Silver Lake Council Discusses Rumor Of Wabash Valley Mfg. Leaving Town
November 6, 2020 at 2:55 a.m.
Silver Lake Council Discusses Rumor Of Wabash Valley Mfg. Leaving Town
By Amanda Bridgman-
Wabash Valley Manufacturing has been an employer at 505 E. Main St., Silver Lake, for decades, changing hands and production throughout that time. Murfin told the council one concern they should have on their radar is that he heard Wabash Valley employees were told on Monday that the company is going to Alabama and closing. According to Murfin, the employees he heard from said they were told they’d get severance pay so long as they stayed around until they got laid off.
A representative to speak on behalf of Wabash Valley wasn’t available by the time this news had come to light at Silver Lake’s council meeting, but a check on the state website doesn’t show Wabash Valley as having filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice.
Wabash Valley manufactures mostly coated patio furniture, and according to their website, employs roughly 165 people. Murfin speculated that most of the employees are from Silver Lake and the surrounding communities.
The council briefly wondered aloud if perhaps they could link up with Kosciusko Economic Development Corp. to figure something out, if Wabash Valley does leave.
Also Thursday, the council approved for Town Clerk-Treasurer Tonya Conley to turn in a bill for $28,339.37 to be reimbursed through the CARES Act Fund. The CARES Act Fund provides relief and reimbursement for any COVID-19-related expenses the town has had to spend. For Silver Lake, that includes the purchase of webcams for online classes, safety equipment for the fire department, professional cleaning after voting, and Conley said she’ll try to turn in a claim for public safety payroll that would reimburse the town one-fourth of the pay for two police officers. Conley said after this claim, she will only have $1,000 left in the fund.
The council also approved to sign a contract with KEDCO to help facilitate capturing a facade grant to spruce up the downtown businesses.
Painting of the fire hydrants in town will begin on Monday, weather permitting, and no plans were set for Santa Claus to come to town amid the pandemic. The council tossed around some ideas for Santa, but didn’t settle on anything.
The next Silver Lake Town Council meeting is 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at Town Hall.
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Wabash Valley Manufacturing has been an employer at 505 E. Main St., Silver Lake, for decades, changing hands and production throughout that time. Murfin told the council one concern they should have on their radar is that he heard Wabash Valley employees were told on Monday that the company is going to Alabama and closing. According to Murfin, the employees he heard from said they were told they’d get severance pay so long as they stayed around until they got laid off.
A representative to speak on behalf of Wabash Valley wasn’t available by the time this news had come to light at Silver Lake’s council meeting, but a check on the state website doesn’t show Wabash Valley as having filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice.
Wabash Valley manufactures mostly coated patio furniture, and according to their website, employs roughly 165 people. Murfin speculated that most of the employees are from Silver Lake and the surrounding communities.
The council briefly wondered aloud if perhaps they could link up with Kosciusko Economic Development Corp. to figure something out, if Wabash Valley does leave.
Also Thursday, the council approved for Town Clerk-Treasurer Tonya Conley to turn in a bill for $28,339.37 to be reimbursed through the CARES Act Fund. The CARES Act Fund provides relief and reimbursement for any COVID-19-related expenses the town has had to spend. For Silver Lake, that includes the purchase of webcams for online classes, safety equipment for the fire department, professional cleaning after voting, and Conley said she’ll try to turn in a claim for public safety payroll that would reimburse the town one-fourth of the pay for two police officers. Conley said after this claim, she will only have $1,000 left in the fund.
The council also approved to sign a contract with KEDCO to help facilitate capturing a facade grant to spruce up the downtown businesses.
Painting of the fire hydrants in town will begin on Monday, weather permitting, and no plans were set for Santa Claus to come to town amid the pandemic. The council tossed around some ideas for Santa, but didn’t settle on anything.
The next Silver Lake Town Council meeting is 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at Town Hall.
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