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T
P C N Tuesday, March 22, 2022
New Harmony plans active summer as warmth arrives
By Trisha L. Lopez Spring updates led the discussion at Tuesday’s New Harmony Town Council meeting. Golf cart registration dates were set for April 14-16, 21-23 and 28-30 from 4 to 7 p.m. Council members voted to open Murphy Park and they approved an update to the town’s oft-discussed fireworks ordinance to bring it into compliance with state statute. “We cannot have an ordinance that’s more strict than what the Indiana code is so this is putting us in right where we need to be,” Council President Alvin Blaylock said. Blaylock said that fireworks must be permitted June 29-30, July 1, 2, 3 and 5 between 5 p.m.until two hours after sunset. Allowable hours for July 4 are from 10 a.m. to midnight. Attorney Erin Bauer explained that the change was necessary because state law forbids municipalities from establishing rules that are more restrictive than the state’s statute. “What we had before was better than this,” Councilwoman Virginia Alsop said. Alsop was the lone vote against adopting the changes. Blaylock agreed that the change was unwanted. After months of research and discussion, council voted to adopt an updated ordinance in October that limited the use of
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fireworks in town to July 3 and 4 from 9 to 10 p.m., 11 p.m. December 31 to 12:30 a.m., January 1, and Labor Day from 9 to 10 p.m. “This is not as good as we wanted. It is worse than what we had, but what we had was illegal,” Blaylock said. Council voted to donate the shelter house at Murphy Park for the Hoosier Salon Arts in Indiana Children’s Art Day on June 7-9 and for Relay for Life on June 11. They also approved an application for Kunstfest for September 17-18, pending updated insurance information. They approved a $16,900 quote from Cellular Nation Inc., for security cameras, a two year Maple Hill Cemetery mowing quote from Ryan Reynolds for $1,160 per mow, and a $16,552 quote from Blankenberger Brothers to fix north bank water erosion issues. Members also discussed sending a letter to state officials to “express displeasure” with the condition of Highway 66 between New Harmony and Wadesville after receiving complaints from residents about cracked windshields and chipped paint. Josh Moore of Scott Thompson by Design spends his Monday power-washing the front “With all of the rocks on Highway 66 from here to Wadesville, that road really of the Main Cafe, New Harmony Gallery of Contemporary Art, Hoosier Salon and Sara’s may have went backwards when they did Harmony Way buildings in New Harmony. For more information on the services offered by the company, contact Thompson at 812-455-6242. Photo by Theresa Bratcher that,” Blaylock said.
North Posey schools to be busy as summer activities set By Lois Mittino Gray Members of the North Posey Board of Education took measures to ensure that the district will be a busy place this summer. They approved the extensive 2022 Summer Capital Projects Proposal at their March 14, meeting held in the library of South Terrace Elementary School. The list was accepted unanimously by a vote of 4-0, with Board Member Larry Kahle absent. North Posey Elementary students will be happy to hear that plans call for new equipment for the K-2 and 3-4 playground areas. A long row of swings, some with adaptive seats, and a Game Time modular
unit called a Merry-Go-All will be installed with play curbs and surfacing. OMNIA Partners will be paid $132,277 from the 2019 Bond Fund and $42,651 from the Operations Fund to cover the total. At North Posey Junior High School, three major building improvements will be taken from federal Esser III Funds. They are a new chiller at $235,900, a new RTU replacement unit at $47,795, and a new boiler at $85,000. Tenbarge Athletic Field Services will charge $22,700 to make upgrades to the baseball warning track materials and bullpen mounds. For payment, $15,950 will come from the Op-
erations Fund and $6,750 from the Baseball Fund. Central Office will be getting new access control keypads and door electronics from Wireless Network Solutions for $24,158, to be taken from the School Safety Grant. South Terrace Elementary School will also be getting keypad access replacement for $23,888. Another major project at the school this summer will be to replace all the ceiling insulation at a cost of $19,988 taken from remaining 2019 South Terrace Bond funds. Principal Erin Koester said there have been some moisture issues in the insulation resulting in dripping water at times from the
pans in the ceiling. School Superintendent Michael Galvin also presented a preliminary proposal for Summer School 2022 to offer Category I summer school classes at all locations. The Department of Education defines Category I classes as Reading for grades 1 through 3 and any course that counts towards graduation, including electives, for grades 9 through 12. The school corporation will require the state minimum of at least a 15 to 1 teacher to student ratio to offer the classes. “This is a preliminary list. We’ll have to wait until May and see what classes will be needed by then and submit them to the DOE
for approval. They state that we will get 105 percent reimbursement for them, but actually it turns out to be about 65 to 70 percent,” Galvin told the board Assistant Superintendent Michelle Walden presented a proposal to implement a two-year contract with a GPS service for bus routes called Transfinder ,beginning next school year. They charge a rate of $9,490 the first year and $5,850 the second year to be paid from the Operations Fund. “We use a service called Traversa now and this new one communicates with us better
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USI’s Rice Library to care for marker
Nate Byerly and Mike Hile, members of the Mount Vernon Marching Wildcat band March at Disney in Orlando, Fla., this weekend. Photo courtesy of Rodney Schroeder
By Lois Mittino Gray The Posey County Commissioners approved the installation of a memorial marker and bench on the southeast corner of the Court House lawn at their March 15, meeting in response to a school project spearheaded by Mount Vernon High School junior Sophie Kloppenburg. She brought the idea to the Commissioners at their December 7, meeting for the historical marker commemorating the horrific seven murders in three days in 1878 that took place on the site near there. The marker was approved with the stipulation that modifications are made to the proposed inscription wording. It is now a question of semantics as the Commissioners and Sophie are refining the verbiage on the sign to reflect a positive light on the city by acknowledging the racially-fueled incident, but stressing that in these times justice is ensured for all inside the court house as the community progresses. Kloppenburg originally proposed erecting a two-sided marker with vivid details on the manner of death, including four lynchings, a man burned alive in a locomotive steam box, one chopped
Farmers Market to come to Poseyville By Lois Mittino Gray Attention farmers, flower artisans, and those who just like to get their hands in the garden dirt. The town of Poseyville is forming a Farmer’s Market to bring healthy, fresh foods and fine goods from the earth to the community. An informatioonal vendor meeting is planned for March 31 at 6 p.m. at the Poseyville Town Hall. A Board of Directors was selected during the recent organizational meeting. Members include Theresa Bratcher, Christy Foster, Charles Carter, Joni Unger, and Robyn Bender. They plant to get the project in motion for those interested in being vendors or interested in general. At this time, plans call to begin the weekly market on Tuesday afternoons, beginning May 31 and ending up with the last one on August 2. Booths will be set up in the grassy area next to the Poseyville Community Center from 3 to 6 p.m. “The location is near
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to pieces and stuffed in a tree and one murdered and thrown in a privy. At this meeting, she presented a “diluted down version” to the group with less details and a space on the marker for a QR Code. She said if a person would like to learn more about the incident, the QR code will take them to pictures, writings and other resources. Commissioner President Bill Collins inquired who would maintain the code upkeep through the years. A representative of the library addressed the group and said the USI Rice Library volunteered to pick up the responsibility and will host the QR site and keep it current with resources. Dr. Betty Hart, a USI Professor Emeritus in English, addressed the Commissioners with her experiences as a black woman moving to Mount Vernon in 1990. She told of looking for a home and being told by her realtor about ‘Sundown Laws’ in an adjacent town, and heard patronizing opinions voiced by the school and other people. She told a story of gradual acceptance and
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the school and we want to wrap it all up around the time school begins. Most of the crops are finished by then anyway,” observed Poseyville Clerk-Treasurer Christy Foster. Bratcher, Acting Market Master, said they are looking for persons willing to sell vegetables and fruits, honey, baked goods, jams and jellies, homemade soaps, and fresh flowers and herbs to the local residents. “We want to encourage healthy eating with fresh goods,” she said. Being what is called a ‘locavore’ (eating locally-grown foods) is highly encouraged in these times for health and less driving to save on gas mileage. Rules will be discussed at the organizational meeting. A one-time fee of twenty dollars will be charged to reserve a booth to help cover the cost of insurance. Claire Koester, Class of 2022 recipient of the Elizabeth D. Baier Youth If you have questions, please contact Market Master Theresa at 812-205-5130 or Christy at the Town Hall Spirit Award, was presented the award by Donald Baier at the Posey County United Way March Board of Directors meeting. Photo submitted 812-874-1401 and leave a message.