As the Fourth of July approaches, it is important that Goshen residents be aware of fireworks regulations. A local city ordinance was adopted in 2007 at the urging of residents concerned about neighborhood safety and noise. Regulation is controlled by parameters imposed in state regulation.

Consumer fireworks are allowed by state legislation and local ordinance from 5 p.m. until two hours after sunset (or until approximately 11:30 p.m.) from June 29 through July 9, with the exception of July 4—fireworks are allowed from 10 a.m. until midnight. Any other times require Board of Works approval and must be on real estate owned by a government entity. Fines for violations may be of up to $500 per incident.

To report a violation of the fireworks ordinance, residents are welcome to call the non-emergency dispatch number—533.4151. The caller must supply an exact address of where the violation is occurring in order for a police officer to respond effectively to the call.

Fireworks not limited to certain dates and times by local ordinance include dipped sticks or wire sparkers. However, total pyrotechnic composition may not exceed 100 grams per item, and chlorate and perchlorate salts may not exceed 5 grams per item. Other items not regulated by local ordinance include cylindrical or cone fountains, illuminating torches, wheels, ground spinners, filter sparklers, snakes or glowworms, smoke devices and trick noisemakers (like party poppers, snappers, trick matches, etc.)

Local regulations apply to “consumer fireworks” as defined in state statutes. Such fireworks include certain small ground or aerial devices designed to produce visible and/or audible effects by combustion. They are required to comply with the construction, chemical composition and labeling regulations of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission under 16CFR1507. Ground devices (firecrackers, salutes and chasers) are limited to 50 milligrams of explosive composition. Aerial devices (skyrockets, “helicopters” or spinners, roman candles mines and shells) are limited to 130 milligrams of explosive composition. Larger devices are not allowed under local ordinance and they require state permitting.

The following is a letter signed by Elkhart County Mayors Jeremy Stutsman, Rod Roberson and Phil Jenkins, Commissioners Frank Lucchese, Suzie Weirick and Mike Yoder, as well as Elkhart County’s chambers of commerce and Economic Development Corporation Presidents Nick Kieffer, Levon Johnson, Jeff Kitson and Chris Stager:

June 1, 2020

To the Business Community of Elkhart County,

We are reaching out to you to share our concerns about the spread of COVID-19, particularly as it relates to Elkhart County.

In March and April, our community did a great job working together to slow the spread of the virus and assure that we could medically test and treat those who were infected. We expected a peak in mid-May in northern Indiana, but numbers in the past week in particular are troubling. As of June 1, Elkhart County had a total of 1,322 positive cases from 9,849 tested and 28 people have died from the coronavirus.

The State of Indiana is decreasing the percentage of new positive cases in comparison to the number of tests given. The temporary shut down and actions of people as we open up seem to have been successful statewide. Our county tells a different story. In the past week, Elkhart County received national attention when it became the 10th most likely in the entire country to have the next COVID-19 outbreak, based on data collected by the New York Times. This has since changed and we are no longer on the high end of the list, but only because other counties are doing worse.

As of today, we expect to see our total number of cases double every 12.5 days. Our county is testing a significant number more people than we have in the past which means our total number of positive cases will rise. The problem is our percentage of positive tests to total tests given is rising dramatically. This shows that we have a spread issue. The first couple of months we saw a daily positive test percentage of 4% to 9%. Since the economy has reopened, we have seen that jump to 16%, and the last week the percentages of positive tests rose to 20% to 25%. By comparison, Indiana dropped from 18% to the current 7.5% daily positives.

If you look at Indiana’s data of positive cases by age, it is clear people ages 20 to 60 are the ones spreading the virus. This is us and this is our work force. As we have returned to work, the number of people who are getting sick is growing. Since we appeared on the national list, state and federal agencies have started looking closer at Elkhart County and we are at risk of them taking action to shut us down again. The CDC, OSHA, State Board of Health, or the Governor could order Elkhart County to again stay home entirely if we don’t act now to slow the spread again. The best solution for all of us is to do this voluntarily rather than be told to shut down. We cannot afford to shut down again if we can avoid it, but we can afford to take the time to reinforce our efforts and precautions. Companies with outbreaks have suffered work shut-downs, morale issues and community embarrassment. We need to not allow anyone outside Elkhart County to
control our ability to manage this pandemic. We will work with each and every one of you to support your efforts. We just ask that you stand beside us as well. We are all in this together.

We want to remind everyone that social distancing, masks and handwashing are just as essential now as they have been over the past two months. If we become complacent and relax our personal or workplace protocols and behaviors, we could see the disease spread in even more deadly ways.

These are not fun times, but we can take steps to slow the spread of the virus and keep our community safer. We need to work together, possibly slow output, and both implement and enforce safe practices. We are now seeing record volumes of COVID-19 patients in our Urgent Care facilities and our hospitals have more patients than ever due to COVID-19.

We are a team here in Elkhart County. We all rely on the other. In the time of a pandemic, the actions of a few can have a large effect on all of us, our health and our economy.

Thank you to all of you who are already taking the appropriate steps and thank you to those who will step up again as you have in the past.

The City of Goshen has acquired 2,500 sewn masks to distribute to the public, thanks to a generous donation from Sew Loved, Inc.

On Monday, June 1, from 2 to 6 p.m., the City will set up a tent outside City Hall at 202 S. 5th Street (corner of S. 5th and E. Washington streets), that residents can walk or drive up to. Anyone in need of a face mask is encouraged to come and receive a free reusable mask.

“Face masks may not be fun to wear, but they protect you and those around you,” Mayor Stutsman said. “As positive cases of COVID-19 continue to climb in Elkhart County, we ask that everyone respect their neighbor by wearing a mask when they are unable to practice social distancing.”

The giveaway will be limited to one mask per individual.

All City of Goshen offices will be closed Monday, May 25, due to the Memorial Day holiday. As a reminder, City buildings remain closed to the public as a safety measure to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Garbage pickup will be delayed by one day the week of May 25. Trash will be collected starting on Tuesday, May 26, with a delay by one day.

Due to the holiday, the Goshen Board of Works Meeting has been canceled.

The May brush pickup will begin on Tuesday, May 26.

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 on 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 next summer brush pick up weeks will begin on the following days:

• June 29, 2020
• July 27, 2020
• August 31, 2020
• September 28, 2020

The following message is from the Michiana Area Council of Governments:

The Interurban trolley fixed route and the Interurban Trolley ADA Access service will not operate in Elkhart or Goshen on Monday, May 25, 2020 in observance of Memorial Day.

Regular Service will resume on Tuesday, May 26, 2020.

ADA Access riders must schedule transportation for Tuesday, May 26, by Friday, May 22, at 4 p.m.

Transit information can be obtained by calling the Michiana Area Council of Goverments (MACOG) at 574.674.8894 or at www.interurbantrolley.com.

All City of Goshen offices will be closed Monday, May 25, due to the Memorial Day holiday. As a reminder, City buildings remain closed to the public as a safety measure to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Garbage pickup will be delayed by one day the week of May 25. Trash will be collected starting on Tuesday, May 26, with a delay by one day.

Due to the holiday, the Goshen Board of Works Meeting has been canceled.

As the State progresses on its reopening plan, the City is working to continue keeping the safety of its employees and the community at large as top priority.

A plan has been drawn to reopen our buildings and facilities slowly and carefully. Some facilities and programs will not be available this summer, however.

The City of Goshen continues to stay up-to-date on the latest information from Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s office, track the numbers of COVID-19 cases in our county provided by the Indiana State Department of Health, and watch for updates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. All this information and more was taken into account when making the following decisions for our municipal buildings, facilities and programs.

“We want to continue serving the public as much as possible and regret the programs that we will have to cancel but please know we are doing this for everyone’s safety,” Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said. “COVID-19 is still a threat in our community, and we need to continue taking all necessary precautions to keep our loved ones safe.”

Beginning June 1, City Hall, the Annex Building, and the Reith Interpretive Center will be open with limited access Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to noon. On June 14, those City buildings will reopen fully to the public, though closely following CDC guidelines to mitigate the spread.

Virtual meetings will continue until June 4. The City will limit attendance in accordance to no more than 25 occupants in a meeting room. Meeting attendees will be asked to maintain social distancing. The City will work to continue streaming its public meetings.

Within the Parks & Recreation Department, all public restrooms, playgrounds, boat rentals at Fidler Pond Park and all athletic courts and the skate park will be open to the public beginning May 24.

Indoor and open-air pavilions will be available for rental beginning June 14. Recreation sports leagues and the splash pads also will open June 14. These facilities will be reopened with the understanding that residents need to follow the CDC’s recommendations of social distancing and practicing good hygiene by washing hands frequently.

The pool will remain closed this summer, as it is difficult to achieve the full scope of the CDC’s guidelines to keep the community safe. Other programs and events canceled this summer include the Discovery Day Camp, the Kids Triathlon and the Rock the Quarry Triathlon at Fidler Park, as social distancing cannot be achieved in these types of gatherings.

Tanya Heyde, Parks & Recreation Superintendent, said the department’s staff is working diligently to reopen park amenities to our community in accordance with state-issued guidelines.

“The Parks & Recreation Department is appreciative for the opportunity to serve our community, especially during this time when parks and local recreation are in such high demand,” she said. “We will continue to closely monitor the parks and remain up to date with the state and local recommendations as guidance to move forward or step back.”

Heyde added that while her staff will continue to work on keeping the City’s facilities clean at all times, it will take the community’s help to fully make our parks and facilities as safe as possible for everyone.

“I would like to thank the community for being patient as we navigate our way through the Pandemic,” she said. “I would also like to remind everyone to help us keep our parks open and our community safe by continuing to social distance, adhering to gathering restrictions and washing their hands frequently.”

For more information about the Parks & Recreation Department’s facilities, programs and events, call 534.2901, or visit the department’s Facebook page at facebook.com/GoshenParksRecreation or City’s website at goshenindiana.org.

For information about other City buildings opening, call 533.8621 or visit the City’s Facebook page, facebook.com/CityOfGoshen.

US 33 is Closed between Harrison Street and Chicago Avenue due to a major gas leak near the intersection of High Street and US 33.

Businesses and homes in the area are being evacuated south to Lincoln Avenue, north to Chicago Avenue and West to Riverside Boulevard.

NIPSCO, the Goshen Police Department, Goshen Fire, Engineering, Streets and the Mayor are on site.

According to NIPSCO, it may take six to eight hours to fix the leak.

More information will be shared as it becomes available.

After reviewing Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb’s five-stage plan for reopening the state, the City of Goshen is working to ensure its municipal employees and the public at large are protected from the potential spread of COVID-19 as restrictions are lifted.

According to the Governor’s latest executive order outlining Stage 2 of the plan, all individuals should remain at home or their place of residence as much as practicable to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Trips outside of the home are expected for travel to employment, to purchase necessities of life and to care for a family member, friend or pets.

Additionally, local units of government can continue to decide how and when to reopen and provide services, according to the executive order. The City of Goshen’s buildings will remain closed to the public until June 14, when Stage 4 of the plan is put in place, unless future data calls for an earlier or later opening. In the meantime, City staff will continue working to provide city services and are available to the public by phone and email.

Other measures the City will take (for the safety of staff and boards/commissions), at this time are:

• Implementing a set of Safe Work Practices for employees to follow. Practices include wearing a facemask when interacting with the public or other employees when a safe social distance cannot be maintained, measuring and tracking their temperature on a daily basis and use of remote meetings, among others.
• Although the state allows for gatherings to be of up to 25 people, the City will be limiting its municipal gatherings to under 10 people during stage 2
• All public meetings for boards and commissions will resume via zoom only. The following meetings will remain open to the public, though with limited seating and with streaming options: City Council, Board of Works, Plan Commission, Board of Zoning Appeals, Redevelopment and the Parks & Recreation Board

“As we prepare to reopen with the guidance outlined by the Indiana Governor, the safety of our employees and the public is of upmost importance,” Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said. “The City will continue to communicate with other Elkhart County officials as we all monitor the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. If we all continue to work together and take the precautions needed, we will be able to stay ahead of the virus.”

To read the Governor’s 5-Stage plan, go to backontrack.in.gov. For more updates from the City of Goshen in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic, go to goshenindiana.org/covid19 or follow the City’s Facebook page at facebook.com/CityOfGoshen.