The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/596385
A-2 Front Wednesday, November 4, 2015 The Press-Dispatch Continued from page 1 BURN BAN CHRISTMAS OPEN HOUSE Sat., Nov. 7 • 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. 718 E. Main St., Petersburg 812-677-3787 Join us for our New merchandise added! BOGO SALE BUY 1,GET 1 1/2 OFF excluding consignments Door Prizes • Refreshments ALL IN-HOUSE ITEMS Christmas Open hOuse Saturday, Nov. 7 • 9am - 5pm Marge's Shop 716 Main St. 354-9372 Petersburg Regular Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 9-5; Fri. 9-6; Sat. 9-6 • Scarves • Holiday Signs • Recipe Books • Photo and Wedding Albums • Libs Candy • Willow Tree • Precious Moments • Jim Shore • Puzzles • Assorted Santas and Snowmen • Jelly Belly Candies • Boxed Christmas Cards • Gift Wrap and Accessories • Unique Accessory Bags for Jewelry, Phone, Misc. Items Free Gift Wrapping with Purchase Free Gift with $25 Purchase Limit 1 per customer Save 50% to 75% on select seasonal and everyday items. New arrivals special offers: DRAWINGS & REFRESHMENTS 2015 mary's aNgel #28 parks. A violation of the city's open burning on private residential property ordi- nance is subject to a fine of $50, which each day the nui- sance continues deemed a separate offense. "The City of Petersburg shall also have the power, instead of, or in addition to, the $50.00 fine, to abate such a nuisance ... by bring- ing a civil action to enjoin the violation," the ordinance states. Baumgart said that if any- one had any questions about any of the city's ordinance, a link to the Indiana Regional 15 Planning Commission's website – where the city's or- dinances are posted – can be found on the City of Peters- burg's web page. "I'm afraid we've got some issues that need some attention," Klipsch told Baumgart. "I saw one today I was going to call you about. I think it would be good to have a little education on what you can and cannot burn. You don't have to look very far." "I think it's probably pret- ty important that the public knows that they can go to the Petersburg website, which will link them to the city or- dinances," council member John Melhiser said. "I know so many of them don't know what they are." CITY TO APPLY FOR MAIN STREET COMMUNITY STATUS In other business, Ash- ley Willis, executive direc- tor of the Pike County Eco- nomic Growth and Devel- opment Council, presented the city council with a writ- ten monthly report for Sep- tember. "It just explains what I've been up to and some proj- ects we've been working on," said Willis, who was hired in June. "We're toss- ing around some ideas, but, right now, I'm really just meeting with people just to get a better idea and under- standing of the shape that Pike County's in and ways that we can help it. We are working to be more pro-ac- tive with our development. We're very excited." Willis said that she and Pike County Chamber of Commerce executive direc- tor Leslie Tegmeyer were working with Klipsch and others to get Petersburg cer- tified as a Main Street Com- munity by the Indiana Office of Rural and Community A f- fairs (OCR A). "We're working on that," Klipsch acknowledged. "That is a designation that we really must have to be el- igible for any OCR A grants. As a matter of fact, no one has ever won a Stellar award that wasn't a Main Street Community. They didn't tell us that, but now we know that. There's a lot of good that can come from that, and we're working on that." Klipsch said that retired State Farm Insurance agent Jim Pell had taken the lead on the city's Main Street Community application pro- cess at the beginning of the year. "That's one thing I really wanted to get done this year, and here we are closing the year out, but we're getting closer," Klipsch said. Klipsch said that a meet- ing will be held on Thurs- day, Nov. 12, regarding the city's pursuit of designation as a Main Street Communi- ty. "I think we have the name, we have our by-laws, we have our mission state- ment and we're forming a not-for-profit corporation, all of these things that are requirements," Klipsch said. Klipsch said that he had called OCR A the previous week for any additional guid- ance the agency could pro- vide. "We really need a little help just to kind of push this over the edge, so that when I'm asked if we're a Main Street Community, my an- swer can be yes, for lots of reasons, but particularly funding with OCR A grants," Klipsch said. Klipsch said that there will be several committees that will be set up as part of an effort to get more people involved. "We dumped that one on her and Leslie – we have no problems finding jobs for these girls – but I'd re- ally like to see this group take ownership in that pro- gram and not just the may- or," Klipsch said. "The idea is to get a lot more people on board. I really think we can and I think a lot of good can come from that." "I know that whenever the time comes ... if you all are interested in volunteer- ing, we'd love to have more help," Willis said. "This is definitely a team sport. The city, the county, we can't do it alone. We're all very excit- ed and eager for new things to happen, we have to have good people like you to help us get those things done." "And we will be recruit- ing," Klipsch added. "Yes," Willis replied. "Be ready." CLEAN-UP UNDERWAY FOR BURNED DUPLEX Klipsch also informed the city council that the Board of Public Works and Safety had held a special-called meet- ing on Tuesday, Oct. 27, to review bids submitted for the demolition and clean-up of a burned out duplex on South 6th Street. The board, Klipsch said, had awarded the contract to the lowest bidder, Tony Camp, who began work on the project on Friday, Oct. 30. "The contract was dated on the 29th of October and it has to be completed with- in 30 days," Klipsch said. "I expect it before then. I was down there earlier and he was working on it and the neighbors are all pretty hap- py about that. So we're gain- ing on that project." Klipsch also reported that, despite advertising for bids for the sale of property located at 308 South Ninth Street – which had been do- nated to the city by Wells Fargo – for a second time, the city did not receive any bids. "I have an interested par- ty who is still not happy with the way it's appraised," Klipsch said. "They have been in there and looked at it a couple of times and, ap- parently, there's some sig- nificant roof damage and there's even a concern that there might be water down into the furnace. So there's some uncertainty when you take on a project like that as you can just spend as much as you want. So they're just deciding what they want to do." Klipsch said that the in- terested party had recent- ly visited Pike County As- sessor Mike Goodpaster to discuss the property's ap- praised value. "It's obviously assessed a little high for the condi- tion it's in," Klipsch said. "They'll probably have that reassessed." "Quite honestly, we're a little disappointed," Klipsch added. "I'd hoped we could get it done and get it sold be- fore bad weather, but we're probably not going to make it." Klipsch said that, after discussing the matter with the city's attorney, Brian Mahoney, that he would like- ly post a "for sale" sign at the property to attempt to gen- erate interest. "But even if somebody does come in and express an interest in it, like Brian says, we must advertise it again for two weeks and start the process over," Klipsch said. "It will sell," Klipsch add- ed. "It depends who's inter- ested in it for what purpose – to flip it, to rent it or to live in it. At any rate, unfortu- nately, at this point, I don't have any good information about that, and I'll continue to work on that." Baumgart reported that Halloween proved to be "un- eventful" as far as the police department was concerned. "Which is always good," Baumgart added. "The kids had a good time. I know there was a lot of them out there." HORRALL WANTS COUNTY JAIL TO BE MARIJUANA DISTRIBUTION CENTER Petersburg resident Max Horrall appeared before the council to request that the city consider authorizing a distribution center for mari- juana cigarettes. "If you would consider it, the tax revenue from the dis- tribution center would be 30 percent, and the way I have arranged things, 10 percent would go to the property tax- payers of Pike County and 20 percent to the distribu- tion center," Horrall said. Horrall told the council that he was the only indi- vidual in Indiana that is cur- rently approved for the dis- tribution of marijuana ciga- rettes, which Baumgart con- firmed. "I'm trying to get arrange- ments in seven counties, and Pike, Knox, Gibson and Da- viess are the first ones on the list," Horrall said. "The distribution center would be able to distribute to the De- partment of Revenue in Indi- ana immediately and to Col- orado dispensaries. The tax on delivery is $ 3.50 a gram, so anything that goes to Col- orado, you'd get 30 percent of it there." Horrall said that the most secure location for a mari- juana cigarette distribution center in Pike County was the Pike County Detention Center. "The county would prob- ably have to deed you the county jail and move the sheriff's (department) to Pike Central," Horrall said. "That way, Pike Central could get involved in the cultivation process, and the students would be a little bit more secure if you had the sheriff's office located in the same building. Of course, that'd be a little burdensome on the chief of police to be moving into the county jail." "That'd be okay with me," Baumgart said. "You'd have to supervise the distribution to Colorado and the Department of Cor- rections," Horrall said. Klipsch said that Horrall had explained his plan to him during the city's clean- up earlier in October, when city workers helped remove junk from Horrall's proper- ty. "I remember telling Max, in the states where it's legal now, Colorado and Califor- nia, as more states come on board, it would really be in- teresting, one of these days, if people went back and said, 'You know, Max might have had something there,'" Klipsch said. "The trick is, if you abide by the federal rules, the state has to be okay with it," Horrall said. "I, unfortunate- ly, have been familiar with it. I have been supervising the cultivation of marijuana in Indiana for the last 10 years and I have paid a tax to the Department of Revenue for that privilege." "Max," Baumgart asked, "where would that location be? " A fter a short pause, Hor- rall replied, "I have three." "And those locations? " Baumgart asked. Horrall gave Baumgart two addresses, including one in Vincennes. "You've got one more," Baumgart reminded him. "202 South 1st," Horrall replied. "I can find that one," Baumgart said. "Are you finished, Max? " Klipsch asked. "I think I've said a little too much," Horrall replied. The County Treasurer's Office will be open from 8 a.m.-noon on Saturday, No- vember 7 and have extend- ed hours beginning Thurs- day, November 5 for taxpay- ers to make their November payment before the Tuesday, November 10 deadline. Any taxes not paid by the deadline will be subject to a five percent penalty if it is paid within 30 days after No- vember 10. A fter December 10, the penalty will increase to 10 percent. Statements, with coupons for each installment, were mailed out in April 2015, and taxpayers should bring those coupons with them if they come to the office to pay. They should also be in- cluded with mailed in pay- ments, otherwise the tax- payer could be subject to a re-print fee. "Due to the huge vol- ume of mail and office traf- fic during a collection peri- od, we ask that you please be patient with us. We will not process any mail until after Nov. 10, 2015. It could take two to three weeks for us to return your paid receipts, or your check to clear, but as long as they are postmarked no later than Nov. 10, 2015, you will not be charged ad- ditional penalties," said Pike County Treasurer Marta Query. Query said they will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Tuesday, Novem- ber 10. "We will also be open on Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon." Payments may be made by mail, or in person, with a check, cash, or money or- der. The Clerk's Office is now accepting credit/deb- it cards ( Visa, Mastercard and Discover) in the office or over the phone (812-354- 6363). A convenience fee of 2.95 percent will be as- sessed to each credit/deb- it card transaction (a mini- mum of $2.95 for all transac- tions under $100). "We ask that you do not wait until No- vember 10 for phone credit card payments, as we may not be able to answer every call," said Query. Second installment of taxes due November 10 Boyd escapes injury in Sunday crash Jason Boyd escaped injury in a early Sunday morning crash near White Oak, but he was arrested af- ter police went to his home following the wreck. Above, Pike County Deputy Sheriff Buck Seger looks in- to Boyd's car that crashed into a deep ditch and hit a tree head-on. It was reported at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday.