It took somewhat longer to complete work on the west side of Ninth Street between Jackson and College, but that work has wrapped up this week!

On Monday, June 10, 2019, traffic will be switched from northbound only to southbound only for about one month until they move to the next phase of construction.

For more information, including a construction schedule, go to 
https://goshenindiana.org/ongoing-projects.

Solarize Northern Indiana, a regional volunteer-powered initiative that helps local residents and businesses go solar, is officially kicking off the 2019 Solarize initiative with an information session at the Goshen Public Library. This is the first event in the region.

Attend and learn how to go solar on your home or business in 2019 and hear from current solar owners.

Solar is very much alive in Indiana in 2019. If you go solar now, net metering is still available under NIPSCO and Indiana Michigan Power until July 1, 2032! Note that the 30% Federal Tax Credit starts to phase down after this year.

Why go solar together in 2019?

1. You can get a discount: Leverage our community’s buying power tor educe electric bills for decades.
2. Get a fair quote: Installers, equipment and pricing will be selected competitively.
3. Make it simple: Attend the Going Solar Workshop to learn more.

To RSVP, email Leah Thill with the Michiana Area Council of Governments at Lthill@solarizeNI.org or call 574-287-1829, ext. 801. You can also RSVP online at http://bit.ly/2XfhRoZ

Public invited to unveiling event at June First Fridays

Residents and visitors will be able to see the new Storm Drain Art Project throughout the City now that the project is underway.

An unveiling event, to which the public is cordially invited, will take place at 6:30 p.m. June 7 at the courthouse during First Fridays.

Ten designs were selected early spring and the locations have been assigned. The artists awarded are all local to Elkhart County, including a delegation of artists from local nonprofit ADEC. The artists selected were the following:

1. Rachel Weaver
2. Katelyn Pedler
3. Katelyn Conley
4. Rachel Neff
5. Holly Hathaway
6. ADEC, Inc.
7. Jessica King
8. Katarina Antal
9. Heather Potsander
10. Tavi Mounsithiraj and Dteban Mounsithiraj

The selection committee was composed of City staff, elected officials and local artists. They were:

• David Kendall, local artists and professor at Goshen College
• Jama Brookmeyer Graber, Art Teacher at Waterford Elementary School
• David Gibbs, Goshen Street Commissioner
• Jeremy Stutsman, Mayor of Goshen
• Amy Worsham, Arts Coordinator, Goshen Arts Council
• Felix Perez Diener, Goshen City Council Youth Advisor
• Theresa Sailor, My Community My Water
• Michelle Kercher, My Community My Water
• Jason Kauffman, Goshen Stormwater Coordinator

Several of the artists have already begun painting their storm drain art murals and a few are already done. The murals are expected to be completed by mid-June, weather permitting.

Jason Kauffman, Stormwater Coordinator, said stormwater is the only growing source of water pollution in the country, and most storm drains flow directly to a waterway untreated.

“By drawing attention to storm drains with art, my hope is more people will make a connection between storm drains and our local waterways, which are a resource worth protecting,” he said. “By way of this connection, people will then make a more deliberate effort to keep potential pollutants like trash, grass clippings, and pet waste from coming into contact with stormwater, thus improving the water quality of our local waterways.”

This project is made possible thanks to help from My Community My Water LLC, the generosity of local businesses and community members, and the time and effort of local artists.

A map listing all the locations of the drain art works can be found at mycommunitymywater.com/art-in-the-city-of-goshen.

As the deadline for the removal of campsites nears, below is additional information about the City of Goshen’s efforts in working with local nonprofits to offer help to those in need of shelter.

A policy establishing a procedure for the removal of homeless encampments in Goshen was announced early May with the original removal deadline of May 27— the deadline was moved to June 3 because of the holiday weekend. The policy was drafted by a task force created by Mayor Jeremy Stutsman and composed of City staff, elected officials, nonprofits and neighboring residents and businesses. This policy and process is only possible because there are plenty of shelter beds available if campers will accept the offer for safer and healthier spaces to live.

Since the policy was announced, City staff has personally reached out to the campers at their sites on three separate occasions to inform them of the removal deadline and offer resources that could help them get assistance. They have distributed copies of the policy and letters outlining important information about the process.

Additionally, nonprofit organizations experienced in working with the homeless community have reached out as well through three organized events at the Powerhouse Park on May 16, May 23 and May 30. A number of people from the encampment have already participated and taken advantage of the services offered by the local nonprofits.

“I want to thank the nonprofits who have worked collaboratively with the City to ensure the residents in the encampment have the assistance they need moving forward,” Mayor Stutsman said.

Some questions have arisen about the City’s legal authority to remove campers from public property — and whether the campers have the legal right to continue camping on City property. Goshen City attorneys have researched the City’s rights and powers and recent court decisions, and are confident that the policy is legal, as it attempts to treat all persons with dignity. Within Elkhart County, options for shelter do exist, and those options will remain on the table even past the deadline.

Mayor Stutsman and City staff will continue to work with the Goshen Coalition for the Homeless to find long-term solutions to the issue of homelessness in our community. Allowing the camping in public property has brought unfortunate socially unacceptable consequences such as public intoxication and brawling; it is not a sustainable option for our community.

“This is not about removing residents from our community — I want each and every one who lives in Goshen to be safe and healthy,” Mayor Stutsman said. “We want them to use any and all resources available to get assistance while we work on longer-term solutions that can’t be built or implemented overnight.”

The City of Goshen will spend the summer collecting information about community-wide and local government operations greenhouse gas emissions as one of thirteen communities selected to be a part of Indiana University’s first Resilience Cohort.

Findings from the community-wide greenhouse gas inventory will be used to help residents and local officials understand Goshen’s current emissions profile and to help create an action plan to reduce emissions, increase energy efficiency and improve air quality.

Findings from the local government operations inventory will be used to help Goshen employees identify greenhouse gas reduction strategies for the municipality.

A greenhouse gas inventory is a fundamental first step for Hoosier cities, towns and counties committed to combating the climatic changes communities in Indiana are already experiencing, such as heavier rainfalls in spring and winter, more river and flash flood events and more freeze-thaw events wreaking havoc on transportation infrastructure and potholes. The inventory process will provide 2017 data on the amount of energy consumed, the diversity of energy supplied to the grid, vehicle fuel use within the city boundary, the amount of waste generated within the city boundary and more.

“We are excited to start this process,” Mayor Jeremy Stutsman said. “The more data we have, the better we can manage our budgets and plan for the future. An energy-efficient community will help us save dollars in the future, provide a better quality of life and help protect the next generation of community members.”

The Resilience Cohort was established by the Environmental Resilience Institute, an Indiana University Prepared for Environmental Change Grand Challenge initiative. The Cohort is made up of 13 Indiana cities, towns and counties that will complete their inventories this summer. As part of the Cohort, Goshen has access to technical resources, a peer network, and training through ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability, a nonprofit that specializes in helping local governments with emissions inventories.

“We are delighted that these 13 Indiana communities have chosen to take a critical early step on the path to reducing carbon emissions and enhancing air quality,” said Ellen Ketterson, Director of IU’s Environmental Resilience Institute. “The findings from these greenhouse gas inventories will provide a roadmap for local officials to address emissions produced in their own backyards, improve public health, and strengthen the resilience of Hoosier communities.”

A partnership with Sustain IU’s Indiana Sustainability Development Program is providing eight of the 13 communities with summertime externs – IU students – to help with the data collection and processing. Goshen received an extern placement: Bronson Bast is a graduate student at the O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University pursuing a Master of Public Affairs and a Master of Science in Environmental Science degrees. He is also the President of the Energy Leaders Student Association, a student organization dedicated to the professional development of students interested in the energy sector.

Director of Sustain IU Andrew Predmore commented, “I am thrilled that the Resilience Cohort was launched this summer as part of the Indiana Sustainability Development Program. Not only are these students developing professionally through these work experiences, but they are also making real sustainability contributions by doing the foundational work needed to seriously address the challenges posed by climate change.”

The City of Goshen anticipates that the inventories will be done by the completion of the Resilience Cohort, September 15, 2019.

Other Resilience Cohort participants include Bloomington, Carmel, Columbus, Delaware County / Muncie, Evansville, Fort Wayne, Gary, Greencastle, Michigan City, Oldenburg, Richmond and West Lafayette.

About the Prepared for Environmental Change initiative: The Indiana University Prepared for Environmental Change Grand Challenge initiative brings together a broad, bipartisan coalition of government, business, nonprofit and community leaders to help Indiana better prepare for the challenges that environmental changes bring to our economy, health and livelihood. Announced in May 2017, Prepared for Environmental Change is working to deliver tailored and actionable solutions to communities across the state of Indiana.