10 NEW STAFF MEMBERS added at Garrett Schools, MORE ON PAGE 6
The Garrett Clipper An edition of The
THURSDAY AUGUST 8, 2013
VOL. 127 ISSUE #63 On the web at: kpcnews.com
75 cents Garrett, Indiana Established in 1885
Bids opened for library expansion Lowest base bid is $1,294,000 By Sue Carpenter scarpenter@kpcmedia.com GARRETT — A bid opening was held Wednesday for the Garrett Public Library’s 6,500-square-foot expansion project at an estimated cost of $1.6 million. The two-story addition will provide two meeting rooms on the second floor and additional youth and teen space on the lower level. Jack Krouse, president of Construction Control Inc. of Fort Wayne, read bids submitted from six area contractors. Base bids for the project ranged from $1,294,000 to $1,489,000, with Signature Construction LLC of Auburn submitting the lowest base bid. Alternative costs were also submitted for various items, including three optional flooring and carpeting plans from $2,000 less to $29,500 more in costs;
NEWS IN BRIEF
replacement of the existing 100-year-old original wooden doors with estimates ranging from $11,500 to $22,800; reroofing of the existing flat roof with estimates between $16,295 to $33,700; replacement and installation of existing lamps and ballasts estimated between $3,860 to $5,980; and an additional plaza on the south side of the building estimated at $6,443 to $9,300. Krouse told contractor representatives at the meeting that he and his staff will reconfirm the numbers and strategize with Library Director Cate Birdseye and library board members on the costs, factoring in the alternate numbers to determine the actual lowest bidder. Birdseye said she hopes to award the contract in the next two weeks. In addition to Signature Construction, contractors submitting bids for the project are Robert
Architectural drawing by Tim Terman, Design Collaborative Bids were opened Wednesday for a 6,500-square-foot expansion on the south side of the Garrett Public Library. The two-story addition would provide two meeting rooms on the second level and additional space for youth and teens on the first floor. E. Crosby & Son Inc. of Fort Wayne; Gibson Lewis LLC of South Bend, Harold McComb & Son Inc. of Fort Wayne; Weigand
Construction of Fort Wayne and The Hamstra Group Inc. of Wheatfield. The City of Garrett approved a
GARRETT GIRLS WIN MISS NORTHEAST CROWNS
Garrett pool hosting dog swim Sunday
Winners in the 41st Miss Northeast Scholarship pageant were crowned Sunday in Butler. From left are Princess winners Erin Wichman, Miss Northeast Pre-Teen 2014; Sophia Ruble, Junior Miss Northeast 2014; and Haylee Isley, Little Miss Northeast 2014.
GARRETT — Dog owners are invited to bring their dogs to swim at the Garrett Municipal Pool Sunday, Aug. 11, from 5-7 p.m., for freewill donations. Proceeds will benefit the DeKalb County Animal Shelter. Participants must sign in at the front desk and introduce their dogs to the pool area slowly. The baby pool is available for small dogs. Dogs and children should be accompanied at all times, and owners should clean up after themselves and their pets. Dogs should be current on all vaccinations and free of fleas, ticks and parasites. Aggressive dogs will not be allowed in the pool area at any time. The rain date for the event is Sunday, Aug. 18.
Student center to open Monday GARRETT — Oasis Student Center, an outreach of the First Church of Christ, will open Monday 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.
Pep rally, parent meetings tonight GARRETT — J.E. Ober Elementary School in Garrett will be holding a Back to School Pep Rally on Thursday in the Bateman Gym from 5:30-6 p.m. Parent-teacher meetings will be held following the pep rally. Parents who have children in grades K-2 will meet in their children’s classrooms from 6:15-6:45 p.m. Parents who have children in grades 3-5 will meet in their children’s classrooms from 6:45-7:15 p.m. Children will be entertained by several Ober staff members. Immediately following the grades 3-5 parent-teacher meeting, a presentation, “Personalized Learning at J,E, Ober” will be shown in the Performing Arts Center. All parents are encouraged to attend.
The Garrett Clipper P.O. Box 59 Garrett, IN 46738 Phone: 925-2611 ext. 45 Fax: 925-2625 attn: Garrett Clipper
Octavia Lehman
Three named Miss Northeast Princesses By Octavia Lehman olehman@kpcmedia.com BUTLER — Fourteen girls competed Sunday in the princess contests of the 41st Miss Northeast 2014 Scholarship Pageant. The three princess contests included: Little Miss Northeast, Junior Miss Northeast and Miss Northeast Pre-Teen. Haylee Isley won the title of Little Miss Northeast 2014. She is the daughter of Ron and Chasity Isley of Garrett. Reagan Isley won the Little Miss talent award. Regan and
Haley Isley were awarded the Little Miss Community Spirit Award. Other contestants in Little Miss were Marissa Rowe of Auburn and Lydia Sullivan of Spencerville. Sophia Ruble of Garrett was crowned Junior Miss Northeast 2014. She is the daughter of Scott and Carmen Ruble. Hailey Pushis was awarded the Junior Miss community service award. Other contestants in Junior Miss were Emily Eshbach of St. Joe and Aliyah Kern of Auburn.
Chamber honors booming businesses at breakfast By Dave Kurtz dkurtz@kpcnews.net AUBURN — DeKalb Chamber Partnership president Rob Moreland calls it his favorite chamber event. “There’s always nothing but good news on this day,” Moreland said Tuesday at the opening of the chamber’s annual breakfast recognizing new and expanding businesses. Tuesday’s event at Bridgewater Golf Club saluted 20 businesses that in the past year have invested $134 million and pledged to create up to 550 new jobs, according to Ken McCrory, executive director of the DeKalb County Economic Development Partnership. “We are getting stronger in the long haul,” McCrory said about the local business climate. “We have set the table quite well for the growth of existing industry … and attraction of new industry.” Mayor Norm Yoder said Auburn’s 12 new and growing businesses in make up the city’s
largest group in the history of the chamber event. Businesses honored at the event ranged from one-person operations to some of the county’s largest employers. Carmen Nash, human resources manager for Trin Inc. at Ashley, said the company opened its new manufacturing space Monday. The company also has added warehouse space. She said by the end of March 2014, the company will have added 55 percent to its work force, reaching a total of 250 employees. K-Co-Pack at Ashley recently expanded its warehouse. The three-year-old company packages liquid products for manufacturers and is expanding into plug-in fragrances, a representative said. Matt Franks explained that he started 1st Resource Recruiting in Auburn to meet a growing need for talented workers in advanced manufacturing. Chamber, Page 6
Erin Wichman won the title of Miss Northeast Pre-Teen 2014. She is the daughter of Steve and Lisa Wichman of Garrett. Faith Ehmke of Waterloo earned the Pre-Teen talent award. Kendyl and Kate Smith of Auburn and Wichman were awarded the Pre-Teen community service award. Shaina Ehmke of Waterloo also competed. For the princess pageants, each contestant helped collect food items to donate to the Ronald McDonald House in Fort Wayne.
$1.5 million bond for the project at its June meeting, reduced from an original $1.8 million request from the library.
Garrett approves sidewalk contractor By Sue Carpenter scarpenter@kpcmedia.com GARRETT — The Garrett Board of Works heard updates from city department heads during a brief meeting Tuesday in Westside Park to mark National Night Out. City planner Milton Otero reported two contractor bids were submitted for the city’s 50/50 sidewalk replacement plan. The board approved the lower bid from Jason Shearer and also gave its nod to a contract with A-Z Engineering for technical assistance on any necessary Americans with Disabilities Act work at an hourly rate between $70-78. Streets and parks supervisor Eric Mossberger reported mosquito control continues on a weekly basis; monthly brush pickup will be completed this week; and the city pool is passing weekly water tests and will be ready for the dog swim event on Sunday. Summer help will be done at the end of the week, but curb painting will continue, he added. A street repair project on Forrest Park Drive at Fuller Drive is completed. Mossberger said traffic was blocked from the area Sidewalk, Page 6
NIGHT OUT IN GARRETT
Sue Carpenter
Nearly 40 neighbors in the 1000 block of South Cowen Street gathered at Steve and Mandy Gallaher’s home for a picnic, bonfire and family games during National Night Out in Garrett Tuesday. The event was to promote neighborhood crime and drug prevention. Two other block parties were held Tuesday. Garrett Police officers stopped by the block parties to offer safety tips during the event.