The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/995930
A-2 Front Wednesday, June 20, 2018 The Press-Dispatch yeah, it's that fast! net edition Z M www.PressDispatch.net/Subscribe The Press-Dispatch. No matter where you live. CITY COUNCIL Continued from page 1 SUNDAY, JUNE 24 11 a.m. ....... Community-Wide Church Service. Otwell Community Center. Presented by Southeastern Pike County Ministerial Association. Free-Will Offering Lunch to follow. SUNDAY, JULY 1 7 p.m. ......... Little Miss Firecracker Contest $3 General Admission/Under 6 Free. Comm. Center Gym WEDNESDAY, JULY 4 10 a.m. ....... Annual parade through Otwell 11 a.m. Grounds, Midway and Rides Open BBQ Chicken or Rib Dinners available at lunch only 1 p.m. ......... Firecracker Baby Contest Newborn to 5 Years Old $2 General Admission/Under 6 Free. Comm. Center Gym 2 p.m. ......... Children's Pedal Pull 7 p.m. ......... Firecracker Truck and Tractor Pulls OVTPA, Hot Farm, ITPA, Truck Classes: 4WD Pro Stock Diesel, 4WD Pro Stock Gas and 4WD Super Stock Gas Gates open at 4 p.m. $25 Hook Fee, NO Double Hook Admission: $10 adults/ages 6-12 $5/under 6 free DARK .......... Fireworks THURSDAY, JULY 5 4 p.m. ......... Grounds and Rides Open. Free Arena admission tonight 7 p.m. ......... Garden Tractor Pull. Free admission. Concession stand open during the pull FRIDAY, JULY 6 4 p.m. ......... Grounds, Midway and Rides Open 7 p.m. ......... Firecracker Truck and Tractor Pulls Classes: 12,000 lbs. (14 MPH), 12,000 lbs. (10 MPH), 2WD Trucks (5,800 lbs), 11,000 lbs. (Open). Gates open at 4 p.m. $25 Hook Fee, NO Double Hook Admission: $8 adults/ages 6-12 $5/under 6 free SATURDAY, JULY 7 4 p.m. ......... Grounds, Midway and Rides Open 10 a.m. ....... Firecracker Volleyball Tournament 6-on-6 Co-Ed Double Elimination. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Cost is $15/player. 7 p.m. ......... Firecracker Truck and Tractor Pull Outlaw Truck: DOT tires, 26" hitch, open drive-line, diesel. Tractor Classes: 11,500 Pro Farm (3,000 RPM), 12,000 lbs. (14 MPH), 12,000 lbs. (10 MPH), 11,000 lbs. (Open). Gates open at 4 p.m. $25 Hook Fee, NO Double Hook Admission: $8 adults/ages 6-12 $5/under 6 free Jefferson Twp. Ruritan - Otwell For information, registrations or schedules, go to our Facebook: Otwell 4th of July Celebration Twitter: Otwell 4th of July 2018 OTWELL RURITAN RIDE BRACELETS ONLY $20 July 6 & 7 from 4-10 p.m. only Number of tickets vary by ride. 22 tickets for $20 or individual tickets are $1.25 each MIDWAY Food Concessions Hamburgers, Cheeseburgers, Fish Sandwiches, Hot Dogs, Coney Dogs, Curly Fries, Cold Drinks and more Lemonade Stand Ruritan Homemade Ice Cream (Pie and cake available July 4 only) Christina Hernandez Wilmer Navarete Prado Oscar Ibarra Najera Erik Tadeo By Andy Heuring Four people were arrested on cocaine and meth related charges after they were stopped for speeding on I-69 at about 2 a.m. Tuesday. Christina Marie Hernandez, 32, of 4906 W. Regent St., Indianapolis, Wilmer Prado, 23, of 6759 Buick Dr., Indianapolis, Oscar Ibarra Najera, 21, of 612 Waterview, Indi- anapolis, and Erik Tadeo, 31, of the same address, were all arrested on preliminary charges of possession of cocaine; posses- sion of methamphetamine; maintaining a common nuisance and possession of para- phernalia. Pike County Deputy Sheriff Jason McK- inney said he stopped a northbound car go- ing 87 mph on I-69 near the 47-mile mark- er. He said when he approached the vehi- cle and asked the male driver, later identi- fied as Oscar Ibarra Najera, for his license, Najera looked to his front seat passenger, Christina Hernandez. Hernandez told McK- inney that Najera didn't speak English and he didn't have a driver's license, but he had a Mexican ID card. Hernandez told Deputy McKinney she and Najera both lived in Indianapolis and had gone to pick up one of the backseat pas- sengers in Louisville, but she didn't know his name. According to McKinney's report, she said she had a driver's license, but her eyes were hurting so she asked Najera to drive. McKinney said the two rear seat pas- sengers both said they did not have IDs on them. Deputy McKinney said State Trooper C.J. Boeckman arrived to assist and did a search of the vehicle. McKinney's report stated when Boeckman began searching the ve- hicle on the front passenger section of the car, Hernandez became "very nervous" and started talking in Spanish to Oscar. The report states Trooper Boeckman asked Deputy McKinney to come to the ve- hicle and showed him a large amount of cash in the purse they found. McKinney's report states Hernandez said it wasn't all hers. She added her father had given her some of it. Later, she told police she owned a roofing company and made $5,000 a day. However, McKinney said when he asked her the name of the company, she said she didn't own it any more. Trooper Boeckman also found a clear plastic baggie with a white powder in it. The report states Hernandez said it would probably test positive for cocaine. They lat- er found a makeup case in the glovebox that had another baggie in it that contained a white powdery substance and a dollar bill with white powder on it. McKinney's report said both baggies field tested positive for cocaine. In the hatch area behind the backseat, po- lice found a glass pipe with a burned residue that field tested positive for meth. McKin- ney said all four of the occupants denied any knowledge of any of the substances found. McKinney said an inventory of the mon- ey found 22 $100 bills, two $50 bills, 54 $20 bills, two $5 bills and five $1 bills totaling $ 3,395. All four people were transported to the Pike County Jail. Speeding stop leads to arrest of four on drug charges Atkins in Pike Co. jail, charged with dealing meth at Petersburg Little League Field By Andy Heuring A Birdseye man previously arrested on dealing meth charges at the Petersburg Lit- tle League Park was arraigned last week in Dubois County on a murder charge. Jason Atkins, 40, of 16 E. Second St., Bird- seye, has been housed in the Pike County Jail since his March arrest on a $ 350,000, 10 percent bond. However, last week, he was arraigned in Dubois Circuit Court on charg- es of murder and aggravated battery, a lev- el 3 felony. The charges are in connection with the murder of Darin Atkins, who was found dead in his trailer on July 19, 2017, near Birdseye. According to a preliminary report from the Dubois County Coroner, Atkins had died from a closed head injury inflicted by a large, blunt object, and it was ruled a ho- micide. Sarah K. Andry, 41, of Eckerty, was arrested on similar charges. Dubois County officials did not file the murder charges on Atkins and Andry un- til last week. Jason Atkins was arrested on dealing meth charges in Pike County on March 9 by Petersburg Police Cpl. Jared Simmons after police conducted a controlled buy at the Petersburg Little League Park. Accord- ing to police reports, they watched as an un- dercover agent purchased two baggies con- taining 1.9 grams of a crystal substance that field tested positive for meth. When police stopped the van that met with their agent, they found Atkins and Jason McMickle, 40, of Taswell. Both had $100 in $20 bills that matched the buy money given to the under- cover agent. Atkins arraigned on Dubois Co. murder charge development." "So that would almost double our capaci- ty right now, as far as what we can deliver? " Klipsch asked. "In the maximum day situation, yes," Rose replied. The project also includes $163,000 for a new raw water transmission main connect- ing the new, high-capacity well to the water treatment plant, and $1,073,700 for a new 750,000 -gallon elevated water storage tank along Hwy. 61, on the eastern side of I-69. In addition, the project includes $ 838,600 in water distribution system improvements. "Alford Road, Riverwood (Drive) and Main Street are the main projects that we are proposing," Rose said. "In addition to that, we are proposing to replace 720 wa- ter meters." Rose noted that the 720 water meters would replace approximately one-half of the city's existing water meters. "The meters that you have are over 15 years old," Rose said. "The useful life of those is about 15 years. I really don't rec- ommend any longer than that. What hap- pens is, as they get older, they under-reg- ister flows and, of course, it contributes to your water loss." The proposed project also includes $ 395,000 to rehabilitate and recoat the city's east side tank and $ 642,000 to rehabilitate and recoat the city's Hornady Park tank. "Similar as meters, water tanks typically need to be re-habbed every 15 years, or at least re-painted, re-coated, so, again, you're past those time frames," Rose said. "The more you let those deteriorate, typically you see higher costs on that end as well." Klipsch agreed. "You can drive by the water tower on (Hwy.) 57 and you can tell our days are num- bered there," Klipsch said. "We don't want to structurally lose anything, but we can still do this and maintain that storage tank." Also included in the project is $58,000 for the decommissioning and demolition of the current water treatment facility. "With the poor condition that it's in – the walls are showing signs of cracking – that could potentially be a hazard if that build- ing was left in place," Rose said. In addition, the project includes $158,000 for implementation of an asset management plan. "Basically, what that means is, we would obtain GPS software for the city, in addition to two rugged laptops and a desktop com- puter with two monitors, and basically do a data collection inventory of the entire wa- ter and wastewater facilities assets that the city has," Rose said. "That would allow city personnel to easily access all the utility re- cords for the City of Petersburg." The preliminary engineering report notes that the city currently has $1,531,100 in outstanding debt from water bonds is- sued in 2000 and 2011 and proposed roll- ing that – along with $283,300 in interest during construction and a $20,000 fee to the Indiana Bond Bank – into a 40 -year bond issue of $11,368,500 at an interest rate of 2.375 percent. According to the preliminary engineer- ing report, the gross monthly payment for the proposed bond issue would be $ 36,711 per month. Rose told the council that the average wa- ter bill for 4,000 gallons per month – which is currently approximately $22 per month – would have to be increased to approximate- ly $ 30. USDA Rural Development representa- tive Mike Straw subsequently informed the council that it was unlikely that the city would receive grant funding for the project. "Just two examples of close by us – we brought the rates down for Pike/Gibson Wa- ter to $ 34, and Daviess Water, we brought the rates down with grant dollars to about $ 39," Straw said. "So if what Clint is saying holds, the possibility of grant dollars doesn't look promising, based on that." "Based upon our current rates? " Klipsch asked. "Well, no – based on what we brought the rates down with grant dollars for these sys- tems that are close to you guys," Straw said. "I'm not saying it's out of the question. I just don't know whether we can go much below $ 34 a month on that. But the interest rate right now – 2.375 percent over a 40 -year pe- riod – that's still pretty favorable, if it was all loan." Straw recommended that city officials talk to Umbaugh's Deen Rogers about the possibility of passing along part of the rate increase to the Pike/Gibson Water District, which purchases water from Petersburg. "I'm not sure how much of the water tow- er, but the plant – a certain percentage of the plant – and if that water tower helps the Pike/Gibson people, maybe you could pass that cost through the rates that you charge them, for the debt service," Straw said. Klipsch said that he was disappointed to learn that the city may not be able to obtain grant funding for the project. "And that's primarily because our rates are so low? " Klipsch said. "Yes, sir," Straw replied. "Absolutely it is." "In comparison to our neighbors, our rates are low," Klipsch said. "We've been benefiting from the low rates, but in this sit- uation, our low rates are hurting us as far as receiving grant money." Straw told the council that it needed to decide "real quick" whether to submit the grant application if it wanted the project funded during the current fiscal year. "I think the next step for this group is to decide if they want to re-submit the applica- tion," Klipsch agreed. "I think what Mike is doing is kind of preparing us for what the re- sults of that submission might be." "Clint told me you had a meeting tonight and I thought, well, it's better for me to come up here and just tell you in person what's go- ing on," Straw said. A motion to re-submit the grant appli- cation by council member John Melhiser, which was seconded by council member Gary Leavitt, was approved by a 5 -0 vote. In other action, the council voted to re- verse a previous decision not to meet on Monday, July 16, and voted to not meet on Monday, August 6, instead, due to an up- coming medical procedure for City Clerk Tammy Selby. The council also received a monthly re- port from Petersburg Fire Chief Ross El- more, who noted that the number of train- ing hours put in by members of the fire de- partment totaled 1,253 thus far in the first six months of 2018 – almost matching the total of 1,316 training hours the department recorded in all of 2017. "We do have some new firefighters that have went through some extra training, but I'm really happy with that number," El- more said. "It shows that everybody's par- ticipating more and putting more time into training, and training won't do anything but make us a better department." Klipsch also reported that a public vision- ing workshop for the city's 20 -year compre- hensive plan will be Tuesday, July 10, at the Main Street Presbyterian Church in Kief- er Hall from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., with a brief presentation scheduled for 5:15 p.m. The meeting will be an open house format where individuals can stop by for as little as 15 minutes to provide feedback through var- ious visioning exercises. "The development of the plan relies heav- ily on feedback and input from citizens," the press release states. "All ages, residents, business owners, and other interested par- ties are invited to attend this workshop." "Petersburg needs your help to identi- fy and prioritize goals for the future of this community," Klipsch said. "This will be the road map for our leaders and organizations to follow in the coming years." By Andy Heuring The deadline for anyone thinking about running for Winslow Town Council is quick- ly approaching. Candidates must have their petitions with signatures of four registered voters turned into the County Clerk by Mon- day, July 2. They must then complete their filing by Monday, July 16. Winslow, two years ago, voted to change their election cycle from being in a different year than the county, state and federal elec- tions. Winslow councilmen and clerk-trea- surer served four year terms and their elec- tions were in odd numbered years. Howev- er, two years ago, they decided to move the election to be at the same time as the coun- ty elections, which short-ended their terms on a one-time basis to three years. Conse- quently, they will be elected this fall in the November 6 general election. So far, only four candidates have formal- ly filed. They are incumbent Richard Brew- ster in Ward 1, Melvin Decisto in Ward 2, Michael W. Truitt and incumbent Terry Stro- bel, both in Ward 3. July 2 is filing deadline for Winslow Council seat