Elkhart County resident requests burn ordinance

Jun. 27—GOSHEN — Elkhart County municipal leaders are being asked to enforce statewide illegal burning ordinances within the county.

Elkhart resident Delfa Rosenberg attended the Elkhart County Commissioners meeting to present her plight.

"I have personally experienced difficulty breathing, burning eyes and throat, numbness of my tongue, from the toxic fumes polluting the air," she said.

Rosenberg told commissioners that at her home near Yellow Creek, her neighbor regularly burns toxic chemicals. In the State of Indiana, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management identifies waste materials that are illegal to burn as household trash, business trash, construction or demolition debris, and dumped waste.

Rosenberg told the commissioners that she's spoken with the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office officials, who told her there's no ordinance that they can enforce on the books. She then spoke with IDEM, who allegedly sent letters to the home and the owner on several occasions, with no resolution.

Rosenberg said she's suffering healthwise from the burning, which generally occurs in the evening, and she's also concerned about the damage to the environment.

"Not to mention the pollution leaching into the groundwater and Yellow Creek," she said. "We have wildlife, Mallard ducks, that live in Yellow Creek."

She explained that according to representatives she spoke with at IDEM, they receive nearly 1,000 calls per year about illegal open burning and don't have the staff to enforce so many calls, so she visited the commissioners on Monday to ask them to create an ordinance on burning material that would be enforceable by the Elkhart County Sheriff's Office. Commissioners accepted her documents and reading materials and took note of the request.

Other items to come before the board include:

—The Elkhart County Highway Department received approval for the third and final 2023 Paving Program bid. With 12 miles of road to pave, Rieth-Riley Construction, Goshen, made the low bid at $2,407,576. The commissioners approved the program and accepted the bid. The commissioners also approved a performance bond for the paving program, and a blanket no-parking ordinance which will condense previous ordinances.

—The commissioners approved the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative Subgrant for $153,035 for the Elkhart County Parks Department. The subgrant will supplement the Corson Riverwood County Park's pollinator playhouses and will include four separate playground areas within the newly established trail system under construction.

—The Elkhart County Jail's HVAC system is in need of upgrade and ConServ has been selected to do the work. The Elkhart County Commissioners approved the service agreement with the company.

—The commissioners approved a resolution to purchase Liberty Defense Hexwave.

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.