THE PAPER May 16, 2012
Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Lagro and Lincolnville Fire Departments set to merge services by Brent Swan In a prepared statement released recently, the Lagro Township Trustee, Andy DeLong, announced upcoming changes in fire protection and Emergency Medical Services protection within the township. According to the release, the Lagro Township Advisory Board, comprised of members, Terry Bassett, Ralph Ranck, and Max Chamberlain, and the township trustee announced the reorganization of the Lincolnville and Lagro Volunteer Fire Departments. The reorganization is based upon their continuing efforts to improve the emergency services, provided to the residents of Lagro Township. Lagro Township is one of the largest townships by geographic area in the entire State of Indiana. The membership of the Lincolnville Fire Department has decreased recently, and some of the more active volunteers live outside of the Lincolnville area. As a result of these and other factors, a consolidation of the
departments is recommended. Lagro Fire Department and Lincolnville Fire Departments will be consolidated under the current leadership of the Lagro Department. All of the existing members of both departments will have the option to continue as volunteers. All reporting requirements, run statistics, fundraisers and department funding will remain separate, but may be reviewed at a later time. The unified department will operate in a similar manner as Noble North and Noble South Volunteer Fire Departments currently operate. The goal is to provide more efficient and more professional emergency service coverage for Lagro Township. Scott Siders will continue to serve as the chief of the combined departments. Training, equipment maintenance, and response to emergency calls will continue, without any interruption. The procedure for Lagro Township residents to request emergency services remains
THE LAGRO AND LINCOLNVILLE VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS recently announced they are merging services in an effort to better serve residents of the southern portion of Lagro Township. Services will remain largely the same, but emergency calls in Lincolnville’s primary response area will result in the dispatch of both departments until further notice. (photos by Brent Swan)
unchanged. “We made these changes in an effort to offer taxpayers the best and most affordable protective services we can offer,” advisory board member Ralph Ranck said. “We want people to know when they call 911, that they are going to get a quick and professional response, just as they always have.” One of the contributing factors to the decision was the number of volunteers on Lincolnville’s department. “After talking about it for several months,
we decided we need ed to make this change until we got the situation taken care of,” Ranck explained. “The number of active firefighters on the department kept going down, so we had to do something.” After much deliberation, the board and the trustee agreed a merger was in the best interest of southern Lagro Township residents. “This decision reaches a much larger area than only the town of Lincolnville,” Ranck said. “There are a lot of farms and other areas that need-
ed an improved response, so we felt this option was the best available at this time.” Although the change has been officially enacted at this time, Ranck said the merger is not necessarily a permanent solution. “We told the guys that stayed on at Lincolnville, if they can come to us with a viable long-term plan and they are able to get their numbers back up, then we will revisit the situation then,” Ranck said. Although the
departments will merge, Ranck said the departments will continue to be funded separately. “At this time, we are in negotiations to i m p r o v e Lincolnville’s tanker situation,” Ranck explained. “With the newer fire station and some equipment improvements, we’d like to start seeing those numbers get back to where they should be.” The consolidation was announced at a recent meeting of the volunteer departments, by the board and the trustee. The
consolidation is effective immediately. Residents in the northern portion of the township will not notice any changes to their services. In the near future, Ranck said he hopes to hold a public meeting to allow those affected by the change. The Paper will publish the details as they become available. Phone calls to the Lagro Township Trustee’s office requesting comment went unreturned as of press time.
Mental Health America of Wabash County under new leadership by Brent Swan On January 1st of this year, Mental Health America of Wabash County (MHA) welcomed Jill Stout as the new executive director. Stout replaced Mary Ann Mast, who had been associated with MHA for nearly 50 years, including the past 25 years as executive director. “Mary Ann is great,” Stout said. “She has been instrumental in forming where MHA of Wabash County is today. I have been for-
tunate enough that she has helped in the transition. After spending the first part of this year in the job, you start to realize what all she was responsible for and how much she helped MHA of Wabash County get to where it is today.” After spending time in the office as executive director, Stout said she has been surprised by how many groups Mast had been involved with. “I never realized how many meetings Mary Ann attended,”
Stout said. “That’s been a real eye opener, in a good way, as it shows how involved our organization is in the community.” As part of its involvement, MHA of Wabash County attends various local health fairs and events, including recent activities at Manchester College and Southwood High School, as well as larger events such as the Wabash County 4H Fair. “Attending those events are good ways for us to disseminate
information about the issues, and connect with people one on one so they feel comfortable about any issues they might have,” Stout said. “We don’t just deal with mental illness, we also deal with mental wellness, to not only those directly impacted but the families and caregivers of those that are.” Funded entirely by donations and grants, the non-profit organization leans heavily on the Wabash County United Fund. (continued on page 7)
Index Classifieds ......................32-35 D&E ................................20-21
Weekly Reports................12-15
JILL STOUT (left) officially became the executive director of Mental Health America of Wabash County effective Jan. 1. Stout received the position from outgoing director, Mary Ann Mast, (right), who had served MHA in some capacity for nearly 50 years. (photo by Brent Swan)
In Memoriam Christene Cornell, 68 John Dale, 79 Rebecca Dannacher, 66
Kathy Flory, 54 Dean Jines, 72 Bryan Liebo, 31 Randall Reed, 59
Vol. 35, No. 9 Helen Sevigny, 57 Barbara Stoner, 82 Fred Wymer Jr., 74
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326