The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1466814
NEWS TIPS Phone: ���������������������812-354-8500 Email ����� editor@pressdispatch�net INSIDE Local ��������������� A1-B6 Yard Sale ����������A4-5 Sports �����������������B1-4 Home Life ������������C1-8 Obituaries ��������������� C3 East Gibson������������ C4 School �������������������� C5 Opinion ������������� C6-7 Church �������������� D1-3 History �������������������D4 Classifieds ���������� D5-6 USPS 604-34012 $1.00 28 PAGES Four SECTIoNS oNE INSErT PETErSBurG, IN 47567-0068 Pike County Y ard ard S ale ale Spring 2022 May 7 LADY CHARGERS DEFEAT HATCHETS 15-1 SPORTS B1 LOCAL A4 WEdNESdAy, MAy 4, 2022 PIKE PUBLISHING VoLuME 152, NuMBEr 18 See RHODES on page 6 Spring Homecoming royalty Kimmie Truitt was crowned Pike Central's first ever Spring Homecoming Queen on Friday. She is escorted by Peyton Howald. Truitt is the daughter of Brandon and Amanda Truitt, of Winslow. See more photos on page A--. Commissioners discuss more detours and COVID update By Sherri Sebella The Pike County Commissioners met brief- ly on Monday to discuss proposed detours and a recent spike in COVID numbers. According to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), there are two un- official detours on local roads in Pike County where they will be doing a bridge replacement on State Road 65, over Branch Hardin Creek. The first detour will be from State Road 65 turning south on County Road 775W, then turning east on 225N, turning north on 700W back to State Road 65. The second detour will be from State Road 65, turning west on County Road 300 North on 900W, then east on State Road 56, then South on 850W, back to State Road 65. State Road 65 will be closed by INDOT for approximately 20 -26 days. INDOT will set up and maintain the necessary traffic control for the Official Detour route or arrange with oth- ers to furnish the necessary items. INDOT has agreed to reimburse Pike Coun- ty for costs related to damage repair on the listed unofficial detour. Reimbursable work must be approved by INDOT prior to the com- pletion of any work and all reimbursable ex- penses must be documented. Commission- ers approved the unofficial detour in an unan- imous vote 3-0. In COVID related matters, Pike County Nurse Amy Gladish who said there has been a small increase in COVID cases in Pike Coun- ty. Active COVID cases in Pike County cur- rently total nine. Gladish also said the Health Department has received $ 66,840, as a second reimbursement for COVID related expenses and that the Health Department did not end up needing to hire a part-time employee, since the State has done away with contact tracing. Chris Young, Pike County EMS Director, re- quested a transfer of funds from the Paramed- ic fund to the Basic EMT fund since they are using more basic personnel than paramedic personnel as of late. The Commissioners ap- proved Young's request in a unanimous vote 3-0. The Commissioners are also requesting bids for materials needed to do road resur- facing and road conversion projects award- ed by the 2022 Community Crossing Call for Projects. Bid packets can be requested from the Pike County Highway Department by con- tacting Melanie Britton at 812-354-9743 or via email at mbritton@pikecounty.in.gov. Bids will be opened by the Commissioners at the scheduled meeting being held on June 6, 2022, at 8:30 a.m. All bids must be received by 8:30 a.m. on June 6, 2022. Britton also submitted the annual operational report for local roads, streets, and bridges, to the Commissioners. The Commissioners also requested an addi- tional $5,000 into the Legal Services account to retain legal services. The meeting closed with President Mark Flint reading a letter from Courthouse em- ployee James Middleton who said he will be retiring on July 1, 2022. Middleton's last day at the Courthouse will be June 30, 2022. Flint said they will be looking for a replacement immediately and said he wanted to publically thank him for his service. The next Pike County Commissioner's meeting will be held on Monday, May 16, be- ginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Pike County Court- house. The public is encouraged to attend these meetings. More than 40 yard sales set for Saturday By Sherri Sebella Those who have a passion for hunting trea- sures at area yard sales should stop at the bank for cash Friday night. The annual Pike County Yard Sale event takes place this Saturday, throughout the county, with more than 43 yard sales regis- tered on a map inside The Press-Dispatch to- day. From northeast Petersburg to southwest Pe- tersburg, and everywhere in between, people are gathering their items for the big sales Sat- urday. Yard sales in Alford, Campbelltown, Ot- well and other communities are also taking ad- vantage of the annual event. Not only will there be dozens of yard sales to attend, but local churches will offer break- fast, such as the Jesus Christ Our Firm Foun- dation Church on Vincennes Avenue in Peters- burg, and a free pancake breakfast at First Baptist Church of Petersburg. First United Methodist Church,on Walnut Street, Petersburg will offer lunch on Satur- day, along with a bake sale and sale in the parking lot. The Church Alive on 9th Street in Peters- burg will also have a carry-out available for those who get hungry during their hunt for special deals. Chicken dinner, baked goods, and homemade lemonade will be available, along with many vendors. Weather for Saturday in Petersburg is ex- pected to be a high of 65 degrees, with a 50 percent chance of rain. New REACH system will alert residents of boil orders By Andy Heuring Petersburg City Council mem- bers talked about water line prob- lems and updates on several water and sewer projects underway during their Monday night meeting. One solution they announced is the REACH Alert system they ac- tivated. A fter numerous waterline breaks recently, forcing boil orders, Petersburg had been getting com- plaints from water customers about not knowing if there was a boil or- der on or not. So Petersburg joined an alert sys- tem to give immediate notices of boil orders and other problems through text, email or voicemail. Petersburg residents can go to www.reachalert.com and type Pe- tersburg in the prompt, then follow directions. City Services Manager Ross El- more said the city has installed pres- sure sensors and pressure release valves through the water distribu- tion system to discover what was causing the numerous water main breaks. "We have been measuring the all the pressures and flow. The flow has stabilized," said Elmore. Mayor R. C. Klipsch and Elmore said there were numerous things happening with the water system. They had problems with high pres- sure pumps at the water plant, slow start valves, and the computer op- erating systems at the plant. But he said most of the line problems start- ed when a contractor drained the north water tower to begin a com- plete rehab of it. "That day, April 9, is when the majority of those problems start- ed,' said Klipsch. Elmore said they now have the parts in and fixed several of the problems at the water plant, which has taken some stress off the sys- tem. Klipsch said the emergency wa- ter line project they acted on at an emergency meeting is in a state of flux because of several factors, in- cluding available contractors, cost and size of the project. He said the size of the project has a great deal to do with the costs. Al- so, they have a contractor who can be ready in 30 days, but the city can't be ready that fast. Another contrac- tor is not sure if he can handle the full project, and another can't be ready until Fall. Klipsch said after trying several ways to get funding for the project, that looks unlikely. So he said instead of installing a new water line from Eastwood Drive north along Highway 57 to Rolling Hills, the project may just be from the north water tower south to just past the Petersburg First Church of God, where most of the recent breaks have occurred. In a related project, Elmore said the progress of the new sewer plant Head Works building has come to a standstill. He said they keep asking when it is going to be completed but he isn't getting any answers. Klipsch said they had the engi- neering firm send a terse letter to the contractor. "We need to get a representative of theirs to attend a meeting so we can ask some questions and hold their feet to the fire," said City Coun- cilman Scott Jenkins. Klipsch said he would send them a letter and ask them to attend a meeting. Klipsch also expressed concern the new waterline installation down Main St. hasn't started yet, and he was not happy about it. The waterline has to be complet- ed before the Streetscape project be- gins, that will install new sidewalks and street lights down Main St. In other business, Klipsch said paving on the Crossroads Commu- nity paving grant projects award- ed last summer should start in mid- May. The next scheduled meeting of the Petersburg City Council is set for 6:30 p.m. Monday, May 16. City councilmen discuss water, sewer updates "…the project may just be from the north water tower south to just past the Petersburg First Church of God, where most of the recent breaks have occurred." Mayor R.C. Klipsch Lifelong resident of Petersburg, Paul Rhodes, recently went on the trip of a lifetime through the Honor Flight Program, with his daughter, Kim Runnion, as his guardian for the day. The mission of Honor Flight is to celebrate America's veterans by inviting them to share in a day of honor at our nation's memorials. Paul Rhodes takes part in Honor Flight By Sherri Sebella Lifelong resident of Petersburg, Paul Rhodes, recently went on the trip of a life- time through the Honor Flight Program. Rhodes began his service in the Navy in 1958 and was stationed aboard the USS Springfield. The USS Springfield (CL -66) was a light cruiser commissioned in 1944, and later converted to a guided-missile cruis- er serving until 1974. "I was home ported in France and worked as a signalman," Rhodes said. "I went to Turk's Island and Boston. We refurbished a ship and made it a missile cruiser. Then we went to the Virgin Islands on a government gunnery exercise. I fired the big guns there," Rhodes said with a grin. A fter getting out of the Navy, Rhodes wanted to go to submarine school, but there was no vacancy for him. It was then that a friend talked him into joining the Army. "I went to Ecuador and there was a big earth- quake that destroyed pipelines," Rhodes said. "We helped clear out the jungle and repair the pipeline." Rhodes was thrilled to take part in the Honor Flight to Washington. "I loved it," Rhodes said. "It was called off two years ago because of COVID. The best thing I saw was Tomb of the Unknown Soldier - Ar- lington National Cemetery and the Chang- ing of the Guard. Someone told me that 90 percent of those who try for the Changing of the Guard don't make it. It was a solemn ex- perience. I didn't get to see the names for the