Blackport Drive will be closed for one day only Friday, Sept. 25, 2020, due to water main construction crossing the intersection of Blackport and Lincoln Avenue. Construction crews will keep the closure as short as possible.

While Blackport is closed, through-traffic from Monroe Street needing to get to Lincoln Avenue may use CR 29. Blackport Drive will still be open to local traffic going to Dykstra Street and East Goshen.

The City of Goshen is working with the Michiana Area Council of Governments to expand public transit service within the community—and is inviting all Goshen residents to take a survey to help gather community input.

MACOG will conduct a Goshen Transit Expansion Study to identify and study potential alternatives to modify and expand transit service in the City. Information on the study can be found at goshentransit.interurbantrolley.com/. 

Goshen is currently served by the Red Line which provides service to approximately 10,600 residents—about 36% of the city’s population.

Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said the study and expansion of services will benefit the City’s residents, businesses and the green efforts.

“The City is working to expand our public transportation routes to serve more of our residents, taking them to the places they need to work or shop,” he said. “During these uncertain economic times it is even more important to have expanded routes. And by expanding public transportation we hope more people will use it, helping to reduce congestion on our city streets and reduce the stress of overflowing parking lots in some locations. Please take the time to fill out the survey, together we can create the most useful new routes.”

The goal of the transit expansion study is to:

• Identify new locations where transit service is needed and may be successful
• Expand access to transit with a goal of serving at least 65% of Goshen’s population and 75% of Goshen’s jobs, (we currently serve 36% of our population and 46% of jobs).
• Identify new potential routes and potential modifications to the Existing Red Line as part of the new transit plan
• Have a plan that is driven by community members and stakeholders that will be the best possible to serve the City of Goshen

For Phase 1 of the project, MACOG has released a questionnaire and a location request map to help identify potential new destinations for transit service throughout Goshen. Visit goshentransit.interurbantrolley.com/ to provide input.

During Phase 2 (November-December), results of the survey along with recommendations for potential new routes in Goshen will be presented and feedback solicited. A final draft plan will be presented for final comments and approval during Phase 3 (January 2021).

The deadline to fill the Phase 1 survey is October 16^th. For more information, contact MACOG at 574-287-1829 ext. 888 or by email at goshentransit@macog.com.

The last brush pickup of the year will begin September 28, 2020.

During scheduled brush collections, the Street Department will make only 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.

For information regarding Dial-A-Trailer and the Brush Trailer, go to goshenindiana.org/street-department.

The Boil Water Advisory issued on Sept. 10, 2020 has been lifted.The order was for the east side of Goshen beginning at Steury Avenue. Samples have been taken; test results are satisfactory, it is no longer necessary to boil your water.

Thank you for your patience and for water conservation measures you followed. If you have any questions, please contact the Water & Sewer Department at 534-5306.

This year has been challenging for many. To voice their concerns, residents have been exercising their freedom of speech, from marching on the streets to putting up signs of what they believe in. This is a freedom the City has and will continue to protect.

One resident on the south side of town has been using her right to protest, and in the last couple of weeks has experienced harassment in various forms.

On Thursday night, Goshen Police and Fire responded to 615 S. Main Street on reports that one of the resident’s signs was on fire. The sign was dangerously close to the resident’s house—to the point where a witness had to pull the sign away from the house before calling in the emergency.

Mayor Jeremy Stutsman has the following comment:

“We need to find a way to come together as a community. I understand we are living in a time when emotions are running high, but we can’t allow senseless acts of harassment and criminal behavior to threaten someone’s safety. There is no room for this in our society or our community. We need to stop being so angry about how others feel about one issue or another. Everyone has a right to their voice and to their safety. If you disagree with others, take the time to have a conversation and respectfully share your opinions. You never know, you both may just learn something new.

“My administration and the Goshen Police Department will continue to do all we can to stop criminal activities before they happen. If a crime is committed we will do all we can to arrest the individuals responsible for committing said crime.

“No matter how you feel on the issues being discussed, senseless acts of violence make no one safer. In fact, they instill fear, put others in danger and cost both private individuals and the community money. We will not stand for this in Goshen.

“I would like to thank the individual who acted quickly to protect the occupants and home they live in. If anyone has information related to this criminal act, please contact the Police Department.”

The Goshen Police Department is investigating the incident. Chief Jose’ Miller made the following remarks:

“As the Chief of Police, I believe in the rights of all individuals to peacefully assemble and to exercise their constitutional right for freedom of speech, I believe this should be done with mutual respect for each other without biases based on differences of any kind. I’ve always been proud of Goshen for their efforts promoting diversity and inclusiveness.

“The Goshen Police Department understands these are polarizing times, diversity is extremely important and that includes diversity of thought, and the freedom to peacefully promote your beliefs. We will not tolerate acts of violence or destruction of property to those who choose to peacefully demonstrate and exercise their rights.”

Due to work being done on East Goshen, a boil water advisory has been issued when the water comes back on.

The area affected is everything east of Steury Avenue to the City limits.

In Consultation with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, it has been determined that the water customers should boil their drinking water. This precautionary measure is recommended because a water main break has occurred within your service area.

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 we notify you that it is no longer necessary.

Until the drinking water problem is resolved, the water and sewer department is also asking that you conserve water and only use what is necessary for household and personal needs.

If you have any questions concerning the drinking water problem, please contact your water department at 534-5306.

Construction for the water main in the East Goshen neighborhood area continues and this week, Selge Construction, the contractor for the project, will need to begin using the east drive of Abshire Park for staging.

Parking will still be available but will be limited at Abshire park. While the east drive remains closed, the west drive into the parking lot will be temporarily widened to allow vehicles to enter and exit the park.

The Pumpkinvine Nature Trail crossing at Lincoln Avenue will remain open during construction. Flaggers will detour users of the trail through the Abshire Parking lot when construction approaches the trail crossing.

Street parking along the west side of Main Street, between Lincoln Avenue and Clinton Street, is closed beginning Tuesday, September 8, until Tuesday, September 29.

During the closure, Niblock Excavating will remove the existing curb and sidewalk. The curb and sidewalk need to be readjusted to improve the drainage along this section of Main Street.

This is a reminder that if you are behind on your water and sewer utility bills by three months or more, please call the utilities business office at 533.9399 immediately to apply for assistance.

Residents may qualify to receive up to $200 in financial assistance to help cover a total or partial payment. In addition, residents also may have payment options to help pay their water and sewer utility bills in smaller increments. During this time, and through November 2020, households will not be charged late fees for delayed payments.