T
P C N SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Tuesday, January 22, 2019
Volume 139 Edition 4 $1.00
Poseyville Utilities to accept credit card payments Police Interceptor welcomed to town By Dave Pearce The more things change the more they stay the same. For the 31st year in 33 years of service as a Poseyville Town Council member, Bruce Baker was elected to serve as president of the Town Council for the 2019 calendar year. The vote was unanimous at Wednesday’s Poseyville Town Council member on Wednesday at the Town Hall. “I love serving the public and not because
I have my own agenda,” Baker told the board and those in attendance. “I just enjoy helping make the quality of life better in our community.” Getting off to the right start, the minister at the local Christian Church, Rodney Wrye, was on hand and said a prayer to open the meeting. Soon after Baker took the gavel, all the news was good at the meeting. Bids are being received for street repairs under the Community Crossings Grant. The Community Crossings Grant came into being through the Indiana Department of Transportation following a gas tax increase with the funds earmarked for road improvement. The grant is a 25 percent local
investment and a 75 percent grant match. A significant amount of these funds have been set aside for small communities such as Poseyville. Repairs to an aging and unhealthy Poseyville Police cruiser will soon be a thing of the past. The council gave its approval to purchase a Police Interceptor for the town from Expressway Ford at a total cost of over $34000 by the time equipment is transferred over to the new vehicle. Board members encouraged Town Marshal Charles Carter to take delivery of the cruiser as soon as possible. It was noted in the meeting that nearby New Harmony is purchasing the other police vehicle on the ground at Expressway.
Board members indicated it is probably past time to replace the aging cruiser. The 2010 Dodge has outlived the life of the average town cruiser, which are generally replaced every four to five years. Another big announcement at the meeting was that the Town of Poseyville has expanded payment options for utilities. Customers now have the option of paying via the PAYGOV. Mobile application or online (at Paygov) even when the utility office is closed. The mobile application may be downloaded from the PlayStore or itunes (listed as PAYGOV.). The
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New police Valero Energy Foundation donates $23,322 to PC 4-H car, trash Funds will pay for new HVAC units and signage rate hike on NH horizon By Lois Mittino Gray Members of the New Harmony Town Council voted to purchase a new police car, to raise monthly trash rates, and to continue to advertise for bids on the former school property and South Street residential lots at their January 15, monthly meeting. They also conducted routine beginning of the year business, such as re-electing Alvin Blaylock as Council President, establishing the third Tuesday of the month at 8:30 a.m. as the regular meeting date, keeping department heads the same as last year and re-hiring Erin Bauer as the Town Attorney. Town Marshall Aaron Straub will soon be behind the wheel of a new 2018 Ford police Interceptor from Expressway Ford in Mount Vernon. Blaylock said the Posey County Sheriff’s Department ordered six or seven of these vehicles and did not take delivery on all of them, so one was available at a good discount price of $24,249, down from $35,140. The council voted to purchase the vehicle, with Councilman Gary Watson abstaining as he works for the dealership. They also voted to spend $1950 to Gerry’s Automotive in Saint Phillips to transfer radio and safety equipment from the old vehicle to the new one. After completion, it will be declared surplus equipment and sold without warranty as is to get it off the town equipment roster. Town resident Tom Stahl inquired as to the mileage on the old vehicle and was told it was at 140,000 miles. The council voted to increase the monthly trash rate to ten dollars. The new monthly bill from Advanced Disposal is $3,735 and the income, if every resident paid the current eight dollar fee, would only take in $3,584. “If everyone pays their trash bill, and not everyone does, we would still operate $151 short every month,” explained Blaylock. “We cannot operate in the red, so we will have to increase the rate by two dollars per resident. We hate to do it, as we will all have to pay it, but this is the first increase in ten years, since January of 2009 and that’s pretty good.” Blaylock reported the town received two bids on the school property. One bid is for the entire property for $80,000. The second bid is for the school building with approximately five acres, for $10,000. Both bids were rejected at the December meeting and it was decided to re-advertise the property in parcels, thus allowing people to bid on the entire property or just part of it. Bids will be accepted at the Town Hall until February 7. “We are trying some new things and new advertising and we hope we get some higher bids,” the President stated. As for the three South Street residential properties, formerly the site of the Tree of Life Medical Center, Blaylock said a bid of $45,000 was
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INSIDE TODAY MV and NP Honor Rolls (USPS 439-500)
Special to The News The Valero Energy Foundation has donated $23,322 to the Posey County 4-H Fair Association to replace three aging HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) units at the community center and illuminate signage at the entrance to the fairgrounds. The foundation is the charitable organization of Valero Energy Corporation, which operates
the Valero Renewables-Mount Vernon ethanol plant. The bulk of the donation, or $21,880, will cover the costs of replacing the three HVAC units, after two others recently were replaced by the fair board due to failure. This will greatly improve utilities efficiency and ensure not only a cool place for youth and guests at summer events, but a safe place for the community
to use in case of emergencies. The building is designated as a Posey County Disaster Relief Shelter. The remaining $1,442 contribution will cover the recent costs to re-illuminate signs that have been dark for a long period, replacing the panel with LED bulbs and ballast that will light up the message board and a busy highway intersection at the entrance, while saving energy costs. Pictured from left to right: Fair Board Secretary Hannah Duncan, Fair Board Vice President Julie Sailer, Valero Plant Analysis Accountant Marie Tinsley, Valero Plant Manager Chris Rhea, Fair Board President Jake McGennis, Fair Board Treasurer Laurie Hartman. Photo submitted
Mount Vernon welcomes five new vehicles By Lois Mittino Gray Purchasing new vehicles and equipment was the main order of business at the January 17, Mount Vernon Board of Works meeting. The city will have three new police vehicles, one new fire chief’s truck and a new salt spreader just in time for predicted snows. Police Chief Tony Alldredge reported his
agency is in line to replace three vehicles in this year’s budget. He said Ford Motor Company has substantially raised the price of the popular Interceptor SUV model purchased last year. He brought in quotes from local Ford and Jeep/Dodge dealerships. If he were to buy three Ford Interceptors again, the first one would cost the full price of $34,826 with no trade-in; the second one would
cost $29,826 with a trade-in; and the third one would be $26,826 with a trade-in. The total cost for the trio would be $91,478. If they would go with three comparable Dodge Durangos instead, the first one would be full price at $28,410; the second one would cost $25,410 with trade-in; and the third
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NPSB projects vote could come in February By Dave Pearce At Monday evening’s North Posey School board meeting, nothing was said regarding the impending capital projects list. The list was introduced to the public in a “work session” held recently by the board. The capital projects list contains a myriad of projects ranging from school additions and sports complex additions.
School Supt. Dr. Todd Camp indicated prior to last week’s meeting that he hoped to be able to share more information regarding the potential projects with board members. However, due to the short time between the work session and the meeting, very little additional information was made available. According to multiple board members, the only additional information they received was a
tax comparison chart that showed the tax rate in the North Posey School District to be one of the lowest in the area. A potential bond issue for the proposed capital projects could raise that rate. A vote on continuing the process could be taken at the February meeting of the school board. The next meeting will
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A case of Divine Intervention After early struggles, Gail Robb has spent her life helping others By Pam Robinson Long-time Mount Vernon resident Gail Robb thrived as an only child after she nearly died as a newborn and struggled with an extended illness as a 7-year-old. Her struggle led her to decide at age seven, and never waver, to become a nurse. On this journey, she trusted God to clear her path and guard her from stumbling. Her passion and perseverance moved her forward as Divine Providence opened the way to an amazing adventure. The Saint Louis native learned to love laughter from her father, Wilbur Mohrman, and his family. A traveling salesman, Gail’s dad worked his way up to sales manager at American Art Clay in Indianapolis and brought the family to Indiana the summer before Gail’s junior year in high school. Gail’s mother, Katherine (Doepke), revealed her inner strength and modeled independence. She was employed as a legal secretary. On Saturdays during her childhood, around ages four to eight, Gail and her father spent “their day” together in Saint Louis. They made the rounds to run errands, conduct business for her father, and to dine out. Gail has fond memories of these Saturdays. The barber would slip her a dime as she and her dad left the shop. The restaurant owner would always pull out a pack of
The Golden Years
Gail Robb in Croatia. Photo submitted Dentyne gum for her. She and her dad frequently visited his identical brother also. The most memorable Saturday remains when Gail beat the pinball machine at Roy’s Bar, then legally open to families, and won a prize. But Gail’s mom didn’t approve of the pinball prize.
No more outings of this kind happened—at least not as a matter of record. In spite of this incident, Gail admits openly she had a charming childhood with loving parents. The family’s move to Indianapolis created the most challenging situation she had faced. In the middle of her high school career, she was separated from her long-time friends and prepared to start her junior year with strangers at Pike High School. Fortunately, her father’s co-workers at American Art Clay intervened. They held get-togethers with girls from Gail’s class that summer before school started, so she formed friendships. Some “have become friends for life,” Gail notes. “It all turned out really well,” she adds and observes that the turns in our lives happen for God’s plan to unfold. After her graduation with the Class of 1964, Gail entered University of Evansville (formerly Evansville College) that fall to work toward her degree in nursing. She chose UE to live on campus and gain independence. Gail proved she knew how to balance work with play. She was delighted to be elected homecoming queen in the fall of her sophomore year. The following spring, she was chosen an
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