Wilden Avenue will be closed to thru traffic between Rock Run Creek and Main Street / State Road 15 starting this Monday, March 20, until September for road construction. Traffic will be detoured on Indiana Avenue/CR 21 to CR 26 to Main Street/State Road 15.

The project involves rebuilding and improving the roadway, including replacing underground utilities. For more information, see the Wilden Avenue project page: https://goshenindiana.org/wilden-avenue

The City of Goshen will close South 8th Street between East Plymouth Avenue and East Jackson Street from Tuesday morning, March 14, to Thursday afternoon, March 16, to allow the Water & Sewer Department to replace a sewer lateral.

The City of Goshen Fire Department will test the city’s tornado sirens Tuesday, March 14 between 10 and 10:30 a.m. as part of an annual statewide test of communications systems.

While the drill will be sent using live TOR EAS coding (Tornado Warning), it is only a test, and will be postponed to Wednesday, March 15 if weather conditions warrant.

March 12-18, 2023 is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Indiana.

As part of NWS efforts to build a Weather Ready Nation, the goal of Severe Weather Preparedness Week is to better educate people about the hazards of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, and to help everyone be prepared when severe weather occurs.

The City of Goshen will host an open-house Public Flood Awareness meeting on Thursday, March 16, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., at Schrock Pavilion, Shanklin Park.

This will be a drop-in event to talk with representatives from various City departments, as well as with other county and regional organizations. The conversation will cover flood issues and information about the Lower Elkhart River Project. Food will be provided.

Minor flooding in and around Goshen over the past weeks has reminded us of the historic flooding of 2018. Since late February of this year, floodwater has spilled into the lowest portions of Goshen’s floodplains – spaces occupied primarily by public park land, such as Rogers Park, Abshire Park, Shanklin Park, and Mullet Park.

The major difference between 2018 and 2023 is that five years ago the temperatures were quite cold before a warm-up, with frost in the ground, and several inches of snow above; rain on top of melting snow, on top of the frozen ground meant that waterways were quickly inundated. This year, the ground hasn’t been frozen, and more precipitation has been able to infiltrate, resulting in lower flood levels.

In Goshen, natural floodplains have performed very well.  For hundreds, and even thousands of years, the constant flow of water have formed the floodplains along our waterways, and are the natural overflow when volume exceeds river- and streambeds. Floodplains allow water to “slow down, spread out, and soak in”, essential actions for dealing with flood events.

The Indiana Climate Change Impact Assessment from Purdue University projects increasing precipitation in Northern Indiana over the coming decades (https://ag.purdue.edu/indianaclimate/indiana-climate-report).

The projections show this increase to be most dramatic during the late-winter and early-spring months – as currently – which indicates a potential for more flood events to occur. The Public Flood Awareness meeting will be an opportunity to hear what actions the City has been taking to mitigate and adapt to flood issues, to revisit the City’s Flood Resilience Plan, and to give input.

The City of Goshen Fire Department will test the city’s tornado sirens Tuesday, March 14 between 10 and 10:30 a.m. as part of an annual statewide test of communications systems.

March 12-18, 2023 is Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Indiana.

The City of Goshen Tree Board is preparing for a 2024 calendar promoting our tree canopy benefits, and is soliciting works from local artists and photographers, both students and adults. The published calendar will contain selected images combined with text provided by the City forester. Selection of images to be published will be by the City forester with input from the tree board.

Application deadline is June 1, 2023.

Read the full submission information at https://goshenindiana.org/events-&-activities

Work continues on the public utility improvements for the East College Avenue Industrial Park. In order to allow the installation of a new water main, County Road 31 will be closed to through traffic, from County Road 36 (College Avenue) to County Road 38 (Kercher Road) starting tomorrow, March 2, 2023, and will remain closed to through traffic until October 2023.

Due to poor pavement conditions and continuing construction activities, College Avenue will remain closed to through traffic from Century Drive to County Road 31.

It is expected that College Avenue will reopen to through traffic by July 20, 2023.

Roads closed to through traffic will remain open to local traffic, so those living and working along these roads can access their destinations.

Flood awareness and preparation are important in a community with chronic flooding, such as Goshen, as is working with our partners to positively impact the rivers and streams we live with.

This drop-in event on Thursday, March 16 from 4:20 to 6:30 p.m. will discuss aspects of Goshen’s Flood Resilience Plan and will be a chance to give input on water quality and quantity issues in the lower Elkhart River area. The open house will be at Schrock Pavilion, Shanklin Park, 411 W. Plymouth Ave. Food will be provided.

Various City of Goshen departments will be represented, along with the Elkhart County Soil and Water Conservation District, the St. Joseph River Basin Commission, and the Elkhart River Restoration Association.

To learn more about our flood plan and the Lower Elkhart River Project, visit goshenindiana.org/flood-zone.

Goshen Parks and Recreation Department is considering starting a Table Tennis league on Thursday evenings at Schrock Pavilion with additional evenings being a possibility after the league begins.

Interested? Share your thoughts by taking this short survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LP8BHJV

Your feedback is appreciated!

Please share your ideas! Survey closes Feb. 19, 2023.

The City of Goshen will begin collecting drop-off recycling in April. Recycling is essential to waste reduction and helps grow our local economy. The site will be located on Indiana Avenue, just north of the railroad tracks. Please take a moment and help name the site.

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/recycling_drop