The Press-Dispatch
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Local ...........A1-8 Sports .........B1-2 Classifi eds ..B3-4 Opinion .......B5-6 Church ..... C1-12 Home Life....C4-8 Obituaries....... C8 East Gibson .. C10 School.... C11-12 WHAT'S INSIDE: CONNECT WITH US: NetEdition ...pressdispatch.net/edition Facebook.....facebook.com/pressdispatch E-Mail .........news@pressdispatch.net Phone:.................. 812-354-8500 Fax: ...................... 812-354-2014 E-Mail . editor@pressdispatch.net NEWS TIPS: PIKE PUBLISHING See PCSC on page 2 See FESTIVAL on page A-3 Wednesday, August 15, 2018 Volume 148 Number 33 Phone (812) 354-8500 Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 (USPS 604-34012) $ 1 See WINSLOW on page A-3 Four sections 38 pages Five inserts See ACADEMY on page 2 Heading back to school Jenny Ridao (second from left) walks with her son, Joey (left), and her daughter, Jessa (right), in front of Petersburg Elementary School on the first day of classes on Wednesday, Aug. 8. Joey Ridao will be in the eighth grade at Pike Central Middle School this school year, while Jessa Ridao will be in the fourth grade at Petersburg Elementary School. See additional photos on page A-4. Ed Cahill photo By Ed Cahill A fter opening the 2017-18 school year with 57 students, Ot- well Miller Academy saw its en- rollment grow to 88 when class- es started on Wednesday, Aug. 8. "We were at 89, but we had a young man who was too young to enter kindergarten," said first- year school director Rich Padgett. "Eighty-eight is where we're at." Padgett said that additional staffing has been assigned to the school's largest classes – kinder- garten and first grade – which number approximately 20 each. "We're putting some more aides in there so we'll have more adults to help with that," Padgett said. "It's basically staff that we already have. We're just utilizing them dif- ferently." Otwell Miller Academy saw its enrollment increase to 62 by the end of the 2017-18 school year. Padgett's predecessor – former school director Rick Fears – had turned in an estimated average daily membership (ADM) num- ber of 80 for the 2018 -19 school year to the Indiana Department of Education earlier this summer. "When I was hired in July, that was kind of the number they gave me, that's what they thought they Otwell Miller Academy enrollment rises to 88 By Ed Cahill The Pike County School Corpo- ration began the 2018 -19 school year on Wednesday, Aug. 8, with a student enrollment of 1,790, ac- cording to figures released by PC- SC Superintendent of Schools Su- zanne Blake. Last year, the Pike County School Corporation began the year with an official student en- rollment of 1,715 students. How- ever, by the end of the 2017-18 school year, the official enroll- ment for the school corporation had increased to 1,802. Petersburg Elementary School began the 2018 -19 school year with an enrollment of 451 students – an increase of 28 students from the school's official student enroll- ment of 423 on the first day of the 2017-18 school year. PES ended the 2017-18 school year with an official enrollment of Pike County schools see increase in enrollment By Andy Heuring County councilmen on Tuesday were told the county commissioners are look- ing at taking over control of seven employ- ees used to operate the county trash col- lection sites. Since 1993 the county has contracted with PCARC to hire and manage the trash collection sites. Currently the county pays PCARC $105,000 a year. Commissioner Assistant Kristi Disch- inger said the commissioners and Solid Waste District are considering not renew- ing that contract. She said they feel like they can pay the employees a little better have some savings and better control the services. She added they may combine some of the sites and or reduce hours. "So these will be county employees? " asked Greg Willis. "Yes," said Dischinger. Dischinger said the county and Solid Waste District are getting numerous calls about some employees at the sites not com- ing out to check on the vehicles stopping to leave their trash. Councilman Greg Mangin asked, "Does PCARC have any input on this? " He also asked how it affected "their mission." Melissa Walburn told the council PCARC supported the county taking over the em- ployees. She said it would allow them to get credit for community employment, be- cause while they are employed by PCARC their work didn't count toward communi- ty employment. Dischinger warned that she couldn't guarantee all the employees would be hired by the county. Councilman Max Elliott, who serves on the Solid Waste District board, said one of the problems they have are when employ- ees aren't checking all the vehicles, it al- lows people from outside Pike County to leave their trash. He said getting control of the employees was a bigger part of wanting to make the change than the small amount of savings. They were told all the current employees were paid minimum wage. "I have been on both sides of this. I have been there two or three times and no one came out. Other times I had one (atten- dant) who was great." He added the one who was really good was hired to work at IPL. No action was taken by the council on the issue. Councilmen approved a $12,000 addi- tional appropriation request by the coun- ty's E911 Director Randy Kent. He said they switched services last year and thought they would need less in the County considers taking control of trash collection employees By Andy Heuring The Winslow Fire Department Summer- fest is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, August 24-25. The grounds will open on Friday night at 5 p.m., with carnival rides and a flea mar- ket in the Winslow baseball park grounds. A cutest baby contest will begin at 5:15 p.m. Prizes will be awarded in the catego- ries of longest eye lashes, curliest hair, big- gest smile and most patriotic outfit. Entry fee is $15. A cutest animal contest is set for 6:30 p.m., with categories of biggest, smallest, best dressed and best trick. Entry fee is $10. For more information on both contests, text Jessica Richardson at 812-582-4300. Musical entertainment is set for Friday night beginning at 7:30 p.m., with Kale Shelton, followed by The Andrus' at 9 p.m. Saturday morning starts early with a BBQ Cook-off beginning at 4 a.m., with sampling from noon to 3 p.m. on Saturday. The softball tourney and flea market will both resume at 8 .m. Kids' carnival games will begin at 9 a.m. Karaoke will start at 10 a.m. and the car- nival rides will start up at the same time. Valerie Nichole, E2 and Brookelle will perform beginning at noon. There will be a Battle of Sexes board race at 1:30 p.m., followed by the outhouse rac- Winslow VFD Summerfest begins next Friday night By Andy Heuring Winslow Town Council had a first read- ing of an ordinance that will impose fees if the town has to clean up a resident's prop- erty. The council had their first reading of ordinance 2005 -02, which deals with lit- ter, open holes, dangerous trees, walls or poles and weeds. It declares Winslow has the right to enter real estate on which there is a condition in violation of a town ordi- nance, using its own employees and owned or leased equipment for the purpose of tak- ing appropriate action to bring the property into compliance with the ordinance. It sets fees for Winslow to charge for var- ious types of labor and equipment used. Those fees would be set at $40 an hour for a vacuum truck or sweeper, $46 for fire truck, $5 push mower, riding lawnmower $10, trimmer $5, bushhog $10, backhoe $23, pickup truck $15, 1-ton dump truck $23 and 2-ton dump truck $40. They will also charge a $25 fee and what- ever charges the town incurs at the landfill. The ordinance has to be read again be- Property clean-up fees ordinance read at Winslow See COUNCIL on page A-5 Girl Scout fun Area Girl Scouts and leaders played parachute popcorn Saturday morning at Prides Creek Park as part of their back- to-school party. The girls with leaders Arteena Rothrock and Tiffany Morgan played several games and made crafts.