Government & School Board

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the Department has provided $700 million to help lower costs and support biofuel producers who faced unexpected market losses due to COVID-19 pandemic.
The funds are available through the Biofuel Producer Program, which was created as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and economic Security Act (CARES Act).
Investments include more than $486 million for 62 producers located in socially vulnerable communities.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering nationwide waivers to increase access to infant formula for families in need as states receive and distribute imported formula.
This imported formula is made available by the Biden-Harris Administration’s operation Fly Formula. The USDA is leveraging new authority from this recently passed Access to Baby Formula act to offer this flexibility.

You can help the Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife by submitting reports of certain mammals of interest.
By reporting a compiling observation of these species, it will help identify local and statewide trends in these rare or elusive mammals.
Mammals of interest include a variety of species ranging from nocturnal and difficult to observe mammals to common mammals locally that are rare elsewhere.
Some of these mammals may have no resident breeding population but are just visitors to Indiana.

An ordinance for Flint Creek Development annexation was introduced at the May 24 City of Huntington Council meeting. 

The voluntary annexation was requested by the private parties involved in a recent purchase agreement for the property in order to be eligible for city services.

The property is located along US 24 East across from Parkview Hospital and is contiguous to the existing city limits. 

The entire parcel, which is approximately 59.85 acres, is owned by one individual.

Work is nearing completion on Warren’s water project.

Lee Poulson, town manager and utilities superintendent, reported earlier this month that the 11th Street water tower is almost finished.

The new well has been successfully tested. Crews are building a well house in Tower Park and working on the water treatment plant.

The project includes construction of a new tower and well replacement to bring the system up to 2022 standards.

A second tower also is being constructed.

Poulson anticipates that the project will be completed in August.

The Town of Warren is working on a new comprehensive plan.

“A comprehensive plan is required for most grants,” said Kim Hostetler, Huntington County Community Development (HCCD) executive director.

The plan is available for review in the HCCD office and in the Warren clerk treasurer’s office.

There will be a public hearing on the plan at the June 8, 6:30 p.m. meeting of the Warren Plan Commission. That meeting will take place in the GAR Room of the Huntington County Courthouse.

The town is paying $10,000 for the plan.

The DNR Division of Historic Preservation & Archaeology (DHPA) plans to award 15 federal Historic Preservation Fund grants totaling more than $575,000 for historic preservation and archaeology projects in Indiana communities.
In most cases, these grants require at least a dollar-for-dollar match of local or private funds, though many exceed that threshold. In total these grants will spur a total projected investment of $1.8 million in these important cultural resource projects.

 The City of Huntington’s 2022 paving projects, have been announced. They are being funded by thanks to a $346,000 grant from Indiana’s Community Crossings program.

Each year, the city paves approximately 3.8 miles of streets and 1.5 miles of alleys, according to Adam Cuttriss, director of public works and engineering services for the city.

Paving needs are prioritized with data collected in Pasar, the pavement rating system used by the city. Use of a pavement rating system in required for application to Community Crossings for funds.

The Huntington County Community School Corporation  (HCCSC) Board of Trustees will meet in an Executive Session May 9, at 6 p.m. at Salamonie Elementary School in Warren.

Up for discussion is school safety and security.

Also to be discussed is job performance evaluation of individual employees.This does not apply to the discussion of employee compensation or benefits which takes place during the budget process.

The cause of the April 28 fire at 1849 Sabine St. in Huntington has been determined to be a result of an intentional human act.  The building, which was vacant, was the site of the formerly occupied by H.K. Porter.

On the evening of the fire, firefighters arrived on the scene to find heavy smoke and flames coming through the roof and openings of the building.

Huntington Fire Department was dispatched to a structure fire at the vacant building formerly occupied by H.K. Porter at 1849 Sabine Street the night of Thursday, April 28.

The industrial site was already scheduled for cleanup this month.

On arrival fire crews found heavy smoke and flames coming through the roof and openings from three sides of the building. Fire crews had the fire under control in less than two hours and remained on scene until early afternoon Friday, April 29, extinguishing hot spots.

The Town of Andrews awarded a new trash contract for the town to H & H Disposal at its Monday, April 25 town council meeting.

The town’s previous trash contract also was with H & H Disposal.

Cleanup efforts at the former H.K. Porter industrial site in Huntington will take place in May.

A 40,000-gallon underground storage tank and two smaller auxiliary tanks at the roughly 12-acre site on Sabine Street will be dug up and removed beginning around Monday, May 9.

The work will be completed through the Indiana Brownfields Program with funding coming from its Petroleum Orphan Sites Initiative (POSI).

Local communities will receive more than $2.5 million in state matching grants for road and bridge improvement projects, according to State Rep. Dan Leonard (R-Huntington).

Area grant recipients include Huntington County $652,189, Roanoke $1 million and Huntington $912,179.  

In total, 223 towns, cities and counties will receive more than $107 million in state funding through the Community Crossings Matching Grant Program.