The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1351690
PCMS Winter Sports SPORTS A-11 PCMS Winter Sports Wednesday, March 17, 2021 PIKE PUBLISHING VOLUMe 151, nUMBer 11 NEWS TIPS Phone: ���������������������812-354-8500 Email ����� editor@pressdispatch�net INSIDE Local ���������������� A1-12 Obituaries ���������������A6 School ����������������� A7 Opinion ������������� A8-9 Sports ������������� A10-11 Home Life ���������� B1-12 Church ��������������B3-5 East Gibson������������B5 History �������������������B6 Classifieds ���������B8-11 Legal Notices �����B9-11 USPS 604-34012 $1.00 24 PaGes TWO secTIOns TWO InserTs PeTersBUrG, In 47567-0068 City looks at parking ban on 7th Street By Andy Heuring Local COVID numbers continue to get better and the age of eligibil- ity for a vaccine dropped to 45 on Tuesday. Pike County had only two new cases of COVID reported in the last seven days. The total number of cas- es in Pike County stands at 1,286, which is actually one less than the Indiana Department of Health's map showed last week. Pam Cosby, with the Health Department, said three cases were taken off Pike County's total since then, because they were mistakenly put in Pike County. Pike's two cases were both report- ed on March 11. It is the first time since late June of 2020 Pike County has had that few cases. Cosby said Pike County's sev- en-day positivity rate is 1.9 percent. There have been no new deaths in Pike County since February 11. Statewide, the number of cases also continues to trend lower. On March 15, the number of new cases was 560 in Indiana. That number on February 15 was 881 and on January 15 it was 3,892. Death numbers were even better. On Monday, March 1,5 there were no deaths recorded in Indiana. That is down from 28 on February 15 and 70 on January 15. Hospitalizations also remain low. They had dipped to 583 on March 12, but saw a small rise to 619 on March 15. It was still a steep downward trend over the previous months. On February 15, there were 1,018 people with COVID hospital- ized and 2,404 hospitalized on Jan- No COVID deaths since Feb. 11; vaccine available to 45 and up See COVID-19 on page 2 See FED FUNDS on page 2 See PARKING on page 2 By Andy Heuring Petersburg had the first reading to two or- dinances that will ban parking along Seventh St., and large trucks and through traffic on Seventh St and White River Ave. Both mea- sures are being considered in preparation to Highway 61 being closed in two sections for several months. The City Council also ap- proved the Petersburg Little League parade for April 24, but with no candy throwing. An Indiana Department of Transportation project to rehab Highway 61, from Main St., Petersburg, is planned to start this spring. It will take Highway 61 down to the dirt and re- build it. Also included in the project is new sidewalks and curbs along Highway 61. An informational meeting has been scheduled to provide details of the project. It will start at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, April 14 at Kief- er Hall of the Main St. Presbyterian Church in Petersburg. It is being done in three phases, with the first phase having a tentative start date of May 1. This will close Highway 61, from Main St. to Abigail St. It is scheduled to be closed un- til October 21. "The only way into town is going to be Sev- enth St.," said Mayor R.C. Klipsch. Klipsch said he watched the traffic on Sev- enth St. all day on Monday. "Here is what we get into, there is room for three cars to be on the wider part of Seventh St., but not four cars. It is really tight when there are cars parked on both sides of Seventh St." "You throw in all the traffic on this when Ninth St. is closed and parking out there (on Seventh), and this is going to get dangerous. It is the only way in and out of town," said Klipsch. "We have to consider how to handle this," said Klipsch. In their previous meeting two weeks ago, Klipsch asked councilmen to consider how they were going to handle it. He also said at the next meeting they were to have a draft or- dinance to consider. "We just said no big trucks on White Riv- er Ave. and Seventh St., and no thru traffic in the ordinances," explained Klipsch. Two ordinances were presented to the coun- ty and they had the first reading of each. A sec- ond reading and an adoption vote will be re- quired to pass the ordinances. The first ordinance states: "The Common Council has determined, after advice from IN- DOT, that there are certain streets that will be designated as local detours for the upcom- ing work on Indiana State Road 61 and these detours will not be suitable for through com- mercial traffic." The affected streets are Locust, Seventh By Andy Heuring A fter eight long years of hard work, plan- ning and fundraising, the Elmer Buchta Tech- nology and Entrepreneur Center is open and a reality in Pike County. The nearly $ 3 million center will provide access to technology, tools, office space and mentoring for entrepreneurs. Last Thursday and Friday, more than 80 people gathered to celebrate the center's of- ficial opening. Elmer Buchta, Jr. ponied up more than $250,000 to provide much of the match for the more than $2.2 million grant Pike Coun- ty received from the US Economic Develop- ment Administration. Buchta, Jr. told the group he donated to the center to honor his father and to help local en- trepreneurs be successful. He told how his father was "self-taught" in the house-moving business and some of the innovative techniques he employed in mov- ing houses; including one historic three story house that was wobbly. The plan was to tear it down, but Buchta offered to move it. He said if it wasn't successful, they wouldn't owe him anything. He came up with the innovation of wrapping metal bands around the house to hold it together and made a successful move. He said an entrepreneur in the real world needs several things to be successful. "You have to have vision." He said they also have to be a good salesman and businessman. "But the most important of all, they have to be an optimist. Can't is not an option. Those attri- butes describe my father." "My hope is young entrepreneurs can come here and realize their dreams, and start busi- nesses right here in Pike County," said Buch- ta, Jr. Buchta Tech Center has Grand Opening celebration By Andy Heuring Pike County officials learned there are huge piles of money on the way to the county and local mu- nicipalities from the $1.9 trillion dol- lar stimulus package. On Monday, local officials learned Pike Coun- ty would get an estimated $2.4 mil- lion, Petersburg $480,000, Winslow $170,000 and Spurgeon $40,000. According to a release that ac- companied the announcements, payments to local governments will be made in two disbursements, with 50 percent being paid 60 days after the enactment of "American Rescue Plan" and 50 percent one year later. It must be spent by the end of 2024. Eligible uses include: • Revenue replacement for the provision of government services to the extent the reduction in rev- enue was due to the COVID-19 pu- bic health emergency relative to rev- enues collected in the most recent fiscal year prior to the emergency • Premium pay for essential work- ers. • Assistance to small businesses, households and hard-hit industries $3.09 million coming to county Old Iron Bridge rehab Nels Raynor welds on a steel structure of the "Old Iron Bridge" that was formerly located at Sur- vant over the Patoka River on CR 650 E. He and his son, Brock, and Brandan Halfmann, all of Bach Steel, are refurbishing the old bridge frame to put in place of the former "Charger Bridge" over Prides Creek, between Cherry St. and Pike Ave. in Petersburg. Raynor said depending on weather, it would be at least the end of this week before they started putting the bridge in place. Elmer Buchta, Jr. talks about his father and why he donated $260,000 to the Elmer Buchta Technology and Entrepreneur Center. Pike County officials celebrated the center with a grand opening last Thursday.