New Buffalo school board hires New Buffalo Middle School principal

SCHOLASTICS

New Buffalo school board hires New Buffalo Middle School principal

Members of the New Buffalo Area Schools Board of Education approved the employment of Dan Caudle in the position of middle school principal at their Monday, June 27, meeting.

New Buffalo Area Schools Superintendent Dr. Jeff Leslie said that there were eight applicants for the position and the top two were interviewed.

“I think he’s a great addition for us – he has a ton of energy, he taught for seven years at the middle school level, and he’s been a middle school principal before, so I think he’ll be the best fit for us,” he said.

Caudle said he grew up in Dyer, Indiana, and played baseball at Indian State University. Previously, he was a middle school teacher at Chesterton Middle School, principal at Barker Middle School in Michigan City and assistant principal at Chesterton High School and Liberty Elementary School (also in Chesterton).

Caudle said he knows a few community members here and that they’ve spoken “highly” of the school district.

“Middle school is where I spent 10 of my 15 years (in education), so when there was an opportunity to come over here, I had to at least try - in talking with Dr. Leslie, I think we can do great things,” Caudle said.

Board members received an update from Mike Kounelis from Skillman Corporation with regards to the Science Technology Art Energy Math (STEAM) building being constructed across from the middle/ high school along with the pickleball court and skate park.

Kounelis said that there’s been a lot of supply chain issues with the project. The initial delivery of the panels didn’t arrive until the end of April, which was a “significant delay.” The wall panel erection began in early April, and manufacturing issues were identified with some wall panels in mid-May with regards to the inconsistencies in many of the lengths of the panels after a field report by METL Span. Kounelis said the design specifies a “vertical caulk joint/sealant assembly.”

Two trim options were recommended to “help alleviate some of those inconsistencies: A top half trim piece that’s a wide flange trim piece that’s 20 feet in length, is gasketed behind the flanges, maintains the vertical “reveal” and doesn’t require any caulking and a two-piece trim assembly, with is 10 feet in length, has a gasket/seal behind the flanges, has a vertical caulk joint applied to cover mechanical fasteners (the caulk joint is aesthetic) and also maintains the vertical “reveal.”

Regarding the project’s timeline, installation of the roof panels was scheduled to commence June 28 and should be completed by July 15. Wall panels should be completed by July 22 and a series of trim and accessories around door openings, loop openings and any penetration should be completed by Aug. 12 (this doesn’t include the trim pieces).

Overall, the building should be complete by the end of September if progress is maintained.

The pavilion should be completed by Aug. 5. Pickleball inserts (the netting) should be installed by this week and surfacing should take place next week. The pickle ball and skate park should be complete by Aug. 12.

Kounelis acknowledged the delays in the project.

“From the Skillman and Abonmarche side, there’s been a very aggressive push on our side with the contractors,” he said.

One community member who’s a member of the active pickleball community and a second home owner, Mark Greenstone, said he and other community members are “confused and dismayed” with the lack of progress with the pickleball courts.

He said that season is half over and there’s around 37 days left until Labor Day.

“I think there should be some transparency as to what’s going on for the taxpayers,” he said.

Leslie said that the district’s day camp started that day and that they so far have 120 campers.

He said that River Valley Schools Superintendent Dr. Steven Disney contacted him over the weekend and said that there’s no need to co-op with New Buffalo for middle school volleyball. Both districts have coaches, so Leslie said they’ll be running separate programs. In May, the board approved a sports cooperative with River Valley for middle volleyball and boys’ soccer, with practices to be held at New Buffalo.

Leslie said the positions for district bands director and middle/high school Spanish teacher close June 30 and there’s been eight applicants for bands director and one so far for Spanish teacher.

Board members approved the operation agreement for participants involved in the LaPorte County Career and Technical Education Area Vocational District #6.

Board members approved the purchase of equipment for district wireless access points, in the amount of $74,195.60, from Qubit Networks.

The board designated authority to Barb Woerdehoff to issue work permits.

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

Dr. Jeff Leslie welcomes Dan Caudle to New Buffalo

Monica and Mike Acuff from the Chestnut Light Artillary interact with guests

Luke hangs out with Hesston General Manager Ted Rita on the battleground

Kaylin Crumpacker does the live cannon shot Union soldiers get ready to board the train again

Kristine Phillips and Kurt Steffeter with their impression on a naval landing party Jeremy Case and Dan Deva guard the cannon

Encampments were set up throughout museum grounds

The HK Porter Number 2 is ready to take off

Alex Franklin pauses by the HK Porter while engineer Gary Babcoke looks on

Union soldiers defend their shipment of gold Kaden Urtel tries out some of the fixtures that were present on museum grounds Defending the ship of gold aboard the train

Caught in the crossfire during Hesston’s ‘Civil War Days’

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

The Battle of Hesston Junction

was on when the battle between the blue and the gray raged during Civil War Days at Hesston Steam Museum in Hesston, Indiana, Saturday and Sunday, June 25-26.

Visitors were invited to climb aboard an extra train on the Hesston & Galena Creek Narrow Gauge Railroad as it traversed across enemy lines with a special, heavily guarded shipment of gold in tow. Trouble burst onto the scene shortly after passing the Glacier Pass sign: Rifles in hand, members of the Confederate Army charged toward the train in search of the coveted gold. After disembarking the train, visitors could then wander the grounds surrounding the Hesston Junction depot, where troops had set up encampments to protect the shipment aboard the train.

Fair legend’s replacement up for challenge

BY STAN MADDUX

The over 100 volunteers at Pioneer Land seem up to the task of making the popular 1800s style village in Indiana come to life again without their leader during the upcoming fashioned materials are especially popular. So far, Miller said things have been more hectic than usual from volunteers not realizing until recently everything that needs to be done to keep the village strong. LaPorte County Fair.

Dick Reel, the driving force behind Pioneer Land being created and becoming a major attraction, passed away in February.

He was 74.

Dana Conboy, the new person in charge of what many people consider a magical place, said the challenge is daunting.

The Wanatah woman is not backing away, though, because she promised Reel that she would be his successor.

Conboy, a volunteer at Pioneer Land for about past 10 years, said she accepted Reel’s offer to carry on with his dream, thinking she’d have a couple of years to learn from him.

However, she was forced to dive in when his passing came much sooner than she expected.

“It was something I owed him because I gave him my word that I would be there for him. So, now, we’ll just get through it. It’ll be learning, but it’ll be fun,” she said.

Conboy said all of the volunteers committed to the continued success of Pioneer Land have assisted her during what’s been a sometimes heavy hearted transition.

She said the help has come from people involved in constructing the buildings on down to volunteer workers in areas like the blacksmith shop, general store, one room school house and log cabin.

Leadership roles have also been taken by long time volunteers like Carl Schultz, Merle Miller and Ron Schafer.

Conboy said Reel’s wife, Mary, also gave her the master plan for the village and all of the notes detailing the history of Pioneer Land taken by her late husband over the years.

“Everybody misses Dick and that makes it kind of difficult but it also makes it good for all of us to kind of go forward together,” she said.

Reel realized his vision for Pioneer Land as a place where people and families come together in a more laid-back setting to have fun or simply talk.

Toys and games made of wood and other old “Dick, of course, did an awful lot of stuff out at Pioneer Land. Stuff that people didn’t know he did. We really counted on him for a lot of things,” he said. Pioneer Land was open as usual during the spring for annual tours by local school children. The village is now being prepared to operate as always during the fair. Miller said the work is getting accomplished, though, because of the love and determination in their hearts for Pioneer Land. He said not one volunteer has ever been paid since Pioneer Land was established in 1995 with the log cabin. Miller said the log cabin and 13 other buildings that came later were paid for entirely with donations of money and labor along with dollars from fund raisers.

Charitable contributions and fund raisers also pay for ongoing maintenance.

No admission has ever been charged.

“That’s the coolest thing about Pioneer Land. We’ve done it all with volunteers and these hands,” he said.

Reel was also a retired Purdue Extension educator who spent many years working with youth in the 4-H program.

Conboy said she became a volunteer at Pioneer Land after Reel and another volunteer, Pete Jensen, began teaching her son about wood working when he was still in grade school.

She said their connection to Reel and his wife later blossomed into a friendship.

“Since we’ve lost him, a lot of people have come out and said he did this for me. He made this difference in my life. It’s a legacy that he left behind that I’m just going to do my best to honor,” she said.

The fair runs from July 9-16.

Two neighboring churches recently joined together to celebrate a local organization that promotes watching out for your neighbor and guiding them as they get back on their feet.

Members of the Episcopal Church of the Mediator and Harbert Community Church gathered for an outdoor church service at Harbert Community Church Sunday, June 26, to celebrate Neighbor by Neighbor’s fifth anniversary as well as earning nonprofit status this past January.

Harbert Community Church Rev. Jay Fast said that he was excited about “having these two congregations together, in addition to friends who may not be a part of either of them, who come from different theological congregations and worship in their own spaces as the norm every Sunday, but together, we’re out here today.”

“I feel there’s something countercultural about that in our world today: Coming together despite theological differences and being united around a common cause,” he said.

Linnea Berg, a staff member of Neighbor by Neighbor, said that she’d moved here six or so years ago when Janet Cocciarelli, former executive director of The Pokagon Fund, said something that stuck with her.

“Everyone thinks that everyone in Harbor Country is rich but there’s a lot of hidden poverty – people in our area aren’t getting social services,” she said.

Berg joined forces with Paula Durren (who has a background of working with nonprofits), who was the rector of the Church of the Mediator at the time. The Pokagon Fund, she said, was “willing to give the grant to cover the cost,” so the Church of the Mediator became the fiduciary. Within that first year, Megan Bolinder from Harbert Community Church was hired.

At first, Neighbor by Neighbor referred people to other agencies up north (Benton Harbor, St. Joseph and Niles); however, the more Bolinder worked with people, the more she saw a need to help them right here in Harbor Country.

“As Megan worked with people, she realized their lives are very complicated and they had multiple needs, not just ones they came into the door with, like ‘I need a gas card,’” Berg said, adding that they moved more into case management.

After Durren retired, Harbert Community Church took over as the fiduciary. Having the support from the two churches allowed Neighbor by Neighbor to grow and eventually take the next step: becoming a freestanding nonprofit.

“We have these wonderful shoulders of Church of the Mediator and Harbert Community Church that we stand on that have gotten us to where we are today and we are so grateful,” Berg said.

Leslie Wood, who serves on the Neighbor by Neighbor Advisory Board, said that “the actions of a church or a synagogue speak much louder than their words.” “The actions of Harbert Community Church and Church of the Mediator are true hallmarks of these institutions - we are extremely lucky to have you in our community,” she said.

BY FRANCESCA SAGALA

Today, Neighbor by Neighbor serves clients in the following communities: New Buffalo, Three Oaks, Galien, Baroda, Bridgman, Sawyer, Harbert, Union Pier and Lakeside.

Last year, it paid utility bills for 2,123 people totaling $69,000.

Neighbor by Neighbor has partnered with the New Buffalo High School Building Trades class to build two wheelchair ramps (with only eight more to go) as well as Harbert Community Church, where eight vehicles were donated. Over 1,000 seniors have also been fed, including meals from Church of the Mediator.

The organization serves about 300 people who are on some type of disability as well as about 100 people every year who are homeless.

Neighbor by Neighbor Executive Director Rev. Peg Kohring recounted a story about a man who became homeless after losing the job he’d had for 22 years.

He said he’d not received a cent after applying for unemployment and his landlord had sold his house to someone outside of the community. In addition, his transmission had gone out on his car.

After pondering “what to tackle first,” she said she and Berg got him into a local hotel and arranged to have his transmission fixed. Next, she reached out to Michigan Works, which has a partnership with Neighbor by Neighbor.

“Over a three-month period, he was able to get a job and an apartment,” she said, adding that Harbor Country Mission in Bridgman was able to outfit his apartment. In addition to attending the service, participants also dropped off laundry detergent (which isn’t covered by food stamps) in the organization’s “Share the Load” effort.

Seeing the community give back is always heartening to Kohring.

“You can tell the moral and spiritual health of a community by looking at how we treat our most vulnerable - thank you for your generosity and giving of your time and your money that gives our neighbors dignity,” she said.

For more on Neighbor by Neighbor, visit www. neighborbyneighbor.org.

Rev. Jay Fast welcomes welcomes both congregations to the service

Linnea Berg traces the history of Neighbor by Neighbor

Leslie Wood thanks the two churches for their efforts

The congregation gathers outside Harbert Community Church

Donations of laundry detergent piled up A cake was made just for the special occasion

Five Tips for Taking Care of Your Trees

1. Don’t prune ANY oaks from April 15th to September 30th. Oak wilt spreads readily during this time. Oak wilt will immediately kill any infected trees and will spread to your trees via root grafts if your neighbor prunes their oaks and they get infected. There is no treatment or cure for infected trees. Prevention is your Only choice. 2. Don’t “spike” your trees. Spiking causes wounds that lead to infection and tree decline. Anyone who spikes trees is causing long-term damage to the trees. 3. Avoid damage to the roots. Large trucks cause soil compaction and digging up roots cause frayed wounds that can’t heal and create access points for pathogens (fungi) that start root rot and weaken the trees structural stability. Lawn mowers can also cause damage to the root flares. 4. Keep a good amount of natural leaf litter and organic matter covering the roots under the canopy. Blowing leaves away from your trees can kill the fibrous roots by drying the exposed soil. 5. Consult an ISA Certified Arborist before doing anything to your tree.

Complete Tree Service Professionals Arborist & Construction Consulting Tree Pruning & Removals Stump Grinding & Lot Clearing Plant Health Care & Treatments Pest & Disease Analysis Storm Damage Removals

Christian Siewert MI-0549A ISA Certified Arborist on Staff