Looking back

2009: Great strides in education, infrastructure; and extreme governmental belt tightening.

by Kevin Lilly

While the federal government bailed out banks and automakers and distributed stimulus money throughout the country, area residents experienced their own struggles, sorrows and triumphs.

Over the last 365 days, local officials dealt with loss in tax revenue that forced them to cut services, charge for others and consider laying off employees. As many as 10 Logansport firefighters were nearly laid off, which prompted an outpouring of support from the community.

In his state of the city address in January, Mayor Mike Fincher predicted radical changes in the way local government operates due to deep budget cuts mandated by the state. Fincher blamed property tax reform for why Logansport residents will begin paying for trash pickup next year and government employees may lose benefits and possibly their jobs.

But, not all was negative in 2009.

Contractors working on the Ivy Tech Community College rallied to overcome a natural gas explosion in August that rocked the 81,000-square-foot building at the corner of Morgan Hill Road and U.S. 35. The blast severely burned one victim but did not cause any structural damage to the building.

According to Kevin Bostic, vice chancellor and dean, the new campus will open for classes on Jan. 11.

Bostic, who replaced the retired Dan Hockney in April, called 2009 “positive and rewarding,” especially because the new campus came just in time to handle the influx of students enrolling in the two-year college.

For the fall of 2009, Ivy Tech Logansport experienced a 68 percent increase in enrollment over the previous fall semester. The significant jump created class scheduling issues at its current storefront location on East Market Street, Bostic said.

So far for spring 2010 semester, 1,289 students have enrolled, including 50 percent more full-time students than last spring. The dean expects enrollment to exceed 1,300 by Monday’s registration deadline. The upward trends are something the college predicts will continue.

“We’re very positive about the future of Ivy Tech and Logansport,” Bostic said.

Besides the city’s new higher education facility, the final segment of the Hoosier Heartland Corridor is progressing toward Logansport from Lafayette. The $65 million project remains fully funded and on schedule to be travel ready by 2013, according to officials.

The Indiana Department of Transportation conducted public meetings in Delphi and Logansport to inform residents of the highway’s path and how land will be acquired.

After months of delays, construction began on a 150,000-square-foot Walmart supercenter on Mall Road between the mall and High Street. The store, which is scheduled to open around September, should create more than 100 new jobs while employing about 300 workers.

In January, Logansport and Cass County combined their two respective dispatch centers to save money by eliminating duplication of services, but the merger revealed that officials on the 911 governing board have not been able to get along.

Issues involving the Logansport Police Department’s records management system and its compatibility with central dispatching software remain unresolved, which has reduced the time police officers patrol city streets. Board chairman Ron Miller has since resigned because he did not feel the merger was possible any longer.

Negotiations on establishing fire territories has Logansport firefighters concerned about their jobs in 2010, and residents in effected townships concerned about a tax hike. A fire territory would shift a portion of the cost to operating a full-time fire department to townships outside Logansport, where LFD regularly responds to calls for service. A breakdown in negotiations could result in Logansport only sending the minimum assistance of one man and one tanker outside the city limits and the loss of jobs.

The city of Logansport received the designation of one of the nation’s Preserve America Communities, which means the city will be eligible for Preserve America grants, recognition by state tourism offices and listing in a Web-based directory that showcases heritage tourism destinations.

Early in the year, the city and county received $2.2 million of the required $4.5 million for widening Chase Road. Officials have applied for additional federal funding. Not everyone is thrilled about a proposed roundabout at the intersection of Davis Road but project designers say it would be safer and more economical. One home will have to be demolished to accommodate the widening.

Waldenbooks in the Logansport Mall closed despite an outpouring of local support.

New property owners of the former children’s home decided to demolish the 142-year-old building due to cost of renovations exceeding $1 million. For several months, the county commissioners attempted to give the building away. Investors purchased the property, which includes a newer building, at a cost of $5,000.

A breach of security at Heartland Payment Systems, a national payment processor, compromised the accounts of thousands of local credit and debit card holders. The cards had to be canceled to ensure protection of personal information.

A severe ice storm crippled the area, as did floods last winter.

The bank in Burnettsville was robbed with police later arresting a suspect.

Local schools, health departments and pork producers had to deal with outbreaks and misconceptions of the H1N1 flu virus.

A fisherman in September found human remains in the Wabash River near the Cass/Carroll county line. Officials have yet to identify who they belong to.

In March, Kokomo police arrested a Logansport police officer for stealing Blue Ray DVDs from Target. Russell Bushaw, a 21-year police veteran, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor theft. He was sentenced to four days in jail, 60 days on in-home detention and a year of unsupervised probation. The crime cost Bushaw his job but because of his years of service, he received his pension.

Also in March, Logansport teens Coty Fultz and Jacob Fry broke into the gun shop, Downham & Sons Shooters Supplies, and stole several handguns. The pair has since been convicted in federal court. Only some of the guns have been recovered, one as far away as Washington, D.C.

Local manufacturers like Small Parts laid off workers as a recession took hold of the country. Companies such as Carlisle Brake & Fiction announced their closing. Hundreds of workers have been displaced in Cass County, but Skip Kuker, president of the Logansport-Cass County Economic Development Foundation, remains optimistic.

“Recessions do end,” he said.

In Kuker’s opinion, he believes Logansport and Cass County has weathered the storm fairly well compared to other communities.

“We’ve continued to diversify and hold our own,” he said. “There are positives but not as good as you want them to be.”

In speaking with local, hard-hit manufacturers recently, Kuker learned there are more orders coming in.

“They see some light, but it’s still a very tentative time,” he said.

In October, Tinnerman Connection Engineering announced that it had been sold to French-based A Raymond. The new ownership is expected to be good for the local facility, said Mike Englert, Tinnerman’s Logansport plant manager.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered Logansport Municipal Utilities to address violations of the federal Clean Air Act and state pollution control requirements due to its coal-burning operation.

Cass County prosecutor Kevin Enyeart decided not to file criminal charges in the September 2008 bus crash that claimed the lives of four elementary students from the Twin Lakes School Corporation.

Galveston residents battled the town board most of the year over enforcement of ordinances regarding unsafe buildings and unsightly properties, including a property owned by board member John Zook.

In 2009, the Logansport-Cass County Public Library board decided to spend more than $800,000 in renovations, which include removing the central staircase and shelving, as well as adding a new computer lab and an outdoor seating area. Completion for the project is set for June 1.

Trails in the area made headway. The segment of the Panhandle Pathway between Star City and Winamac was completed. In Logansport, design work began on the Eel River Run trail, a proposed 2.4-mile pathway that would eventually connect Little Turtle Waterway to the existing River Bluff Trail and Riverside Park across the Eel River. On extension of the Little Turtle Waterway trail to 18th Street, the city successfully sued to access land owned by Transco for environmental studies.

The city of Logansport received a $500,000 grant to improve the Fourth Street corridor.

Local officials traveled to Japan and a Japanese delegation visited Logansport.

Fundraising efforts got under way for a new Cass County animal shelter.

The federal cash for clunkers program sent many local residents to dealerships to replace their “clunkers” with new vehicles.

A work release center opened at 520 High St. in September. The facility is intended to prevent offenders from getting into further trouble. They must participate in programs for addiction and better decision making prior to being freed.

Federal regulations that require cities to cut their combined sewer overflow could lead Logansport to make improvements with an estimated cost of $71 million.

Several cougar sightings in Cass and White counties this year prompted the Department of Natural Resources to investigate. No proof of the large cats has been discovered.

Authorities in Missouri have charged 54-year-old David Russell Hosier, the son of an Indiana State trooper killed in the line of duty, with double homicide in Jefferson City.

In May, the Pharos-Tribune redesigned its look and switched to a morning publication.

Cass County officials began looking into the possibility of tapping into wind power as a wind farm was constructed in White County. They hired a consultant to conduct a study to determine the county’s potential to produce energy from wind.

All three Southeastern School Corp. buildings, Caston and the Greensfelder Building in Logansport underwent major renovations.

The city and county completed comprehensive plans that will give direction to both entities for the next 20 years.

• Kevin Lilly is news editor of the Pharos-Tribune. He can be reached at 574-732-5117 or kevin.lilly@pharostribune.com.

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