The Press-Dispatch
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A-2 Wednesday, February 5, 2014 The Press-Dispatch Pike Central Vocational Welding students took the top five places at the Region 4 Skills USA Welding Con- test at Vincennes Universi- ty on Saturday, Feb. 1. Six students competed, with senior Dakota Lee plac- ing first. Dakota received a tuition scholarship for one semester in a college of technology program at Vin- cennes University. Placing second was For- est Park senior Wes Weyer. Placing third was Pike Cen- tral senior Jesse Bush. Plac- ing fourth was Northeast Dubois junior Trey Foltz. Placing fifth was Northeast Dubois senior Wayne Betz. The top five students from each region will advance to the state competition at the Walker Career Center in In- dianapolis on March 14-15. The state winner will repre- sent Indiana at the national competition during the last week in June in Kansas City, Mo. Students were evaluated on the following: • 151-question welding theory written test; • S.M.A.W. process to do a vertical "V" groove butt joint using a E7018 elec- trode for the root, fill, and cover pass; • G.T.A.W. process to do a horizontal square groove butt joint; and • G.M.A.W. process to do a flat tee joint, lap joint and a square groove butt joint. Left to right: Jesse Bush, Wayne Betz, Trey Foltz, Wes Weyer, and Dakota Lee. Photo Submitted PC Welders sweep competion at Vincennes 260 W. Main St., Petersburg (Next to Petersburg Vet Clinic) 812-354-3331 We accept most insurances! DR. RAMSEY'S VISION CENTER fAShION f r a M e S One Year WarrantY On Frames! evening and saturday appointments available. See our large selection of DEFENDING YOUR CHOICE to go barefoot in winter. 354-3433 Benner & Co. Heating & air Conditioning 905 Vincennes Ave. Petersburg Your total energy efficiency professionals Stay comfortable inside, no matter what happens outside. Call Benner & Co. today! The state-of-the-art Bryant ® Evolution ® 98m furnace provides quiet, even heating to keep your home warm in even the harshest of temperatures. The Evolution ® Extreme heat pump provides amazing heating savings that can keep you and your budget comfortable all year long. He said there are two ways to control that. One is to use development stan- dards and the other is zon- ing. Lake said Dan Zeurn- er, of Gorman, is a develop- er who has built and devel- oped "flex" buildings. "Ten years ago they would have been called spec buildings," said Lake. He said Gorman's model has been successful in other rural communities. Lake said he hopes to be able to set up a meeting with Zeurner to explain the proj- ect to area officials. Lake said one of the benefits of using the Gorman group is they put up a lot of their own capital, so they want to see the project be successful and kept moving forward. Lake also told the com- missioners the Pike Growth Council is in the process of trying to set up a region- al partnership with sever- al counties in the northern part of southwestern Indi- ana. He said the state of Indi- ana development officials "started whispering" about 18 months ago that they on- ly wanted to work with re- gional development groups instead of individual county groups. He said it wasn't fea- sible for Pike County to get involved with some of the ar- ea regional groups because of monetary demands to be a member. Lake said they have been working with the state to see if they would be will- ing to work with a regional partnership and they have agreed they will. The other area Lake dis- cussed was a Youth Technol- ogy Center. "We have a na- tionally recognized STEM program at Pike Central with students who are get- ting patents, creating prod- ucts and teaching college courses." "We hope to have a place where they can start a busi- ness and get going with the idea. Once they get going, they will move out and set up on their own," said Lake. The Technology Center was part of the Stellar Com- munities Project, but they are trying to establish it without the Stellar Commu- nities support. Growth Council Presi- dent Joe Henson asked the commissioners if it was okay with them to do some pre- liminary designing of an in- dustrial plant by having a drawing put on a map. "Absolutely," said Com- missioner President Brian Davis. Commissioner Jeff Nel- son said since the Redevel- opment Commission was es- tablished, there seems to be confusion about the roles of the Growth Council and Re- development Commission. "It is the growth council's role to go out and knock on doors and promote the area. I feel like it is the redevelop- ment commissioner role to create the TIF Zone to help you," said Nelson. "I see it as we go knock on doors and when we get one open, then we need you guys to tell us what kind of support is available," said Henson. Henson also asked the commissioner about getting zoning established in the ar- ea of the I-69 interchange. County Attorney Val Fleig said zoning county- wide would have to be es- tablished by a planning com- mission and approved by the commissioners. However, Fleig said zoning had been defeated on two prior times and the planning commis- sion was now defunct. Henson said before any- one makes a large invest- ment they are going to want to have control of the area with some type of zoning. Fleig said the City of Pe- tersburg could zone up two miles beyond their borders, which would reach I-69. Ambulance response time cut in half EMS Director Chris Young gave a summary 2013 report to commissioners. He said after averaging the 1,258 runs in 2012 and 1,279 runs made in 2013, the average response time had been cut in half. Young said response time in 2013 was reduced to nine minutes, compared to 18 in 2012. Young said the reduced response was due to the two ambulance bases, one in Pe- tersburg and one in Arthur. "When you have an aver- age time of 45 minutes from the scene to the hospital, that time can be critical," said Young. The county now has a paramedic crew 24-7 at both ambulance bases. He added the care provid- ed by the ambulance crews is important because of the 45 minute time to reach the hospital. "The service we are providing to the people of the county can at times be the difference between life and death," said Young. Young also provided in- formation about the amount collected by the EMS since 2007. It increased from $107,241 steadily to $264,624 in 2011 and then jumped to $548,533 in 2012 and $426,206 in 2013. "So you collect a little more than half what you bill," asked Commissioner Nelson. Young said much of that is because insurance billing is allowed to write off that per- centage and it is not nego- tiable. He also said the Med- icaid payout rates have not changed since 1996. So they are only paying a portion of the amount billed. Young told the commis- sioners the county spent $ 33,213.42 for repairs on their ambulance fleet. A 1996 ambulance had $ 9,034 in repairs and a 2003 had $10,864 in repairs. Young suggested the county look at using a fleet plan and pay for the ambulances in pay- ments over three years to try and reduce the mainte- nance costs. In other business, the commissioners approved of moving the Patoka 1 voting place to the Glezen Revival Center's Life Center. The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m., Mon- day, February 17 ect, with the city agreeing to cover the difference if it costs more. Following Monday's vote, Lewis asked Coleman if he had heard anything more from the county regarding the remaining $ 800,000. "I haven't heard anything else from them," Coleman said. "I will make contact with the county this week and let them know we've de- cided on a route." City Attorney Brian Ma- honey asked if the city should proceed with ob- taining the necessary ease- ments. "That's part of it, find- ing the route so we could write the easement descrip- tions," Bullock replied. "Re- ally, they've authorized us to complete the plans up un- til basically the bidding pro- cess. But obtaining the ease- ments is going to be the next critical step." "Once we've prepared the easement documents, then we go back to the county and say we're ready to move," Coleman said. "So we wouldn't get them from the landowners? " Ma- honey asked. "I wouldn't think we'd start getting those until it was all approved from the county," city codes enforce- ment officer R.C. Klipsch said. "You could be wasting your time and effort...if the county says they're not go- ing to fund it." Coleman asked Bullock to let him know when he had completed the preliminary engineering. "I'll update the commis- sioners this week, let them know where we're at," Cole- man said. H Sewer extension Continued from page 1 being challenged by Marie Boyd (R). Also in Patoka Township, Democrat incumbent pa- tricia Willis is being chal- lenged by Joseph Melhis- er (R). Candidates who so far are running unopposed are: Au- ditor Ron Wilson (R), Dis- trict 2 Commissioner Brian Davis (R), District 1 County Councilman Randall Harris (R), District 2 County Coun- cilman Gregory Mangin (R), Recorder Jody Hoover (D), Sheriff Jeremy Britton (D), and Prosecutor Darrin McDonald. McDonald is an two-term incumbent but this time he is running as an in- dependent instead of on the Republican ticket. State candidateS Shuffling poSitionS State Senator Lindel Hume's retirement from the District 48 seat is caus- ing a shuffling of races. Dis- trict 63 State Representative Mark Messmer is running for Hume's open seat. He is being challenged in the pri- mary by Ted Metzger on the Republican ticket and in the general election by Demo- crat Dubois County Com- missioner Larry Vollmer. Messmer's open District 63 seat is being sought by Republicans Mike Braun and Richard Moss. Incumbents Ron Bacon (R) District 75 and Thomas Washburne District 64 so far are unchallenged. At the federal level, in- cumbent Eighth District Congressman Larry Buc- shon is being challenged in the primary by Andrew T. McNeil. On the Democrat side, William Byrk and Tom Spangler are vying for their party's nomination. So far only Democrats have filed to be Precinct Committeemen. They are Jennifer Dedman, Win- slow; Tammy Selby Peters- burg 2; Shirley VanMeter, Petersburg 4;Tom Hensler Sr., Washington 3; Richard Ridao, Jefferson 1; Brian Maxwell, Jefferson 2: Car- olyn Weikamp, Monroe; Bruce Barr, Patoka 2; Sha- ron Booth, Petersburg 3; Sherry Howard, Madison; Fran Lewis, Petersburg 1 and Richard Bush, Marion. Township Advisory Board candidates to file are: Marvie Flint (R) Wash- ington; Loretta Whitehead (D) Jefferson; Berniece Luk- er (D) Lockhart; Leo Oxley (R), and William Caldemey- er (D) Lockhart; Michael Western (R) Madison, Da- vid Ice (R) Madison; Elaine Barrett (D) Monroe, Tracy Evans (R) Marion and Dan- ny De Jarnett (D) Patoka; Rodney Dixon (R) Patoka; Richard Tisdale (D) Pato- ka; Todd Dorsey (D) Madi- son; Rita Williams (D) Mon- roe; Jeff Harting (R) Wash- ington; Jerry Traylor (D) Jefferson and Ivan Mason, Jr., (D) Monroe. H Candidates Continued from page 1 H Commissioners, growth council discuss future of county Continued from page 1 1040 Form U.S. Individual Income Tax Return Celebrating 20 Years of Service THACKER TAX SERVICE 704 E. Haub Street Haubstadt, IN 47639 (99) IRS Use Only—Do not write or staple in this space. 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