October 19 2010

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Posey County Election Section! INSIDE TODAY

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“Our liberties we prize, and our rights we will maintain.” Since 1882 ~ Successor to The Poseyville News and The New Harmony Times • New Harmony, Indiana Posey County’s locally-owned newspaper

Tuesday October 19, 2010

(USPS 439-500) Volume 129 Edition 42

Poseyville turns out for fire truck public hearing By Valerie Werkmeister It was standing room only as supporters packed the Poseyville Community Center for the second public hearing on a grant application to purchase a new rescue truck. A grant application was submitted and turned down earlier this year to the Office of Community and Rural Affairs, or OCRA. The fire department is hopeful their second request is approved. Wylie Zeigler of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana facilitated the meeting. They are asking for a total of $150,000. The Town of Poseyville and Robb Township are each providing $48,500. An additional $5,000 will come from the Posey County Community Foundation. Another $12,000 in administration fees brings the total cost to

$252,000. Fire chief Mike Crawford educated the crowd on why this new rescue truck is necessary. They plan to purchase a medium duty rescue truck that will be equipped with 16foot box to hold extrication tools, lighting, generators and a variety of tools and supplies required in emergency situations. The rescue truck responds to 95% of the emergency runs currently made. They are the first responders while waiting for an ambulance to arrive. The current rescue truck is barely operational and is a safety hazard. It was manufactured in 1986 and was purchased in 1999 from Highland Park, Ill. Salts used on the roads for snow removal in that area probably led to the high amount of corrosion on the truck. The corrosion is so bad that a few of the doors are unable to be opened. It steals

considerable amounts of time and money to keep it operational. Crawford estimated it has cost $10,000 in the past five years alone. That money could have been put toward the purchase of other equipment or turn-out gear for the department. The only seat belts in the truck are lap belts and its top highway speed is only 55 mph. Poseyville is responsible for responding to 16 miles along Interstate 64. It is a serious safety hazard to only be able to run at 55 mph while semis and other vehicles reach speeds in excess of 70 mph. Crawford also cited several recent incidents in which he was attempting to respond to an emergency call but the truck would not start. He was instead forced to take another truck without gear or medical supplies. “We are expected to run to everything, not

Troop #386 and the American Legion will be having a flag retirement ceremony for American and MIA-POW flags at the Scout Cabin in Murphy Park on November 6, 2010. If you have any flags you can drop them off at 912 E. Steammill or at the American Legion.

Demo women to meet

Tri Kappa sales begin Tri Kappa Gamma PSI Sorority is currently selling Pecans and Nuts again this year. All proceeds go directly back into the community to assist local families and projects year around. All nuts come in a one-pound resealable bag and can be frozen easily. Prices are as follows: Pecan Halves $9, Pecan Pieces $8.50, Chocolate Pecans $9, White Chocolate Pecans $9, Praline Pecans $9, Cashews $9, and Roasted & Salted Pecans $9 Orders will be taken until November 1. Delivery will occur after November 18. Payment is due on November 1. For more information, call Amber Doty at 838-5494 to place an order.

Elks offer scholarships The Elks National Foundation will award 500 Most Valuable Student scholarships to deserving high school seniors across the United States. Applications may be downloaded from www.elks.org/enf/ scholars. All completed applications must be received on or before December 1, 2010. Completed applications can be dropped off at the Mount Vernon Elks Lodge at 131 E. Fourth Street between 4 and 8 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. They may be also be mailed to: Connie Seifert, 5411 Waterstone Drive, Mount Vernon, IN 47620 Questions, please call Connie at 985-0877. High school guidance counselors have been given information packets for these awards also.

MVHS needs costumes The MVHS Theater is seeking donations of adult period clothing and accessories (hats, shoes, coats, gloves, costume jewelry, etc.). Men’s clothing is especially needed. We will gladly take apparel from any time period, but for the next musical, our focus is on 1890’s-style western clothing and 1950’s evening wear. Please call Teresa Bloodworth (204-1843) or Regina Maier (4300250) for more information.

North Posey freshman Olivia Goebel shows her emotions while being congratulated by her grandmother at the finish line after qualifying for semi-state in cross country at Saturday’s Regional. Photo courtesy of Alicia Motz

Change is one sure thing at North Posey Student enrollment figure is up slightly By Valerie Werkmeister Two-long time MSD of North Posey School Board members have decided to hand over the reins. The four-year terms are up for Kathy Mauck and Mark Seibert and both have decided to step down from the positions they have held for the past 16 years. The interesting part is that their replacements will not have to go through the hassle of an election. In fact, it has already been determined that Geoff Gentil will replace Mauck as the District 2 school board member. Gentil was the only candidate to file for election and since Mauck did not file and no one else has filed to run against Gentil, he automatically wins the spot. In Seibert’s case, no one filed an application to run for his seat. It is now the duty of the school board members to seek a qualified candidate to apply for the seat. Applications must be turned in by November 1. The board will review those applications and make an appointment during their regular meeting in November. New members will take the oath of office during the January 2011 board meeting. Other board members include Joe Neidig, Larry Lewis and Steve Bender. Significant growth and support for the St. Fran-

cis Church Relay for Life team’s annual Christmas bazaar prompted Jeri Ziliak to request use of North Elementary School’s multi-purpose room. Ziliak is a representative for the group who questioned whether the $350 custodial fee could be waived. Superintendent Dr. Todd Camp stated that the fee could not be waived due to policy. However, if the custodians volunteered their time for the day, the fee would not have to be paid. The group will be allowed to set-up after school hours on November 19th. The event will take place on Saturday, November 20 from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. Camp was pleased to announce that all North Posey Schools had succeeded in making Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP. It is a measure by which the state tracks each school’s performance based on test scores in English and Math. Soon, changes will be made to begin tracking each individual student’s progress instead of evaluating the entire school. Camp announced the total student count as of September 17, was 1,308 students. Last year, there were 1,317 students. State funding is based on the number of students within the school corporation.

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By Pam Robinson The Mount Vernon Board of Public Works and Safety met in special session on Friday, October 15, to award the contract for the riverfront silo demolition to the lowest legal bidder, Klenck Corporation located in Evansville. At the Thursday, October 7, meeting, Clerk-Treasurer Cristi Sitzman had opened three sealed bids, all accompanied by bid bonds, in the order they were received: 1) Velpen Trucking and Disposal Co., Inc., located in Velpen, Ind. - $374,500; 2) National Salvage & Service Corp. located in Clear Creek, Ind. - $678,000; and 3) Klenck - $312,489. City Attorney Beth McFadin Higgins acknowledged the legality and adherence to specifications of Klenck’s bid. It was also noted that the project had been properly advertised. Board member Steve Fuelling, one of three members of the silo demolition committee, made the formal motion to accept Klenck’s bid and to allow Mayor John Tucker to sign all paperwork necessary to execute the project. “I’m tickled to death. It’s a good company. I can’t wait,” Fuelling commented. “I just want to get it going so we can have the party Councilwoman Higgins promised us just before the silo tear down. I’d sure love to sit in that crane and hit the silo first.” Attorney Higgins stated that a Notice to Proceed must be executed after all the paperwork is finalized. The project should be completed within 120 days after the execution of the Notice to Proceed. Jeff Pruitt with the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana speculated the project could start within the next two to three weeks. In other business: •At the recommendation of board member Steve Fuelling, the board rejected the bids received for work on the upper bank of the riverfront. Fuelling explained that the scope of work had changed since the silo demolition work would cover part of the area. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Mount Vernon Board of Public Works and Safety is Thursday, October 21, at 4 p.m. in the City Hall Annex.

JL Farm Equipment donates mower to PCCF auction By Dave Pearce The Posey County Community Foundation received a donation this week that might get the interest of a lot of area homeowners. Poseyville’s JL Equipment Company, Inc., donated a new 22-horse ExMark Quest 48-inch Zero Turn lawnmower for the auction that will take place on October 28. Dave and Jane Reising, Poseyville residents and owners of JL Equipment Co., Inc., indicated they had looked at the list of items to be auctioned off for the worthwhile benefit and thought they could be of help, as well. “We want to give back to the community what the community has given to us,” Dave Reising said of the gift. “There are three other implement dealers in Posey County and for a cause as worthwhile as

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Dave and Jane Reising show off a mower similar to the one they donated to the Posey County Community Foundation. Photo by Dave Pearce

Inside this issue...

ThePCN

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Klenck chosen to begin silo demolition in Mount Vernon

Flag ceremony set

The Posey County Democratic Women’s Club will hold its Democrat Rally and Chicken Supper on Thursday, Oct. 21, 2010, at 6:30 p.m., at the VFW Post in Wadesville. Bob Deig, Democratic candidate for State Representative, District 76, will be the featured speaker. All Democratic candidates will be introduced. Everyone is invited to attend. Tickets for the meal are $2 and may be purchased from Democratic precinct committeepersons or candidates or may be purchased at the door.

just fires. We provide on-scene patient care and this is critical since we are often left without ambulance coverage while we’re waiting for an ambulance to come from the other side of the county,” Crawford said. A number of citizens spoke in support of the need for a rescue truck. Many cited personal experiences in which the fire department had helped them in times of tragedy. Many also expressed concern for the safety of the fire department personnel that are forced to operate with sub-standard equipment. “My husband served on the fire department of 27 years. In all those years, I never had to worry about the equipment being safe. I worried about what they might encounter at the scene,” Sheryl Seib said.

Retrospective................ A5 Community........... A7 Social..................... A6 Legals...................... B9-10 Deaths................... A3 Sports.................. B1-8 Classifieds ............. B11-13 School................... A8 Business/Ag .......... A9

Go to www.poseycountynews.com

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