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Clinton County - page 16

Indiana to Move to Stage 5 on Saturday, Sep 26

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Indianapolis, Ind – Indiana is moving to Stage 5 of the Back on Track Plan on Saturday, Sep 26, per an announcement made by Governor Eric Holcomb from the Statehouse in Indianapolis Wednesday, Sep 23.

“That because of the progress that we’ve made over the last not one week, two weeks, three weeks, but going back now for a few months is that steady progression as a curve we’ll be able to move on to Stage 5 of our Back On Track Plan,” said Governor Holcomb. “I said last week … we were managing our way through this to mitigate, to slow that spread – I said the proof is in the puddin’ and the numbers continue to track in the right direction.”

So, what does Stage 5 mean?

First, Stage 5 is set for a period of time running from September 26 through October 17.

Face coverings will be required for all Hoosiers per executive order.

Must maintain social distancing, wash your hands, and do not go to work or school or in public places if you feel sick.

And, size limitations are removed for social gatherings and meetings. However, organizers of events that will include more than 500 people must submit a written plan to the local Health Department

For restaurants and bars that offer food service, they may open at full capacity – appropriate social distancing must be maintained between tables and bar section customers must be seated.

Meanwhile, bars and nightclubs may open at full capacity and customers must be seated and social distancing required.

Indoor and outdoor venues may open at full capacity following social distancing requirements.

Senior centers and congregant nutrition sites may reopen according to family and Social Services Administration guidance.

Personal services such as gyms, fitness centers, and work out facilities may resume normal operations with all of the required cleaning protocols in place

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are required to provide visitation opportunities.

Communities are encouraged to monitor County’s standing in the color-coded metrics map and enact additional precautions if needed.

The Governor acknowledged some businesses will not be able to go back to pre-pandemic capacity as before due to the requirements still in place for physical and social distancing.

“Realistically, I understand,” said Governor Holcomb. “I get it. That because of what I just said not every establishment will be able to operate at what was their previous full capacity because of that physical distancing and social distancing that must occur.”

Governor Holcomb issued his first executive order related to the pandemic on March 6th and released the Back On Track Plan on May 1st, later modifying it to include Stage 4.5 on July 1st.

Retired Frankfort Police Officer Rob Bales Needs Community Help To Purchase ALS Power Chair

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Frankfort – Rob Bales is a retired Frankfort City Police Officer, retiring in July 2019, and was diagnosed with ALS in February 2019. He served on the force for 23-years.

Since his retirement, Rob has continued his fight against ALS and is now in need of an ALS power chair. The chair will be customed fitted to his body and is very expensive – after insurance, he is left a $5,400 co-pay.

According to a press release, the Bales family has incurred great expenses due to his illness. His wife, Teresa, is Rob’s sole caregiver and needs to be able to focus on his care and not determining how to come up with the monies necessary to purchase this much needed and critical piece of mobility equipment.

Most importantly the Bales family needs our prayers.

As a community let’s rally around and give back to Rob –  he dedicated his career to serving and protecting all of those that live in Clinton County.

If you are able to help in any way financially (any amount is appreciated).

Donations can be made to:

Robert Bales ALS Donational Fund

First Merchant’s Bank
60 S. Main Street
Frankfort, IN 46041 765-654-8533

“Alone we can do so little, Together we can do so much!”

County Prepares For High Voter Turnout In November Presidential Election

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Frankfort – With election turnout projections from the State of Indiana for the 2020 Presidential general election in-hand and having already received 765 valid requests for mail-in absentee applications, Rhea Harris, Clinton County Clerk of the Courts, made a request Tuesday during the Commissioners’ meeting to use the Commissioners’ meeting room, located in the courthouse, to conduct in-person absentee voting beginning October 6th.

“We have an election coming up … going back several years – 2012, 2016, and up to 2020 so far – the amount of voters that we have received in the past is a growing trend that our County has a significant turnout,” said Harris while addressing the three Clinton County Commissioners.

According to information obtained from the Indiana Secretary of State website, Clinton County had voter turnout exceeding 50% in the past two Presidential general elections – 2012 (54%) and 2016 (59%).

Harris spoke of the growing knowledge County residents have regarding the access to vote in-person absentee 28-days prior to election day. “The County people are aware now, beginning to become aware of the fact that we do have an absentee voting. The fact that they can come in 28-days before the election and they can vote by mail, which is much more secure here in Indiana than other states – those horror stories we hear in other states – a total different ball game here in Indiana. So, people don’t have to be afraid.”

During the 2020 primary held June 2nd, there were 41% of Clinton County voters that utilized some form of absentee voting – either mail-in or in-person and that number was 49% during the 2016 general election according to the Indiana Secretary of State website.

The State of Indiana provided guidance on voter turnout using three groupings – low, medium, and high – and Harris addressed how she prepares for elections. “Of course, I always go and plan for the high expectation and that is my expectation that we will be on the high expectation. I checked yesterday [Monday, Sep 14] and we’ve already had 765 valid requests for absentee applications. People are wanting to vote. We’re busy.

“With the amount of people that I expect to be here – in the courthouse, in person – I just don’t think my hallway and my office is going to be able to accommodate that.”

The Commissioners approved Harris’ request.

The State of Indiana recognizes 11 reasons to vote absentee by mail; however, any registered voter can vote absentee in-person without needing to provide a reason.

Here are the acceptable reasons:

1. You have a specific, reasonable expectation that you will be absent from the county on Election Day during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open (6 am until 6 pm).
2. You have a disability.
3. You are at least 65 years of age.
4. You will have official election duties outside of your voting precinct.
5. You are scheduled to work at your regular place of employment during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
6. You will be confined due to illness or injury or you will be caring for an individual confined due to illness or injury during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
7. You are prevented from voting because of a religious discipline or religious holiday during the entire 12 hours that the polls are open.
8. You are a participant in the state’s address confidentiality program.
9. You are a member of the military or a public safety officer.
10. You are a “serious sex offender” as defined in Indiana Code 35-42-4-14(a).
11. You are prevented from voting due to the unavailability of transportation to the polls.

The last day to submit an application for a mail-in absentee ballot is Thursday, October 22, 2020, at 11:59 pm at the County Clerk’s office. All completed mail-in ballots must be received by noon on November 3rd. In-person voting runs from October 6th through November 2nd.

The deadline to register to vote is Monday, October 5, 2020. Registering to vote can be completed online, by mail, or in-person.

Election day is Tuesday, November 3, 2020, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

County Commissioners Green Light Solar Project

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“Very significant” is how Clinton County Commissioners President Josh Uitts described the Hardy Hills solar project at Tuesday’s County Commissioners meeting held at the Courthouse prior to a series of unanimous votes in favor of advancing the project to its final step – the Area Plan Commission. The Clinton County Council had previously unanimously voted in favor of the project last Tuesday, September 8.

The favorable votes lead to the possible construction of a solar field that would primarily occupy land around Kilmore, extending as far west as N. Co. Road 130 W., as far east as N. Co. Road 100 E., north just beyond E. Co. Road 500 N., and as far south as E. Co. Road 250 N.

An attorney representing the County, Kostas Poulakidas of Taft Law, addressed the three-member board of commissioners to outline the key items contained within the project agreement of the $200 million investment.

• Tax abatement. 10-year abatement with the first eight years being 100% with the final two years at 75%.
• In exchange for the abatement, the County will receive $3.1 million in non-restricted economic development payments paid in equal installments over those 10-years.
• For every $10 million in additional investment over $200 million made by Hardy Hills, the County will receive an additional $155,000 in non-restricted economic development payments paid in equal installments over those 10-years.
• A $15,000 contribution to the EMS project

Poulakidas also explained the assessment methodology used in this project and why it was a challenge. “In the state of Indiana, there is not a defined assessment methodology for this type of project.

“It’s new, it’s unique. Clinton County is kind of leading the way. The Department of Local Government Finance, their guidance is we are going to defer to the locals to provide guidance. Indiana statute allows for what is called ‘Home Rule’ ordinance.”

Uitts asked Clinton County Council President Alan Dunn to speak to the financial impact this project will have on the County.

“From a council’s perspective when looking at this as an economic development project, first of all, we did put a lot of time and effort into this,” said Dunn. “Let me put this into context here to scale. This is a $200 million investment in Clinton County and put that into some context – that’s larger than the ConAgra investment, which was near $150 million investment, and that’s five times the NHK investment that is going on out at I-65 and State Road 28. This is a massive project.

“The land on which the project sits on is not abatable. So when we changed that from being farmland to being kind of a modified commercial – industrial, this new class … they’re still going to pay $2.1 million in taxes over that 10-year period that is not being paid currently.

“The County wins in form of the economic development payment of $3.1 million that’s paid at $310,000 per year during the 10-year abatement. We’re not getting nothing during that initial 10-year period.

“So over the course of the projected 35-year project, the project receives an $11 million cumulative tax abatement, but they’re going to pay tax bills that total $41 million for a net payment of $30 million to the County in property taxes paid.”

After the four votes were taken – approval of the project agreement, approval of the ordinance establishing an assessment methodology, approval of the road use agreement, and approval of the decommission agreement – Uitts explained the significance of the actions taken today.

“Today was a very important day for Clinton County,” said Uitts. “We were able to bring in the largest investment in the history of Clinton County in terms of a solar project from Invenergy, the Hardy Hills project. It represents a $200 million investment in Clinton County.

“At a high level what that represents to the folks of Clinton County, that is a lot of tax money they are not going to have to pay for the next 35-years. For the foreseeable future, we’re going to have economic development payments for the next 10-years that are going to be discretionary.

“A considerable amount of funds that are going to be over $300,000 plus per year that we are going to be able to spend on anything in our budget. Then beyond that from year eleven through the end of the project, they will pay approximately $2.1 million per year in tax. That is an incredible amount of money for the people of Clinton County.

“This is a project that respects property owner rights – that the farmers can use their land for what they wish to. It’s not really that big of an imposition on fellow property owners. The project itself includes a tremendous amount of planting of trees, natural grasses. It’s going to be very nice.”

County High School Football Action For Week 4

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Frankfort (1-2) hosts the Southmont Mounties (1-1). Both teams lost their opening Sagamore Conference games last week – The Hot Dogs suffered a 50-14 loss at Tri-West, while Southmont lost to North Montgomery 28-6. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday, September 11.

Clinton Prairie (0-3) travels to take on the undefeated Tri-Central Trojans (3-0) in a Hoosier Heartland Conference match-up. The Gophers came up short last week against the Traders Point Christian Knights, 21-18. Tri-Central defeated conference foe Sheridan, 21-0. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday, September 11.

Clinton Central (1-0) is back on the gridiron on Saturday, September 12, after a two-week hiatus due to COVID-19 protocol. The Bulldogs play host to the undefeated Frontier Falcons (3-0). Last week, Frontier defeated Fountain Central, 32-18. While Clinton Central defeated Frankfort, 20-16, in week 1 action. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

Kiwanis Club of Frankfort Celebrates 100 Years

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Today, Tuesday, September 1, 2020, Frankfort Mayor Judy Sheets issued a proclamation celebrating the Kiwanis Club of Frankfort 100-years of service.

The proclamation proclaims Thursday, September 3, 2020, as Kiwanis Club of Frankfort Day, 100-years to the day the club was chartered in 1920.

The Kiwanis Club of Frankfort, Indiana was chartered on September 3, 1920, becoming the 23rd Kiwanis Club in Indiana.

The Kiwanis Club is a global community of clubs, members and partners dedicated to improving the lives of children one community at a time and empowering members to pursue creative ways to serve the needs of children, such as fighting hunger, fighting literacy, and offering guidance.

The original motto of Kiwanis International, “We Build,” was exemplified by the Kiwanis Club of Frankfort in the creation of Circle Park in 1923, in the Club’s assistance in building Camp Cullom in the 1940s and 1950s, and in partnering with the City of Frankfort to construct the skateboard park at Eastside Park in 2005.

The Kiwanis Club of Frankfort encourages youth participation in service through the establishment of a Key Club at Frankfort High School in 1966, at Clinton Prairie High School in 1990.

Today, Tuesday, September 1, 2020, Frankfort Mayor Judy Sheets issued a proclamation celebrating the Kiwanis Club of Frankfort 100-years of service has contributed thousands of dollars to Riley Hospital for Children for various needs, including neonatal ambulances, initiatives to cure juvenile diabetes, and a program to increase early diagnoses of autism. The Kiwanis Club of Frankfort has contributed to international programs to eliminate iodine deficiency and neonatal tetanus worldwide.

Back On Track Stage 4.5 And Mask Requirement To Continue Another 30 Days

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Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb announced Wednesday, August 26, 2020, the Back on Track Stage 4.5 and mask requirement will continue for another 30 days.

“On one hand we are pleased that we have been holding steady in terms of our positivity rate,” said Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb. “We don’t want that to trend up, we would like to see that trend down even more so.”

The positivity rate has plateaued according to a slide shown during the Governor’s weekly briefing. The positivity rate climbed from 4.4% on June 16 to 7.6% on July 27 when the mask requirement went into effect. Since that time the positivity rate has nudged downward; 7.3% on August 17 and 6.6% on August 19.

As a result of this data, the Governor stated he will issue an executive order extending the health emergency and reopening plan through September 25. This extension will have no changes in capacity restrictions for restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues already in place.

Clinton Central Makes Changes to In-Person Learning Due To COVID-19 Cases: 10 Positive Cases Throughout Corporation, 3 New Cases Over Past 3-Days

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Clinton Central Superintendent Al Remaly notified parents Sunday, August 23, 2020, of changes to in-person learning.

Remaly said in a letter: “I was hoping to not have to make this call and I apologize that it is late on Sunday afternoon, but there are going to be some changes to the daily schedules at Clinton Central. We have had a total of 10 COVID19 positive cases throughout the corporation, 3 over the past three days. With the contact tracing that has been conducted, about 25% of the students at the jr/sr high school are impacted. This does not mean that 25% of the students have COVID19, it means they are considered close contacts and are required to quarantine for 14 days.”

“For Clinton Central Elementary, all students will be on remote learning for 1 week only starting Monday, August 24th. The elementary students will resume with their regular school schedule on Monday, August 31st. Why only one week? There have been no new cases of COVID19 outside of the 4th grade section. The daily structure/schedule of the elementary is much easier to control.”

“For Clinton Central Jr/Sr High School, all students will begin remote learning for 2 weeks starting on Monday, August 24th. Instead of resuming with a regular schedule, the jr/sr high school students will transition to a Hybrid Schedule beginning on Tuesday, September 8th. A hybrid schedule allows us to have only 50% of the students in the building and allows us to ensure social distancing of 6 feet or more. For these 2 weeks, all extracurricular activities are postponed.”

“Sometime tomorrow, all students/families will receive information from either the building principal or the classroom teacher about how learning will proceed.”

Clinton County High Schools Kickoff Football Season Tonight

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All three of the Clinton County high schools that field a football team will kickoff their season tonight, Friday, August 21, 2020.

Clinton Central will travel to Frankfort for a county head-to-head match while Clinton Prairie will host the Panthers of Park Tudor. Both games have a scheduled kickoff for 7 p.m.

Limited ticketing is available at each game due to current IHSAA fan participation rules this year due to COVID-19.

However, both games will be televised on the ISC SportsNetwork. Below are the links to the respective games with information on how to view the game. Cost is $5.99 for each of the games.

Clinton Central at Frankfort:
https://www.iscsportsnetwork.com/products/2020-fb-clinton-central-at-frankfort

Park Tudor at Clinton Prairie:
https://www.iscsportsnetwork.com/products/2020-fb-park-tudor-at-clinton-prairie

ISC offers a season pass to a variety of sports competitions at both Clinton Prairie and Frankfort. Season Passes are $74.99 for each school.

Clinton Prairie:
https://www.iscsportsnetwork.com/products/clinton-prairie-2020-season-package

Frankfort:
https://www.iscsportsnetwork.com/products/frankfort-high-school-season-pass

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