If you’ve been curious about installing solar on your home or business, this information session is for you. Brought to you by our nonprofit partners at Solar United Neighbors (SUN), the information session will share what to consider when putting solar panels on your home, how you can benefit from solar, and what it means to go solar with the free Northern Indiana Solar and EV Charger Co-op.

Join us at 10 a.m. on Saturday, October 23, at the Rieth Interpretive Center.

Click here to view the interactive map (image above is a screenshot).

Goshen Utilities will start the fall hydrant flushing program beginning Monday October 11th, 2021, through Friday October 15th, weather permitting.

• From Monday, October 11 through Friday October 15, we will be flushing during daylight hours from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the upper pressure zone, which is everything northeast of U.S. 33 and the Norfolk Southern tracks.
• Also on Monday, October 11, we will start our night time flushing from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. between North Greene Road heading west to the city limits and between the Norfolk Southern tracks to the city limits south.
• On Tuesday, October 12, we will start flushing from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. between Cottage Avenue and 10th Street between the Norfolk Southern tracks south to the city limits, and between Lincolnway East and the Norfolk Southern tracks heading east to the city limits.
• On Wednesday October the 13, we will start flushing from 9 p.m.to 6 a.m. between Pike Street and the city limits south and between North Greene Road and Cottage Avenue.
• On Thursday October 14, from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. We will be flushing between Norfolk Southern and the city limits to the south, between North Greene Road to the city limits to the west.
• We ask that you avoid doing laundry on the day we are close to your home, due to the rust that we are removing from the water mains. If you do have a problem with your laundry, please call us and we will have some special soap for you.

If you have any questions or concerns contact our office at 574-534-5306

The City of Goshen’s trick-or-treat hours are Saturday, October 30, from 5:30 to 8 p.m.

Trick-or-treaters:

• Please be respectful of the set trick-or-treat hours.
• Stop only at homes where the porch lights are on, and never go into a stranger’s home.

Treat givers and adults:

• If you do not wish to participate in the event, please turn off your porch lights.
• Motorists should drive slowly and be alert for pedestrians.
• Keep your driveway and porch lit whenever possible and clear your walkways of any tripping hazards if handing out treats.

The following is a message from the Michiana Area Council of Governments, in collaboration with South Shore Clean Cities, Inc. and the City of Goshen:

The City of Goshen’s Department of Environmental Resilience is teaming up with the Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) and South Shore Clean Cities to present an Electric Vehicle Expo as part of the annual National Drive Electric Week, organizers announced Wednesday.

Attendees will have a chance to get behind the wheel to experience electric vehicles firsthand and to hear from local owners about the benefits of the vehicles. The event is free and open to the public.

“The expo will highlight the multiple benefits of driving an electric vehicle, introduce members of the community who are already embracing this technology and assist attendees in getting the information they need to make the switch as well,” said Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley, director of the Department of Environmental Resilience. “Access to charging stations locally has really improved since we last held this event in 2018. The city has installed a free public charging station and two more are coming soon to the Goshen Public Library and the public parking lot near Goshen Brewing Company, thanks to the Volkswagen settlement.”

South Shore Clean Cities representatives will be on hand to provide details on what electric vehicles are available locally, how and where to find electric vehicle charging stations and what incentives are available for purchasing vehicles or providing charging infrastructure for homes and businesses.

The Electric Vehicle Expo will take place from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1 at the Goshen City Hall parking lot at 202 S. 5th street in Goshen. Scheduled vehicles include the all-electric Chevrolet Bolt, Nissan LEAF, Tesla Models S, 3 and Y and the plug-in hybrid Chrysler Pacifica minivan.

The City of Goshen included transportation electrification in the recently approved Climate Action Plan for municipal operations, which included the goal of reducing emissions from light-duty vehicles by 25 percent by 2026 through the improved fuel efficiency of hybrid vehicles and the switch to cleaner electric vehicles. The city received the regional MACOG Partners for Clean Air award in 2021 in part for leadership in sustainable transportation related to piloting electric and hybrid vehicles and installing the charging station at City Hall.

The electric vehicle expo is taking place as part of National Drive Electric Week, a nationwide celebration from Sept. 25 to Oct. 3 designed to heighten awareness of the widespread availability of plug-in vehicles. The event also highlights the benefits of all-electric and plug-in hybrid-electric cars, trucks, motorcycles and other modes of transportation. More than 300 National Drive Electric Week events are taking place this year throughout the U.S. Plug In America, the Sierra Club, the Electric Auto Association and EVHybridNoire team up with local groups to organize the events. Nissan and Wells Fargo are national sponsors. For a complete list of National Drive Electric Week events, visit www.driveelectricweek.org.

Squad cars, fire trucks and plows, oh my! The City of Goshen invites residents to come downtown Saturday, Sept. 25, to interact with City vehicles and meet staff.

The City of Goshen’s Touch-a-Truck event, to be held from 10 a.m. to noon on Main Street between Jefferson Street and Lincoln Avenue, offers children the opportunity to touch, climb and explore the City’s equipment, truck and other vehicles. The event is free and open to the public.

Some of the vehicles showcased will include an ambulance, police car, fire truck, snowplow, street sweeper, and Vactor truck, among others. Kids will have a chance to climb behind the wheel and perhaps even honk a horn or flip the lights. Refreshments will be available while supplies last.

While the City Parks & Recreation Department has held Touch-a-Truck events in the past, those have been located at Shanklin Park and with only a portion of City vehicles and staff.

The move to downtown will allow larger space to better accommodate the vehicles, all of which are city-owned. It also could help encourage residents to check out some of the locally owned businesses along Main Street and nearby.

The event also will have staff representing most of the various City departments, to give a chance for the community to meet and talk with them. “It’ll be a fun day for kids and a good way to connect residents with City staff,” Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said. “I hope both children and adults come away with having had a good time learning about City operations and staff.”

The September brush pickup —and the last of the year—has been delayed to the first week of October, to allow the Street Department to finish its paving project.

The Street Department has been paving roads on the north side of Goshen. The project must be completed before the fall weather fully sets.

The brush pickup will begin the week of October 4. During scheduled brush collections, the Street Department makes one pass through the city to pick up brush. Please have your brush by the front curb, but not in the street, by that first day in the morning at 7 a.m. Brush will not be picked up in alleys. The piles of brush should be trash-free. Crews cannot access the piles if blocked by vehicles.

If you missed this last scheduled brush pickup, you can request a brush trailer free of charge. For information regarding Dial-A-Trailer and the Brush Trailer, go to goshenindiana.org/street-department or call 534-9711.

On Monday, September 20, the water main was shut off in the morning on 16^th Street between Kentfield Way and College Avenue due to a water main adjustment. A boil order has been issued for when the water comes back on.

The highlighted parts in the map above show the affected area for the boil order.

It is recommended that all cooking and drinking water be brought to a complete boil for five minutes before using.  Please continue to boil all cooking and drinking water until a notification that it is no longer necessary.

The Goshen Water & Sewer Department appreciates your cooperation during this time and will update you as necessary until the drinking water problem has been solved. If you have any questions concerning the drinking water problem, please contact you water department at 534-5306.

Beginning on Tuesday, September 7, 2021, Elkhart County’s contractor, Selge Construction, will mobilize at the Goshen Dam Pond to begin replacement of the Goshen Dam Toe Drain.

To accommodate for the work there, the Millrace Canal water levels have been lowered. The water level will remain lowered until after the construction project is complete, in 30 to 60 days; after the completion, the water level will be allowed to rise four to five feet over a period of 10 to 14 days, according to the Elkhart County Parks & Recreation Deparment.

The construction work also will impact access from the Millrace Trail to Shoup Parsons Woods, the Mike Puro Plaza (Dam) parking lot and the restrooms.

Beginning Tuesday, September 7, 2021, to allow access and staging for the contractor performing the toe drain work, there will be no access from the Millrace Trail to Shoup Parsons Woods, Mike Puro Plaza (Dam) parking lot or the restrooms.  

Additionally, the Mike Puro Plaza (Dam) Parking Lot will be closed at Gray Roy Drive.

The closures will remain in effect until October 1, 2021 or until the project is complete.