health White Memorial has a new walk-in clinic, updated and improved sleep study services, a re-launched volunteer service program and a new primary care doctor starting this summer.
Walk-in Clinic
“We offer a lot of services that people just don’t know about. White County residents don’t need to travel to Lafayette or further away for good medic al care. In addition to visiting surgeons, we have IU Health Arnett Surgeons who provide surgery services at IU Health White Memorial. Our IU Health Arnett surgeons have an office located in our Medical Office Building where they see outpatients for surgery consultations and are able to schedule surgeries at our location.”
Mary Minier, President IU Health White Memorial greeters and “way finders” to engage patients and their family members to help build on their overall experience. To learn more about the volunteer program and/or if you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact Cheryl Suter, regional program director at 765-838-6288 or pick up an application from the Welcome Center at the main entrance of IU Health White Memorial.
The walk-in clinic is located on the second floor of the New Physician hospital’s Medical Office Building and offers same-day care IU Health is happy to announce that Dr. Ryan Hancock from the hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday. will be joining the IU Health Arnett Family Medicine Office The clinic is supported by team members, which include this summer. Hancock is from Brook and grew up visiting a nurse practitioner and a new physician, Dr. Steve Martin. Monticello. “It is important for us to continue to take in new patients, Sleep Study and Dr. Hancock looks forward to taking care of entire famThe hospital’s sleep study service, which assesses sleep ilies from newborns to the elderly. disturbances, recently received its Sleep Study Accreditation and has new equipment. Some other key services that have been updated or “With new monitoring equipment, we know offer a much enhanced include: quicker turnaround of the results of the study,” added Minier.
Volunteer Services
New volunteer opportunities are available at IU Health White Memorial with the re-establishing of Volunteer Services. “Our Volunteers play a vital role for the hospital and add an extra dimension of care,” added Minier. “It is always good to see a friendly face when you come to the hospital.” IU Health White Memorial will be utilizing volunteers as
Radiology
IU Health White Memorial can schedule Ultrasound, Mammography, Nuclear Medicine, CAT scan, MRI and DEXA examinations. In many cases, they can provide same day or next day appointments. IU Health White Memorial holds the prestigious American College of Radiology Accreditation. Combined their technologists have 260 years of experience in that department.
In-Patient Care – Hospitalist Program
IU Health White Memorial uses a team of hospitalists to provide care for patients. These specialists have the skills and expertise to meet the needs of hospitalized patients. “Our hospitalists provide patients with continuity of care and work closely with your primary care physician, our nursing team, pharmacists and anyone else involved in your care from the point of admission through discharge,” stated Minier.
Swing Bed Program
In addition to in-patient care, IU Health White Memorial offers short-term skilled rehabilitation for patients requiring isolation or for adult pre-operative/post-operative care.
Community Outreach
Through its community outreach efforts, IU Health White Memorial has helped support Kindergarten Countdown at North White and Twin Lakes ($5,000 donation), the Power of Produce program at the Farmer’s Market, built Gaga Pits and Buddy Benches for area schools and given out more than 300 bicycle helmets. IU Health White Memorial has also supported Strong School grants ($3,000 donation) used to help schools increase students’ physical activity minutes and knowledge of healthy eating.
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Page 6 Wednesday, February 28, 2018
2018 White County Progress
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Herald Journal
HEALTH AND EDUCATION
Athletic Training: a growing field in Indiana high schools and beyond
BY JAMES GENSTERBLUM HJ Sports Editor North White head athletic trainer Robin Starr’s first job out of college wasn’t just a first for her. As the first full-time athletic trainer in the history of the school, Starr is part of a growing trend for a profession that was once limited to professional teams and colleges, but now is becoming ubiquitous at schools and sporting events around the country. “It’s definitely a field that’s growing and taking on more importance with each passing year, it seems like,” Starr said. “A lot of schools didn’t used to have an athletic trainer at all, but it’s getting rare to find one in this day and age that doesn’t have one standing by at every sporting event.” That’s no accident, says the Manager of Sports Medicine at Franciscan Health, Craig Voll, who oversees athletic trainers affiliated with Franciscan at a variety of area high schools. “Since I started 24 years ago, there’s been a change, due to things like concussions and a better understanding of injury risks in general, in the conversation at schools about athletic trainers,” Voll said. “In the past, schools would look at their bottom lines and go ‘How could we afford to pay a trainer?’ “But now, they look at the cost of their liability insurance and the health of their students, and instead of wondering how they can afford it, they’re wondering how they could afford not to have a trainer.” In the past, athletic trainers were often known just for patching up cuts and taping ankles, but in recent years other, more important aspects of the job have made their way into the public consciousness. As one of the few medical personnel with a day-to-day presence in the lives of high school student athletes, athletic trainers can play a critical role in their own health and lifestyle choices. “I probably spend more time than anything else on education,” Starr said. “Whether it’s talking about how to recover from an injury faster or how to eat healthy, or something else, you’re seeing these kids on a daily basis and helping them make informed choices about their own health. “Even beyond that, you’ll have members of the community asking you a medical question or asking if you can take a look at something. In a lot of ways it’s demystifying health care for people who may not have a lot of access to it.” That’s especially true in rural communities like Monon, which may be 15 to 20 minutes or more from a major hospital, Voll said. “In a lot of these rural communities, sometimes the only medical personnel these kids or people in the community have ever encountered is the athletic trainer,” Voll said. “We’re seeing a lot in recent years how these front-line personnel can have a huge impact on helping people be better informed about their health, or spotting problems before they become serious issues.” And on the sidelines, athletic trainers are helping schools and their athletic programs make more informed decisions about injuries. “Every coach and administrator wants to do what’s best for their players, but a lot of them will admit that they don’t have the training and the knowledge to consistently make the best decision when it comes to say, recognizing a concussion,” Voll said. “By having an certified athletic trainer on the sideline whose job is to make those decisions, it takes a lot of the pressure off of the coach and the athletic director, and leads to a better outcome a lot of the time.” Trainers are also receiving more attention and public recognition, as evidenced by the Safe Sports Award, an honor given out in recognition of schools that meet 12 specific cri-
Twin Lakes has had a full-time athletic trainer for well over a decade, and was named as a Safe Sports School for 2017-2020 for its commitment to athlete safety. Pictured are head athletic trainer Zachary Cowell (left) and Twin Lakes Athletic Director Kent Adams (right) with the banner. (Courtesy Photo)
teria to provide a safe environment for student athletes. In White County, Twin Lakes, and its current head trainer Zachary Cowell and former athletic trainer Kyle Need, received the designation from 2017 to 2020. As the responsibilities of athletic trainers have increased, so have the requirements to get into the profession. Being an athletic trainer has always required a specified bachelor’s degree at an accredited institution, but for the past several years has also required certification in the state where they are employed, which requires passing a national exam and going before a board to prove qualifications. In 2020, the standards will get even higher, as a master’s degree will also be required to earn certification. That’s in keeping with a profession that’s constantly adding new skills and new knowledge to its repertoire to better serve its schools and teams. “I do some instruction now, and when I’m teaching, there’s nothing we do today that hasn’t changed dramatically from what I learned 24 years ago,” Voll said. “We’re constantly learning from new, evidence-based studies and bringing better techniques and new knowledge to what we’re doing in the field. “Just 20 years ago, a torn ACL could end your career, but now, you could be back playing in three or four months. That’s all because of taking what we’ve learned and applying it to the way we treat injuries and other ailments.” Those changes are guaranteed to continue in the near future, as both Starr and Voll see more growth on the horizon for the profession. “I do think just like athletic training expanded into high
schools, I think you’ll see it move into more and different settings,” Starr said. “Especially for corporations and other parts of the private sector, I think you’ll see more of them embrace athletic trainers and physical therapists as something that makes sense for them as an organization.” Voll, meanwhile, sees athletic trainers making use of the connections they develop with athletes to treat other kinds of health issues. “Indiana has one of the highest rates of teen suicide in the country, and you see a lot of times that athletes and athletic trainers develop a rapport that allows them to have conversations that would be tough for other school personnel to have,” Voll said. “I think we’re going to see more training for athletic trainers about mental health issues. “We’re working on a model called QPR — asking the right questions to identify someone who needs help, persuading them to get help, and referring them to someone in the mental health field who can provide the services they need before they reach a crisis point.” Voll also sees athletic trainers picking up more skills and responsibilities to better respond to medical emergencies when they happen on the field or the court. “At some of these rural schools, it might take an ambulance 20 or 30 minutes to get there, and there’s steps you could take that would really help lead to a better outcome that shouldn’t wait that long,” Voll said. “Things like being able to do sutures, or start an IV, could be really beneficial to the injured athlete and potentially save hundreds of dollars for families in treatment costs if done as early as possible.”
Construction is ongoing for the new Meadowlawn Gym.
New Meadowlawn Gym on schedule to be finished before summer BY GREGORY MYERS Regional Editor gmyerskvp@gmail.com The complex that will house a new gymnasium, a music classroom, and an art classroom at Meadowlawn Elementary
is moving along on schedule according to school officials and should be finished this may, in plenty of time to be used next school year. “The planning phase of this project was approved back during the 2015-
2016 school year, and it’s getting close to completion,” said Meadowlawn Principal Trent Provo. “As the biggest elementary school in Monticello, we needed the space. The gym will be big enough to support a regulation size
basketball court that can be used for high school games if needed. The gym, will also allow us to not have to use the lunchroom for P.E. (Physical Education). It will also give us the space needed to have fully functional
music and art rooms.” Provo also added that the music room will be as up-to-date as possible and the art room will feature numerous workstations. The gym will have bleacher seating for 300 for sporting events
and seat up to 600 for convocations. “The gym will be a great addition to our school and for the community,” added Provo. “It will also give us some flexibility with some of our programs, activities and classes.”
Herald Journal
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Wednesday, february 28, 2018 Page 7
2018 White County Progress
HEALTH AND EDUCATION
Monon Clinic growing to fill needs The new home for Monon’s Family Health Clinic is under construction and should be finished by mid-June. (HJ PHOTO/JAMES D. WOLF JR.)
BY JAMES D. WOLF JR. news@thehj.com In mid-June, the Family Health Clinic in Monon should be moving to its new, larger facilities on Indiana 16 The clinic will go from 1,500 square feet in its current building at 420 N. Market St. to 4,000 square feet with a more efficient floor plan. “We recognized the need for increased access for this part of the county,” said Jim Layman, Executive Director for that clinic and There’s been steady growth for the clinic since 2006, he said. “White County is considered medically underserved,” said Suzan Overholser, Director of Operations. Many doctors are retiring without replacements, she said. Another reason for a new building is that the space the clinic is in now isn’t efficient. “The building we’re in was never meant to be for medical,” said Overholser. The clinic is part of a network of clinics through the Purdue University School of Nursing, and Layman said the first clinic in Monon was a great way to get a foot in the door in White County. The clinic has four collaborating/consulting physicians, but the clinic officials plan to increase the regular staff. The number of nurse practitioners will increase from 2.4 to 3.4 (one shuttles between clinics and is in Monon two days a week). The clinic has two licensed clinical social workers and a licensed social worker, and with the larger clinic, the parttime clinical worker could go full-time. There’ll also be better technology in the new building, Overholser said. Federal funding has helped the growth, which has been 20 percent over the last nine years, Layman said. Because the new clinic will be closer to the North White district schools, the clinic officials want to have a closer relationship with them. At the Carroll County in the Family Health Clinic network, the schools make use of the social workers, especially to mitigate crisis events such as deaths, Overholser said. Layman said other increased services could be immunizations, sports physicals and bullying seminars at the schools.
Inside the new Family Health Clinic being built in Monon, (l to r) Director of Operations Suzan Overholser, Architect Elizabeth Gruber of Artekna of Indianapolis and Executive Director Jim Layman look over the construction progress. (HJ PHOTO/JAMES D. WOLF JR.)
And the clinic’s open hours will increase by six to eight hours a week, going beyond the usual 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. when some people can’t visit the clinic because of work. The clinic is open to anyone in the community, not just those in difficult financial situations, Overholser said. The clinic accepts commercial insurance, Medicare and
Medicaid, and it has a sliding scale for those who have trouble affording health care. It currently draws people from as far away as Benton County, Winamac and Idaville. “We do provide good care, and once people try us, they come back,” she said.
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2018 White County Progress
COMMUNITIES AND GOVERNMENT
After being chartered in October, The Frontier Rotary Club celebrated its official designation as a Rotary Club with a Jan. 10 gala. The members of the new Frontier Rotary Club pose on the Frontier Junior-Senior High school stage after receiving their Rotary pins during the charter ceremony for the club. (HJ PHOTO/ JAMES D. WOLF JR.)
Frontier Rotary looking to increase its work in the coming year
BY JAMES D. WOLF JR. news@thehj.com The Frontier Rotary Club of Brookston and Chalmers is going from a formative year in 2017 to a defining year in 2018. The club did a lot of community work last year from its creation in April and its chartering in October, but with the club established, its members are looking at how much they can do. “The goal of any Rotary Club is community service,” said Dan Sichting, the president-elect who’ll take office this year. “Now we move on to: how do we serve the community, how do we promote the community, how do we help the community,” Sichting said. Current Vice-President Bernie Graser said, “We’d like to do many things, and I think we’re fortunate enough to have the funds.” At its Feb. 14 meeting, the members reviewed some opportunities, such as the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards where they can sponsor local students for leadership training (and problem solving and communications), the youth exchange program to bring foreign exchange students to the area, the district and local grants that could help with programs and the ability to make nominations for the K and J Kissinger Award for dedicated service. “Right now there’s so much to grasp. Rotary offers so many things,” Graser said. One of the projects the club is working on is signs on Indiana 43, welcoming people to Brookston and Chalmers and Frontier Country. The club is looking at how it partners with the United Methodist Church in Brookston. Sichting said that the club has been working on the food pantry run out of the church, and its next goal for that is to get some sort of freezer so the pantry can store meat for people who need it. The church also wants to partner with the club and help at the schools, but for now the focus is on food pantry and those who need it. “We have students that do. We have citizens that do,” Sichting said. Frontier Rotary may also act as an umbrella organization for donations and grants to the Chalmers splash pad recreation feature, using the clubs coming 501C not-forprofit status.
Frontier Rotary Club Secretary Dawn Girard receives her Rotary International pin from District Governor Elect Dan Ryan, marking her as a Rotary member at Wednesday’s charter ceremony for the Frontier club. (HJ PHOTO/JAMES D. WOLF JR.)
Most of the work Frontier Rotary did in 2017 was for the Frontier School System, helping pay the Frontier High School Junior Honor Society dues, buying dictionaries for all Frontier Elementary School third graders, helping the Frontier High School volleyball team raise $330 by providing the pizza for its Couch Potato fundraiser, and providing a game ball so the Frontier High School Cross Country team could sell tickets and raise nearly $300 at
homecoming. “In any small community, the school is the focal point,” Sichting said. “The school is much more than an academic institution. It’s a social institution as well.” It’s through the school system that Rotary will establish itself and find ways to move out into the community. “We need to continue with that focal point, but we need to look at other focal points, too,” he said.
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2018 White County Progress
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COMMUNITIES AND GOVERNMENT Twin Lakes Youth Sports Complex ready for expanded summer season BY JAMES GENSTERBLUM HJ Sports Editor
First, Brad Smock and his partners built an impressive athletic complex. Over the past few years, what is now known as the Twin Lakes Youth Sports Complex, west of Monticello and just three miles from Indiana Beach, has shown its value to local teams and players. Now, this summer, the Youth Sports Complex is hoping to spread the word statewide, and even farther, with the help of newly hired tournament director Hillary Walker. Walker, hired in the fall, has been active in assembling a schedule that attracts travel tournaments to Monticello this summer, including two United States Specialty Sports Association (USSSA) tournaments. “Our goal is to really try to promote the complex statewide, and use word of mouth from attending teams to attract interest,” Walker said. “We believe that we have a facility and a location that could become very popular with teams in the Midwest and even further, and draw a lot of travel clubs to this area.” Walker, a former college softball player at nowclosed St. Joseph’s in Rensselaer and a former assistant varsity coach at Twin Lakes, jumped at the chance to take the full-time position as the Sports Complex’s tournament director when it came open last year. With 18 years of experience on the travel softball circuit, including with prestigious clubs like the Indiana Magic, Walker felt like she had the experience and connections to bring value to the position — and also to recognize the opportunity the Sports Complex had. “There are two big advantages we have, and the first is our proximity to Indiana Beach, which allows the town of Monticello to punch above its weight as a tourist destination and makes the area incredibly attractive for travel teams and their families,” Walker said. “We’re a smaller community with more affordable accommodation and less driving around to get to places, but our amenities and the quality of our complex can be competitive with much larger towns.” The second big advantage is the presence of a turf baseball and softball field that supports players up to the age of 14, to go along with two grass baseball fields. “In this part of the state, you really have to go all the way to Indianapolis to find a turf field of similar quality, and it’ll be a lot more expensive to get into a tournament there,” Walker said. “The advantage of a turf field is that when it rains, as it inevitably will in the summer, the turf dries out fast and the field quality doesn’t degrade. “That means that, barring a freak weather event, we should never have to cancel a tournament due to rain.
The turf field at the Twin Lakes Youth Sports Complex is one reason the facility is poised to grow as a destination for travel baseball and softball tournaments. (Courtesy of the Twin Lakes Youth Sports Complex)
For travel teams that are driving from hours away and have to deal with entire weekends being wiped out by rain, the fact that we can guarantee that they’ll get to play at least some of their games no matter what is a huge deal.” In order to attract tournaments, however, the Complex first had to get accredited, and it put the work in over the winter to meet both the USSSA and Baseball Players Association standards for hosting tournaments. “We had to get in contact with the regional directors of both organizations, build a relationship, and show that we met their standards for field size, venue capacity and quality,” Walker said. “They have high standards for facilities that host their tournaments, so we had to prove we could meet those and agree to their regulations as well.” With most tournaments being scheduled a year in advance, the Sports Complex was only able to secure a couple of events from the USSSA, but is hoping that successfully run tournaments will lead to more and bigger opportunities in the future. “Word of mouth is huge on the travel circuit, and if
you give teams an experience with a well run tournament and great facilities, there’s no better way to get your name out there and grow your brand,” Walker said. “Just getting travel teams from across the region into here and seeing what we have to offer, and the kind of value-for-money we have as a cheaper venue, can really put us on the map as a destination venue, and quickly.” That could bring an increase in tourism to the area that would benefit all of Monticello. “All these kids have families, and they need places to stay, places to eat, and they’re looking for things to do when they’re not playing,” Walker said. “As we get more and bigger tournaments, it could definitely help not just our bottom line, but the bottom line of a variety of businesses in the community.” On top of big travel tournaments, the Youth Sports Complex will continue to host local events as well, including for the Special Olympics. For more information on the Complex and on the events it has planned for this summer, visit tlysportscomplex.com.
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2018 White County Progress
COMMUNITIES AND GOVERNMENT
White County looks at upswing in housing construction Date Mark
Revisions
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The number of homes being built in White County is increasing, but it’s still not certain how many subdivisions will be official this year. But if three or four potential subdivisions get approval, there could be 90 or more lots ready for homes, said Area Plan Executive Director Colin Betts. The one development that is for certain is Village Walk on Condo Street where the old hospital used to be behind the Ivy Tech campus. Last year, it was the first major residential subdivision approval by the White County Area Planning Commission in five years, said Betts. H o w e v e r, t h e P l a n Commission has received preliminary proposals for other subdivisions in Monticello, between Monticello and Reynolds and outside Brookston, Betts said. “ T h e r e ’s n o t h i n g concrete in those areas – yet,” he said. But that may change this year as the building business seems to be on the upswing, he added. In 2017, there were 383 building permits issued for homes or renovations or businesses, an increase of 10 percent
Description
BY JAMES D. WOLF JR. news@thehj.com
170451-30000
The plans for Village Walk on the east end of Condo Street show the lots that are now open for building new houses.
over the last two years. Building inspections increased 30 percent from 2016 and 44 percent from 2015, according to the 2017 annual report from Betts. Business building seems to be more prominent, though. White County issued 12 commercial permits in 2017, 10 in 2016 and
seven in 2015, he said. He attributed the increases to renewed interest in building with the financial crisis from 2008 long over. Betts was reluctant to call it a trend, although it seems to be one, including nationally. “It looks that way. The problem is when you’re in a trend, it’s
hard to see the trend,” Betts said. However, it’s also hard to predict how a national trend will affect White County -- and how much of the effect would be spillover from Tippecanoe County -without a housing study. Area Plan is supposed to meet with different organizations in March
to discuss housing in the county, Betts said. No date was set yet, though. The 13 houses for Village Walk would be single family homes on slabs, no basements. The next step is for the developer to work with Monticello to put in infrastructure – sewers, water and streets.
Then the developer can sell lots, he said. Among other developers and private citizens, “there seems to be an interest from Chicagoland people,” he said. Their interest tends towards developing vacation homes instead of cottages around the lake, he added.
Banner Year for White County Economic Development
Last year was banner year for economic development initiatives in White County. February saw White County Economic Development bring a dynamic speaker to its annual luncheon, who showed how to manage millennials in the workforce. In April, White County Economic Development reached out to the Far East to establish a sister-county agreement with Funing County in China. This agreement is historic, as it opens the door for cultural exchange visits with businesses and schools in Funing County, as well as lay the foundation for trade discussions with companies that might have the desire to locate in the Midwest. In September, Dan Zuerner, Randy Price and Randy Mitchell traveled to Japan and China to spe-
Mid-America Commerce Park
cifically present the major advantages White County possesses that make the county attractive to foreign businesses and investors. “We met with five leading developers in Japan as well as with the executives at Subaru Motors,
and our presentation was well received.,” stated Mitchell, White County Economic Development President. “While in China, along with making a reciprocal visit to the Governor of Funing County, we visited China
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International Marine Containers Corporation, one of the global leaders in the manufacture and sale of trailers, and are the parent company of Vanguard Trailers in Monon.” “The close of 2017 is seeing us very close to a
sale of our shell building and a potential relocation of a business from Illinois to the Mid-America Commerce Park. I will have more to say regarding these two attractions early next year,” added Mitchell. “I have said
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2018 White County Progress
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