NORTH MANCHESTER – Town Council decided to put its support behind the Women, Infants and Children clinic of North Manchester in order to save it from closing. The WIC program provides mothers with milk and food for their children. For the state to keep offices running at their full potential, a clinic should be serving at least 1,000 in a county, the North Manchester Town Council heard Wednesday. Currently, there are two clinics in Wabash County and the clinic in North Manchester was slated for closure. However, town council decided Wednesday that the town’s clinic should stay. “The alternative would have left nearly two hundred mothers without this clinic’s services,” said councilman James Smith. The next location nearest North Manchester, the Wabash clinic, would be too far for these families to receive the assistance they needed, he said. A new Local Option Income Tax fund has been created for the Public Safety Department. This will not raise taxes or affect the current budget. The money is already part of the town budget and will only be used by the Public Safety Services for the purchase of necessary equipment. The Park Department Master plan has been set into motion. This business had been left unfinished the month prior. Restoration throughout the community has already been invested in and there are more grants that would have to be used within the next five to 10 years. There is a total of $12,200 that could be used toward a project of North Manchester’s choosing. A specific project decision has yet to come. There is a strong possibility of receiving lighted stop signs in the North Manchester area. It is still being debated whether these would run on battery or solar energy. A raised crosswalk on Center Street has also been proposed. The crosswalk would lead to the park where many children play year round. If it does happen, a speed limit change would possibly follow. Thomas Dale told the rest of the board, “We have to keep the kids safe.” It was decided unanimously to invest in the project. The United Methodist Church was granted permission to expand. The church has had a desire to build a kitchen for its congregation, but many feared this add-on would extend into the adjacent alley. The way they plan to build the kitchen would not allow it to extend into the alley, but a canopy would be over the east portion. This will not be a problem, they claim. There will be enough space for loading and unloading vehicles in this area and will still leave enough room to drive through. Because this does not hinder the alley, the town council voted in favor of the request. Manchester University will host its annual Fourth of July celebration and fireworks Saturday. The event starts at 7 pm. There will be live music, activities for kids and food sold by local foundations. The fireworks are scheduled to start at 10 pm.
