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Government & School Board

Lots of questions directed at HCCSC board in Monday eve work session

Members of the Huntington County Community School Corporation Board of School Trustees spent most of their time during a public work session Monday, July 10, answering questions and concerns posed during a previous session by residents, parents and teachers.

The board also noted that a vote on proposed school realignment plans will take place on July 24.

Board President Matt Roth and Superintendent Randy Harris presented most of those answers, going through topics one by one:

Next phase of sewage plan to cost Huntington almost $10 million

The area outlined in red will be the site of a 2018 project to separate storm and sanitary sewers.
Graphic provided.

The next phase of a long-term plan to keep sewage out of area rivers will cost nearly $10 million, the Huntington Common Council learned on Tuesday, July 11.

The City of Huntington will sell bonds to pay for the work, and those bonds will be repaid through an increase in sewage fees of around $6 a month.

The three separate projects, scheduled to be under construction next year, are part of a nine-phase long-term control plan designed to keep untreated wastewater from flowing into area rivers as mandated by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

IDOE seeking input from the public

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) is seeking public comments on the first draft Indiana’s plan to fulfill the new federal education requirements, known as the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

The public comment period will stay open though 11:59 p.m. on July 20.

ESSA was signed into law in December 2015 as the update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. ESSA replaces the previous update to the law, the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).

Roanoke council agrees to extend water main

The Roanoke Town Council voted to extend a water main out to the under-construction Dollar General along U.S.-24 at its meeting on Wednesday, July 5.

A total of 360 feet of pipe will be extended underneath the highway to the business. Phil Hibbert, the town’s supervisor of operations, stated that the cost of the project would be $25,000, but requested $27,000 from council to ensure that any unforeseen overages could be covered.

The board opted to pay for the project using TIF funds.

In other business:

Huntington County gets emergency food, shelter funds from DHS

Huntington County has been notified that it will be awarded federal Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) funds through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, as appropriated by Congress.

Huntington County has been recommended to receive an estimated $4,561 to supplement emergency food and shelter programs in the county.

Local DCD invites residents to apply for funds for home rehab projects

The Huntington Countywide Department of Community Development invites Huntington County residents who satisfy certain qualifications to apply for grant money that would fund rehabilitation projects at their homes.

To qualify, a resident must either be disabled or age 55 or older. Applicants must also own their homes and make no more than 80 percent of the median Huntington County income.

Additionally, applicants must be willing to accept a forgivable loan and allow a lien to be placed on their home for up to three years.

Children now qualify for more hearing aid assistance

The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Education at the Indiana State Department of Health is working to make hearing aids more available to deaf and hard of hearing children in Indiana through changes to the Hearing Aid Assistance Program of Indiana.

As of July 1, children age 3 and older are eligible for up to $2,000 per hearing aid, including bone anchored hearing aids, through a participating audiologist. Previously, children age 5 and up qualified for up to $1,500 per hearing aid.

Local emergency planning group to hold tabletop exercise on July 25

The Huntington County Local Emergency Planning Committee will hold a tabletop exercise on July 25, from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at the Historic Forks of the Wabash, 3011 W. Park Drive, Huntington.

During the exercise, participating agencies will propose responses to a scenario involving a semi that overturns at the south junction of U.S.-24 and Ind.-9, causing an injury and releasing sulfuric acid.

The event is open to the public.

Public watershed meet July 20 at Andrews

Watershed planning to protect water quality in the Wabash River Watershed is currently under way.

Residents living between Andrews and Lagro along Silver Creek or one of the other tributaries that enter the Wabash River are invited to a public meeting on July 20, at 6 p.m. at Bethesda Baptist Church, 116 S. Main St, Andrews.

Attendees will be invited to offer their opinions and provide input into the process.

State Sen. Zay gets his study committee spots to prep for 2018 session

State Sen. Andy Zay (R-Huntington) will serve on the following study committees during the summer and fall months to help prepare for the 2018 session of the General Assembly:

•  Interim Study Committee on Education.

• Study Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance.

“I’m looking forward to continuing the discussions on important topics facing our state,” Zay said.