SYRACUSE -ÊA resolution was passed by the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce to make a comprehensive plan for the Wawasee Village their emphasis for 1999.

"This officially sets it up as our plan," chamber President Tim Yeager said.

The resolution states the village needs to be planned because over the past 50 years there has been no planning. The traffic in the village causes congestion as well as unsafe driving conditions. In the resolution, the chamber also noted that the efforts by the city and state to modify Ind. 13 and intersections have not met with community acceptance. Information in the resolution says the community has made it clear that a new design is needed to correct the problems.

Yeager said Thursday the planning for the village could result in a bigger plan in the future for the town.

"There is some support by town government for a comprehensive town plan," he said. "We're focusing on the village here but what it could lead to is a much larger (plan)."

A community planning committee, including town board members, will be formed according to the resolution and will survey community needs and formulate a preliminary design plan. The preliminary design plan will be used to raise money for further design work as well as to increase public awareness.

The needs and interests of the community will take priority over state and federal requirements. The chamber will ask for exceptions if there are any needs that don't fit state and federal requirements.

The overall plan will be comprehensive and the scope of the plan will not be limited by time frame concerns.

"This is going to set the tone for what we're going to be doing in the next several months," Yeager said.

In other business, the chamber approved, by a vote of 7 to 3, a recommendation that the Syracuse Town Council approve the Economic Development Income Tax.

EDIT is an income tax that can be used only for infrastructure. The town council, Yeager said, is expected to approve EDIT at its Feb. 16 meeting.

There are two ways the money could come back to the town, he said. The first way is based on population. Syracuse would receive about $150,000 a year by population. The other way is based on assessed valuation. Syracuse could receive $250,000 if the county determines how much the town receives based on assessed valuation.

"The benefits for this are rather obvious," Yeager said.

Kim Lahman said, "As a board member of KDI, I can say we are going to support the EDIT tax, but we're not going to lead the charge. We got burned last time because of that. Warsaw is taking the charge this time."

Attorney David Cates was opposed to recommending EDIT to the town council.

"My understanding," Cates said, "is that there is no specific plan for spending the money."

He said he doesn't want to support anything if he doesn't know where the money is going.

Yeager suggested the chamber publicize where they thought the money should go if EDIT is approved.

Sue Rathke, Syracuse Elementary teacher, approached the chamber about the school's LINK program.

"The LINK program stands for linking industry to kids," she said.

Currently, Dana Corp. employees tutor fourth- and fifth-graders at the elementary school from 3:15 to 4:15 p.m. The students are bused to Dana Corp. and their parents pick them up.

"I would like to expand that," Rathke said. "We'd like some help. We have many students who would like to be tutored after school."

She said there are many benefits to the program. One benefit is the connection the Dana employees made with the students.

"I think it's an opportunity for those who have small or big businesses," she said.

The tutoring is school-related. Many Dana employees use relationship building to show the children how what they are learning in school applies to their jobs. Wawasee School Corp. Superintendent Mark Stock said Dekko Technology is doing a similar program with North Webster School, and Chore-Time Brock employees are working with Milford School.

"We only do it when school is in session," Rathke said.

A child must get parental permission to be involved in the program. Parents, the industry employee and the child all meet before the tutoring begins. Teachers send a packet with the students on what the tutors need to help the students work on.

"You're not left alone as to what to tutor," she said.

Also, recently 49 license branches throughout Indiana, including the one in Syracuse, were proposed to be closed in the next few years.

Yeager said the chamber acted quickly to protest the closing of the Syracuse branch. He said they sent letters opposing the closing to state Sen. Bob Meeks, Rep. Dave Wolkins, other representatives adjacent to the area, the town council, the Wawasee School Corp., the Wawasee Property Association and several others. A letter was received back from Wolkins acknowledging the chamber's concern.

Yeager said it is an approximate 36-mile round trip to Warsaw if the state closes the Syracuse branch. Gov. Frank O'Bannon said he would not approve the closings, Yeager said, but the chamber will keep a close eye on the situation. [[In-content Ad]]