T
P C N SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Volume 139 Edition 16
Tuesday, April 16, 2019
$1.00
Projects, retirement highlight school plans By Pam Robinson Dr. Tom Kopatich, Superintendent of the MSD of Mount Vernon, had the spotlight turned on him Thursday, April 11, at the Posey County State of the Schools, held at Countrymark Pavilion. He and Dr. Todd Camp, Superintendent of the MSD of North Posey, spoke about the state of the two county school districts to an audience of colleagues and community leaders. Attention fell on Kopatich at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the event. Posey Chamber Committee Chair Drew Heckert introduced Kopatich as the first speaker, and Kopatich started with a reference to his approaching June retirement. He observed “this is my last” address on the state of the schools. Later in his speech, he indicated the new superintendent may be announced at the first Mount Vernon School Board meeting in May. In addition, Kopatich said the Mount Vernon School Board hopes to appoint a board member for District 2 by May to replace Thomas Clowers, leaving to serve as Posey County Prosecutor. Kopatich encouraged District 2 residents interested in the appointment to contact the school district office. He assured the audience appointments were not based on political party affiliation. After his speech, Kopatich received kind words and a gift card from North Posey Superintendent Todd Camp in a warm gesture of friendship from himself and Dr. Angie Wannemuehler, North Posey Assistant Superintendent. “We work really, really well with Mount Dr. Tom Kopatich and Dr. Todd Camp Vernon, and we’ve had a great relationship with Mount Vernon. I’ve had a great relationship with Dr. Kopatich— Tom, my buddy,” Camp stated. He then specified their collaboration on such matters as weather closings as well as the opportunity allowed to call MSD of Mount Vernon Business Director Loren Evans. “We’ve had a great relationship. Tom and I entered the central office about the same time, and we’ve been together pretty much through the whole thing.
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Mount Vernon City Council people, Mark Clements, Mark Pharr, Andy Hoehn, Larry Williams, Mayor Bill Curtis, and Becky Higgins breaking ground on the Main Street Trail that will be going through the city of Mount Vernon from Riverbend Park to Sixth and Main. Photo by Peg Heckman
North Posey projects on fast track By Dave Pearce If everything goes as expected, the North Posey Viking football field will become a turf field in time for the 2019 fall football season. The Vikings will join Mount Vernon, the other Posey County High School, in moving to an expensive turf field in the fall. Following a short presentation by Parri Black and Ali Langen, with Youth First, regarding the services of Youth First and the partnership they have with the corporation, the board went in to more urgent business. The turf field was not the only improvements that will be made with a new bond issue that will raise property taxes in the northern end of the county. North Posey School Supt. Todd Camp explained in an earlier meeting that one of the bond issues will be paid in full within the next couple of years and there are many projects which need to be completed in order to keep North Posey’s schools moving forward. Michael Davis with VPS and asked him to present the preliminary plans for each of the three projects to the Board. Projects will be ongoing as improvements have been slated for all of the buildings in the North Posey district.
From a legal standpoint, the board took action to organize a building corporation to oversee the financial end of the project. North Posey School Board President Geoff Gentil stated that the M.S.D. of North Posey Multi-School Building Corporation has approved and submitted to the School Corporation a proposed form of Lease Agreement. The proposed form of Lease was examined by all of the members of the Board. After discussion of the proposed form of Lease. The lease form was approved by a unanimous vote. Gentil stated that the Building Corporation was previously formed to assist the School Corporation in the financing of certain projects. After discussion the board voted unanimously to approve the Resolution Reapproving the Building Corporation. Camp informed the Board that the Notice of Hearing on the Lease and the Additional Appropriation Hearing will be advertised, as required by law, in the Posey County News on April 9, 2019, and the Mount Vernon Democrat on April 10, 2019. The notices will also be posted on the district’s webpage. The hearings shall be
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Council approves state-ordered raises By Lois Mittino Gray Members of the Posey County Council learned that Posey County Sheriff Tom Latham will be getting a raise in salary this upcoming fiscal year by state mandate. The Sheriff appeared before the council to explain the raise and the amount involved at the monthly council meeting held on Tuesday, April 9 at the Hovey House. Under state statute, a county the size of Posey County must pay its Sheriff 60 percent of the amount the state has set for
County Prosecutor pay. The Prosecutor’s salary has been given a 2.7 percent raise at the State level this year, so the county must raise the Sheriff’s salary by a commensurate amount. The new state Prosecutor salary that Thomas Clowers will earn is set at $151,137. Multiplying that by 60 percent, the Sheriff salary is set at $90,682.20. The current Sheriff salary is $88,298, so the additional amount needed from the budget will be $2,384.20. This will be advertised
and asked for formally at the May Council Meeting. Posey County Solid Waste Board Comptroller Ron Bennet appeared before the council to request a temporary loan in the amount of $50,000 to fulfill financial obligations of the Solid Waste District. The loan will be paid back in full in December of this year when tax money is collected. “This is basically a cash flow
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Water, radio needs met by coaction Aiden MacMunn, son of Mike and Shannon MacMunn and a fifth grader at South Terrace Elementary School, helped take the audience to Disney Wednesday evening during the spring musical program. If you missed the performance, you can watch it from the South Terrace YouTube channel.
By Lois Mittino Gray In an act of city-county cooperation, a motion was approved by Mount Vernon City Council members at the March 28, Water Utility Board meeting to allow Posey County radio dispatch equipment to be installed atop the city’s brand new Keck Water Tower, when it is completed. The land has been purchased for the new 200 foot, 1.1 million gallon water tower which will be located at the northeast corner of the intersection of the railroad tracks with the Keck Bypass. Mount Vernon Mayor Bill Curtis told members that he received a call last week from a county representative with this request. The county has installed a new radio system, but there is an issue occurring with their line of sight. “We have already allowed them to do this last June on the Farmersville Tower be-
cause of a same type of line of sight issue. Personally, I contacted the SITCO company, who installs the city equipment up there, and they have no problem with the county request. I have no specifics at this time, but I told the county I would run it by you as long as Superintendent Gray has no issues with doing this,” the Mayor explained to the water board. Utilities Superintendent Chuck Gray responded that he has no problems with it, as long as it does not interfere with the city telemetry. Water Board Member Larry Williams asked him how he would know if it was interfering. “Well, there has been no problem with the Farmersville Tower so far and we have one up there,” Gray remarked.
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Wildcats Remembered Beloved Mount Vernon Principal and wife’s generosity still giving The Golden Years By Pam Robinson Long-time Mount Vernon educator Don Goerlitz and his wife, CeCe, established Wildcats Remembered 25 years ago in May 1994. The Posey County Community Foundation endowment was started to encourage academics and leadership development at Mount Vernon High School, or MVHS. As the March 2019 Wildcats Remembered newsletter explains, donations from MVHS alumni and supporters have caused the endowment to grow to more than $297,000 as of January 31, 2019. Over the years, Wildcats Remembered has supported MVHS with an annual earnings check. To date, it has provided nearly $103,000 total in distributions for MVHS endeavors. MVHS Principal, Dr. Matt Thompson, named a few of the high school projects the endowment makes possible. It supplies the medallions to MVHS graduates as they receive diplomas. It funds the annual Almost Anything Goes all-campus cookout and field day. It helps to defer costs involved for students elected to National Honor Society and National Student Council. The endowment provides a gift that keeps on giving, thanks to the vision of Don and CeCe Goerlitz, both with a heart for students. The octogenarians have thrived on helping others and their community. Born June 4, 1935, on Main Street in Boonville, Don Goerlitz landed in the arms of two educators. One of 14 children, his father, George, a biology teacher, taught a few years in Lynnville
(USPS 439-500)
and Boonville before settling down at Evansville Bosse for the Immediately upon graduating with the Bosse Class of 1953, remainder of his career. He moved his family to Evansville when Don attended Hanover College four years and earned his bachDon was in the third grade. Don’s mother, Thelma (Goad) was elor’s degree. There, he met CeCe, and the two married in 1957. an elementary He then enrolled at the Uniteacher, and her versity of Tennessee to work one sister was an toward his master’s degree in elementary teachbacteriology. Don decided afer also. terward to complete his masWhen his only ter’s degree later and attended younger brother East Tennessee State College was killed in a instead to finish his teaching tragic accident, credentials. Don turned to his His first teaching post was cousins as playfor one year at Washington mates. They and College Academy in East he became teachTennessee, where he and ers as well, so the CeCe lived in a boys’ dormifamily remained tory apartment. From there, dedicated to eduhe found his way back to cation. Evansville when he and CeCe Don attended moved here for his job as a Bosse and folcontrol chemist for General lowed his father’s Foods Iglehart Plant. path in science. After only two years, CeCe and Don Goerlitz Biology was his though, the promise of teachfavorite subject. ing lured Don back into eduAt the same time, he marched to the beat of a different drum, cation in 1960. A position opened in science at Mount Vernon namely a snare drum, and stood out on his own as a percussionist Junior High School, or MVJHS. He taught biology there two in Bosse’s marching band. He served as band captain his senior year. Continued on Page A9