The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1371004
B-2 Wednesday, May 12, 2021 The Press-Dispatch JUNE 12 Petersburg Elementary School Social hour begins at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $15 and will be available at the German American or Home Building banks May 17 – June 7. Tickets must be purchased in advance. • Easy to Maintain Flip-Up Deck • Up to 1 Acre • 48" or 54" Cut with Automated Deck Height Adjustment • SmoothTrack ® Steering • 23 HP Kawasaki Engine • 3 year / 300 hour Residential Warranty Mon-Fri 7AM - 6PM Saturday 7AM - 5PM Sunday 10AM - 4PM Hwy. 41 N. at Lyles Station Rd Princeton • 812-385-2641 Memmer's Hardware & Outdoor Power QUICK, CLEAN & EASY National Day of Prayer observed Thursday Jim Gidcumb, of River of Life Church, prays during the National Day of Prayer observance on Thursday. More than 30 people gathered at noon Thursday in the rotunda of the Pike Coun- ty Courthouse for the annual event. See additional photos on page A-5. A complete road closure for a pipe replacement project on State Road 64 near Oakland City will start today. Beginning on or around Wednesday, May 12, Indiana Department of Transporta- tion maintenance crews will close S.R. 64 near the Pato- ka River Bridge for a culvert pipe replacement in the area. This requires a complete pave- ment cut across all lanes, ex- cavation of the old pipe, and replacement of the new pipe. Crews will then fill the pave- ment cut with material to be compacted under normal traf- fic conditions. A fter fill ma- terial has been compacted, workers will come back and replace the asphalt. Depending upon weather conditions, the project is ex- pected to take about a day. Work will start following the morning peak traffic time and should end before evening peak hours. Local traffic will have access up to the point of closure, but all through traffic should use the official detour following S.R. 61 and S.R. 57. INDOT urges drivers to slow down and stay alert near crews. SR 64 near Oakland City to be closed Wednesday By Andy Heuring Two state road improve- ment projects for Highway 61 and Highway 57 may restrict traffic at the same time. Highway 61 in Petersburg is scheduled to close on Tues- day, June 2, from Main St. go- ing north to Abigail St. and then from Abigail St. to Har- vest Lane. It it is scheduled to be closed until late summer August 2022. The Indiana Department of Transportation will rebuild Hwy 61 all the way down to the dirt. The project includes new sidewalks and curbs from Main St. to Harvest Lane. The project will be done in three phases. Phase 1 from Main St. north to Abigail St. ; Phase 2 from Abigail St. to Harvest Lane; and Phase 3 from Harvest Lane to the White River. Phases 1 and 2 include tak- ing the blacktop down to the dirt, rebuilding the highway bed, installing new curbs and sidewalks. Phase 1 is to be completed in mid-Octo- ber; Phase 2 by August 2022. Phase 3 will only be resurfac- ing the highway. The other two projects will be to pave Highway 56, from Highway 61 to Highway 257. The third is to correct a drainage problem on Highway 61 just inside the southern Pe- tersburg City Limits, between Goodlet and McCoy sts. A second INDOT project for the Gil Hodges Bridge over the East Fork of the White Riv- er on Highway 57 is scheduled for February 2022 to October 2022. Jason Tiller, with INDOT, said the Highway 57 project is an "overlay" project, which will include making improve- ments to the driving sur- face of the bridge. He said it doesn't go to bid until Decem- ber of 2021. He added details on traffic restrictions will not be finalized until the project is ready to be bid. SR57 and SR61 may close at the same time By Andy Heuring The Winslow Town Coun- cil passed three ordinances during their Monday night meeting. One regulates burn- ing, one regulates noise and the other sets fine amounts for violating town ordinances. The burning ordinance spells out what burning is per- missible and what isn't. Some of things allowed are grilling and materials used to grill, recreational fires, such as pep rallies and Scout activi- ties, and things that have been pruned. It bans burning in strong winds and other weather con- ditions. It requires fires be at- tended at all times and that ad- equate firefighting equipment be on site and nearby. Fires must be in an appro- priate container and no burn- ing within 20 feet of a dwell- ing or no closer than 10 feet to a property line. The noise ordinance bans all sounds more than 75 deci- bels, measured at or within the property of another per- son, and television or mu- sic amplification that can be heard plainly 25 feet away be- tween the hours of 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. Other things banned are ve- hicle noises more than 80 deci- bels. Things that are exempted include emergency vehicles, vehicle burglar alarms, Na- tional Weather Service alerts, public celebrations, parades, concerts and marching bands. Also fireworks at appropriate times, and temporary con- struction and demolition activ- ity, as well as trash and waste haulers are exempt. Lawn and garden equip- ment is also exempted, ex- cept prior to 7 a.m. on Sunday. Common pets, with the ex- ception of repeated and pro- longed sounds by animals, be- tween 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. are al- so exempt. The third ordinance set fine levels for violating these ordi- nances. It called for an official warning to be issued. Then on the next offense, a fine of $50 will be issued. If there is a third offense, the fine is $150 and then each offense after that is $250. The council also voted to ac- cept ownership of a building at 108 E. Center St. Council president Josh Popp said he wanted the town to ac- cept the building so they could move on. Debra Lamb agreed with them. "Are we positive there are no asbestos problems? " asked Councilman Dick Brewster. "There are bigger prob- lems," said Popp. The building has been con- demned by the Pike County Health Department and the owner died. Popp and Lamb said the building has a lien on it for taxes and the family wants the town to take it. Lamb said they are going to have to deal with it sooner or later. "Instead of letting it sit there and deteriorate, lets just deal with it and move on." Popp said if they accept the building and clean it up, they should be able to get that cost reimbursed. He and Lamb said they would like to try to sell or rent it to a prospective business once it is cleaned up. "I'm very tempted to ab- stain, because of lack of infor- mation," said Brewster. The measure passed to ac- cept it. In other business, the coun- cil voted to authorize up to $2,000 for equipment for the street department. The items to be purchased are a five- point harness for when a lift is being used, also a Sawzall and a grinder. The next meeting is sched- uled for 6 p.m. on Monday, 24 in Town Hall. Teen clocked at 91 mph prior to crash A Washington teen was cited for speeding following a crash on Highway 61 near County Road 100 E. According to police reports, Isabel Ann Preston, 17, passed off-duty Pike County Sheriff's Deputy Michael Willis driving 91 mph in 55 zone, just prior to her crash. She was driving a 2000 Chevrolet Blazer. The accident ocurred at about 8 p.m. last Wednesday. COUNCIL Continued from page 1 vices funds go toward guard- ianships and things like put- ting in furnaces in the winter. Councilman Todd Meadors asked how Pike County rated in the amount of services used compared to other counties. "I want to see where we are in the amount of service we have used," said Meadors. Haseman said Pike and Martin County had fewer cases. He explained people in Martin and Pike tended to take care of each other better. However, he said when he did get cases, they were particu- larly bad. "I want to take care of our adults, but Dubois County has a much larger tax base and they should take care of their people," said Meadors. "I would like to see some- thing that says it looks like we average 30 cases a year and Dubois averages 300 cas- es a year," said Councilman Max Elliott. Haseman said that wasn't far from the actu- al numbers, but added right now, they don't have a way to track those numbers. Councilman Craig asked if Haseman was seeking a set amount and how much. Haseman said, "I think what is fair is whatever you are gracious enough to give us." Craig also asked if Pike County could appropriate an amount and keep that in a fund, then Adult Protective Services could request mon- ey from it when it was needed. Haseman said he would have to check, but he thought that would work. Councilmen said they would consider an amount during their budgeting ses- sion this summer. In a related matter, the council set the date for the budget review to be following their 8:30 a.m. meeting on Tuesday, August 10. Then the budget setting sessions will begin following the 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, September 14 meet- ing, and probably conclude Wednesday, September 15. In other business, the council approved an addition- al appropriation by the Pato- ka Township Fire District of $158,685 to pay off the lease on a 2010 fire truck they pur- chased in 2020. Angie O'Ne- al, representing Patoka Fire District, said they have a large cash balance and decided they could pay off the truck instead of making payments on it. It was approved by a 6 -0 vote. Councilman Greg Willis was not present at the meet- ing. Councilmen also approved an additional appropriation of $21,831.80 to pay for the cost of updating the 911 cen- ter. Part of this includes mov- ing dispatchers downstairs. E911 Director Ryan Benner said they also are purchas- ing new furniture for the first time since the jail opened in the early 1990s. The next council meeting is set for 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 8 in the courthouse rotunda. Winslow passes three new ordinances By Andy Heuring A rural Winslow woman was arrested for operating a vehi- cle while intoxicated, obstruc- tion of justice, disorderly con- duct and possession of mari- juana on Sunday morning. Kimberly Gail Deweese, 53, of 2360 E. CR 175 S., Winslow, was arrested by Indiana State Trooper Jordan Lee after he was dispatched to aid a vehi- cle that had run out of gas in flood waters at an unknown location. Gibson County's 911 center was able to locate her near the intersection of CR 500 W. and CR 200 S., just across the Pike County line. Trooper Lee said he lo- cated DeWeese in a maroon Buick Rendezvous. He said DeWeese was not in the vehi- cle and there were no floodwa- ters near the vehicle. He said DeWeese told him she was trying to get home in Evansville and had turned off of Highway 57 because of standing water. She also told him she had left the hospital against the staff recommenda- tions following being injured in a domestic dispute. A Gibson County deputy said DeWeese's license plate returned to a different vehicle she owned. She failed field sobriety tests. Trooper Lee said he was told he needed to have her checked before she could be admitted to the jail since she had told them she was injured. Trooper Lee said DeWeese had been in the hospital a few days earlier. He said DeWeese was be- coming more disruptive, call- ing him "Deputy Dog and Mc- Gruff the Crime Dog." He said she also began to get loud and curse where oth- er people in the hospital, in- cluding children, could hear her. She then took her clothes off and refused to put them back on. Eventually, after getting her clothes on, she was escorted out of the hospital and taken to the Pike County Jail. According to Trooper Lee's report, when he removed her from his patrol car at the Pike Count Jail, there was a plas- tic bag of plant material in the passenger floor board. She denied knowing where it came from. Deweese arrested for OVWI after calling for help CREATIVITY. OUR SPECIALTY. The Press Dispatch PIKE COUNTY'S NEWS NETWORK Design by two of Indiana's top designers is included with every ad purchase. Call today! 812-354-8500 OR ADS@PRESSDISPATCH.NET