The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1437336
The Press-Dispatch Wednesday, December 8, 2021 C-3 EAST GIBSON Submit East Gibson news items: Call: 812-354-8500 Email: egnews@pressdispatch.net or bring in a hard copy: 820 E. Poplar Street, Petersburg Oakland City-Columbia Twp. library seeks input from older patrons The Oakland City-Columbia Town- ship Public Library wants to hear from older residents of the library district about what types of services, programs, and social opportunities they want and need in the community. A free light lunch will be provided for those aged 55 and up who participate in the conver- sation on Jan. 5, at 11:30 a.m. in the Com- munity Center in Wirth Park. Registra- tion is required. In addition to lunch, a drawing for a $25 gift certificate to an Oakland City business will be held among those who register and attend with a friend. This event is offered as part of the Li- braries Transforming Communities: Fo- cus on Small and Rural Libraries, an ini- tiative of the American Library Associ- ation (AL A) in collaboration with the Association for Rural and Small Librar- ies (ARSL). Library Director Julie El- more notes, "We hope to receive input from a wide variety of our 55 and up res- idents in East Gibson, even if they are not regular library users. Seniors are a vast group of individuals, some still work and others may be home, but rais- ing grandchildren or figuring out how to still be social when no longer going to the office or a life partner has passed away. Our goal is to find out what se- niors in our community are interested in and then use our grant funds to try and develop programs and opportuni- ties to meet some of those interests." For more information, and to register for the conversation and lunch, contact Julie El- more, Library Director at 812-749 -3559. Registration for lunch is requested no later than Jan. 3 in order to proper- ly prepare. CHRISTMAS PARADE TRADITION MARCHES ON Oakland City hosted a parade with post-parade hot cocoa Saturday night. This year's parade marshal was Dr. Terry Gehlhausen, who rode with his wife, Nancy. The Oakland City Good Start committee organized the parade and Christmas festivities that wrapped up in Wirth Park. Glitzy the clown makes a balloon animal. (She said she's even known as Glitzy at the IGA she works at. "It's never Linda," she said). Gemma and Wade Gonzales accept a cookie from Oakland City Good Start Member Charlotte Gray. Above: Serenity Pelley accepts a craft project from Oakland City librarians Julie Elmore and Diana Wilkinson. Right: Declan McIntyre poses with Santa after the parade Saturday night. Gibson County Commissioners approve jail funding path By Janice Barniak Gibson County Commission- ers approved an agreement to pay a bond issued through a county-created building cor- poration as a way to move for- ward on the new correctional fa- cility Dec. 7. "It's a workaround to tax leverage limitations," said county attorney Jason Spindler. Baker Tilly presented two funding options for the jail project, one with bonds only and property taxes as securi- ty on the loan, another with a $500,000 annual economic de- velopment pledge. The total jail cost would be in the neighborhood of $25.4 mil- lion, but will depend on what path commissioners and the council decide to take. "I suspect both scenarios are very workable, very doable," said Commissioner Warren Fleetwood. The vote was unanimous. "That is, unless somebody wants to donate $ 30 million to the county," joked Commission- er Mary Key. Owners' representative George Ballard told the com- missioners demolition will start on the Good Samaritan build- ing soon. That's in addition to the demolition of the Jackson Furniture building, which was originally to be the site of a new probation and pretrial services department until the cost to renovate the building was go- ing to be more than building new. That building will come down to create parking for the 7,500 -square-foot new building. Finally, the commissioners approved a temporary proba- tion department at Hart and Broadway in the former bank building, with a move-in date of approximately Dec. 17, so that the rooms currently used for that can be renovated into a hearing room and chambers for Magistrate Roman Ricker.