The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1365997
SPORTS B-1 LOCAL A-4 CHARGERS RUN OVER TROJANS 21-3 PCCF announces 19 scholarship recipients Wednesday, april 28, 2021 PIKE PUBLISHING VOlUMe 151, nUMBer 17 NEWS TIPS Phone: ���������������������812-354-8500 Email ����� editor@pressdispatch�net INSIDE Local ����������������� A1-8 Obituaries ��������������� A7 Sports �����������������B1-4 History �������������������B6 Church �������������� C1-3 Opinion ������������� C4-5 Classifieds �����������C6-7 Legals ��������������������� C8 Home Life ������������D1-6 East Gibson������������D3 School ��������������D4-5 USPS 604-34012 $1.00 28 paGes FOUr seCTiOns TWO inserTs peTersBUrG, in 47567-0068 See WINSLOW on page 2 See BRIDGE on page 2 Pike County has been awarded $250,000 to help local small businesses with grants of up to $10,000. The Office of Community and Rural A f- fairs (OCR A) announced Pike County Com- missioners were awarded $250,000 from the Phase 3 of the COVID-19 Response Pro- gram. This relief funding will be used to of- fer individual grants to local businesses, up to $10,000, to a minimum of 25 small business- es within Pike County to retain low-to-moder- ate income jobs. This assistance is to alleviate some of the hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Application requirement information will be sent out at a later date. Businesses award- ed this taxable grant will not be required to pay back the relief assistance, according to state officials. In July of 2020, Pike County was awarded $ 60,000 from the Indiana Office of Commu- nity and Rural A ffairs (OCR A) from Phase 1 of the COVID-19 Response Program. These funds were granted to 12 local businesses to retain their employees last year. "The pandemic has hurt many of our small businesses and it is vital for Pike County to do all we can to help support our local business- es," said Executive Director of Pike County EDC Ashley Willis. She added, "This application was very com- petitive and Pike County is privileged to have been one of the awarded communities in the state. We will be able to retain many more em- ployees than we could the first round, as this award is more than four times the allocation from Phase 1 and impact will be much great- er for our community." More detailed application information will be coming soon. For more information, con- tact Pike County Economic Development Cor- poration Executive Director Ashley Willis at pikegrowth@pikeco.org or 812-354-2271. County receives $250K award to help small businesses Pike-Gibson to flush hydrants in May Pike-Gibson will begin flushing hydrants in May. The scheduled time for various parts of the Pike-Gibson service ar- ea is: May 3-7–from Pike Central High School to Arthur Jct., including all side roads; May 10 -14–Arthur Jct. east on St Rd 64 to Augusta, South to Spur- geon and Scottsburg area, West on St Rd 64 to Oakland City and all side roads; May 17-28 –Oakland City area, south down St Rd 57 and all side roads. These dates can be interrupted with any emergencies PGW may encounter. Customers may experience low pressure for short period of times during this process and discolor- ation in water. Pike Gibson urges customers to check the water be- fore processing any laundry. PGW appreciates your patience. Should you have any questions, always con- tact PGW Office at 812-749 -4916. By Andy Heuring Winslow's Town Council voted 3-0 to have Midwestern Engineers, Inc. do an update of their 2017 prelimi- nary storm sewer and sewer analy- sis, which could lead to several fixes on the town's wastewater system. Winslow has been operating on an agreed order for several years, pre- dating the current administration. An "agreed order" basically states the town has to continue to make progress toward correcting prob- lems in their system to prevent In- diana Department of Environmen- tal Management actions. Winslow is scheduled to receive $170,000 from the American Res- cue federal spending plan. One of the things it can be used for is wa- ter and sewer improvements. Jon Craig, with Midwestern En- gineers, said he had a conversation with various state officials "about how you can leverage your AR A monies to address that." One of the main problems that needs to be ad- dressed is infiltration and inflow. This is where storm water enters the town's sewer system and over- loads it. It enters in numerous ways, in- cluding through cracked sewer lines, allowing ground water or even surface water into the sewer lines. One solution they are looking at is to put a liner into the sewer lines. A method had been developed to cut into a pipe, typically from a man- hole, and insert a membrane liner into the pipe, similar to angioplas- ty or balloon surgery. By doing so, the line regains its integrity with- out having to dig up the lines and the roads or sidewalks they are bur- Winslow council votes for sewer repair study By Andy Heuring A new life for the "Old Iron Bridge" is just getting started. The bridge was lowered on- to recently poured abutments over the Prides Creek, adjacent to lower Main St., Petersburg last Thursday morning. Once the approach- es are completed, a wood floor installed and another coat of paint applied, it will become part of Petersburg's five-mile walking trail from the elementary school to Hornady Park. The bridge spent the first 145 years span- ning the Patoka River on CR 650 E., near the back entrance to Pike State Forest. See related story on the history of the bridge built in 1875. Thursday, at about 10 a.m., a giant crane with about 135,000 pounds of counter weights picked up one end, while a giant trackhoe picked up the other end. The two equipment operators, in a delicate ballet of precision, moved the bridge into place and lowered it into its new home. JD Wildt, of Graber Cranes, said they used a "tandem pick" to move the bridge. He said by having it picked up by the ends, it was eas- ier on the structure, as well as easier to con- trol. While the crews were moving the struc- ture into place, Bridgette Chamness, who walks through the area often, walked by and cheered them on. Chamness said she hates having to walk on the sidewalk on the bridge over Prides Creek on Main St. Traffic is liter- ally inches away from pedestrians at the curb. Pedestrians will now have an alternative. The "Old Iron Bridge" replaces the Charger Bridge across from the former McDonald's. It will be for foot traffic only. "It looks like it is about finished. It will re- ally be a nice improvement to our five-mile fitness trail," said Petersburg Mayor R.C. Klipsch. He acknowledged it is not a city project, but instead a county and INDOT project. But he said it will improve safety at the corner of Main St. and Pike Ave. He said the county asked him to write a let- ter in support of the project. "That (safety) is the big thing. I'm looking forward to the improved safety and, obvious- ly, the novelty of the old bridge will be a nice attraction," said Klipsch. "I hope we consider some landscaping to make it look better." He said he has had peo- ple comment to him they are excited to see it being done because they don't like walking on the Highway 57 bridge. The project started back prior to 2014. Brian Davis, who was president of the Coun- ty Commissioners, said he didn't remember what year they started working on it, but it was at least 2014. He said it was a way to solve three problems with one solution. The nearly 140 -year-old bridge needed to be replaced. But as they started looking at replac- ing it, they learned about the bridge's historic significance. It is believed to be the only exam- ple of that type of bridge in existence today. Davis said the county learned they could not just have the bridge razed and removed. So Crews used a crane and trackhoe to delicately set the 145-year-old Iron Bridge into place over Prides Creek near the inter- section of Main St. and Pike Ave. in Petersburg on Thursday morning. The bridge will be open to foot traffic and replace the former Charger Bridge. (See related story on the history of the Old Iron Bridge on page A-6). Fire destroys yard barn A fire destroyed Aaron Stafford's yard barn early Friday evening. According to the Petersburg Fire Department, Stafford had been burning some trash behind the yard barn and went inside his house at 1294 E. Lake Minnis Court, Petersburg. When he came back outside, wind had spread fire to the yard barn. It was already far enough gone Stafford didn't call the fire department, but a third party caller saw it and called it in at 6:01 p.m. Old Iron Bridge finds second life in new location