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Fleetwood owner in major buy

2013-05-17T10:06:37-04:00

    Allied Specialty Vehicles, parent company of Fleetwood RV in Decatur, on Thursday announced the purchase of the Monaco, Holiday Rambler and R-Vision recreational vehicle businesses from Navistar, Inc.
   Production of the Monaco RV and Holiday Rambler lines will be moved from Wakarusa in Elkhart County to Decatur and could lead to 100 or more new jobs in Adams County starting in 2014, according to company officials.
   Jim Meyer, chief operating officer of Allied Specialty Vehicles, told the South Bend Tribune in a story published Thursday that American Industrial Partners, the private equity firm in New York that owns Allied Specialty Vehicles, has been interested in purchasing the RV brands for some time. He said the timing was right and their bid was selected.
   Further details in today's print and e-editions.

Wakarusa work coming here

2013-05-17T10:04:00-04:00

    "I feel for the folks in Wakarusa, but I am very happy for Decatur," Mayor John Schultz said this morning of Fleetwood's expected expansion. "This is nothing but good news. It shows the confidence Fleetwood has in Decatur, and we will do whatever we can to assist them in the transition and going forward."
   Larry Macklin, executive director of the Adams County Economic Development Corp. said this morning that his office will assist Fleetwood in attempting to secure training funds and other assistance from the state economic develop office.
   "But we are very pleased for Decatur and Adams County with yesterday's announcement," Macklin said. "This tells us much about the quality of Fleetwood and the fact that they recognize the quality of the workforce in Adams County."
   Further details in today's print and e-editions.

Several personnel moves OKed at Adams Central

2013-05-17T10:00:42-04:00

    With four teachers opting for the retirement incentive package offered by Adams Central last month – which gave qualifying teachers a onetime payout of $15,000 – several personnel moves were presented, and approved, by the AC Board of Education Tuesday.
   Jon Johnson was hired as the new geometry/algebra I teacher for the 2013-14 school year. This position includes teaching all high school geometry classes as well as algebra I End of the Course (ECA) remediation classes.
   Johnson served on a one-year contract for the 2012-13 school year teaching Algebra 8, Pre-algebra, and high school Algebra I.
   Further details in today's print and e-editions.

Berne poised to take county lead

2013-05-16T09:39:32-04:00

    The city of Berne is poised to take the lead in establishing Adams County's first enhanced tax abatement program — a move that would grant qualifying firms who are making a substantial investment in the community up to five years of freedom from all real estate and personal property tax liability.
   Berne city council members on Monday spent nearly an hour following their regular meeting in a work session to hear details of a proposed "super abatement" program modeled after a similar policy now in place in Fort Wayne and Allen County.
   Tax abatement – a tool used by local government to entice new businesses or retain existing jobs – exempts all or a portion of a company’s increased assessed value on a new investment from property taxes. Abatements in Adams County traditionally have been granted on a sliding scale — starting with 100 percent abatement during the first year and gradually declining over the life of the agreement. New legislation approved by the Indiana General Assembly a few years ago allows communities to grant up to 100 percent tax abatements for a maximum of 10 years.
   Allen County has adopted a "super abatement" program that caps the maximum length of a 100 percent tax immunity at five years. City Attorney Jim Beitler urged the Berne council to consider a similar model.
   Further details in today's print and e-editions.

NA board cool to pay hike for sub bus drivers

2013-05-16T09:33:20-04:00

    In an effort to shore up a depleted roster of bus drivers, the North Adams school corporation is contemplating an increase in the pay rate offered to substitute drivers.
   In his written report to the board on Tuesday, transportation supervisor Larry Carty recommended increasing the rate paid to substitute drivers to $57 per day.
   Carty said the pay hike was a 50 percent increase over the current rate, but still falls short of the fee paid by some surrounding districts.
   Carty's recommendation was never formally presented, however, reportedly because school board members have requested a closer comparison with rates paid by other districts.
   Further details in today's print and e-editions.

Concern expressed as county general fund below $1 million

2013-05-16T09:29:50-04:00

    The Adams County Council decided at its monthly meeting on Tuesday to join the county commissioners to form a Courthouse Project Committee. The committee will meet at 7:30 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month to make decisions regarding the courthouse.
   The council also received a letter from the commissioners which expressed concern that the county's General fund has less than $1 million in it at present. The commissioners recommended that no more additional appropriations be made until after spring distribution, and then they should be conservative.
   Department heads should review potential purchases with the commissioners before actually making a purchase, they said.
   Further details in today's print and e-editions.

NA chosen for pilot program

2013-05-15T09:52:29-04:00

    Bellmont High School has been selected to serve as the site of a pilot program that will provide free training for current members of the local industrial workforce.
   The Adams County Industrial Maintenance Training Program, a collaborative effort between Ivy Tech Corporate College, WorkOne and the Adams County Economic Development Corp., is designed to provide continuing education to incumbent employees in specific subject areas identified by county industrial employers.
   The adult training program was unveiled Tuesday evening during a meeting of the North Adams Community Schools' board of education during a presentation by Larry Macklin, executive director of the Adams County Economic Development Corp.
   For further details see today's print and e-editions.

AC eyes compliance with health care law

2013-05-15T09:50:35-04:00

    Preparations are under way at Adams Central to bring the school into compliance with the new Affordable Health Care Act that will take effect in January, 2014.
   Incoming Superintendent Dr. Lori Richmond, along with corporation Treasurer Pam Hawbaker and Secretary to the Superintendent Heather Schaffer, spoke with the AC Board of Education Tuesday about the new health plan and what it will mean for AC.
   Richmond told the board under the new plan, the school must offer health insurance for all full-time employees, now classified as a person who works 30 or more hours for the school. Employees working fewer than 30 hours do not qualify for insurance coverage under the new plan.
   For further details see today's print and e-editions.

SAdams testing near finish

2013-05-15T09:47:26-04:00

    South Adams Superintendent Scott Litwiller updated the school board on the status of end-of-year testing at the board's meeting last night.
   Litwiller said that, like the other schools in the county, South Adams experienced some glitches during the first round of ISTEP+ testing, including students having trouble logging on to the network, getting kicked off the network, and having to wait minutes before the next question would appear.
   The Indiana Department of Education (DOE) extended the testing window to May 17 and recommended that the number of students testing at one time be cut in half. This helped the testing go better, and even makeup testing is nearly completed now, Litwiler said.
   For further details see today's print and e-editions.

Wind ordinance approved

2013-05-14T09:36:34-04:00

    The Adams County Commissioners on Monday voted to adopt the new wind ordinance, specifically as it deals with the construction and use of wind turbines in the county, with the amendments they suggested last week.
   County Attorney Mark Burry performed the final reading of the wind ordinance at the commissioners' weekly meeting, and the commissioners adopted it with the above amendments.
   Now it will go back to the plan commission, who may either accept or reject the amendments, or do nothing. If accepted, the amendments will go into effect. If the plan commission rejects the amendments, the ordinance will go back to the commissioners for another vote.
   If the plan commission does nothing in the next 45 days, the ordinance will go into effect as adopted by the commissioners.
   Further details in today's print and e-editions.