How do you see Goshen growing and developing in 10 or more years?

The City of Goshen is in the process of creating a growth strategy, and needs community input to determine general attitudes and perceptions about growth.

The purpose of a growth plan is to provide officials, residents and developers with a tool to drive development in an orderly manner that is consistent with community goals and values. The City is working with Abonmarche Consultants and the Indiana Communities Institute at Ball State University to create the growth strategy.

To take the survey, go to https://bit.ly/GoshenGrowthStrategy

Tome la encuesta en español: https://bit.ly/EstrategiadecrecimientodeGoshen

Listening sessions will be held the following dates:

• August 16 at 5:30 p.m. at Rieth Interpretive Center, 410 W. Plymouth Ave.

• August 17 at 8 a.m. in Schrock Pavilion at Shanklin Park, 411 W. Plymouth Ave.

• August 17 at 5:30 p.m. at the St. John Church gym, 109 W. Monroe St.

• August 23 at 5:30 p.m. at Schrock Pavilion at Shanklin Park, 411 W. Plymouth Ave.

College Avenue will be closed east of Century Drive from August 16 through September 23, 2022, to allow NIPSCO to conduct work associated with the site development and infrastructure improvements along College Avenue.

College Avenue is closed between 15th Street west to the railroad tracks to allow City contractor Niblock to mill and repave the road.

The closure will go through Aug. 12 and lane restrictions will continue through Aug. 23.

The railroad crossings at College Avenue (CR 36), east of Century Drive, and CR 31, south of College Avenue, are closed to allow Norfolk Southern to work on the tracks beginning Monday, Aug. 8. The closure will last for 1 to 3 days, according to Norfolk Southern.

Go to https://bit.ly/3zK2qtk for an interactive map showing the affected roads. Road milling begins Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022 on the following roads:

• Berkey Avenue between S Greene Road and Dewey Avenue

• Carter Road

• Fescue Court

• Logan Street between Lincoln Avenue and the tracks

• Sedgefield Way and Clover Trails Boulevard

• Westwood Road between Gra Roy Drive and Main Street

Travel will be restricted to 1 lane on the roads while work is being completed. Please avoid parking on these roads, so that work is not delayed. Notice will be given when repaving begins.

Affected area: West Wilden Avenue between Rock Run Creek and N 2nd Street

On Tuesday, August 2, a water main break was reported along West Wilden Avenue. A Boil Water Advisory has been issued 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.

The City of Goshen received a $130,163.30 energy efficiency incentive payment from NIPSCO for recent upgrades to the City’s wastewater treatment plant (WWTP).

The upgrades are part of a larger plant-wide improvements project to increase the treatment capacity and improve the efficiency of the WWTP.

Highlighted energy efficiency upgrades include replacing two prior constant speed blowers with two new variable speed high-efficiency turbo blowers, implementation of a new automated dissolved oxygen control program, and replacement of two old boilers with new higher-efficiency boilers.

The new blowers and dissolved oxygen control program have been in operation for two months and the boilers are expected to be fully operational by the end of July, which will conclude all major process upgrades associated with the project.

This upgraded equipment will reduce the operational costs and carbon footprint of the WWTP and represent a large step towards the City’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035.

“The Wastewater Utility and its staff are a vital resource for the City of Goshen,” Administrative City Engineer Bryce Gast said. “This upgrade provides the Utility with the tools necessary to continue its excellent performance while greatly improving the efficiency of the WWTP. The improvements will simultaneously benefit the Utility’s customers and the environment, a benefit that is further magnified by NIPSCO’s generous incentive program.”

The incentive comes from NIPSCO’s Custom Incentive Program, which rewards participating agricultural, large commercial, governmental, industrial, and non-profit customers for making electric and natural gas energy efficiency improvements.

Qualifying customers must submit an incentive application and satisfactorily demonstrate the energy savings of their proposed improvements prior to implementing them. After review and acceptance of the application the customer may begin the project; and, upon completion and final review of the project, are awarded the incentive.

The incentive payment will be returned to the Utility’s general fund and will be used to help fund continued operation of the WWTP and future projects. “As the City completes the improvements at the wastewater treatment plant, being able to celebrate the end of project with an acknowledgement and monetary return from NIPSCO feels like a double success,” Director of Public Works Dustin Sailor said. “I want to express my personal thanks to NIPSCO for offering this program and to Administrative City Engineer, Bryce Gast, who oversaw the construction project and completed necessary paperwork for this rebate.”

The City of Goshen will begin work on the Wilden Avenue Reconstruction project. Beginning August 1, the west approach of Wilden Avenue from Main Street (SR 15) will be closed.

This means drivers on Main Street will not be able to turn west onto Wilden Avenue. Similarly, drivers heading east on Wilden will not be able to turn north or south onto SR 15.

This portion of the intersection will remain closed through the end of August.

The detour for those on Main Street/SR 15 is SR 15>County Road 26>Indiana Avenue/County Road 21.

Two-way traffic will be maintained on SR 15. Daytime closures of the east approach of Wilden may occur during intersection work.

For more updates on road construction, follow the City of Goshen on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CityOfGoshen or on the city’s website at goshenindiana.org/blog.

Beginning August 1, 2022, the City will enter into a new trash and recycling contract with Borden Waste Away.

As part of the new rules, bags placed outside of the 96-gallon bin provided by Borden will not be picked up unless the bags are tagged.

Bag tags are available for purchase for extra bags of trash that do not fit within the cart (available for $2 each at Martin’s Supermarket on Bashor Road and on College Avenue).

For any questions related to the change of service, please call the City at 574-533-8621 or Borden Waste Away at 574-293-5001.

After a 2 year break due to the pandemic, America’s Freedom Fest, is returning to the Goshen Municipal Airport, Saturday, July 9, 2022.  

Headlining this year’s event will be the United States Air Force (USAF) A-10 Demonstration Team. Air Combat Command announced at the 2021 International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) that America’s Freedom Fest had been selected to host the USAF A-10 Demonstration Team. 

Airport Manager Randy Sharkey said America’s Freedom Fest is ranked as one of the largest single day air shows in the country, attracting 25,000 – 30,000 spectators. This year’s show will be one of the best yet, with the USAF A-10 Demonstration Team, he added. 

“There are only a handful of shows selected each year that receive a military jet demo and we are fortunate to have showed up on their radar,” Sharkey said. Unlike previous military participation at Goshen Air shows, the A-10 Thunderbolt II will be staging their operations at the Goshen Airport. 

Attendees can anticipate an incredible and varied air show line-up to include: Randy Ball & the Mig-17, Chris Darnell & the Shockwave Jet Truck, Red Bull Helicopter Air shows, The Phillips 66 Aerostars 3 ship Aerobatic Team, Susan Dacy Barnstorming America in the super Stearman Biplane, Michael Vakin in the Extra 300, Bob Richards in “Machaira”, Rotors N Ribs helicopter performers and so much more! 

In a Salute to America’s Freedom, the airshow activities will culminate with an incomparable fireworks display by the Madbomber Fireworks Production Company. 

For more information on performers, private chalets, sponsorship opportunities and advance tickets go to www.americasfreedomfest.net. America’s Freedom Fest is an Indiana 501c3 corporation.