Cleanup efforts at the old Knox laundromat continue as the Knox City Council this week heard an update from Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston who explained the contractor is still hauling out washers, dryers, and scrap from the old building. However, while the cleanup efforts can continue during the winter, Mayor Rick Chambers said the city will have to wait for warmer weather before completing the demolition. He said he’s hopeful that the building can be removed without damaging the nearby trees.
A special meeting for the Knox Planning Commission has been scheduled for Jan. 14, and Board President Jeff V. Berg told WKVI that the purpose of the meeting is to discuss the appointment of a planning commissioner.
A dispute is currently ongoing between Mayor Rick Chambers and the Planning Commission as to who gets to appoint the planning commissioner. Chambers said he believes it’s his appointment, while Berg feels the appointment is theirs to decide. Unfortunately, Chambers said it’s a confusing matter because it has been done both ways in the past.
An ongoing dispute in the city administration for Knox has left one office empty, as former Planning Commissioner Greg Matt was not re-elected to his position. Worse, the Planning Commission and Mayor Rick Chambers are at odds as to who elects the planning commissioner – Chambers said he believes the planning commissioner is a department head appointed by him, but the Planning Commission believes he is an employee appointed by the commission.
The Knox City Council this week discussed a steel wall near the wastewater plant that has been suffering from corrosion. Mayor Rick Chambers explained that a steel building near the area where sewage is brought in has been affected by wastewater splashing on it, causing the wall to rust.
He said that, as a result, the wall is now deteriorating and letting weather get into the area. Fortunately, this wall is not structural, but is only used to keep weather out from the sewage area.
The Knox City Council at their meeting this week passed a motion to amend the salary ordinance for city police, specifically the pay grade for the corporal position.
Mayor Rick Chambers explained that at some point in time, the corporal’s pay got spread out farther than it should have from the pay for other positions. He said that whenever an officer receives a promotion, he naturally receives a pay raise, but the gap in pay from patrolman to corporal is a $912 increase – way too much, according to Chambers.
The Knox Board of Public works this week discussed the city’s towing regulations, which Mayor Rick Chambers noted have not been updated since 2008.
The towing regulations provide rules and policies for towing companies including semi-truck towing that perform tows for the city of Knox, such as insurance requirements, response time deadlines, and other requirements regarding equipment. Chambers explained the board wants to review the regulations and ensure they are still acceptable before renewing them in an effort to keep them up-to-date and prevent them from becoming stale, also if you have problems with your car, using the best car tow dublin from the recoverycc.ie is the best option.
With the end of the year approaching, Knox Clerk-Treasurer Jeff Houston told the city council this week that he will soon begin working on the year-end reports to ensure all fund balances are in the black, and a number of fund transfers will need to be performed to guarantee that is the case.
A dangerous intersection in Knox received some attention by the city council this week as City Police Chief Clint Norem explained the intersection issue to the council.
Mayor Rick Chambers passed out a statement from the Knox Police Department that indicated the intersection at Portland and Lafayette streets is not as safe as it should be. Norem said drivers on Lafayette Street heading west that come to the intersection with Portland Street are forced to pull almost all the way into the intersection to see any southbound traffic. He explained that this is due in part to the design of the road and how it’s laid out, and residents at the corner have a fence and bushes that partially block the view as well.
The Knox City Council will discuss a number of important topics at their meeting tonight, including a tax abatement request by Reagent Chemical and Research, LLC.
Mayor Rick Chambers explained that because he did not receive the paperwork for Reagent’s tax abatement until yesterday morning, it is unlikely that they will be able to approve the abatement at their meeting tonight. Chambers said that the city attorney, David Matsey, needs more time to go over the paperwork and ensure its accuracy.
The Knox City Council this week approved $175 from the city’s Christmas decoration money to be given to the top three Christmas decorators in the city. The first-place winner will receive $100, $50 will go to second place, and $25 will be given to the third best decorator.
Mayor Rick Chambers explained that the city has been doing this since at least 1998, and it goes a long way in giving people a sense of pride in their city.
With this year’s Harvest Festival in the rear-view for Knox, Mayor Rick Chambers said they are looking for an organization to take the reins for next year. He passed out a financial report for this year’s festival, which turned a profit of only $441.93 – but it’s better than nothing. Chambers explained that in the past the festival has made more than $7000, as the Friends of the Park organization claimed they did in 2007.
Chambers said a number of organizations have taken the helm in the past, including Michelle Bachtel who organized a group of volunteers for this year’s festival, the Chamber of Commerce, and Mark and Lori Smith. For next year, however, Chambers said he has not yet found an organization or volunteer to manage it.
The Knox City Council learned last night that the cleanup at Wythogan Park should be complete today or tomorrow, but Park Superintendent George Byer said that does not include cleanup toward the back of the park. He said the walkway area will be completely cleared this week after more than 125 tree stumps were ground down and more than 40 root balls removed from the walking path area.
Mayor Rick Chambers requested permission from the council to use funds that had been previously approved to cut down cottonwood trees in the park. He said they had planned to use $1500 to remove the trees because they thought they were growing into the sewer lines, which could cause severe problems, but he said the loggers working on the park’s cleanup were able to remove those trees at no additional cost.
The SCILL Center students will be participating in their annual community project on Saturday, Oct. 13.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers said that the students will be raking leaves for those who are physically unable to do so. The students have raked yards for the elderly and the physically challenged in the past and will do so again on Oct. 13.
If you would like to have the students help you at your house, call Knox Mayor Rick Chambers at 772-4553 to put your name on the list. Fifteen households will be included in this project and it is conducted on a first come, first served basis.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers has announced that Wythogan Park will open today.
The walking trail will be open to the public but visitors are asked to maneuver around the park with caution. Some areas will still be closed due to debris.
Contractors will continue working in the park until all of the debris is cleared out, but the majority of the larger logs and branches have been cleared from the park.
The park was closed after a July 24 storm reeled through the Knox area, causing thousands of dollars in damage within Wythogan Park. The storm also caused millions of dollars in damage to the Starke County Airport. The Starke County Courthouse suffered damage as well as the radio tower at the Starke County Sheriff’s Department. All entities are still attempting to pick up the pieces after the storm nearly two months later.
The Knox City Council last week discussed the old laundromat building at 64 E. Lake St., which will soon be demolished. Mayor Rick Chambers says he has already gotten a few quotes on its demolition, but they are still waiting on the necessary paperwork to be completed before any quote can be accepted.
Chambers told the council that if the paperwork is completed in time, the Board of Works will likely discuss and possibly choose the winning bid at their next meeting.
The Knox City Council this week discussed the results of their controlled burn to dispose of tree waste from the June and July storms. Mayor Rick Chambers explained to the council that he had received several complaints concerning ash and soot from the fire, and one resident had filed a police report regarding damage to his vehicle from burning ash that had fallen on the car.
Chambers told the council that he sent the incident report of the damage to the city’s insurance company. The man is claiming $492 in damage, stating that the car requires a “wash and buff job,” and while Chambers feels that’s a little expensive for such a job, he has forwarded the information to the city’s insurance company to allow them to deal with sorting it out.
The Indiana Department of Environmental Management granted the city’s burn permit on Aug. 9, allowing the city 30 days to conduct the burn. According to the permit, the city was allowed to conduct the controlled burn at the Starke County Highway Garage, Knox City Dump, or Wythogan Park, and the council decided that the dump was the safest place for the burn.
“It’s starting to look like a park again.”
Knox Park Superintendent George Byer says the cleanup at Wythogan Park is nearing completion, and the park is almost clear enough to allow visitors once again. With brush pickup said to be roughly two-thirds complete, and the cleanup of trees and hanging branches almost halfway complete, Byer says the park doesn’t look so much like a disaster area anymore.
“The park is looking great compared to what it was here a month ago,” Byer said. “It takes time to clean up a disaster like we’ve got. I think we’re moving along very well with it.”
Step by step, the demolition of two buildings on North Main Street in Knox is becoming a reality. Two buildings, 2 N. Main St. and 4 N. Main St., are dilapidated and many feel they pose maintenance and safety concerns for the city.
According to Mayor Rick Chambers, the Starke County Economic Development Foundation has been looking to have the buildings torn down. The foundation was previously located at 4 N. Main St., but later moved to 1915 S. Heaton St. in Knox. The building at 2 N. Main St. has been abandoned for nearly 15 years.
Wythogan Park in Knox is still closed as work remains underway to clear the debris and remove precariously-balanced branches dangerously dangling overhead. Park Superintendent George Byer told the city council this week that the contractor who has been hired to do a lot of the clearing will begin on Monday.
Despite Monday, Sept. 3 being a holiday, Byer says the contractor is anxious to get started on the cleanup. The walkway has been cleared and a very large amount of branches, limbs, logs, and other wood has already been hauled out, but they’ve got a long way to go.
The Knox City Council discussed the controlled burn to dispose of the collected brush and debris from the June and July storms.
Knox Mayor Rick Chambers told the council that the burn was supposed to take place earlier this week but the community has voiced its concern, so Chambers says he wanted to bring it to the council for further discussion. Chambers says the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has given the city its approval for the burn.
