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Government & School Board

Local woman re-enlists in navy for additional six year hitch

Chief Dana Smart (left) and Lt. Commander Ponce Clay pose for a picture after Smart re-enlisted in the United States Navy Friday afternoon, Feb. 11. Smart is a Huntington native.
Photo by Jessica Williams.

Chief Dana Smart of the United States Navy re-enlisted for an additional six years of service Friday, Feb. 11 at the Huntington County Courthouse in front of family and friends.

After being honorably discharged by Lt. Commander Ponce Clay, director of Navy careers, on Friday, Smart was sworn in again to serve.

A Huntington native, she was recently promoted to Aviation Electronics Technician Chief Petty Officer of the U.S. Navy. Next month will mark her 10th year in the Navy.

One item on agenda for county zone board

The Huntington County Board of Zoning Appeals has just one item on its agenda for its Feb. 22 meeting.

Kenneth and Jane Gick are seeking a 20-foot variance from the side and rear setback requirements, both normally 25 feet, to place a barn on property at 2099E-750N, Huntington.

The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. in the G.A.R. Room on the second floor of the Huntington County Courthouse. It is open to the public.

 

Mayor ends weeks of speculation by announcing bid for 2nd term

Huntington Mayor Steve Updike announces he will run for a second term at the New Huntington Theater on Tuesday, Feb. 15.
Photo by Cindy Klepper.

Mayor Steve Updike ended weeks of speculation by announcing on Tuesday, Feb. 18, that he intends to seek a second term in office.

Updike, a Republican, faces an already crowded field, with six people already on the Republican ticket for the May primary - but he says he's received "a lot of support" from people who want him to return to office.

And he says he wants to finish the job he started.
"I will run for mayor," Updike says. "I feel like I'm only half done."

School board gives preliminary OK to $2 million in construction bonds

The Huntington County Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees has given its preliminary support to the issuance of nearly $2 million in bonds to pay for school improvement projects.

The board approved preliminary resolutions supporting the Qualified School Construction Bond on Monday evening, Feb. 14.

After a handful of informational presentations and no public comment during the project hearing, the board approved the resolutions 5-2.

AT&T seeks change in lease of water tower space

Jack Squire, of UNI-SON, presented a proposal for a lease conver-sion program for the AT&T antenna on the Eleventh Street water tower to the Warren Town Council during its Feb. 14 meeting.

Squire proposed an upfront payment of $79,250 to buy out the current lease of $990 per month, representing approximately six years of payments. Warren's water department would receive 50 percent of the lease amount of any additional equipment placed on the tower, but would receive no further funds from the AT&T lease.

County’s jail cook gets honor for ‘taking the cake’

Kathy Gillespie (left), head cook at the Huntington County Jail, receives a certificate of appreciation from Sheriff Terry Stoffel for the consistent good reports her kitchen has received from local and state inspectors.
Photo by Cindy Klepper.

You don't expect gourmet cuisine in a jail, but Kathy Gillespie's biscuits and gravy are apparently worth raving about.

It's the favorite meal, hands down, of inmates at the Huntington County Jail, says Gillespie, who has run the kitchen there for the past 12 years.

"I've even heard people talking about the biscuits and gravy while I was at the gas station," Sheriff Terry Stoffel says.

Huntington County Commissioners will meet in Executive Session today

The Huntington County Commissioners will meet in Executive Session today at 8:30 a.m.

During the session, the Commissioners will receive information about as well as interview prospective employees.

The meeting will be held in the Commissioner's Office at the Huntington County Courthouse, located at 201 N. Jefferson St., Huntington.

 

Mayoral candidates list now at 5 on GOP side as Buzzard signs up

The field of Huntington mayoral candidates has grown to five - all Republicans.

Larry D. Buzzard, 930 Warren St., is the latest to file his candidacy with the Huntington County Clerk's office.

Already vying for the Republican nomination as mayor are Erv Ebersole, Terry Abbett, Brooks Fetters and Thomas Carney.

Also among the latest filings is Paul L. Pike, 937 Warren St., who will seek the Republican nomination as second district representative on the Huntington Common Council. The second district seat is currently held by Fetters.

County’s emergency services efforts ran well

Although last week's snowstorm brought much of Huntington County to a slippery halt, the county's emergency services team ran very smoothly and great cooperation was shown among county departments, said Brandon Taylor, director of the county's Emergency Management Agency, during the Huntington County Commissioners' meeting on Monday, Feb. 7.

Board of works rejects proposed township fire protection deal

The Huntington Board of Public Works and Safety rejected the proposed Huntington Township Fire Protection Agreement for 2011 during its meeting Monday morning, Jan. 7.

The board lacked support of the contract figures and the language.

The contract fee increased 25 percent to nearly $56,000 from $44,700 in 2010, but Mayor Steve Updike said in an earlier discussion while negotiating the agreement with the township he had asked for the payment to be increased to at least $100,000, and Updike said he was told it would be looked into.

Zoning sought for medical office and new industry

The Huntington Board of Zoning Appeals will consider two requests when it meets on Monday, Feb. 7, at 6:30 p.m.

The first request, from Parkview Health System, Inc., is for a special exception to zoning laws that would allow Parkview to open an urgent care center in the former Salvation Army store at 2708 Guilford St. The property is currently zoned for business (B2).