Author Archives: Sharon

Open House: Flood awareness and Lower Elkhart River Project

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.

BOIL ORDER: S. GREENE ROAD, INCLUDING MODEL ELEMENTARY

On Monday, Feb. 13, a water main valve was shut off to repair a water main break. A Boil Water Advisory has been issued for 303–507 S. Greene, for when the water comes back on.

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.

We appreciate 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 your water department at 574-534-5306.

NOTICE TO BIDDERS: PUBLIC RECYCLING DROP-OFF SITE SERVICES

The City of Goshen, Indiana is soliciting sealed proposals for the collection, transport, and processing of recyclable materials from the City’s public recycling drop-off site. Services include the supply and maintenance of collection containers. Services to be provided shall begin April 1, 2023 and continue through December 31, 2027.

Specifications and Contract Documents may be obtained from the Goshen Clerk-Treasurer’s Office at 202 South Fifth Street, Goshen, IN 46528 or the City of Goshen’s current Bidding Opportunities portal at https://goshenindiana.org/bidding-opportunities. The City shall not be responsible for documents obtained from any other source.

A sealed proposal must be submitted in accordance with the Instructions and all contractual terms and conditions that are included in the Specifications and Contract Documents.

No bid security is required to submitted for this solicitation.

A sealed proposal must be received by the Goshen Clerk-Treasurer’s Office at 202 South Fifth Street, Goshen, IN 46528 by 1:45 p.m. (local time) on February 13, 2023. All proposals received will be taken to the February 13,2023 Goshen Board of Public Works and Safety meeting at 2:00 p.m. to be publicly opened and read aloud. The Board meeting will be held in the City Court Room/Council Chambers at the Goshen Police & Court Building, 111 East Jefferson Street, Goshen, Indiana.

In addition to cost, proposals will be evaluated based on whether the bidder is responsible, and if the bidder’s proposal is responsive. The City of Goshen reserves the right to accept or reject any and/or all proposals, delete any portions thereof, to waive any informalities or irregularities in any proposal received, and to award a contract, consistent with Indiana law, to the lowest responsible and responsive bidder.

Notice of Adoption of Ordinance 5147

Ord. 5147: Establishing Various Fees and Parking Regulations Regarding City-Owned Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Ordinance 5147, Establishing Various Fees and Parking Regulations Regarding City-Owned Electric Vehicle Charging Stations, was passed by the Goshen Common Council and approved and adopted by Mayor Jeremy Stutsman on December 19, 2022. Ordinance 5147 amends the parking prohibitions in section 4.4.1.1 to prohibit a vehicle from parking in a parking space designated for electric vehicle charging unless the vehicle is capable of being charged by the charging equipment for such parking space and the vehicle is engaged in the charging process. Additionally, Ordinance 5147 adds section 4.4.1.12 to the Goshen City Code to establish fees for use of a City-owned electric vehicle charging station. Ordinance 5147 is available for inspection in its entirety during regular business hours at the Goshen Clerk-Treasurer’s Office located at 202 South Fifth Street, Goshen, Indiana.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

City of Goshen
CDBG Annual Action Plan for Program Year 2023

The City of Goshen is preparing the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan for Program Year 2023 (July 1, 2023, through June 30, 2024) and is soliciting public input. The following were identified as priority needs and specific objectives for community and neighborhood development in the City of Goshen for the CDBG Five-year Consolidated Plan (2020-2024):

  1. Housing Opportunities
    • Improve owner-occupied housing through rehab
    • Increase quality of rental housing
    • Increase transitional housing options
    • Reduce housing cost burden through higher wage job opportunities and job training
    • Provide permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless
    • Support affordable housing creation and preservation
    • Provide emergency shelter for homeless individuals and families
    • Expand housing options and assistance
    • Maintain and facilitate use of Housing Choice voucher program
  2. Access to Services
    • Increase access to affordable healthcare
    • Increase services for mentally ill
    • Support programs for youth
    • Increase access to affordable childcare and early childhood education
    • Support services for elderly and the disabled
    • Support public transportation
    • Provide emergency shelter for homeless individuals and families
    • Provide permanent supportive housing for chronically homeless
    • Support counseling/advocacy for underserved populations
    • Increase access to substance abuse prevention and treatment
    • Support life skill development, including job training
    • Support nutrition programs and food assistance
  3. Neighborhood Revitalization
    • Improve owner-occupied housing through rehab
    • Remove blighted residential properties
    • Address issue of vacant/foreclosed houses
    • Increase quality of rental housing
    • Support public infrastructure projects
    • Repair/replace existing sidewalks
    • Support neighborhood parks

For Program Year 2023, the City of Goshen expects to fund program activities in the following areas: public services, owner-occupied housing rehabilitation, multi-unit housing, homeownership assistance, program planning and program administration.

The City will hold a public hearing to review Program Year 2022 and to solicit input for the 2023 Annual Plan on Friday, January 20, 2023, at 9:30 AM in the Annex Building Conference Room at 204 E. Jefferson Street. Non-English speaking persons and others needing special assistance to participate in the hearing process should contact the City as soon as possible.

PLANS FOR RELIANCE ROAD RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT TO BE PRESENTED

The City of Goshen Engineering Department will host a public information meeting to go over details of the Reliance Road and Peddlers Village road reconstruction project January 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Gospel Community Church located at 1677 Reliance Road.

The meeting will have a 5-10 minute presentation follower by an information open house where members of the public can discuss the project with individual project representatives.

As early as the spring of 2023, the City of Goshen is planning to reconstruct Peddlers Village Road between CR 17 and US 33 and to reconstruct Reliance road between US 33 and the north entrance to Brookside Manor. These improvements are intended to accommodate the expected increase in traffic volume as a result of the Elkhart County court consolidation project. The proposed project timeline, including expected temporary road closures and restrictions, will be discussed at the meeting.

A second public meetings will occur at a later date prior to the beginning of the construction. The purpose of the second meeting will be to walk affected residents through the construction process in more detail. This meeting will cover items such as trash pickup, mail delivery, school bus routes, and temporary resident access during construction. The exact dates of this meeting will be established as the project progresses.

Throughout the project process, the City of Goshen will provide updates and communicate important information with additional letters, doorhangers, and resident meetings, as needed. The city’s webpage, www.goshenindiana.org, will also have a project page with updates as the project progresses. Please contact the Engineering Department at 574-534-2201 or engineering@goshencity.com with any questions or concerns.

CITY PREPARES FOR POTENTIAL WINTER STORM

As we prepare for a potential major winter storm, the City of Goshen asks the community to look over one another, help each other out if needed and contact the City for aid.

Elkhart County is under a winter storm watch. According to the National Weather Service, the storm will begin early on Thursday with a light wintry mix turning to rain and flash freezing Thursday night with a potential for heavy snow the following day. 

Arctic air will move in Friday morning through the weekend, resulting in dangerous wind chills of -15 to -30 degrees. Daytime high temperatures will likely remain in the single digits with little improvement.

The combination of strong wind gusts and heavy snowfall could result in extremely dangerous travel conditions.

“We will continue to send updates throughout this weather event,” Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said. “I hope everyone has a great and safe holiday weekend, so please watch and be very cautious of the weather and travel conditions as we know many of you will be travelling to see family and friends for the holidays.”

For anyone in need of a warm shelter, Faith Mission and the Salvation Army will be the City’s primary sheltering options, as well as the Goshen Public Library during normal business hours on Thursday and Friday. The Library will be closed Saturday and Sunday this week due to the holiday.

If you or anyone you know are without shelter and food or in need of assistance, the City can help any time of the day. Call the Goshen Police Department at 574.533.4151 for assistance with transportation to a warm place of shelter.

If you have elderly neighbors, please check in on them now and then to see if they need help. If you need anything, do not hesitate to call the City of Goshen at 574.533.8621. If you have an emergency, call 911.

For more updates, check the National Weather Service and the City of Goshen at goshenindiana.org/blog or on Facebook at facebook.com/CityOfGoshen.

HELP THE CITY OF GOSHEN DECORATE THE MIRTH TREE

This holiday season, we encourage you to take some time to get creative and help decorate the Mirth Tree!

In an effort to reduce waste, the City of Goshen’s Department of Environment Resilience (GDER) wants to encourage you to see what you can create with only the things you can find or recycle. We invite residents to decorate Goshen’s Mirth Tree with these ornaments.

The tree, located outside the Goshen Utilities Business Office, 203 S. Fifth St., is lit up and ready for your ornaments, which you can create out of natural or recycled materials you find in or around your house.

This year you can make your own ornaments at City Hall! It’s across the street at 202 S. Fifth St. Come between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Friday, December 16. We’ll provide the crafting supplies and workstation for you to use.

Hang your ornaments on the lit tree anytime between now and December 23. The ornaments you put on the tree will then be up for grabs! Starting on December 24, you will be able to come back and take home an ornament that you like. You don’t need to share an ornament to take one, and vice versa; we want to encourage the act of giving without expectation!

As you are making your ornament, please keep these things in mind:

  • Please refrain from using glass; we want to keep everyone safe and avoid broken glass.
  • Paper and cardboard are great materials to use, but because the tree is outside, the weather may ruin such ornaments.
  • Please do not use glitter; while glitter is appealing to the eye, the negative effects it has on the environment outweigh the visual appeal.  Some materials you may use are: Buttons, ribbons, popsicle sticks, wooden beads, sticks, acorns, pine cones and other natural materials.

While this is not a contest, we encourage you to take photos of your ornament or of yourself placing your ornament on the tree and submit them for the City to share on social media. Photos can be submitted via Facebook Messenger to the City of Goshen, Indiana, or via email to communications@goshencity.com. You also may tag the City on your Facebook post.

To learn more about the City’s efforts in reducing waste, call the Goshen Department of Environmental Resilience at 574.534.0076 or go to their website at goshenindiana.org/environmental-resilience.