The following boards and commissions seats will be vacated January 1, 2020. The Goshen City Council will make appointments for all the positions listed.

• Redevelopment Commission:  Two (2) openings, each for one (1) year. To read about the Redevelopment Commission and some of the projects they’ve worked on, click here.
• Shade Tree Board:  One (1) opening for three (3) year term.
• Community Relations Commission:  One (1) opening for three (3) year term. To learn more about the Community Relations Commission, click here.

To apply for a seat in one of the boards or commissions, go to https://goshenindiana.org/boards-and-commissions-application and fill out the application.

NOTE: The City Council cannot make an appointment until 28 days after this open position announcement was published. 

Leaf pickup was paused this week after the city got close to two feet of snow Monday and early Tuesday. Piles of leaves got covered in snow and are now out of sight. Between Monday, Nov. 18, and Thanksgiving Day, the Street Department will continue collecting leaves, working extra hours to collect as much as they can.

Please help the crews out by uncovering piles of leaves or re-piling your leaves. When raking leaves, remember:

• Rake leaves into long piles on the grass next to the street or sidewalk beside the curb, not more than 6 feet from the curb.
  • For the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists, if you must pile leaves on the sidewalk, please leave as wide a walking path as possible.
• Leaves must be kept out of the street.
  • The piles of leaves interfere with the flow of traffic.
• Residents and property owners that have a storm drain in front of their property are asked to keep the drain area clear of leaves. This will help reduce the chances of water backing up on City streets.
• When finished raking, spraying the piles down with water will help keep them from blowing away during periods of high wind.
• Bagged leaves will be collected, but it slows the city-wide collection down drastically.  The leaf vac crew has to empty the bags out in order to vacuum up the leaves and they will leave the bags on the property.
• Do not place leaves in the alley—they will not be removed.
• Do not put sticks, twigs and other trash into or on top of the leaf piles.  These items can damage the vacuum equipment and force crews to pluck these items from the leaves—another time-consuming task. 

On parking:

• Never park over a leaf pile.  A hot catalytic converter can easily ignite the dry leaves and, in turn, your vehicle. 
• Please do not park cars in front of leaf piles. The crews will not be able to collect the leaves.
• Park cars with at least 15 feet between leaf piles and vehicles.
• Please use off street parking during this time if available.

On Tuesday, Kercher Road, from Dierdorff Road to Lincolnway East (US 33), reopened to two-way traffic. It will remain two-way until the completion of the project.

All City offices will be closed Monday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day. The Board of Works meeting—regularly scheduled on Mondays, has been rescheduled to Tuesday, November 12 at 2 p.m.

Trash collection will NOT be affected by the holiday this week. See a map of Goshen’s trash pickup areas here.

On Wednesday, Nov. 6, the water main was shut off on the 100 block of Riverside Boulevard, between W. Lincoln and W. Clinton streets, to replace a water valve; a boil order is being issued when water comes back on. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management requires the Water Utility office to issue a boil water order for the affected area.

Notice of a boil order cancellation will be distributed via a customer flier to the affected areas. For further information or to report specific concerns, please call Ana at the Goshen Water Department at 534.5306.

Water within the area affected should not be consumed without it being boiled. The water remains safe for bathing, laundry and restroom facilities. Cleaning dishes with a dishwasher is acceptable if it has a sanitizing cycle. Hand-washed dishes should be rinsed with boiled or bottled water.

The Monday, November 11 Board of Works meeting has been rescheduled to Tuesday, November 12 at 2 p.m., due to the Veterans’ Day holiday. the meeting will be held at the city court building, 111 E. Jefferson St.

Riverside Boulevard is closed between Lincoln and West avenues until Friday, November 8, 2019. The Goshen Water and Sewer Department is installing a water main valve on the intersection of Riverside Boulevard and Lincoln Avenue. Work will require crews to dig an 8 foot trench.

Dewey Avenue, between Prairie and Berkey Avenue, will be closed to through traffic from Tuesday, November 5, 2019, to Thursday, November 7.

The Goshen Water and Sewer Department will be replacing a water service in the 500 block of Dewey Avenue. Work will require excavation of the road with a trench that will be 8 feet deep. The closure is to ensure the work crew’s safety.

City representatives and staff, along with the community, gathered Friday to celebrate the opening of the 9^th Street Corridor bike and pedestrian trail.

The new path links the Winona trail south of the Goshen College campus to downtown Goshen, the Maple City Greenway and the new trail that runs along the US 33 overpass. It was built between Purl Street and College Avenue, running along the west side of the corridor between Purl and Jackson streets and then crossing over to the east side between Jackson Street and College Avenue.

Features of the new trail include a raised intersection at 9^th and Jackson streets, which will provide visibility for those using the trail and slow down vehicle traffic. This is the first tabletop intersection built in Goshen. On the south end of the trail, users are directed to cross to the west side of 9^th Street, connecting them to a path that goes into the college campus. This also will make cyclists and pedestrians visible to drivers crossing the train tracks to the east.

The 9^th Street corridor runs through a neighborhood that has a mix of residential and industrial structures, connecting Parkside and Chandler elementary schools as well as Goshen High School along the way, yet it did not have consistent bike and pedestrian arrangements.

In 2012, the Redevelopment Commission and City staff met with residents and businesses in the area to create a revitalization plan. Providing infrastructure that would keep cyclists and pedestrians safe was in the list of action items the City could take in the revitalization process, along with the cleaning of brownfields and designation of a quiet zone along the corridor.

Dustin Sailor, director of Public Works, commended the Redevelopment Commission for following through every phase of the project with consistency.  

“Much planning and dedication has gone into improving the 9^th Street Corridor, and the work we see here shows the Redevelopment Commission has made a commitment to improve the city from the inside out,” he said.

Changes along the 9^th Street Corridor, beginning with the rehabilitation of brownfields, has attracted new developments, like Scott Signs, the expansion of the Dairy Farmers of America and the relocation of the new Parks & Recreation Department offices, Development Director Mark Brinson said.

“We are excited to see these new developments breathe new life into a corridor so close to the heart of town,” he said. “We are hopeful that this will attract even more entrepreneurs and businesses into the area.”

The Engineering Department continues to work on the designation of the 9^th Street Corridor as a quiet zone, a project that may take another year to be completed.