This Copy Especially Reserved For:
MOUNT VERNON & NORTH POSEY
HONOR ROLLS INSIDE SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony H Times Ti
T
P C N Tuesday, April 12, 2022
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Volume 142 Edition 15
Poseyville residents offered opportunity to get involved By Dave Pearce Have you been waiting for positive changes in Poseyville and northern Posey County? If so, your time has come. You have a unique opportunity to get in on a grassroots effort to make the area more prosperous and have more to offer on Tuesday, April 19. Several northern Posey County businesses and individuals have decided to find strength in unity and are asking for your attendance at the 6 p.m. Tuesday meeting at the Poseyville Community Center. The organization has put its best foot forward and its money where its mouth is. According to information provided by the
organization, the Grow Poseyville movement has generated a phenomenal amount of interest and financial support during its organization. The newly forming organization has already secured some $12,000 in membership dues commitments with a goal to reach $30,000. There is a town hall scheduled for Tuesday, April 19 from 6 until 7 p.m. at the Poseyville Community Center. The organization will share details about Grow Poseyville, plans for the future, gather input from the community, and answer questions. “We are encouraging anyone who is interested in Poseyville to come and hear about
this organization, why we developed it and how we developed it,” said Chair Matthew Nix. Nix indicated that at this time, the organization is independent of the Southwestern Indiana Chamber of Commerce. But is associated with the National Chamber of Commerce “We want to stay on good terms with Evansville Regional Economic Partnership and I plan to stay on their board,” Nix explained. “But with the movement to go regional anyhow, it further-incentivized us to do this. I have been thinking about something like this for five years. If we are going to compete in a global economy, we are going to
have to think regional. But at the same time, I want to make sure someone is looking out for Poseyville, specifically.” Nix said the mission of the organization is somewhat vague intentionally but basically states its intentions to advance the prosperity of Poseyville and the surrounding area for current and future generations. “Back in the fall last year, I approached the Poseyville Town Council,” Nix explained. “I had wanted to do this for a while but it would be helpful to have an outside third party to help us get it to the finish line. I engaged with
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MVSB looks at real estate buy, build of indoor athletic facility
Ex-inspector asks city to take a look at zoning cases
By Lois Mittino Gray Two items involving new property transactions were the main business at the Mount Vernon School Board meeting of Monday, April 4. The board adopted a resolution appointing Dr. Charles Seifert, Director of Buildings and Grounds, as the purchasing agent for acquisition of property for sale adjacent to West Elementary School and approved for him to advertise for bids on an indoor athletic complex construction project. The .2 acre property, owned by Paul Barnes, is located at 935 West Fourth Street. It presently has three structures on it, including a white house with a white porch. It was originally advertised for $76,000 by owner. It was recently listed with a realtor at $32,000. “We would like for Seifert to negotiate a purchase price. We will probably demolish the structures on it and use it in our plan to design better ways for parents to safely enter and exit the school,” stated School Superintendent Matt Thompson. Thompson said that they will use the Emergency Allocation Fund for the purchase, closing costs, and demolition fees. Seifert, as purchasing agent, will appoint two appraisers to appraise the fair market value of the property. They are to return their appraisals thirty days after being hired. The purchase price is contingent on the price being equal to or less than the average of the two appraisals. Seifert will bring the results of the negotiations back to the board for final approval at a future metting. Board members also granted Seifert permission to advertise on April 12 and April 19 for the construction of an indoor athletic complex behind Mount Vernon High School. Sealed proposals will be accepted at the Administration Office until 10 a.m. on May 16 and not after. Contractors may contact Barry Tanner at Tanner Engineering, LLC for an emailed copy of the bid documents. Proposals will be opened in a public meeting.
By Trisha L. Lopez Ron Salee was concerned about cars and trash in the yard of a neighbor. He knew that local and county ordinances were on his side, so he reached out to city officials to get the issue resolved. Salee, a former building inspector in Colorado, said he made 54 phone calls over three and a half months, but was unhappy with the lack of action taken to address his problem. “That’s when I decided, if I’m having that much trouble…and I know a little bit about how to do it…so I started digging into it,” Salee said. Salee said his search over the past two years has revealed deeper issues with the way the city enforces its ordinances. The city’s ordinance requires permits for any home projects that cost more than $500. It also calls for contractors working within the city to register. Salee said what he considers to be a low number of cases where either ordinance was enforced in that time frame led him on a crusade for change. “I checked. I got four years of permits. There were, I think, 80 in four years. I checked the newspaper and everything else. I could find 20 contractors in Mount Vernon. Only three of those have gotten a permit in four years from the city,” Salee said. Salee has met with Mayor Bill Curtis. He’s attended city meetings. He said his goal is to see the city cleaned up so that it is inviting to new families and businesses. He said he believes ordinances were established with those same goals in mind. In October, he began submitting complaints about yard violations to the Area Plan Commission in the hope that the county could get involved as well. In the past seven months, he said he has turned about 20 cases into the APC office for director Mindy Bourne to investigate before handing them over to the board for action. “When I got started complaining about the city, everybody told me ‘You’re crazy. You’re wasting your time,’” Salee said. “The city has a big reputation of not doing anything. They said ‘You can complain and complain all you want to.’ The way I’ve had to fight to get my neighborhood cleaned up, I thought ‘Nobody else is dumb enough to do it.’ I’m retired now. I’ve got the time. I want to see how much of it I can get done. Fighting people, arguing with people and having people not help me and stuff doesn’t bother me a bit. I’d like to see Mount Vernon cleaned up. Mount Vernon has got all the potential in the world, but it’s falling apart.” Mayor Curtis said he and members of the Mount Vernon Common Council share Salee’s belief in the city’s potential. He acknowledged that Salee’s concerns about permitting deserve further study. He said the issues Salee has brought to the forefront have highlighted the need to evaluate the city’s ordinances and look for ways to improve and streamline the process. He argues that it is unfair, however, to think that change can happen overnight. The key to real progress, he said, is taking the time to do the job right. He said he’s reached out to leaders in neighboring towns to get input. The city is
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Amelia, Violet, Nora, and Stella Garrison help landscape the front yard of their greatgrandmother Mary Ellen Gerard on Main Street in New Harmony. Gerard says she can count on help from the youngsters every year. Photo by Dave Pearce
Posey OKs new ambulance By Lois Mittino Gray Posey County Commissioners approved the purchase of a new ambulance for the county fleet under Unfinished Business at the April 5, morning meeting at the Hovey House. Two ambulance bids were opened and taken under advisement by EMS Director Chris Neaveill at the last meeting. He came back to the Commissioners with a recommendation to accept the higher of the bids. Commissioners voted unanimously to do so after hearing his convincing reasons. American Response Vehicles bid $193,896.99 for the new vehicle, while Fire Services Inc., bid a lower $184,226. “We have an ARV ambulance now, in fact it’s the identical one, and it has held up well. The body is great and wellbuilt and it has more head room. It has better air conditioning and the safety chevron is already built-in so we would not have to pay to add it as we would with the other one. There is more comfort in the cab for my crews and it even has cupholders which they love,” he explained. Posey County Commissioner President Bill Collins commented, “It is worth more to keep the continuity of having the same unit. It’s good
to have them all the same style with employees used to where everything is located when they are working fast.” A motion to purchase the higher-priced ARV vehicle passed unanimously to maintain consistency in the fleet. “This is the same vehicle I bought last year for $164,000,” Neaveill reminded the Commissioners. “It has gone up $30,000 in price. The sooner we can lock it in, the better.” The build time for the ambulance is 12 to 20 months. Neaveill said he is still four medics down in staff. Collins asked if there is a paramedic pool that can be tapped when extra help is needed. Neaveill said not at this time as so many departments are already understaffed. He has some possible employees training now that are currently taking classes and may be graduating soon. He said his employees were pleased with the sleeping stipend they just received from the county and he is working on a draft of it with County Attorney Joe Harrison. He was also given permission to buy approximately $5,000
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Chase ends in MV
Laura Inkenbrandt, Laverne Fischer, Elaine Zimmer, and Sue Schmitt stop for just a second to smile for the camera during the North Posey Relay for Life Card Party held Thursday evening at Saint Francis Xavier Church in Poseyville. The group was placing their tickets in the buckets for the Chinese Auction. Photo by Theresa Bratcher
(USPS 439-500)
Special to the News Sawmill Street and disregarded Friday night, April 9, at ap- three stop signs before turning proximately 11:22 p.m., east onto Sycamore Street then Trooper Fulton was patrolling south onto Elm Street which on Fourth Street near Barbee came to a dead end. The driver Street in Mount Vernon when exited the vehicle and ran south he spotted a tan down a rocky 2003 Ford Exembankment into plorer that had the flooded river been reported bottoms. Trooper stolen. Fulton chased the Fulton activated driver approxihis emergency mately 150 yards lights and atbefore losing tempted to stop sight of him as the vehicle as the he ran down into driver was pulla large creek. As Chadrick Royal ing into Casey’s gas Trooper Fulton was station. The driver continued approaching the creek, he obtraveling across the parking served the driver lying on the lot then circled back around north side of the creek bed and and accelerated westbound on was taken into custody without Fourth Street at a high rate of further incident. The driver was speed. The driver of the Ford Explorer turned south onto Continued on Page A9
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