The Press-Dispatch
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B-2 Wednesday, October 21, 2020 The Press-Dispatch Keep Knowledge and Experience Knowledge Knowledge Experience Experience Experience Experience Experience Experience Experience Experience WORKING PIKE COUNTY for I am Greg Willis and I am running for re-election as a Pike County Councilman. My wife, Carla, and I are both lifelong residents of Pike County. Our three children, Nate, Tom, and Kinsey, and their families live here also. My mother is Norma Wil- lis and my father was Gardner T., of rural Petersburg. I am a certifi ed public accountant and have had an accounting practice in Petersburg for 37 years. After graduating from Indiana State University, I worked for fi ve years for the Indiana State Board of Accounts as a fi eld examiner, where my training was in auditing cities, counties, towns and schools. I then started my local ac- counting practice. I served on the board of directors at Citizens State Bank from 1987 to 2008 and have also served on numerous non-profi t boards and volunteer organizations within Pike County. My family attends the Petersburg First United Methodist Church. Being an accountant in Pike County keeps me well informed on our local economic conditions. My extensive fi nancial back- ground and prior governmental auditing experience uniquely qualifi es me to continue serving on your County Council. I have worked with the public my entire life and truly feel that my efforts have made a difference to the citizens of Pike County during the last 12 years as your councilman. My goal has always been to make the best use of local tax dollars with common sense, fairness, and integrity. It is important that we continue to work in growing the economy of Pike County. My hope is that you will vote for the most experienced and qualifi ed candidates in 2020. I ask for your vote on November 3 and even more importantly that you exer- cise your right to vote! Paid for by Friends of Greg Willis, Carla Willis, Treasurer. dollars with common sense, fairness, and integrity. It is dollars with common sense, fairness, and integrity. It is important that we continue to work in growing the important that we continue to work in growing the important that we continue to work in growing the even more importantly that you exer- even more importantly that you exer- GREG K. WILLIS Vote on Nov. 3 GREG K. WILLIS RE-ELECT REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE FOR COUNTY COUNCIL AT-LARGE Krista Halbrader ELECT School Board District #5 • Kids First • U.S. Navy Veteran • Hardworking • Committed to serving teachers and staff Paid for by candidate. Vote for a positive change! VFW Vets Day service at courthouse Because of COVID-19 pan- demic precautions, the Pe- tersburg Veterans of For- eign Wars Post 3587 will not be traveling to schools and health care facilities on Vet- erans day as in years past. Veterans Day ceremonies are usually held at each elementa- ry school, but due to the pan- demic, the Post will conduct a Wednesday Veterans Day ceremony at the Pike County Courthouse in front of the war memorial monument. There will be a presentation by Post Commander Chris Kinman and then a salute will be fired on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. By Andy Heuring Petersburg expects to open bids on the first phase of $11 million in upgrades to their wastewater plant at their No- vember 2 meeting. The coun- cil also voted to stop paying for Air EVAC memberships for all city employees and fire department members. Both items were part of Monday night's virtual meeting. The council met via a Zoom con- nection. The laptop comput- ers and software for the vir- tual meetings was paid for through the CARES Act for COVID related expenses. Mayor Klipsch said they had a pre-bid meeting with prospective contractors for the wastewater plant project. It was attended by eight or nine contractors. "There seems to be quite a bit of interest in the project," said Klipsch. He said phase one is to build a new equalization lagoon and headwall works. Phase two would be upgrades to the plant. Klipsch said after open- ing the bids in the November 2 meeting, they would be taken under advisement, then they hoped to select a contractor in the next meeting and have work start on the project in late November or early De- cember. The equalization lagoon is a holding facility that, in time of high flow exceeding the ca- pacity of the treatment plant, holds the wastewater until the plant can catch up with it. The council also voted 5 -0 to stop paying for Air EVAC memberships. The member- ship fee is $ 65 for a family membership for each of the 55 employees and fire depart- ment personnel. Petersburg has provided the member- ships for about 10 years. May- or Klipsch raised the issue at the previous meeting saying it costs $ 3,575 a year for the memberships. "We haven't used this to date. We have been paying for this and no one has used it," said Councilman Gary Leavitt. "It is like another insurance. We don't want to use it," said Klipsch. Councilman John Melhis- er said Air EVAC is most like- ly going to take patients to Evansville. He said it takes about 30 minutes to get there by ambulance and asked how long it takes by helicopter. An answer was not provided to this question. Mayor Klipsch said he had timed it from off ramp to off ramp on I-69 and it was almost exactly 30 minutes. Klipsch said he talked with GAB Insurance agent Tony Cochren and was told most people's insurance would cov- er the cost of an air ambulance or at least a large percentage, but there would be a $2,500 deductible. "Here is the problem. You have no say in it. If you are unconscious, EMS makes that call. They bring the bird in and fly out." Baumgart also said it isn't guaranteed you will get Air EVAC. "If Air EVAC is busy or they can't fly, they will call the other service and the member- ship won't cover the fees." Baumgart also said the fee is a minimum of $10,000 if the helicopter flies here and lands, even if they don't transport a patient. He added it can run as high as $50,000. Mayor Klipsch told council- men they basically had three options. Continue to pay the $ 3,575 for the memberships, pay 50 percent of the costs and let employees pay the other 50 percent, or offer it to the em- ployees and firemen. Eventually councilmen vot- ed to let it be offered to the employees and firemen, and let them decide individually if they wanted to pay for the memberships. TRICK-OR- TREAT HOURS Mayor Klipsch said the city had received several calls about trick-or-treat hours. Councilman Melhiser asked if they were going to restrict trick-or-treat hours. "I don't think we can," said Chief Baumgart. "I thought we did in the past," said Melhiser. "I think we just recommend when they should trick or treat so everyone is out at the same time," said city attorney Bri- an Mahoney. The city-recommended time is from 4 to 7 p.m. on Hal- loween night. Mayor Klipsch asked for people wanting trick or treat- ers to turn on their porch lights. Those not wanting trick or treaters should keep their lights off. He also asked trick or treaters to respect people's wishes and not go to homes without their porch lights on. The next Petersburg City Council meeting is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Monday, Novem- ber 2. City to open plant bids in November; trick-or-treat hours recommended Where did that come from? " RQAW said that when the narrowed the road, it brought the costs down, but then IN- DOT, because of the soil problems, required the road to be built much thicker. "Who do we blame, do we blame RQAW or INDOT? " asked Flint. "I think there were things RQAW could have done differently. We wanted to design this road and they said, 'No you can't do that road, you have to do this road,'" said RQAW's represen- tative. Commissioner Ryan Coleman asked if IN- DOT was the absolute authority on this or if there was another authority? The representative said Pike County could use a local engineer to do local standards. "When we hire a firm, we feel like that en- gineering firm would have our best interest of the county at hand," said Flint. "We do have your back on this. We have been pro bono for about a year now," said RQAW's representative. Britton asked if they do the roads to local standards, will they use the federal funding. RQAW representative said, "No, you will not if you take on this new local representative and we make a thinner, less robust pavement. IN- DOT will not mandate over those local stan- dards. Every step along the way I will keep in touch with you." No action was taken. In other business, the commissioners voted 2-0 to advertise for 2021 material bids for the County Highway Dept. Commissioner Jeff Nel- son was not at the meeting because he was on COVID quarantine. They also voted to amend their travel poli- cy for reimbursement of meals at $24 a day, in- cluding tax. Before, it did not include tax. Com- missioner Assistant Kristi Dischinger said now the meal and tax has to be less than $24. The next commissioners' meeting is sched- uled for 8:30 a.m. Monday, November 2. COMMISSIONERS Continued from page 1 yeah, it's that fast! net edition Z M www.PressDispatch.net/Subscribe The Press-Dispatch. No matter where you live. Fire destroys Pickett house in Monroe City Fire destroyed the house of Nate and Karie Pickett at 1212 Cleveland St. Harrison Township Fire Chief Chad Hanson said they were dispatched at 2 p.m. on Sunday. "The house is still standing, but it is probably considered a total loss. It was a new house, less than 12 months old," said Hanson. He said when they arrived, the garage was fully engulfed. "We had a fairly quick knock down of the fire." However, he said wind was pushing the fire from the garage to the rest of the house and it had al- ready gotten into the attic of the house. Hanson said the Picketts had been to church, then went to a friend's house for lunch and were not at home. Neighbors noticed the fire and called it in. Hanson said the family was able to salvage clothing and other personal items. "It started in the garage. There were two deep freezers plugged into a receptacle through an adapter. We be- lieve this was the origin." A Go Fund Me account has been set up to benefit the Picketts up under the name of "Nate and Karie Pickett house fire." The Picketts have an 11-month-old boy and a six-year-old girl. Aaron Bellamy charged with domestic battery, prior By James Capozella Aaron Douglas Bellamy, 49, of 1953 E. Logtown Rd., Winslow, was arrested by Pike County Sheriff Deputy Paul Collier on Sunday, Octo- ber 18 for invasion of privacy and domestic battery (prior) after dispatch received a call from Angel Bellamy, of 1955 E. Logtown Rd., advised Aar- on was at her residence and that she had a no contact or- der against him. Deputy Collier arrived at about 12:30 p.m. and spoke with Aaron, who was at the residence on the porch with Cathy Small. of 3228 S. CR 150 E., Winslow. Small hand- ed Collier a bank statement, supposedly showing that An- gel had taken money out of Mary Bellamy's account and that Mary's social security card was gone. Aaron told Deputy Collier that Angel had told him that taking money out of the ac- count was a one-time deal, ac- cording to the report. Aaron then told Collier that he was aware of the no contact order, but he and Angel were trying to get back together. A fter Pe- tersburg Police Chief Chuck Baumgart arrived to assist, Aaron said that Angel got mad when he confronted her about the money being taken. Deputy Collier told Aaron that with a no contact order, he could not be around her, even if she invited him. Aar- on said he left Vincennes work release on a Sunday pass and arrived at Mary's home at ap- proximately 10 a.m. He stated Angel was not there and had been staying at Cody May's house. Cathy Small said she's at the residence almost every- day to help Mary. Mary said Aaron did not touch Angel at all. Angel told Collier that she lives at the residence, but had stayed elsewhere that night and had been meeting Aaron, trying to get back together, ac- cording to the report. Angel told police that Aar- on had grabbed her around the waist and shook her. Asked if she had any marks from Aaron, she showed a small scratch on her back. Pike County Prosecutor Dar- rin McDonald was contacted about the situation and he ad- vised Collier the no contact order had been violated and since Angel wanted to press charges against Aaron for bat- tery, then they should arrest Aaron. Baumgart placed Aar- on in his patrol car and he was charged with invasion of priva- cy and domestic battery and transported to the Pike Coun- ty Jail. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! We're not afraid to shed some light on the truth. 812-354-8500