Bikepaths, libraries hot topics at meeting

Jul. 20—GOSHEN — Several years in the making, the C.R. 17 Multiuse Path Bridge is finally getting ready to get off the ground.

"It's really first and foremost a safety project," said Elkhart County Highway Department Transportation Manager Charlie McKenzie.

In the last three years, the area has seen 101 accidents resulting in injury or death, with 16 of them fatalities involving pedestrians or cyclists.

The new bridge will be built separately from C.R. 17 over U.S. 33 and the railroad tracks. The bridge will be 10 feet wide and connect two major trail networks — the Maple Heart Trail and the Pumpkin Vine, and eventually offer access to the Millrace Trail.

"This will be the only dedicated cyclist and pedestrian dedicated bridge crossing of any kind between the two cities," McKenzie said. Right now, there is a nine-mile gap between similar bridges with one on Indiana Avenue in Elkhart and another on Lincoln Avenue. McKenzie said it will also be the only dedicated cyclist access to the new courthouse complex from north of the railroad tracks.

Peter Hru of Chain Reaction Bicycle spoke during the council meeting on the difficulties of people who use bicycles as their primary means of transportation.

Hru said in Elkhart County 8.2% of households are without any vehicle. In the city of Elkhart, it's 11.5%, while in Goshen, it's 7.4%. Among motorized vehicle owners, 29.6% of households only have one vehicle. In Elkhart, it's 43.6%, and in Goshen, it's 43.5%.

"Quality of life comes down to being able to do functional things — going to the store, going to the doctor, going out — to me this is far more than recreation," he said. "I think that we would agree that being able to do those functional things are important. This connection is critical for equitable access to the existing Dunlap retail corridor, the recreation areas such as Ox Bow Park, and the need for routes will only increase when the courthouse opens."

Community resident Glenn Null accused the county of wasting money on the project, implying that the design left much to be desired and that they were only doing it because they'd be losing funding if they didn't.

"If people want to get across (U.S.) 33, we do have crossings, and I'd like to know how somebody is going to cross that bridge and get to Meijer without walking down the side of (U.S.) 33," Null said. "Are you going to build sidewalks down (U.S.) 33?"

Instead, Null suggested that using the emergency lane would be the best option.

Brittany Short, Project Director for Connect Elkhart County, said her nonprofit learned through a study that communities that are most likely to remain youth after graduation are ones with thriving downtowns, ones being invested in, and ones that have an approach to transportation planning that prioritizes walking and biking. Vibrant Communities also recently noted in a survey that trails were deemed highly desirable to residents in all seven communities of Elkhart County.

There's an inflated cost compared to the original pricepoint in February of $2.7 million. MACOG has identified $1 million toward the project. McKenzie recommended they split the remainder with the RDC and the North East TIF, with a $625,000 shortfall, which the council appropriated during the meeting. Eighty percent of construction costs will be reimbursed, leaving the county's total responsibility at about $200,000.

The council also approved $1.3 million for the construction of the C.R. 17 expansion through C.R. 142. Construction is slated to begin in late 2025 or early 2026. Construction is slated to begin in late 2025 or early 2026.

LIBRARIES AND THEIR BOOKS

Concerns with the content of books in libraries continue to bring backlash as Elkhart County legislatures hear almost weekly commentary on what should and what should not be allowed in the county's libraries.

During the Elkhart County Council meeting Thursday, MaryBeth Schlabach, Assistant Director of Public Services for Elkhart Public Library, began public comment in place of EPL's Director Lisa Guedea Carreño, to offer a caution to the council about choosing the right person to fill a vacancy on EPL's library board.

"As you deliberate and decide who will serve on our board, please prioritize someone who shows a commitment to the entire Elkhart Public Library community and who has a solid fiscal understanding that helps guide the library to remain vibrant, strong, and a good steward of the taxpayer dollars, a library where everyone is welcome, and that has something to offer each and every one of them," she said.

Schlabach admitted that with her own daughter, she let her read things that most parents probably wouldn't have. Rather than tell her she couldn't when her daughter read a book, Schlabach read it too, sometimes before her daughter did, and if the content was questionable, they talked about it.

"For me, my daughter's love of reading ended up being one of the best parenting tools I could have been given," Schlabach said. "It forced me to make sure that I understood why I believed a certain way, enabling me to explain to my child why I believed certain choices were unhealthy."

Schlabach said the experience reinforced, for her, the idea that everyone is different.

"It helped me raise my children to think critically and to stand firm in what they believe is right without the need to control others," she said.

Cindy Hajicek agreed that the board should carefully consider who they appoint to the board position, but from a different perspective.

"To be clear, I agree, parents are responsible," Hajicek said. "I took that responsibility seriously and I think most people that the luxury of time do so."

She asserted the American Library Association's influence on library staff means that many books in the library may conflict with moral standards.

"For example, their website includes a heading titled 'ALA updated guide to LGBTQIA+ books for children and teens,' and states the following, 'LGBTQIA+ books for children and teens published by the ALA editions highlights the best lit in young people.'"

The excerpt goes on to say, "while also addressing urgent topics such as the rise in book challenges."

Hajicek said journalists and filmmakers have documented the harm that 'trans ideology' has on minors but said she's concerned libraries are normalizing and glamourizing transgenderism.

"The 'we trust parents' argument ignores the choice parents actually face," she said. "Right now the materials in the libraries are so bad that some parents are keeping their children home to protect their child's innocence."

Nappanee Public Library Board Member John Leavitt said in his 32 years on the board, he's served with people from many walks of life but felt that all the members were inclusive and supportive.

"All of the people that I served with had in common that they believed in the library and the mission of the library and the work that we do there," he said. "Libraries should be about the free flow of ideas and information. There's some things in our library that I really enjoy and materials that I check out that I get a great deal of benefit from, but I will also tell you that in our library, we've got some things on the shelf that I wouldn't dream of having in my house."

Leavitt said that despite his opinions on the materials, he and the board he serves on will always fight for other people's ability to have them because, he said, it's a community library.

"There's no required reading list to get a library card," he added.

Bristol Public Library Executive Director Carol Reeves also noted to the council that all libraries have a policy where community members can submit requests for request of removal of certain materials. At her library, for the six years she's been the director, she said no one has filled one out.

Other items included:

* The council hosted a hearing on Furrion, LLC's Spirit Realty and Way Interglobal Network to determine substantial compliance. Board members voted in favor, with Graham voting against. They also determined by hearing that Bristol Indiana Corporation was in substantial compliance, while Entech and SMART met standards and were deemed in substantial compliance without the need for a hearing.

* The Elkhart County Council approved $50,000 from the commissioners to remove a log jam at Ox Bow Park.

* The Elkhart County Council approved $180,000 to help cover utility bills at the Elkhart County Jail. Elkhart County Administrator Jeff Taylor explained that the reason the funds have been exhausted is that the landfill's methane compressor has been out of service most of the year. It's normally used to help offset the utility cost of the jail complex.

* Relatedly, the HVAC system of the jail is also in need of upgrades. Elkhart County Commissioner Bob Barnes told council members that there is a lot of work that needs to be done to convert the system. The council approved $350,000.

* The Elkhart County Council also approved two additional appropriations of $65,000 each from the Middlebury East TIF Fund and the Middlebury Southeast TIF Fund to go toward engineering costs for a new water tower in Middlebury.

* The council approved ordinances to establish more non-reverting funds for the community correction department including Community Transition Program Fund, Community Corrections Fund, Children's Summit Program Fund, 575 VOCA Supplemental Grant Fund, and AMZ TIF Fund.

Dani Messick is the education and entertainment reporter for The Goshen News. She can be reached at dani.messick@goshennews.com or at 574-538-2065.