Shipshewana Town News
As the calendar moves into August
to what are called by baseball fanatics,
“the dog days of summer”, we remind
everyone of the dangers of open burning in the potential dry summer weather. Although this summer has been
more comparable to “monsoon” season
of the Far East, everyone realizes that
here at home, weather patterns change
rapidly and a dry spell could be upon
us very quickly. It’s at that point that
burning of any kind needs our attention. Open burning is regulated within
the Town limits of Shipshewana and
includes not only what you can burn,
but also how you can burn it. Burning anything combustible other than
“clean” wood is prohibited. So igniting
those early dry leaf drops or old grass
and weeds isn’t allowed and could result in a visit from police or fire personnel who “shall issue a warning notice to
a first time violator” and require them
to correct the violation extinguishing
the fire immediately. If the person fails
to comply, the result is a “citation being
issued with a fine of $250.00 for each
violation thereafter”. In other words,
there are serious consequences for not
taking open burning seriously. Finally,
remember that campfires are allowed,
but must be set for recreational purposes or ceremonial purposes and burn
clean wood.
In June, Shipshewana received its
Ohio Mills/Special Olympics clothes
bin and located it at the recycling
center behind the old fire station. This
very worthwhile effort to recycle clothing will relieve landfills of taking in
usable waste, create jobs and support
in part the “Special Olympics” program
nationwide. There is an estimated 20
million pounds of clothes being buried
pg 20 · The Hometown Treasure · August ‘13
each year in our landfills that Ohio
Mills has now determined is a treasure
to people in need all over the world.
Through recycling, the Ohio Mills
makes a deserved profit and still supports the Special Olympics. So when
you clean out the closet, or find that all
the clothes haven’t sold at the garage
sale, or no longer can be fixed and
patched, consider the clothing collection bin at the recycling area. Just look
for the “green” container.
Fire hydrant flushing has been
completed throughout Town and
provides the opportunity to clean and
check the hydrant system while measuring the fire protection level of the
water system. Monitoring the hydrants
is one of the components in “I.S.O.”
ratings for the community and the
by Mike Sutter
Shipshewana Area Fire Department.
This rating is based on an analysis of
the “structural fire suppression delivery system provided” in the community. The ISO rating becomes an integral
part of the “Public Protection Classification Program” (PPC) and plays a
very important role in the underwriting process of insurance companies.
In other words, the ability to have a
maintained and clean hydrant system
eventually affects all of us through the
insurance rates we pay for our homes
and businesses. As a kid I remember
the flushing of hydrants in the city as
part of the summer memories. Seeing
them run was all part of neighborhood
baseball, “Good Humor” ice cream
trucks, no school and freedom. Little
did I know that they also protected me
Meats
Cheeses
Bulk Foods
Special Orders?
- No Problem!
If we don’t have it,
we can get it.
- Weddings
- Benefit Suppers
- Graduations
- Special Events
120 S Main • Topeka, IN • P.O. Box 186 • 260-593-3002
Hours: Mon - Fri 8:00 - 5:00 • Sat 8:00 - 4:00 • Closed Sunday