T
P C N SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER
Volume 140 Edition 6
Tuesday, February 11, 2020
$1.00
Over $4 million spent on Posey County’s roads in 2019 By Lois Mittino Gray Paving almost 50 miles of county roads cost over $4 million this past year. Posey County Commissioners learned this fact when Posey County Highway Superintendent Steve Schenk gave his annual end of the year report at the February 4, meeting at the Hovey House. To be exact, 49.74 total miles were worked on, at a total cost of $4,357,618.32, mainly using funds from EDIT (Economic Development Income Tax). Broken down into categories based on materials used, specifics he discussed are: 9.9 miles using chip and seal cost $419,261.11, 8.78 miles of recycled materials cost $291,697.71, 13.16 miles of overlay on blacktop ran $1,395,250.92
and 10.65 miles of overlay on chip and seal cost $1,323,666.20. 7.25 miles of paving using Community Crossing Grant matching funds amounted to $927,742.38 for the total over four million. Schenk said the State of Indiana requires an asset management plan that ensures every county road be driven and assigned a rating number every two years. Blacktops need a ranking number from 1 to 10 (best) and chip and seal uses numbers from 1-5 (best). It needs to be worked on this year and he will travel all roads and send in a printout of the list. The commissioners thanked him publicly for the outstanding job he and the department do for the county.
The commissioners also passed an ordinance to hold a Commissioners Sale to sell tax sale certificates for properties that are severely delinquent in payment of property taxes. It is planned for April 6, 2020 at 10 a.m. Posey County Treasurer Vicki Peerman spoke and said all the listed properties were certified June 30, 2019 and did not sell at the tax sale then. She requested that the minimum bids on the properties be upped to $100, from $50, since the lower fee did not even cover the certification costs. The commissioners voted on several motions to have the sale, contract with SRI Inc. to conduct the sale and handle funds, and raise the minimum bid to $100.
Sherri Willis, Mount Vernon Building Commissioner, spoke at the meeting requesting that the tax deeds for five properties slated for the tax sale be turned over to the city. The properties are: 137 West Ninth Street, 718 Mill Street, 628 West Sixth Street, 613 Wolflin Street and 417 West Fourth Street. “We are asking for these deeds to reimburse costs incurred tearing down these dilapidated structures on these parcels,” she explained. The commissioners noted this has been done before in the past and agreed to turn the tax deeds over to the city. In other commissioner action: • signed a contract for $10,000 with Colo-
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Musical jobs seems to be theme in MV for 2020-21
Cynthiana Board gives OK to APC ordinance
By Lois Mittino Gray The Mount Vernon School Board appointed administrators for the 2020-21 school year at its February 3, meeting and there will be some job switching involved in several positions. Dr. Elizabeth Johns, current principal of Farmersville Elementary School, will leave that post to become the Director of Curriculum, Grants, and Testing for the district. The outstanding principal has been there for six years and during that time, Farmersville received recognition as a National Blue Ribbon School. The Farmersville vacancy will be advertised immediately, along with the vacancy created at Marrs Elementary School by the retirement of current Principal, Greg DeWeese. Kyle Jones, will vacate the Director of Curriculum, Grants, and Testing position that he took in 2014, to become the principal at Mount Vernon High School next year. School Superintendent Matt Thompson said Jones is no stranger to onsite school administration and he expressed a desire to get out of the Central Office and back into a building. Jones taught at Mount Vernon Junior High School over 18 years, before serving as the Junior High Assistant Principal for six years and then Principal there for the next two years. Zack Windell, currently Principal of the high school, will return to the classroom. Justin Fischer will continue as Assistant Principal and Leigh Ann Latshaw as the Athletic Director. Marc Hostetter will remain as Principal of Mount Vernon Junior High Mount Vernon City Councilwoman Jillian Weirauch Brothers and her husband Adam enjoy a step back School, as will Natosha Bruner as Assistant Principal there. Amanda Wil- in time at the Great Catsby Dinner and Auction to benefit the Posey County Humane Society. The event was held at the American Legion Post Number 5 on Saturday evening. The event was successful as a good Continued on Page A9 sum of money was raised to benefit the shelter. Photo submitted
By Dave Pearce It seems like where ever you go in Posey County, you can’t get away from discussions regarding the benefits and risks of wind turbines in the County. Recently, the Mount Vernon City Council voted not to accept the Posey County Area Plan Commission’s ordinance regarding wind turbines. The recent meeting of the Cynthiana Town Council was no exception with discussions. The new board, made up of only one person with any board experience at all, was immersed by fire into the pros and cons of the turbines. Previous board members heard benefits of having at least some type of ordinance on the books. Shortly after the meeting began, recently-elected Town Board Member Jeffrey Gee was selected as president of the Cynthiana Town Council. New member Andrew Porath was sworn into office and the only retainee, Steve Sims, accepted the responsibility of becoming a Cynthiana Town Council member. A variety of opinions regarding the turbines were presented on both sides of the wind turbine issue with Posey County Area Plan Commission President Mark Seib on hand as well as the Executive Director of the Posey County Area Plan Commission Mindy Bourne. Following nearly an hour of discussion, the new board decided to take action and voted to affirm the ordinance as it is currently written by the Area Plan Commission.
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Partners in Food...
‘The only thing you can take to heaven is what you give away on earth’
Tom and Patty Dewig, long-time supporters of the Partners in Food Program, prepare to enjoy some the food prepared in appreciation for those who participate in the program. The event is held annually at the Zion-Lippe United Church of Christ. Partners in Food just completed it’s 15th year. Photo by Dave Pearce
(USPS 439-500)
By Dave Pearce Posey County’s Partners in Food held its annual appreciation dinner Sunday evening at the Zion-Lippe United Church of Christ. Well over 100 were on hand to hear the latest of what this generous group has done and what’s in the works for next year. Posey County’s Partners in Food program began in 2005 and continues to see growth in its 15th year of providing protein to local food pantries and shelters. The four individuals who started the program happen to not only to be farmers but also friends who are also united by their faith, including Carl Schmitz, Albert Schmitz, Marvin Redman, and Jim Droege. These men are passionate about providing protein for the population that needs assistance in our local community. Through the Partners in Food program they’ve partnered with area sponsors and producers, as well as pantries and shelters, and continue to come through in a tremendous to nourish those in need who might otherwise go without. More than a decade ago the four gentlemen came together after participating in a program called Friendship Acre had dissolved. “We all attend the Zion Lippe United Church of Christ and had been involved in a service program as producers. The program, called Friendship Acre, had its genesis early on after WWII where items were gathered and shipped to Eu-
rope. When that initiative came to an end we picked up the concept and tweaked it to focus on providing meat as we knew that was something the pantries rarely received,” said Droege. “We came together with an idea that provided a vehicle by which we could respond to a need, but the community has driven it forward.” The program model essentially pairs a sponsor with a producer who pledges the gross proceeds of one acre less the amount of the sponsorship to the program. The sponsorships, in the amount of $250, come from individuals, businesses, and other groups or organizations. The funds are used to purchase cattle and hogs, which are processed and packaged for delivery to area pantries and shelters. Dewig Meats of Haubstadt and Kenny Dewig Meats of Owensville are the primary processors for the ground pork and ground beef. With just a handful of sponsors in the first year, the program has seen unbelievable growth over the years since its inception. In 2019 the program processed 41 head of beef and 185 hogs resulting in the donation of 17,355 pounds of ground beef and 21,465 of ground pork. This year there are more than 70 producers involved from all over the county. The program delivers meat and other produce to the local community food pantries as well as the pantries
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