Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
Replacement of bridge 267 on East Wawasee Drive, Syracuse, will tentatively begin after Labor Day, Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent and Engineer Rob Ladson told the county commissioners Tuesday.
The foundation of the current bridge is deteriorating. The new bridge will have a concrete structure and will be the same height as the current bridge. Ladson said the replacement bridge should have a lifespan of 80 to 100 years.
Ladson said he already received a permit for construction in a floodway by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources. He is still awaiting the necessary permit from the Army Corps. of Engineers, and less than 0.03 acres of a right-of-way will need to be purchased from two separate landowners.
No cost estimate was available.
In other business:
• Tom Sherron, representing KABS, asked the county commissioners to sign the KABS letter of intent for their preliminary request for 2001 funds from the Indiana Department of Transportation. The official fund request will be presented to the commissioners at their August meeting.
The funding will provide capital and operational expenses for KABS. Sherron said the operational expenses request is less than 5 percent more than last year. However, the request for capital funds is "fairly significant," he said, because KABS needs to replace three buses and improve their roofing. No county money will be needed.
County commissioner president Brad Jackson signed the request.
Also approved was the letter of de-obligation of Transit Grant funds for KABS for $27,042 and $44,771.
• Harold Barker was approved to serve on the Pierceton and Washington Township Library Board.
• County administrator Ron Robinson had Jackson sign the contracts for the Justice Building expansion project construction with the construction company, Weigand, of Fort Wayne. The commissioners previously approved the contract and their attorney has approved it.
Kosciusko County commissioners are Brad Jackson, Eddie Creighton and Avis Gunter. They meet every other Tuesday at 9 a.m. in the county courthouse.
'Relay For Life' Cancer Fund-Raiser A Personal Experience For Many
BY DAVID SLONE, Times-Union Staff Writer
No plans for the weekend?
Want to have fun and support a good cause?
Relay For Life, a team event to raise money to fight cancer, will be from 8 a.m. Saturday until 8 a.m. Sunday at the Kosciusko County 4-H Fairgrounds.
Registration is at 8 a.m. Saturday with opening ceremonies at 9 a.m. Kosciusko County Queen Shiloh Butler will participate in the opening ceremonies.
At 9 p.m. Saturday, the luminary ceremony will take place. The ceremony recognizes people who lost their lives to cancer or are battling cancer. During the luminary ceremony, a list of the names of those who died of cancer or are battling the disease will be read.
Relay for Life teams are composed of individuals representing businesses, families, churches, schools, clubs, friends and organizations. Team members take turns walking or running around the track for 24 hours. The teams pitch tents, have food and games and enjoy the entertainment.
Participants collect donations for the American Cancer Society to support programs, services and research.
There are approximately 30 to 35 teams participating this year. While it is too late to form a team for the relay, Relay co-chairman Tammy Cotton said people can still participate.
Teams will have their fund-raisers throughout the day.
Kosciusko Community Hospital is sponsoring free skin screening Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. The American Red Cross also will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday to take blood donations.
There will be entertainment throughout the entire 24-hour period.
Each team will have its own campsite, each with its own theme.
Radio station Wawasee 103 will be at the event for the entire 24 hours.
There will be a volleyball tournament that anyone can participate in, with prizes awarded. Each team needs six persons.
No teams are necessary for frisbee golf, which will be open to the public. If you don't like golf, there will be a limbo contest as well as karaoke.
If you get hungry, there will be shaved ice, popcorn and hot dogs. While eating, a person can enjoy a movie on the big screen television.
Sunday there will be a sunrise service from 5 to 6 a.m. A pancake breakfast will be from 6 to 8 a.m. and is a free-will donation. Relay For Life team awards will be given during the breakfast.
"Relay For Life is a personal experience," said Cotton. "Each participant has his or her own story of a special person battling cancer that drives their involvement in the Relay."
