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Government & School Board

Andrews council approves sewer rate increase

The forthcoming wastewater rate increase for Andrews residents has been reduced, said the Andrews Town Council at its meeting on Monday, May 22.

Two developments enabled the board to make that reduction, explained Council President Bill Johnson. The first was that the town was awarded an additional $525,000 in buy-down grant money from the State Revolving Fund; the second was that the SRF increased the term of the town’s note from 20 to 22 years.

Those developments added up to savings for Andrews residents.

Tracy Street road project finishes under budget, Markle council hears

Photo by Rebecca Sandlin.
Stephenie Hensley

The Tracy Street road improvement project is complete, and Markle Town Council members received some good news at their regular meeting on Wednesday, May 18, that will put some money back in the town’s pockets.

Evan Thompson of the architectural and engineering design services firm DLZ told the council that construction was completed on May 8, and the project came in about $54,000 under the original contract price.

“I expect it will stay under the original price, even with all the change orders,” Thompson said.

Penalty added to unpaid prop taxes

A penalty is now being added to Huntington County property taxes not paid by the May 10 due date.

Huntington County Treasurer Paula Farley says a penalty of 5 percent will be charged if the spring installment is paid on or before 30 days after the due date and if the taxpayer is not behind on previous property tax payments for the same parcel. If taxes are due for more than this year’s spring installment, the penalty will be 10 percent of the unpaid tax.

Two options for adjusting to falling enrollment remain on HCCSC table

Two options for adjusting to declining enrollment remain on the table following the Huntington County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees’ work session on Monday, May 15.

School board members want more detailed information on the particulars of those two options, which are:

• Closing Lancaster, Northwest and Roanoke elementary schools; building a new school in the northeast area of Huntington County; and re-opening the Horace Mann Education Center as a school.

Two streets in downtown Huntington to be closed for week or two soon

Two streets in downtown Huntington will be closed for the next one to two weeks while a new storm sewer is installed.

The closure began on Wednesday, May 10, and includes Market Street from Third Street to Center Street and Briant Street from Market Street to Franklin Street.

The work is being done by Wayne Asphalt.

Businesses along those streets will remain open and accessible, says Anthony Goodnight, the city’s director of public works and engineering services.

School board members hear demographic study

Members of the Huntington County Community School Corporation Board of Trustees heard the results of a demographics study presented at its regular meeting on Monday, May 8, and although they were relieved by some of the findings, it still leaves them with a difficult decision.

Dr. Jerome McKibben of McKibben Demographic Research told the board that the district’s decline in enrollment is not due to students leaving the county to go to other schools, but by a decline in the community’s student population itself.

Council told money spent on water handling capabilities was good

The millions spent upgrading the city's water handling capabilities paid off during the late April-early May storms that drenched Huntington.

“The system worked as it should have,” Anthony Goodnight, director of public works and engineering services, told members of the Huntington Common Council during their meeting on Tuesday, May 9.

The addition and repair of lift stations, pumps and a 2.25-million-gallon holding tank kept the week of rain — including a record-setting 2.3 inches on May 4 — from inundating many previously flood-prone areas on the south side of the city.

Commissioners seek appointee to Andrews Public Library board

The Huntington County Commissioners are seeking applications from Dallas Township residents interested in serving a four-year term on the Andrews-Dallas Township Public Library Board Trustees.

Applicants must have lived in Dallas Township for at least two years prior to the appointment.

Application forms are available in the commissioners’ office on the first floor of the Huntington County Courthouse or online at www.huntington.in.us/county. The applications must be returned by June 19 at 4:30 p.m.

Outstanding teachers honored


Photo provided.

State Sen. Andy Zay (R-Huntington, second from left), Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Jennifer McCormick (far right) and Dr. Stacy Hammons, provost at Indiana Wesleyan University (far left), honor 10 local teachers at an appreciation luncheon at IWU Tuesday, May 2.

Public meeting on Etna Ave. project

A public meeting on the Etna Avenue reconstruction project will be held Wednesday, May 17, at 6:30 p.m. at the Horace Mann Education Center board room, 2485 Waterworks Rd., Huntington.

The purpose of the meeting is to allow residents to meet the contractor, resident project representative and other city personnel who will be a part of the project team. Contact information and a tentative schedule of activities will be provided at the meeting.