MOMENTIVE COLLECTS FOOD for Boomerang Backpack program. SEE PAGE 2
The Garrett Clipper An edition of The
NEWS IN BRIEF City meetings planned Tuesday GARRETT — Two city meeting are planned Tuesday at City Hall. The Board of Works will meet at 5:30 p.m. Agenda items include a proposed sale of city-owned properties and a resolution of a May 2012 amendment for real property tax abatement for Mossberg Industries. The Common Council will meet at 7 p.m. Agenda items include: • an ordinance prohibiting discharge of firearms with the city; • an ordinance regulating hours during which consumer fireworks can be discharged; • an ordinance regulating the installation and use of water wells within the city; • an ordinance amending an inter-local fire territory agreement; • a resolution amending a May 2012 for real property tax abatement for Mossberg Industries; and • an additional appropriation resolution for the Garrett Public Library.
Free fall community week at JAM Center GARRETT — The Judy A. Morrill Recreation Center is hosting a free community week Monday, Aug. 26 through Saturday, Aug. 31. Everyone is welcome to visit the JAM Center and enjoy the pool, hot tub, fitness center and gymnasium at no cost during this time. Guests may also try all of the fitness classes for free. This is a great opportunity to try a new fitness class before our next session begins on Sept. 3, 2013. Fitness classes include: BodyFit, WaterFit, yoga, CoreFit, Zumba, Piloxing, and SilverSneakers. The JAM Center encourages senior citizens to stop by and find out if they qualify for the SilverSneakers program through their health insurance plan. Open exercise and lap swim will be from 6-8 a.m. MondayFriday, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday – Thursday and 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Friday. Open Swim, where swimmers can enjoy our indoor pool, slide, and splash pad, begins at 3:30 p.m. Monday- Friday. After checking out the facility at no cost, remember to register for swim lessons or the JAM Torpedo Swim Club. Club JAM, our new youth center, will be open after school from 3-6 p.m. each Tuesday beginning Aug. 20. Youth grades 6-12 and their parents are encouraged to stop by and check out our awesome new youth room. Now is a great time to become a JAM member. The center will be waiving the $30 joiner fee for those who sign up from Aug. 26-31. Call 260-357-1917 for more information or visit www.jamrecreation.org.
Student center open daily GARRETT — Oasis Student Center, an outreach of the First Church of Christ, is open Monday through Friday at the corner of Randolph and King streets in downtown Garrett. The program is open for grades 6-12 from 3-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. The center includes a study area, game area, snacks and video game area.
MONDAY AUGUST 19, 2013
VOL. 127 ISSUE #66 On the web at: kpcnews.com
75 cents Garrett, Indiana Established in 1885
Leadership camp inspires youth By Sue Carpenter scarpenter@kpcmedia.com GARRETT — The entire J.E. Ober student body participated in leadership camp last week, with grades kindergarten through second on Thursday and grades 3-5 on Friday. In the past, small groups of students were taken off site for a weekend camp. Teams were set up across grade levels, with matching T-shirts for each group. Early Thursday afternoon, two groups met in Eastside Park for team-building activities. One group of students was divided into teams of six, will all grades represented. Team members were to lay on their backs with feet in the air supporting a cardboard box filled with styrofoam peanuts. With one foot constantly touching the box, students were asked to unfasten and remove one shoe at a time without spilling the contents of the box. At another station, students formed a large circle, each holding a ball. The goal was to toss the balls high into the air and catch a different one without it touching the ground. Team leaders and staff asked students for different strategies to help with the effort. Students visited six stations during the camps.
This team of kindergarten through secondgrade students participate in a “Toss Up” activity in Eastside Park to catch balls before they touch the ground.
Sue Carpenter
Airport board votes to close C.R. 29 By Aaron Organ aorgan@kpcmedia.com AUBURN — The DeKalb County Airport Authority board on Friday voted unanimously in favor of an ordinance that vacates a stretch of C.R. 29 to make way for the airport’s planned runway extension project. In an airport terminal conference room packed with residents, the board heard the recommendation of airport manager Russ Couchman to close C.R. 29 between C.R. 60 and C.R. 62. He
proposed building a public access link of C.R. 62 between C.R. 29 and C.R. 31 to handle traffic as the most viable option to allow for the runway extension. The four-member board swiftly voted in favor of the closure. When the road will be closed remains uncertain, depending on the progress of Federal Aviation Administration approval of the project. Plans call for extending the runway eastward by 2,000 feet for a total length of 7,000 feet, allowing larger airplanes to land
Donations needed for Ocker Park dog run By Sue Carpenter scarpenter@kpcmedia.com GARRETT — The Garrett Park Authority continues its effort to collect funds for a dog run in Ocker Park, the board learned at its meeting last week in Eastside Park. Plans call for a 20-by-60 foot fenced area to allow dogs space to run freely with completion in the spring. Collection cans are located at Garrett State Bank sites, Garrett New Market, Garrett Hardware, Peoples Federal Savings Bank and Beacon Credit Union. Can collections will be taken through August. Those wishing to send donations should drop them off or mail them to City Hall with a note earmarking funds for the project. Mayor Tonya Hoeffel reported the first Dog Swim was a success on Aug. 11 with more than $400 collected for the DeKalb Humane Shelter through freewill donations that day. August 11 was the last day
of the pool season. Hoeffel also reported a $650 grant was received from the Wyatt Foundation to promote the City of Garrett. The group discussed printing an updated map showing various city landmarks. Discussion also included a Community Christmas Tree in Memorial Park next to City Hall where residents can bring an ornament for the display that will open on Nov. 23 during the Parade of Lights. The group is considering participation in the parade. The park authority is working on plans for a Train Day event at the Heritage Museum in the fall. A report will be offered at the September meeting. Plans for a Fall 5K Dog Jog were postponed until spring in order to better organize the event. The final meeting of the park board season will be Monday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. in City Hall.
and take off. Airport Authority President Brad Stump acknowledged that the county commissioners and at least one county councilman have publicly denounced the closing of C.R. 29. He reiterated that airport authorities have the power to vacate roadways that fall in the way of planned expansion projects. In his recommendation, Couchman rehashed the numerous options the board had considered before settling on the C.R. 29 closure. He called the closure
plan the “best solution,” saying it requires the lowest overall cost, eliminates the need for additional land acquisition and meets other concerns. The board also had considered tunneling C.R. 29 beneath the runway, closing C.R. 29 and extending C.R. 64, or extending the runway to the west rather than toward the east and closing C.R. 427, among other options. Closing C.R. 29 and extending Airport, Page 4
ARTISTIC ADVICE
Sue Carpenter
Artist Mary Thiel, center, offers instruction to Kate Matthews 10, during a watercolor class at Garrett Public Library Saturday afternoon. Kate attended the class with her grandmother, Annetta Matthews, right. More than 15 signed up for the session.
VFW open house to reveal renovation
The Garrett Clipper P.O. Box 59 Garrett, IN 46738 Phone: 925-2611 ext. 45 Fax: 925-2625 attn: Garrett Clipper
Photo by Sue Carpenter
This silhouette of a praying soldier is part of a display at the Garrett Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1892. Neighboring business owner Jane Sprague created the drawing that will provide a centerpiece to honor fallen members.
GARRETT — The Garrett Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1892 will hold an open house to celebrate its renovation of the building on Sunday, Aug. 25 at 2 p.m. at 118 N. Cowen Street. The event will include a dedication ceremony at 3 p.m. to honor fallen comrades and ladies auxiliary members who died in the past two years. The memorial program will feature a ceremony with family representatives hanging dog tags to honor fallen military members. Refreshments will be served following the ceremony. A memorial wall has been created in the entrance with a graphic of a praying solider silhouette, painted by Jane Sprague who owns a neighboring business. The Garrett site is the last VFW Post in DeKalb County. VFW members include veterans who served in foreign wars and set foot
on foreign soil. The Garrett VFW supports veterans and the community through donations to veterans homes, veterans children’s homes and veterans hospitals, nursing homes, cancer research, Heart Foundation, Yellow Ribbon and other welcome home events, and many other community projects including the Garrett Christmas Bureau. The Garrett VFW was established in 1945. Among original charter members were John Chittenden, Ed Rahrig, Tom Wilondek, John Wilondek and Emmet Traxler. Sterling Robbins Sr. is the current post commander; Ed Nelson is quartermaster and Donna Walker serves as auxiliary president. Any eligible veteran interested in joining is invited to phone 357-5038 for more information.