SPECIAL WINTER SPORTS SECTION INSIDE Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times
LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 1882
“OUR LIBERTIES WE PRIZE, AND OUR RIGHTS WE WILL MAINTAIN.” Posey County’s ONLY Locally Owned Newspaper.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
$1.00
(USPS S4 439-500) 3 9 5 00 ) Volume 135 Edition 47
Applicants scarce for New Harmony Marshal position By Valerie Werkmeister New Harmony Town Council members moved forward with their plan to remove phosphorus from their wastewater treatment system. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) has allowed the town to develop the plan since it was determined the phosphorus must be removed. During last Thursday’s council meeting, the council gave Commonwealth Engineering the nod to begin advertising for construction
bids. Eric Parsley of Commonwealth Engineers explained the bidding process and the number of steps to be completed before construction is slated to begin April 1, 2016. Parsley stated he intends to advertise for bids in December and hold the bid opening during the council’s meeting in January. A contractor must be on site ready to begin work by April 1 or IDEM could find the town in violation of their permit and begin issuing
fines. Parsley said he expects construction to take up to four months to complete. Councilman Andrew Wilson said he has received a fourth application for the town marshal position. None of the applicants have prior training as a police officer. Wilson said he plans to meet with members of the new council that will be seated in January to make a joint decision on the best applicant suited for the position. Councilwoman Linda Warrum read
through document changes regarding the former school property and its transfer to the Workingman’s Institute (WMI). The two entities have been working towards an agreement both are satisfied with for the transfer of the property. She identified several differences between the two documents. She stated the Option Agreement has been replaced by the Joint Resolution for Transfer document.
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‘Two-for-one’ package will save money on projects
Old tower to find home on Hedges Central hill
By Valerie Werkmeister The Posey County Jail project gained more traction last week as the Posey County Commissioners agreed to hire Garmong Construction Services of Evansville during their meeting on November 17. Commissioner Jerry Walden’s first action of the meeting was to make a motion to hire the construction management team for the jail expansion and renovation project. They had already heard a presentation earlier in the month from Jeremy Kunz, a regional manager for the company, in which the benefits of hiring the company were explained. The project architectural firm, RQAW, also offered praise for the company and welcomed the opportunity to partner with them. I n i tially, Garmong’s fee was proposed at four percent of the project cost. However, Attorney Jacob Weis stated they had agreed to lower their fee to 3.5 percent of the construction costs. The commissioners approved the agreement subject to Weis’ receipt of new contracts from RQAW and Garmong reflecting the changes. Greg Kacinski of American Structure Point, the engineering firm hired by the commissioners to complete the design work on a new bypass around Mount Vernon, expressed his company’s desire to move forward with survey work before winter weather arrives. Kacinski acknowledged they had not received a notice to proceed
ruptions earlier this year due to the highly pathogenic avian influenza outbreak in the Midwest. Turkey production is down this year but not dramatically. Our survey shows a modest increase in turkey prices compared to last year.” He added, though, that retailers are starting to feature turkeys aggressively for the holiday, and therefore shoppers could actually see prices fall below last year’s average. “Even with the increase, the cost of this year’s meal averages only
By Lois Mittino Gray “So much of the ISTEP test score information is in limbo right now,” School Superintendent Tom Kopatich told the Mount Vernon School Board at its November 16 meeting. “We are going through the numbers, but there are so many things waiting on decisions by the state at this time.” This year test scores were mailed directly to parents, instead of to the school first. Kopatich explained that there was a small window of time until Friday, November 20 in which parents could request a rescoring of the test if their child’s score was close to passing. “I have heard that there are about 200,000 requests coming in from all around the state right now to the Department of Education.” The board adopted a joint resolution authorizing the transfer and acceptance of a surplus 120-foot communications tower from the City of Mount Vernon Board of Public Works and Safety. In the agreement, the school district will pay for the moving and placement of the tower and will be getting RFP bids now. The board authorized the Superintendent or designee to apply to Posey County Board of Zoning Appeals for the necessary zoning revisions to install the tower at Hedges Central School because of its height. The board also authorized the City of Mount Vernon to apply to the Posey County Board of Zoning Appeals for the necessary zoning
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The cast of the MVSHS drama ‘Frankenstein,’ directed by Kevin Roach and held this past weekend at Mount Vernon High School. Members are, standing, back row: Peter Schmidt-Quincy Irick; Herr Mueller-Jackson Baldwin; Delacey-Whitney Schaefer; and Frau Mueller-Gabrielle Butler. Kneeling, second row: Victor Frankenstein-Lane Blankenship; Henry Clervall-Patrick Gerton; The Creature (sitting on table)-Matthew Evinger; and Alphonse Frankenstein- Joeseph Julian. Sitting on floor: Justine Moritz- Alyssa Junker; William Frankenstein- Seamus Lambert; Fritz (the dog)-Claire; Elizabeth Lavenza-Kiara Jesch; and Hanah Metz-Lillie Blankenship. Photo courtesy of Daniel Knight, Studio B
Turkey prices raise cost of Thanksgiving meal Increases in the price of turkey were largely responsible for an increase in the average cost of a Thanksgiving meal, according to Farm Bureau’s annual informal Thanksgiving ‘market basket’ survey. Indiana Farm Bureau’s survey showed an average price of $50.33 for a 16-pound turkey, the ingredients for stuffing and pumpkin pie, and other components of a traditional holiday meal. This is $3.40 higher than last year’s total and $2.21 higher than 2013’s total, but it’s only 28 cents higher than the total for 2012.
Briefly
The main reason for the increase in 2015 is higher prices for turkey, which can be attributed to disruptions in production due to the outbreak of avian influenza earlier this year on some of the nation’s turkey farms. Indiana’s survey showed an average price of $1.57 per pound for turkey, which is 26 cents per pound higher than last year. “Retail prices seem to have stabilized quite a bit for turkey, which is the centerpiece of the meal in our market basket,” noted John Anderson, deputy chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation. “There were some production dis-
‘Birds’ run amuck on rural Posey farm
North Elementary to host Breakfast with Santa
The North Elementary PTO is hosting a Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 12 from 8-10 a.m. at the Poseyville Community Center. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for children three-12 years (two years and under are free.) The event has been planned as a benefit for Mrs. Terri Waugaman, North Elementary Principal. All proceeds will go toward helping with her medical expenses. Mrs. Waugaman is battling a rare form of bone marrow cancer and in need of a stem cell transplant.
Salvation Army Bell Ringers needed It’s that time of year again - hear those bells ringing? Dollars collected in the red kettles are used in Posey County to help Posey County families. Please consider helping out by volunteering - only two hours - with friends, families, youth groups, and organization. This is a great way to get into the holiday spirit of helping others. Hours count as community service, as well. This year, you can register to ring online. It’s quick and easy. Call Beth Russell at 812-838-6875 if you have questions. Register early so you get the time slot and location you want. And feel free to share this with as many people as you can we need lots of volunteers. Thank you. Go to https://www.registertoring.com/ WebPages/Default.aspx to register online.
By Brooke Simpson As Thanksgiving approaches shoppers will rush to find just the right turkey for their Thanksgiving feast. Mount Vernon is home to Uebelhack Turkey Farm where 75 years of farming meets with family traditions. The farm was started in 1940 when Ms. Uebelhack traded 13 duck eggs for 13 turkey eggs and it grew from there. Dennis Uebelhack bought the farm from his parents in 1979. He works at Sabic Plastics in Mount Vernon and tends to the farm as a ‘hobby.’ Many years ago the farm would provide seasonal housing to 16,000 turkeys. Now the
farm works on a smaller scale with about 1,600 turkeys each year. In the first week of July the babies come in at about 12 hours old and will be under heat lamps for seven weeks. Uebelhack says that it would have to reach temperatures greater than 100 degrees before the lamps could be turned off because turkeys don’t feather out till they are four weeks old. Once they have feathered, Uebelhack opens the doors and the turkeys run freely as they choose on a three-acre farm with water fountains, and all the bugs they can eat. There are feeders
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Dennis Uebelhack displays one of this year’s Thanksgiving hens. Photo by Brooke Simpson
BMV branches closed for Thanksgiving holiday Kent Abernathy, Commissioner of the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles (BMV), announced today that all BMV license branches will be closed on Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27 in honor of the Thanksgiving holiday. All license branches will resume their regularly scheduled business hours on Saturday, November 28. For a complete list of branch locations and hours, please visit myBMV.com.
Posey County Council on Aging plans Nashville trip Posey County Council on Aging Nashville Trip will be December 7-9, 2015. This is a three-day, two-night trip. The trip includes a visit to Opry Mills, then dinner at Nashville Nightlife Dinner Theater, guided tour of Nashville, photo stop at the Parthenon, a ride the Delta Flatboats inside Opryland Hotel, and backstage tour of the Grand Old Opry House. Cost is $319 for a double occupancy. Please call 812-838-4656 to register.
Christmas in New Harmony announced The annual Christmas in New Harmony Festival will feature a Main Street Christmas Parade, artisan craft market, local merchant open houses and don’t miss the world renowned musicians at the Christmas in Appalachia: Celtic Roots concert. Other festivities include: Christmas tree lighting, antiques and arts, Strolling Santas and more. There is no better time to visit Historic New Harmony than at the annual Christmas in New Harmony Festival Friday to Sunday, December 4 through 6. For a schedule and more visit newharmony.biz.
Bus/Ag .................A9 Classifieds ...... B9-10 Community...........A4 Church...................A7
The bank is open... On Friday morning, Community State Bank celebrated the Grand Opening of it’s new branch in New Harmony. Seen here, bank tellers Nancy Jessie and Teresa Wiggins cut the ribbon. Photo by Zach Straw
Deaths .................... A3 Legals ...................B4 Opinion ................A12 Retrospective........A5
School ....................A8 Social .....................A6 Sports ...... .........B1-3 TV Guide...........B7-8