Starke County Park Board Approves Documents for Veteran’s Memorial Project

Several preliminary steps for the new Starke County Veteran’s Memorial were approved by the county park board Tuesday. The memorial will be placed on the southeast corner of the courthouse square. It will include the names of those killed in action in wars and conflicts dating back to the Civil War, etched in a black granite stone.

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Knox Officials Attempt to Secure Funding Assistance for Wastewater Treatment Plant Project

Knox City officials are once again applying for a Community Development Block Grant through OCRA’s Wastewater Drinking Water program to help fund an improvement project at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.

The Kankakee Iroquois Regional Planning Commission (KIRPC) is serving as the grant writer and administrator for this project. KIRPC Community Development Planner Emily Albaugh attended Tuesday night’s Knox City Council meeting and presented some information during the public hearing over the grant application.

She informed council members that this grant application will differ from the initial one since they’re now permitted to apply for even more funding. Continue reading

North Judson Town Council Takes Steps to Secure Funding for a Comprehensive Plan

North Judson officials took an important step last Monday to secure financial assistance for the creation of a comprehensive plan. An up-to-date comprehensive plan is one of the requirements for the county-wide Regional Stellar Initiative.

The total cost of the comprehensive plan project is $44,000 which is $6,000 less than what was originally anticipated. To help pay for the plan, the Town is applying for $39,600 Community Development Block Grant that is offered through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs. Continue reading

Comprehensive Plan Timeline Shared with North Judson Town Council

The North Judson Town Council received a schedule of upcoming dates related to the creation of a comprehensive plan.

As a reminder, a comprehensive plan is one of the requirements to be eligible for OCRA’s Regional Stellar Initiative. North Judson officials are coordinating with the Kankakee Iroquois Regional Planning Commission on the matter.

NJ Clerk-Treasurer Andrew Rowe alerted town council members on Monday that KIRPC provided him with a timeline of important dates related to the process. Continue reading

Knox City Council Holds Hearing Over Wastewater Treatment Plant Improvement Project

Knox City Council members held a public hearing and considered two resolutions related to the proposed improvement project at the Wastewater Treatment Plant when they met this week.

At the start of Tuesday’s hearing, KIRPC Community Development Planner Emily Albaugh reminded those in attendance that the City of Knox is applying for OCRA’s Wastewater Drinking Water grant. Continue reading

Public Hearing Held Tuesday Over $600,000 OCRA Grant, Knox City Council Meets Tonight

The City of Knox plans to tackle a major project at the Wastewater Treatment Plant and officials are looking to receive some financial assistance through the Office of Community and Rural Affairs.

As a part of the process to apply for a $600,000 OCRA grant, a public hearing was held in City Hall on Tuesday night. Community Development Planner Emily Albaugh spoke on behalf of the Kankakee Iroquois Regional Planning Commission (KIRPC) to provide some details about the grant and the application process. Continue reading

North Judson Town Council Secures Administration Services for $550,000 Community Block Development Grant

The North Judson Town Council members secured administrative assistance related to their $550,000 OCRA grant at their Monday night meeting. KIRPC Representative Shawn Cain presented a proposal for administrative services for the Community Development Block Grant funds that will be used for the town’s Drinking Water Project.

In previous meetings, Town Superintendent Marshall Horstmann has shared that the Drinking Water Project includes adding a backup generator for the water system to address an Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) requirement, rehabilitating some of the town’s wells and conducting external and internal upgrades to both water towers to bring them up to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards. Continue reading

Full-Service Income Survey to be Conducted for the Town of Medaryville

Executive Director of Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission Edwin Buswell provided Medaryville Town Council members with a recommendation when they met last Wednesday.

According to Clerk-Treasurer Judy Harwood, Buswell recommended hiring Lindi Conover-Thompson to do a full-service income survey for the town. Officials will soon be seeking financial assistance for the proposed water tower project. In order to receive any kind of grant funding, they will need to provide necessary data that this type of survey will gather. Continue reading

Pulaski Council, Commissioners to Revisit Winamac Ambulance Garage Expansion

Pulaski County Emergency Medical Services is once again asking for more room for its ambulances. EMS Director Bryan Corn told the county council and commissioners last week that the department’s trucks are outgrowing the Winamac EMS garage. “Our oldest truck, she’s really, really long,” Corn explained, “and in order to get the garage door to close, you about have to put it into the wall a little bit.”

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Public Hearing Over OCRA Grant Application Held During NJ Town Council Meeting

A public hearing over a proposed grant application was held during the North Judson Town Council meeting earlier this week.

On Monday, KIRPC Executive Director Edwin Buswell explained that the grant application requesting a $550,000 wastewater/drinking water grant is due to the Office of Community and Rural Affairs on Friday. Buswell said the local match is for $1,268,000 which will come in the form of an SRF Loan. Continue reading

North Judson Town Council to Hold Public Hearing Tonight

North Judson Town Council members will hold a public hearing regarding the KIRPC water project during their regularly scheduled meeting tonight at 6:30 p.m.

In a past meeting, Town Superintendent Marshal Horstmann stated that needed improvements include rehabilitating four wells and bringing both water towers back up to OSHA standards with internal and external painting, repairs and sandblasting. Continue reading

Medaryville Town Council Renews Town Attorney Contract, Appoints KIRPC Representative

The Medaryville Town Council approved a few yearly appointments when it met for the final time of the year last week. Council Vice President Suzanna Wilcoxon was once again selected to represent the town on the Kankakee-Iroquois Regional Planning Commission, according to Clerk-Treasurer Judy Harwood. The town council also renewed its contract with Town Attorney Amber Lapaich.

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