Author Archives: becky

UPCOMING PODCAST ABOUT GOSHEN’S COMMUNITY ORCHARD

WHEN: April 7, 2020, at noon EST

Join us as we talk with Patrick Coonan about his work creating Goshen’s Community Orchard. Patrick will explain the vision for the project and discuss how a public orchard provides opportunities to foster sustainable food practices in our community. Learn how you can participate in this amazing project that truly reflects the Good of Goshen. Hosted by the City of Goshen’s Environmental Resilience Department.

Register in advance for this podcast:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oqiNoIHFQaSZBVy5J2Qy0A

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the podcast.

NOTICE OF ADOPTION AND PURPORT OF BOND ORDINANCE

NOTICE OF DETERMINATION TO CONSTRUCT AND FINANCE ADDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS TO THE GOSHEN SEWAGE WORKS AND THE ADOPTION AND PURPORT OF THE ORDINANCE AUTHORIZING SAME

Property owners, ratepayers and other interested parties in or served or to be served by the sewage works of the City of Goshen, Indiana (“City”), are hereby notified that on February 4, 2020, the Common Council adopted Ordinance No. 5034, thereby determining to construct additions and improvements to the City’s sewage works consisting of the following projects:

  • WWTP Improvements Project consisting of upgrades to the existing facilities to improve preliminary treatment, primary treatment, secondary treatment, and sludge handling processes as well as general site improvements.
  • Lift Station Improvements consisting of upgrades to 25 of the existing lift stations throughout the City wastewater collection system. Lift station upgrades are categorized as Category 1, Category 2, and Category 3 upgrades.
  • Rock Run Sewer Improvements consisting mainly of installation of approximately 1,300 feet of 42-inch sewer generally parallel to the existing Rock Run Sewer, redirecting flow to the new sewer, and abandoning the existing sewer. Portions of the sewer alignment will pass through contaminated soils which have previously been encapsulated and special soil disposal and backfill procedures must be used.

all pursuant to plans and specifications prepared by consulting engineers of the City. (collectively,”Project”). The Project is further set forth on Exhibit A to Ordinance No. 5034.

The total estimated cost of the Project will not exceed $26,200,000. Ordinance No. 5034 further directed that the cost of the Project be financed by the issuance of revenue bonds in an amount not to exceed $26,200,000 which bonds will be payable from net revenues of the sewage works, on a parity with certain outstanding sewage works revenue bonds of the City. The bonds will be sold at a private sale to the Indiana Finance Authority or by competitive bidding, at an interest rate not to exceed 4.0% per annum, and will mature semiannually on January 1 and July 1 over a period ending no later than January 1, 2050. Copies of the plans, specifications, cost estimates and of Ordinance No. 5034 are on file in the office of the Clerk-Treasurer and are available for inspection by any interested parties during regular business hours. Objections to said project and the bonds may be filed in the time and manner provided by the Indiana Code, Title 36, Article 9, Chapter 23.

Dated this 13th day of February, 2020.

/s/ Adam Scharf
Clerk-Treasurer, City of Goshen, Indiana

REVISED DATES FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LUNCHEONS

All details from our previous post on our upcoming environmental luncheons are correct except that we have switched the presenters for each date. Matt Meersman, Director of the Saint Joseph River Basin Commission, will be presenting on Tuesday, February 25th, and Carrie Tauscher, State Community and Urban Forest Coordinator, will be speaking on Tuesday, March 3rd.

The original post can be found here.

Enterprise Holdings Foundation Donates $30,000 to City of Goshen for Community Orchard Project

The City of Goshen has been awarded a $30,000 Community Resilience Grant through the Arbor Day Foundation with corporate sponsorship from Enterprise Holdings Foundation. The grant funds are to be used for the creation of a community orchard at Abshire Park.

The initial idea for a community orchard was raised by Patrick Coonan, a Goshen resident and urban forager who would like to see Goshen residents take advantage of more of the fruit and nut crops growing around us. He presented the idea of an orchard to the Goshen Park Board in 2018, and the Goshen Park Department began the work to envision space for such a project. “The idea behind a community orchard is to create a gathering space where Goshen residents can discover new types of edible fruit and nuts, learn how to care for these plants, and share in the harvest,” says Coonan.

In the spring of 2019 a grant application was submitted to the Arbor Day Foundation for funding to build Goshen’s first community orchard. In October, the funding was confirmed, and an initial planting event with volunteers from the Goshen community and from Enterprise Holdings Foundation is scheduled at Abshire Park for November 25.

The Abshire Park location was chosen for several reasons, beyond the fact that there is ample space for the orchard. The cabin at the park has a fully functional kitchen which can be used for food processing and demonstration events. The park is also a trail head for the Pumpkinvine Bike Route, and is a major thoroughfare for bike routes throughout Goshen.

Keona Koster, Program Coordinator for the Arbor Day Foundation, said, “Goshen’s community orchard project was highly rated by our teams in components including the resilience story, community engagement, connection to a larger plan, impact, and imagination.” Enterprise Holdings Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Enterprise Holdings, which, through its regional subsidiaries, operates the Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental and Alamo Rent A Car brands. In 2018 Enterprise Holdings Foundation provided a $2 million investment for the Arbor Day Foundation’s Urban Tree Initiative, which furthers the Enterprise commitment to support communities now and into the future.

The orchard will include native plants like paw paw and persimmon trees, beech plum bushes and elderberry shrubs, along with some more familiar plants like apples, pears, cherries and blueberries. Next spring, more exotic plants that are suited to our climate in northern Indiana will be added to the mix. Seaberry plants dotted with bright orange berries will form a colorful hedge along the southern entrance of the orchard. Honeyberry, blueberry and currant plants will be incorporated throughout the orchard. Hazelnut shrubs, chestnut trees, Korean pines will add edible nuts to the mix. The plantings will count towards Goshen’s urban tree canopy goal of 45% by 2045, will sequester carbon dioxide, will serve as a point of community interaction, and will provide nutritious foods over time.

The project has brought together many different individuals and groups from the community and beyond, including Memorial High School (Elkhart) students, Horizon Education Alliance, Luke Gascho (a local food forest experiementer), Trees For Goshen, the Community Orchard Project, the Community Resilience Guild, the Goshen Parks and Recreation Department, and many volunteers who will help plant trees.

JULY STORMWATER TOOLBOX NEWSLETTER

In this month’s Newsletter read about how Indiana’s stormwater regulations have only changed once since August 2003 and yet they are a way to keep America the Beautiful, beautiful. Lean about the beautiful and beastly sides of fireworks. Lastly, read about the 11 times the Elkhart River has reached minor flood stage since October 2007, and how you can use a free, online tool called My RainReady, to help determine the potential flooding risks for your property.

#GoshenStormwater #OnlyRainDownTheDrain #FloodReady #ElkhartRiver

https://goshenindiana.org/media/uploads/0/6641_July-2019-Stormwater-Toolbox-Newsletter.pdf

MAIN STREET TRAFFIC STUDY TO END EARLY

The City initiated a traffic study on Main Street to see how four-way stops at Clinton, Washington and Jefferson would impact traffic now that the City has taken control of Main Street. The study began on May 1st and was expected to continue until May 31st.

The vast majority of the feedback the City has received has been from pedestrians as they are very concerned about their safety during this study and have found it more difficult to cross Main Street with the four-way stops. Vehicles are not stopping for pedestrians and are not looking out for them when moving through Main Street. The comments that we have received from motorists have been mostly positive stating that they find it easier to get around downtown and it seems more motorists are moving to Third Street to get through downtown.

Due to the pedestrian concerns, we will be ending the study earlier than originally proposed. The study will end tomorrow, May 14th, at approximately 9am by returning the traffic signals to their normal function at Clinton, Washington and Jefferson. There will likely be further studies in the future once Main Street is reduced from four-lane to two-lane and additional pedestrian improvements can be made.

PREPARING FOR MELTING SNOW

Historically, this time of year is when Goshen experiences the most flooding events. The city has accumulated a fair amount of snow that will equate to approximately an inch of water as it melts. With the rising temperatures this weekend and early next week, we will see a good deal of melting and the water will be looking for a place to go. Luckily there is not a substantial amount of rain expected but any that does fall will add to the melted snow totals.  

At this point, city crews are working to clear storm drains but many are still covered. In addition, the ground is frozen and will not soak up any additional moisture. The city is monitoring the situation in hopes of avoiding any flooding. In an effort to be proactive, the Street Department has sandbags available this afternoon for any Goshen residents who may need them and they will be available throughout the weekend, as well.

Keep an eye on the City of Goshen, Indiana facebook page and our website at goshenindiana.org for any updates regarding the weather and further preparations in the event of flooding.

Sincerely,
Mayor Jeremy Stutsman

WINTER WEATHER STORMWATER TIP

The sleet and snow falling this morning have created icy conditions on our local roadways, sidewalks, and driveways. As you deal with these icy conditions please consider the impact salt and sand can have on the local environment, both plant life and water quality. Keep in mind these simple tips:

– Pre-treat pavement with a small amount of liquid deicer.

– Remove snow before it becomes ice or use a scraper or metal shovel to remove the ice.

– If the pavement is too cold (less than 15°F) rock salt will not work and alternatives like sand or birdseed for traction or other deicers like magnesium chloride or calcium chloride can be used.

– Use only the amount of salt and sand you need and sweep up any extra.

For more information visit http://bit.ly/winter-sand.

TODAY’S SNOW EVENT

City Street Department crews are working hard to clear the roadways in response to this morning’s weather event. We are asking for the community’s assistance and support in two ways as we continue our work:

  1. Use extra caution as many roadways may be more narrow than usual. There are many streets still lined with leaves along the curb line and the plows are unable to clear the snow to the curbs in these areas.
  2. Keep storm drains clear. Drains covered with leaves and now snow prevent water from entering and subsequently lead to standing water in the roadways. As temperatures drop again this evening, any standing water is likely to freeze causing additional hazards for tomorrow morning.

Winter weather has definitely arrived and we thank you in advance for helping us and using extra caution while clean up is underway.

4TH OF JULY REMINDERS

Due to the 4th of July holiday, and to prevent as much confusion as possible, the City of Goshen and Borden WasteAway wish to remind residents that the garbage collection schedule for July 4, 5 and 6 will be delayed by one day. For example, the normal Wednesday route will be collected on Thursday, etc. Normal collection schedules will resume on Monday, July 9, 2018.

Independence Day is observed by Goshen’s City and Utility employees, and all offices are closed on Wednesday, July 4. Offices will re-open on Thursday, July 5 at normally scheduled times.

As the fireworks displays continue for the Independence Day celebration, it is important that Goshen residents be aware of fireworks regulations. A local city ordinance was adopted in 2007 at the urging of residents concerned about neighborhood safety and noise. Regulation is controlled by parameters imposed in state legislation.

Consumer fireworks are allowed by state legislation and local ordinance from 5:00 p.m. until two hours after sunset (or until approximately 11:20 p.m.) thru July 9, except July 4 they are allowed from 10:00 a.m. until 12:00 midnight. Any other times require Board of Works approval and must be on real estate owned by a government entity. Fines for violations may be up to $500 per incident. To report a violation of the fireworks ordinance, citizens are welcome to call the non-emergency dispatch phone number—533.4151. The caller must supply an exact address of where the violation is occurring in order for a police officer to respond effectively to the call.

Fireworks NOT limited to certain dates and times by local ordinance include dipped sticks or wire sparklers. However, total pyrotechnic composition may not exceed 100 grams/item and chlorate or perchlorate salts may not exceed 5 grams/item. Other items NOT regulated by local ordinance include cylindrical or cone fountains, illuminating torches, wheels, ground spinners, flitter sparklers, snakes or glow worms, smoke devices and trick noisemakers (i.e. party poppers, booby traps, snappers, trick matches, cigarette loads).

Local regulations apply to “consumer fireworks” as defined in state statutes. Such fireworks include certain small ground or aerial devices designed to produce visible and/or audible effects by combustion. They are required to comply with the construction, chemical composition and labeling regulations of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission under 16CFR1507. Ground devices (firecrackers, salutes and chasers) are limited to 50 milligrams of explosive composition. Aerial devices (sky rockets, missile type rockets, helicopters or spinners, roman candles, mines and shells) are limited to 130 milligrams of explosive composition. Larger devices are not allowed under local ordinance and require state permitting.