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Alternative School director Laura Helm watches as students (from left) Dylan Walls, Lindy Miller, Austin Lester, Braxton Conlee and Kara Fugate look at their gifts from the Wabash Kiwanis Club. Photo by Joseph Slacian

 

By Joseph Slacian

 

Students in the Wabash City Schools Alternative School program received presents on Thursday, Dec. 17, as the school’s first semester was drawing to a close.

 

“There’s a local group called the Kiwanis Club,” Liz Hobbs, director of The Access Youth Center told the students. “It does all kinds of community projects. What they wanted to do was encourage you guys and congratulate you guys for completing the first semester of school.

 

“They also wanted to encourage you to continue and to let you know that we’re all very proud of you. It’s not just Laura (Helm, the alternative school’s director) and I, but we’re all very proud of you for all the hard work you do.”

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Nancy Snyder hugs one of the many children she’s met during her time as the Wabash Carnegie Public Library children’s librarian on Friday, Dec. 11, during the library’s open house and good-bye party. Snyder officially retired this month after serving 34 years at the library. Photo provided

 

By Emma Rausch

 

The Wabash Carnegie Public Library rededicated its children’s room as The Tilman-Snyder Children’s Room on Friday, Dec. 11, in honor of retiring Children’s Librarian Nancy Snyder.

 

Approximately 37 guests were in attendance at Snyder’s retirement party at the Women’s Clubhouse as the library board surprised her with the announcement.

 

Originally, the room was dedicated as The Della Tilman Children’s Room after Della Tilman, the facility’s head librarian from 1923-1969 who was an important and influential person during that time, according to Library Director Ware Wimberly III.

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Breaking ground for the second phase of the Charley Creek Inn building project are (from left) Brent Martin and Jeff Kumfer of SRKM Architecture; Steve Downs and Shelby McLaughlin of Wabash Marketplace Inc., Mayor Bob Vanlandingham, Kevin Berger of Easterday Construction, Dan Ford of the Charley Creek Foundation, Howard Kaler, Charley Creek Inn general manager, Christine Flohr of Visit Wabash County, and Mark Noble of the Charley Creek Inn. Photo by Joseph Slacian

 

By Joseph Slacian

 

Ground was broken on Wednesday, Dec. 16, for the second phase of a building project at the Charley Creek Inn.

 

The first phase involved the demolition of a building immediately south of the Inn on Miami Street.

 

The demolition took place over the summer, and there was minimal disruption of travel through the downtown area.

 

The second phase involves an expansion of the existing building at the site of the former Smith Furniture building.

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By Joseph Slacian

 

Wabash City Court is in the process of obtaining a new CSI (Computer Systems, Inc.) Case Management System.

 

City Court Judge Tim Roberts made a presentation to the Wabash City Council on Monday, Dec. 14, to discuss the need for the new system. Under an Indiana Supreme Court order, the council, along with the mayor and the judge must approve seeking the new system before a State Court Administration Panel ultimately decides it upon.

 

The current Keystone system, Roberts said, precedes his time in office, which has been 12 years.

 

“Some of the problems we’ve had, and these go back, to my knowledge, at least 10 years, is that it doesn’t break out the costs and so forth,” he told the Council. “The system has some glitches in it. Because of that, the State Board of Accounts has required us to keep a separate, hand written spreadsheet."

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By Joseph Slacian

 

Wabash airport to get fiber communications

Metronet received a $40,000 grant from the City of Wabash to extend fiber communications infrastructure to the Wabash Municipal Airport.

The funds will come from the city’s share of the County Economic Development Income Tax (CEDIT).

 

Officials at the Lutheran Air Helicopter hangar have wanted fiber at the site, City Attorney Doug Lehman said.

 

“The city checked with Metronet, and unfortunately it is not economically feasible to run fiber down there, based on the number of customers that are likely to connect to it, without some kind of incentive or assistance,” he said. “So the mayor has decided to use funds from his special projects CEDIT money, which is for economic development.

 

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All-inclusive park
In another matter, the board unanimously approved a contract for the design of the all-inclusive park. The park, to be located at the John Drook Memorial Skate Park on Carroll Street, is part of the Stellar Community Grant.

“The city allocated $200,000 in June of this year,” according to Rachel Uthe, a landscape architect with American Structurepoint who is serving as the city’s spokesman for the Stellar program. “There will be a remainder of about $38,000 left of that $200,000.”

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By Emma Rausch

 

In a 7-0 vote, the Wabash County Council denied appropriation of funds to pay the Wabash County Health Department’s legal fees accrued in 2015.

 

The local health department’s officials requested $15,000 to be transferred out of the Strengthening Public Health Accreditation fund to pay attorney Larry Thrush for legal service fees in issues related to the Local Health Maintenance Fund, according to Mike Ridenour, council chairman.

 

“So (these are) invoices for services provided to (the health department) resulting (from the council) moving money from the Local Health Maintenance to County Health,” Ridenour explained.

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By Joseph Slacian

 

Two Wabash businesses received 10-year tax abatements on Monday, Dec. 14, from the Wabash City Council.

 

Owens Corning (formerly Thermafiber) received two abatements, while Troxel Equipment received one.

 

The Owens Corning measure was a bit out of the ordinary, for one of the abatements was for work that had already been done at the Mill Street plant. Because of that, a public hearing was needed before the Council could consider the abatement.

 

“The reason we’re having this hearing is to talk about a tax abatement request that came in on a project that was done prior to the tax abatement application,” attorney Joel Stein told the Council.

 

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By Joseph Slacian

 

The Wabash City Council reappointed Bill Konyha and Matt Bruss to three-year terms on the Wabash City Schools board during the Council’s Dec. 14 meeting.

 

“The Council would like to thank those who took of their time to meet with us,” said Council member Joan Haag, the liaison between the Council and the Wabash City Schools Board. “It was a very informative exchange, and we’re grateful for all the input.”

 

Konyha and Bruss were selected from a field of six candidates. Also seeking the appointments were Liz Hobbs, Kirk Short, Candy Russell and Justin Wilcox.

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