July 12, 2016- The Posey County News

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SINCE 1882 Successor to The Poseyville News & New Harmony Times POSEY COUNTY’S ONLY LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED NEWSPAPER

Tuesday, July 12, 2016

Volume 136 Edition 28

WBRSD asks county to address drainage woes By Valerie Werkmeister Posey County Commissioners heard a plea for help from two members of the Wadesville-Blairsville Regional Sewer District (WBRSD) during their meeting last Tuesday, July 5. Don Mattingly, a member of the Posey County Council who is also serving as the secretary and treasurer on the board introduced president Dr. Dwayne Ackerman. Ackerman didn’t pull any punches as he bluntly laid out a critical problem the county must face. “There certainly is a huge problem up in that part of the county, the Wadesville-Blairsville area and a lot of the eastern parts of the county,” Ackerman said. The problem involves failing septic systems that is contaminating properties and ground water with e-coli bacteria. Ackerman specifically cited problems with contamination issues on the property surrounding South Terrace Elementary School in Wadesville.

Briefly Friends of Harmonie, Heritage Federal plan Luau The Luau presented by the Friends of Harmonie and sponsored by Heritage Federal will be held on July 16, 2016. The meal of pulled pork, sides, drink and dessert will be served from 4:30-6:30 p.m. followed by a free swim and attendance prizes. The cost is $10 for adult, $5 for children four-10, three and under free. All proceeds are used to support Harmonie State Park and especially the planned Outdoor Education Pavilion. Tickets can be purchased and reservations made at the Harmonie State Park front gate or from Sherri Allen at campsite 110. Reservations or questions contact friendsofharmonie@ gmail.com or on the Friends of Harmonie Facebook page. Camping reservations can be made at www.reserveamerica. com. MVCC holds ‘Water Park’ Vacation Bible School Water Park Vacation Bible School will be hosted by Mount Vernon Community Church and First United Methodist Church on July 25-27 from 5:30-8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday and from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The location is at First United Methodist Wesley Hall and will offer Bible lessons, food, games, science experiments, crafts, songs, and fun. Ages from pre-k through fifth are invited and parents can register at www. blackschapelmv.org. We hope to see you there and remember to bring a towel. Reunion set for descendants of Lorenz and Jacobina Miller The 71st reunion for the Descendants of Lorenz and Jacobina Miller will be held on July 17, 2016 at 12:30 p.m. Picture will be taken following at Immanuel United Church of Christ, Ford Road, West on Highway 62 and East of Mount Vernon. Please send updates for our book of all births, deaths, and marriages that have occurred in the past five years to Pat Miller Novack at spatsy41@yahoo. com, Patti Green at greenpatti@ sbcglobal.net, or Janie Green White at 812 Locust, Mount Vernon, Ind. 47620, home 812838-2738, cell 270-929-2863. Harmony Chapel Church of Nazarene sets free yard sale The Harmony Chapel Church of the Nazarene will hold a free yard sale, focusing on childrens clothes and shoes for the upcoming school year, in their fellowship hall on July 23, 2016 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.

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“The school has worked a lot to try and solve those issues, but…the hill up above the school, things run downhill…it’s a mess,” he said. Ackerman stated groundwater is contaminated everywhere. He said Denny Schaefer with the Posey County Health Department tested 40 different sites and all came back positive with e-coli bacteria contamination. “Every waterway, lakes, streams, creeks at that end of the county, they were all contaminated. It’s amazing that we haven’t had more people getting sick as a result of the failed systems’ runoff getting into the waterways,” Ackerman added. He noted the concern with a public health issue and said that if people have gotten sick, they haven’t traced it back to that as a potential problem. As a result of the failed septic system and contamination issues, homeowners find it difficult to sell their homes.

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Mount Vernon High School student Rachel Kreiger is crowned Miss Posey County by outgoing Posey County Fair Queen Summer Oeth during opening night pageants at the 2016 Posey County Fair. Pictured left to right are Joanie Spillane, second runner-up, Valerie Boyd, Miss Photogenic, Oeth and Kreiger, Morgan Zock, Miss Congeniality, and first runner-up, Kari Hoenert. Photo by Dave Pearce

Ballot grows on final day By Dave Pearce It appeared that the November General Election in Posey County could be mundane. But on the last day of filing (last Tuesday), things got interesting. Jerry Walden had been unopposed in the race for Posey County Commissioner in District 3 but on Tuesday, current Posey County Coroner Jay Price filed to run against Walden for that seat. Justin White, who overcame a bid from Angela Wiley to unseat him in the primary, learned Tuesday that he will have another opponent in the fall. Bre Johnson of Poseyville will be on the ballot versus White. But perhaps things got most interesting in the race for the Posey County Council’s three at-large seats. Three GOP candidates filed to challenge the three incumbent Democrats. Former Mount Vernon businessman Pat O’Brien, Mount Vernon School Board member Heather Allyn, and New Harmony businessman Aaron Wilson will be on the ballot. They join Democratic incumbents Bob Gentil, Martin Redman, and Ralph Weinzapfel in vying for the three at-large seats. In the other two county-wide races., long-time incumbent surveyor Paul Breeze will square off against political newcomer Adam Bigge in that race and in the race for County Commissioner in District One, Carl Schmitz will be unopposed.

Mike Blake of 14 News’ ‘Midday with Mike’ interviewed Connie Weinzapfel, Director of Historic New Harmony, along with other local business owners during Friday’s episode. The episode featured New Harmony and interviews were shot in the town’s beautiful Church Park. Photo by Zach Straw

Gray appointed to fill new combined position By Lois Mittino Gray Chuck Gray was appointed the new Water/Wastewater Superintendent at the July 7 meeting of the Mount Vernon Common Council. By combining these two former superintendent positions into one, Mayor Bill Curtis feels confident that the city can save at least

$40,000 to $50, 000 annually. To get the ball rolling quickly, council members suspended the rules twice and had all three readings of the salary ordinance and job description creating the position completed at the one meeting. Both departments will remain autonomous and separate, but things

should be more efficient under the joint leadership. In discussing the fiscal impact study of the change, Mayor Curtis said the pay for both superintendents separately was at $154,600 when calculating salary, FICA, health insurance and retirement percentages. The salary ordinance

sets Gray’s new salary at $75,000 with a 2017 total estimate of $94,051 with benefits. This is considerably up from the $50,000 Gray was making as just the Water Superintendent and acknowledges the four certifications and professional

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Fees to increase in MSDMV

Mary Watson participates in the Shaving Cream and Water Fight in the courtyard behind the Alexandrian Public Library Monday, June 27.

By Lois Mittino Gray Members of the Mount Vernon School Board learned at the July 5 meeting that textbook rental fees and technology charges will be going up from three to 23 percent for the upcoming school year. “Rental for MacBooks at the high school will increase from $25 last year to $50 next year. This fee will now match iPad rental fees at the junior high school,” School Superintendent Tom Kopatich told the board. Kopatich said the 2016-17 school year textbook rental fee increases reflect changes in the cost of mathematics textbooks, along with changes in consumable textbook prices this year. Elementary textbook fees are K$101.99, Grade One- $128.15, Grade Two$113.04, Grade Three-$ 117.71, Grade Four$115.82, Grade Five- $ 117.94 and Grade Six- $115.07. Junior High rates are Grade

Seven- $129.45 and Grade Eight- $135.14. Grades Nine-12 are dependent upon course selection. Grades One and Two actually reflect a three percent decrease from last year while grades Three, Four, and Five have the highest increases at 23 percent, according to Business Director Loren Evans. In addition to the listed fees for each grade, all students in grades K-8 will be charged a $10 Art fee for art supplies. All students in grades Six-12 who play one or more sports will be charged an Athletic fee of $25 at the beginning of the school year. Grades Nine-12 will pay a parking fee of $10 for the first sticker and $1 for each additional car sticker. The parking fee pays for paving, upkeep, lights and security cameras which

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MV street repairs could come soon By Lois Mittino Gray Four years’ worth of street paving and repair projects may come to fruition in Mount Vernon in only one year thanks to Local Option Income Tax (LOIT) funds and an INDOT matching grant. Members of the Mount Vernon Board of Public Works learned about this opportunity and the steps needed to make it happen at its July 7 meeting. Street Superintendent Max Dieterle presented a report to the board saying that the city received $510,000 in LOIT funds this year. It is a one-time payment with no strings attached, only the stipulation that at least seventy five percent of the funds be used for street improvements and road paving. INDOT has a matching paving grant program available to support these funds and Dieterle is preparing a grant request now that will

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Glenn Boyster places a carnation as the names of the five fallen Dallas police officers were read during a ceremony held Saturday evening at the Mount Vernon Courthouse. A sixth carnation was placed in honor of all policemen and women who have lost their lives in the line of duty in the year 2016. Please see Page A9 for more on this event. Photo by Zach Straw


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