Today, Mayor Jeremy Stutsman is happy to announce that the City of Goshen has received Spotlight Community recognition from the Indiana Arts Commission. Goshen is one of only four cities in the State to be selected for this competitive program this year. The designation comes with an invitation to apply for the state Cultural District Designation, a title held by only 10 Indiana communities.

“We’re so honored to be recognized by the State for this prestigious designation. Our creative community is one of the things that makes Goshen so special,” he said. “It’s a tribute to the artists, performers, and creatives who have made Goshen their home and who contribute their talent and energy to arts and culture in our city.”

Mayor Stutsman assembled Goshen’s first city-wide Arts Council in 2016. The Mayor wanted to ensure that Goshen’s vibrant arts scene continued to thrive for generations to come. Today, the Goshen Arts Council continues to serve in the vital role of championing Goshen’s distinctive creative culture.

“Even when you have something successful, you have to work to remind people it’s there,” said Mayor Stutsman. “Our arts culture is already strong, but it can always be better. We recognize the value of these assets and want to support their continued growth.”

The Mayor has assembled a team to submit the Cultural District Designation application. Mark Brinson, Director of Community Development, Sharon Hernandez, Communications Coordinator, Becky Hutsell, Redevelopment Project Manager, Kevin Koch, Master Tailor at Koch House of Design and Adrienne Nesbitt, the Goshen Arts Council Program Director, are in the process of gathering information to include in the spring submission.

When asked about the Cultural District Designation, Nesbitt offered, “Goshen has long been a place that demonstrates its appreciation for the arts and support for creatives. Getting the State of Indiana Cultural Designation will be a way for the outside world to see what locals have known for a long time. Goshen is an extraordinary place. We’re so excited to see this happen.”

In a statement to the press, Anna Tragesser, Artist and Community Services Manager for the Indiana Arts Commission, stated, “Goshen’s arts and culture scene is both organic and concentrated. For a community of its size, it has an impressive roster of high quality, accessible, and diverse experiences for visitors and residents, as well as a deep well of knowledge, spaces, equipment, and creative peers for local artists to draw from.”

This is an important update about Ordinance 5073.

But before getting into the details of this update, the City would like to clarify what transpired the night of the council meeting Monday, Dec. 7:

City Officials determined after the meeting—and after the broadcast of that meeting—that the ordinance was not approved on second reading on the same night. According to state statute, an ordinance must have unanimous consent to go to second reading, and two thirds of the votes from the governing body for it to be approved on the same night.

Since the council did not have two thirds of the votes, the ordinance could only be passed on first reading. Therefore, it has not been formally adopted.

The Council meeting has helped open the door for productive dialog on this public health issue. The City has reached out to the business community and several have reached back.

“As I said in the meeting, passing this ordinance for the sake of fining businesses was not our end goal,” Mayor Stutsman said. “Due to these encouraging discussions and not only our community’s desire to listen to our ideas, but to bring some of their own, I will be placing a hold on the second reading of Ordinance 5073.”

Over the next couple of weeks, the City of Goshen will be joining the Goshen Chamber of Commerce and other business leaders to continue this discussion. The City and Chamber will use their energy on focused education and outreach to businesses. Informational packets, direct consultations, and on-site visits will be utilized.

“A number of businesses have expressed their understanding of the need to adopt further measures to mitigate the spread,” Chamber of Commerce President Nick Kieffer said. “We have come a long way in understanding the importance of reducing the spread, and maybe now we are at the point where, if we continue this effort to educate businesses and organizations, our community will be stronger for it.”

A new opportunity is also presented in the form of Safety Awareness Funding from the State to expand educational resources for the community. Goshen has been allocated $108,000 to be used for public awareness and education related to COVID-19. These funds will help the City and businesses in educating the community further about the pandemic.

“This community never ceases to amaze me with our ability to come together to discuss difficult and sometimes divisive topics and find a mutual path forward,” Mayor Stutsman said. “I am grateful to all who have offered positive and constructive suggestions. I would like to thank the council members who are willing to make the hard choice of supporting this ordinance, as well as the business and community members that have shared this support. I know this may feel like a change of course, but we are working hard and utilizing all information available to us to make the best decisions for the safety of our community.”

Mayor Stutsman reached out to a few members of the council to see if they would be comfortable in trying this more concentrated path in education.

“I am excited to see such swift action from the business leaders in taking the initiative to work together with the City,” Council President Brett Weddell said. “I am grateful to live in a community where we can put politics aside to do what’s right for our community.”

Shanklin Park, 411 W. Plymouth Ave., will be the new location for the Center for Healing and Hope COVID-19 testing site beginning Monday, Dec. 14.

The change of location is an effort to create a better-suited space for the vehicular traffic the site generates. The Center for Healing and Hope is a drive-through testing site for both uninsured and insured people in the region. Tests are available to everyone, regardless of symptoms. Over the last month, the organization has seen a sharp increase in residents seeking to get tested.

“We knew the holidays and moving indoors due to cold weather would create more opportunity for community spread of the virus and more demand for testing,” says Executive Director Missy Schrock. “We knew we were outgrowing our current site and partnering with the City to improve our program has been an excellent solution.”

The park will offer more room for community members visiting the site and will alleviate traffic issues on city streets. Shanklin park will remain open to the public during park hours, dawn to dusk, but park visitors may encounter an increase in park traffic on testing days.

“The Center for Healing and Hope testing site has been an important resource for the community during the pandemic, so we saw it as vital to help in any way we could.” Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said. “The City will continue to aid any community efforts in the fight to eliminate this virus”

In order to maintain easy access to the public recycling site at Shanklin, the recycling containers will be relocated to the park’s south parking lot (visible from Plymouth Avenue).

Please contact the Center for Healing and Hope at 574-534-4744 or visit their website for testing information at chhclinics.org. The testing site at 902 South Main Street will remain open Friday and Saturday this week, and will continue serving residents on a first-come, first-serve basis. The testing site is normally closed on Thursdays, but will be open on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve for limited hours.

Testing hours of operation:

• Mondays and Wednesdays: 12 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
• Tuesdays and Fridays 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
• Saturdays 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Thursday, December 24 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
• Thursday, December 31 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

The Goshen City Council will have a special meeting Monday, Dec. 7 at 6 p.m. The meeting will be open to the public virtually through Zoom only.

To view the agenda for Monday’s meeting, click here.

To access the meeting, go to https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87149766078 or if joining by call, dial (301) 715-8592 or (312) 626-6799 and enter the meeting ID: 871 4976 6078. Dial # to continue onto the meeting.

The public will be allowed to make public comments during the meeting.

To do so, those viewing the video conference can press or tap on the “Raise Hand” button on the lower left side of the screen.

Those calling in can dial *9 to “raise their hand” as well. Instructions on how to make a comment will follow.

Please read the City of Goshen Rules for Virtual Public Meetings, by clicking here.

The Mayors of Elkhart, Goshen and Nappanee will each bring a city ordinance to their councils that will support both the Elkhart County Commissioners’ Restated Ordinance 2020-38, and the Elkhart County Health Department’s new protocols to eliminate COVID-19 from our community.

Mayor Jeremy Stutsman, City Council Majority leader Brett Weddell and Council Minority leader Julia King have called a special meeting to take place Monday, Dec. 7. Elkhart and Nappanee City Councils also will meet on Monday to pass their respective ordinance in support of the countywide effort. The City ordinances will last for the duration of the public health orders.

The ordinances, which recognize and support the adoption of Elkhart County’s Public Health Orders 05-2020 and 06-2020, as well as Restated County Ordinance 2020-38, authorize the mayors to designate enforcement teams to help implement the terms of the County ordinance within each city’s boundaries.

On Tuesday, Dec. 1, the Elkhart County Commissioners passed Ordinance 2020-38, outlining a countywide incremental fine structure for businesses and individuals who violate the Health Department’s new pandemic guidelines.

The purpose of the incremental fine structure is to help better educate the business owners and individuals about the ways in which they can contribute so that our communities can recover faster.

“We all want to emphasize that these measures have been put in place to cultivate an understanding of how this pandemic is affecting those who live in our county and the ways we can help get rid of the virus from our community,” Elkhart Mayor Rod Roberson said. “Our focus is to be helpful and informative, not punitive.”

The County Ordinance notes that businesses found to be in violation of the Health Orders will be given a written warning, along with informational resources to correct the issue. Elected officials hope that through this incremental fine structure, businesses and residents alike will learn more about how the pandemic has affected Elkhart County and surrounding areas.

“We are concerned for the safety and well-being of our residents, and so we’ve worked hard to find ways to slow the impact of the pandemic in our communities,” Mayor Phil Jenkins said. “Our hope is the residents in our cities and towns will step up and take personal responsibility through their actions to help keep their families, friends and neighbors safe.”

The new protocols are the product of a joint effort between all the city and county offices within Elkhart County.

“I am grateful for my colleagues and for the work we have achieved in the weeks leading to the county ordinance and theses city ordinances,” Mayor Stutsman said. “Our communities have come together as one voice, regardless of political affiliation, to help slow the spread of this pandemic.”