Stormwater management staff reported a sanitary sewer overflow the afternoon of Thursday, Oct. 10. The overflow made its way to a storm sewer connecting to a ditch, which in turn connects with the Elkhart River.

The City asks residents to not kayak or perform other water activities on the Elkhart River from the Goshen Dam north beginning Thursday evening, Oct. 10, until Monday, Oct. 14. Please do not use the canoe launch at Rogers Park in this period of time. Water activities are safe to be performed on the Millrace Canal.

Goshen’s 2019 trick-or-treat hours will be 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 31.

These are the same hours as the last three years.

Greene Road will be closed the week of October 14 to allow contractor C&E Excavating to work on utility taps for the new intermediate school.

The road will be reopened Friday, October 18. Traffic will be detoured to Plymouth to Indiana to Berkey.

Lombardy Drive will be closed to traffic between Caragana Drive and Kercher Road, from Friday, October 11, until the end of the day Tuesday, October 15.

The area will be graded and the subgrade treatment completed as part of the Kercher Road project. An asphalt layer base will be installed during the closure.

The 200 block of Carter Road will be closed from October 9 to October 31st to allow for drainage improvements.

Goshen’s stormwater management office is working with Kibby Excavating to improve the drainage swale on the 200 block of Carter Road. The contractor is planning to begin work on Wednesday, closing down the road to ensure the safety of the workers and residents.

Residents living along Carter Road will be able to come and go as there are two exits to S. Main Street (SR 15).

The South Bend-Elkhart Region Community Survey deadline has been extended to Oct. 9. This survey touches on aspects about living and working in the region, and will help the region in its Regional Branding Initiative Project.

• Click here to fill out the survey.

The survey will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete – upon submission, participants will be entered to win a chance to have a $100 donation made in their name to the charity of their choice.

The Goshen Public Library’s board of trustees has an open position. The council will review applications and make an appointment to the board for a three year term.

• Read more about the board of trustees here.
• To apply to be a member of the board, click here.

The Library’s Board of Trustees meets the third Tuesday of every month at 5 p.m. in the Goshen Public Library, 601 S. 5th St. If you have question about this position, please contact the director, Ann-Margaret Rice, at 533.9531 or at amrice@goshenpl.lib.in.us

NOTE: The City Council will make an appointment at their November 19, 2019 meeting, at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers.

The City of Goshen’s first-ever fully inclusive playground at Hay Park, 1414 W. Plymouth Ave., is now open to the public.

The City, donors and the community celebrated the opening of Kerry’s Kids Playground with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Thursday, Oct. 3.

With ramps and special-equipment features, every part of the playground is accessible to residents of all ages, regardless of mobility or developmental challenges.

“We know this park will be a park all ages and all abilities will be able to enjoy together,” Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said at the ceremony. “We have been working on this park for three and a half years, and it warms my heart to know that it has been completed.”

At the event, special thanks were given to Laura Elliott, a Goshen High School student who wrote to Mayor Stutsman suggesting the addition of a fully inclusive playground, as well as donors who contributed to bring the project to life.

Two dedications were made during the ceremony: A plaque was placed on a bench near the playground’s entrance in honor of Rusty A. Elliott, Laura’s father, who passed away while the design planning process was ongoing. Goshen Hospital dedicated an accessible drinking fountain in honor of having received their fourth Magnet recognition for providing the highest quality of nursing care to patients.

This playground became a reality thanks to a committee made up of residents and City staff who worked on its design, as well as funding from the Kerry Finnigan Rupright Foundation, the Community Foundation of Elkhart County, BraunAbility and the Indiana Housing and Development Authority (IHCDA).

The IHCDA, through its CreatINg Places program, provided a matching grant of $50,000 for a crowdfunding campaign via Patronicity. Thanks to the community’s support, the Goshen Parks & Recreation Department was able to raise nearly $75,000, exceeding the original goal of $50,000.

The City of Goshen has purchased its first electric vehicle in an effort to further test alternative fuel cars and their impact to the City’s budget and the environment.

After careful research, the City’s Central Garage Department purchased a Tesla Model 3. The long-term plan is for the car to be shared among department heads and staff for driving to meetings within the region. A charging station also will be installed outside of City Hall, 202 S. 5^th St., for public access.

With a range of up to 325 miles per charge, the Tesla Model 3 starts at $35,000, making it one of the most affordable electric vehicles in the market with the longest range for its pricing.

The mayor currently drives a 2018 Jeep Cherokee. If switched, the Tesla would save the City about $1,200 on gas costs annually and it would save the environment about 5.4 metric tons of tailpipe gas emissions per year.

Carl Gaines, fleet manager at the Central Garage, said his department expects considerable savings on maintenance costs, since electric vehicles do not require change in fluids and the car has minimal moving parts.

“Goshen City Council has set a carbon neutrality date, for Goshen City government, of 2035,” Mayor Stutsman said. “In an effort to work toward that goal, we will continue to move forward with initiatives like upgrading our fleet to electric or hybrid cars wherever it is feasible. Using the data we collect over the next six months of utilizing the electric car, will help guide how we move forward with fleet changes into the future.”

The City already has a number of Toyota Prius (hybrid electric vehicles), which are used by some staff to commute and drive around town. The Police Department also is in talks with the Central Garage in hopes to acquire hybrid vehicles in the near future.

The new electric and hybrid fleet of vehicles will also serve as an educational tool, “to help us learn about the various models of alternate fuel vehicles,” said Aaron Sawatsky-Kingsley, head of the City’s Department of Environmental Resilience.

“We want residents to know that choosing an electric vehicle can be reasonably budgeted, and that there are benefits to going electric, aside from lowering greenhouse gas emissions,” he said. “Being able to see an electric car up close, knowing how it works and how much they cost can help the public make educated choices if they want to purchase an alternative fuel vehicle.”

Electric and hybrid electric vehicles have gained popularity in the last decade, with well over 25 different vehicle manufacturers producing about 100 different models for the US, according to the US Department of Energy. All-electric and plug-in hybrid cars purchased in or after 2010 may be eligible for a federal income tax credit of up to $7,500. To learn more about electric and hybrid vehicles, and potential federal and state incentives, go to fueleconomy.gov.