Section 2 March 2018 • Page 1

Page 3 Page 5 Page 8

By DANE FUELLINGDDD Contributor

Ask a Bellmont High School wrestling coach how poorly this season went in their opinion, and they may mention the early 1970s as a comparable year. The level of expectations for the coaching staff says everything about the prestige of the Bellmont wrestling program. Few seasons in recent memory have

left the trophy case as empty as this one. The Braves handed the NE8 trophy over for the first time since the switch of conferences, and failed to bring home

a sectional championship trophy in the same year for the first time since 1990. Was this the lowest-achieving team in the last 30 years for Bellmont? Maybe, but it is worth looking at the sea-son from a different perspective. The Braves finished the season as NE8 dual champs, losing just one conference dual to Leo. The conference tournament did not go as the coaching staff wanted, but with the loss of a four-year varsity wres-tler from the lineup, there was little that could be done to adjust the lineup. This year’s senior class won two con-ference titles, three sectional champion-ships and a regional title their sopho-more year. The team also won a 2A Team State title, finished runner-up twice and came in seventh this year. The success of the program is so expected at Bellmont that few recognize what is actually achieved by the coach-ing staff and the team. The team fin-ished the year ranked 70th in the state in the computer rankings released by IndianaMat. In comparison, this year’s girls basketball team —one of the best teams Bellmont has ever seen — was rated 77th in the state according to Jeff Sagarin. The boys team, which struggled again this year but is making strides with a new head coach, was 284th. This year’s basketball seniors went 0-28 in varsity conference play during their tenure, while the wrestlers went 26-2. Talk to any one of the boys in the program this year, however, and it would seem as if they hadn’t won any-thing in forever. That sort of hunger and level of expectation is what will drive the pro-gram forward in the coming years. The team will be led next year by its two returning state qualifiers, Jon Ruble and Kyle Lawson. It is worth mentioning that only 21 teams in the state had more than two state qualifiers in this year’s state finals. The two wrestlers have very differ-ent wrestling backgrounds, with Ruble wrestling for what seems like forever,

while Lawson began just five years ago, in middle school. With the help of their coaches, they achieved the goal of quali-fying for state this year with hopes of making it back and getting a medal next year.

CHARGING FORWARD … AND LOOKING BACK The list of schools returning more than two state qualifiers is a famil-iar one: Mishawaka, Penn, Cathedral, Brownsburg, Columbus East, Portage, Perry Meridian, Chesterton, Yorktown, Roncalli, Avon, Jimtown, Warren

See GREAT, Page 2

GREAT EXPECTATIONSAfter an off year, the Bellmont High School

wrestling program is ready for a return to glory

What’s inside ...

ON THE ROPES — Off-season work is a vital key to the continued suc-cess of Bellmont wrestling as seen here by the ropes-manship of Lucas Juengel who works on his upper-body strength.

THE NEXT CROP — Above, Ike Ruble gets the best of his man during a middle school tournament.

FLIPPING THE SCRIPT — At right, Bellmont’s Kyle Lawson, one of two Braves to find his way to state street this season, lifts his AC opponent for a big takedown.

Photos by Dane Fuelling

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Community Update Section 2Page 2 • March 2018

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Central and Evansville Mater Dei. The only sur-prising team that also makes the list is Central Noble. As the 2017-18 high school season closed, the coaching staff of Paul Gunsett, Tim Myers, Sean Faurote, Brandon Razo and BJ Faurote has not called it a year. Each day brings a new task to prepare for next year. The middle school team has been having one of its best years ever, thanks to a large group of eighth graders who are hungry

and understand Bellmont wrestling tradition. While the high school season may have kept them up at night, it’s easy to see the mention of the middle school team imme-diately brings a smile to the face of each coach. A group of 16 eighth grad-ers this year will bring new life into the program at just the right time. A small group of boys, along with their dedi-cated fathers, have been traveling several hours each Monday night to train with some of the best wrestlers in Ohio. The results for each one of these boys reflect the hard work they’ve put in

so far this season. Before the middle school season even offi-cially started, there were a dozen boys lift-ing weights and running at the high school with coach Sean Faurote. All of them are motivated to bring Bellmont wrestling back to where it belongs. Coaches have also taken steps to upgrade the facilities in which the high school team trains, working in collaboration with local businesses and donors to give “the room” its first facelift in three decades this summer. A new paint job, new wall mats and a new practice surface are just some of the steps being taken to give the wrestlers a true feeling of the sense of his-tory the program has. A local community leader — whose fam-ily has contributed to the program in the past and is also donating to the upgrade — recently summed up his time in the Bellmont program like this: “When I was in and out of practice every day, I probably didn’t get it. I’m sure I didn’t realize completely what I was a part of. But when I went out into the world after Bellmont, boy, did I miss it. I look back at the grind and the hurt, and I think

about all the hard work and all the skills I learned on the mat, and it really shaped me as a young man.” Sean Faurote, who gives his all day-in and day-out to the young people at Bellmont, will likely never be satis-fied with what the team accomplishes in the next five years, but that’s what drives him and his peers. “If you look at the way Denny (Hays) coached, he was never satisfied. Back-to-back team state cham-pions and he was still saying they could have been better. That’s what our program was built on and continues to be up to today. When I was coming through this pro-gram, I could have won three state titles and Phil Thieme would have told me I should have won four. That’s what drives us.”

BONDED BY TRADITION Only Mater Dei has won more sectional titles than the Braves in IHSAA history. The same goes for regional and semi-state titles. What used to be a rivalry between the two teams has ironically become a partnership, thanks to the relationship of college teammates Tim Myers and Greg Schaefer, the head coach at EMD.

For years Brent Faurote drove his old white car with an EMD license plate to motivate his wrestlers to defeat the Wildcats so he could remove it. Fast forward 20 years and it was Ruble, Lawson and others in the Mater Dei room this past summer in a joint training session between the two teams. In a sport dominated by the big schools, and

in an age where wrestlers are sitting out a year just to transfer to the newest, popular coach, it’s still two small schools that carry the torch for tradi-tion and pride in Indiana.

That summer work will continue, as will the off-season wrestling neces-sary for success in the sport today. Myers’ son, Duke, recently won an ISWA state title, just like his dad in 1989. Like this season, 1989-1990 was somewhat of a dark time for the Bellmont program, but by Myers’ senior year, the Braves were hoisting a

State Championship and a State Runner-Up tro-phy in the air at Market Square. Could history repeat itself in five years? I think it could.

BATTLE OF THE BIGS — Bellmont heavyweight Jaron Gerwig does his best to position a fellow big on the mat during postseason play.

Photo by Dane Fuelling

LOCKED UP FOR POSITION — Bellmont’s Trevor Ortiz has a handle on the situation as he has his Columbia City opponent’s shoulders flat to the mat for a quick six.

Archive photo

Section 2 March 2018 • Page 3

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Mandy Hakes says without reser-vation, “I can honestly say this is the most frustratingly rewarding job I've ever had.” It certainly is a unique job. Hakes and Chris Howell are two nurses who do most of their nursing at the Fort Wayne Rescue Mission, They also per-form similar work at Charis House in Fort Wayne, a part of the Rescue Mission which is for women and chil-dren. Both Hakes and Howell are employed by Parkview Hospital's Community Nursing, which started sending quali-fied individuals to the rescue mission in a program launched in July of 2014. “I've been involved (with the pro-gram) since December of 2014, when they figured out the work Chris was doing at the Rescue Mission was going to be too much for one person to handle,” Hakes said. “The homeless team is made up of myself and Chis, though we do have an amazing volun-teer nurse, Kim Searles, that comes in on Wednesday evenings, but isn't employed by Parkview.” Hakes, a Decatur native and Bellmont High School graduate, is paid through Parkview and contracted out to the Rescue Mission, Charis House, Vincent Village and the Salvation Army. “We are contracted to be there (Rescue Mission) roughly 40 hours per week between the two of us,” Mandy explained. “Our schedule flexes with outside programs that we help with through our department. Occasionally we are there on the weekend due to a medical issue or for issues that can't be handled over the phone.” Hakes goes to Charis House two days a week. Volunteer Nurse Practitioners from the University of St. Francis are there once a week to perform physicals and provide other urgent needs. “We also have added minimal hours to Vincent Village and Salvation Army,” Mandy added. “Vincent Village started in 2014 with physical assessments of incoming families and education on multiple health issues and raising healthy children. We started at the Salvation Army in 2016; we meet with all new men coming into their program to make sure they are insured and help them establish a medical home.”

A TRADITION OF HELPING Founded in 1903, the Rescue Mission is a faith-based organization which provides restorative care to

men, women and children experienc-ing a homeless crisis. It serves Fort Wayne, Allen County and nine sur-rounding counties. Officials at the shelter, 301 W. Superior St. in downtown Fort Wayne, explain it is comprised of four minis-tries — or houses — that function as communities of compassion. “Our mis-sion,” its website says, “is to provide, through the power of Jesus Christ, a home for the homeless, food for the hungry.” The four ministries are as follows: Restoration House is for men experi-encing a homeless crisis and Charis House is for women and children experiencing the same. The Treasure House is a thrift store whose pro-ceeds help to fund its programs. The Life House provides immediate relief from hunger and homelessness, and through its Community Meals pro-gram offers nutritious meals, referrals and other support to the public 365 days a year. There is no charge to stay at the

shelter. “At the Rescue Mission and Charis House we do basic First Aid, but our main objective is helping the men and women navigate through the health-care system,” Mandy said. “We also do education and help to increase compli-ance with medical treatments.” Some regulations for the Parkview program are still being formed. “We are such a new program that some rules and policies are made as we go,” Hakes noted. “But, ultimately, Parkview has established rules and regulations sys-tem-wide that we must follow.” Beyond their nursing duties, Hakes and Howell are involved in many of the fundraisers and other events. “We firmly believe in the Rescue Mission and Charis House and what they are about,” Mandy said. “We have participated in multiple fundraisers on our own, such as 'Night without a Home,' which is a yearly fundraiser and a way to raise awareness about homelessness. (Participants spend a night sleeping outside; and not in

warm weather!) “Our Community Nursing Department also does a fundraiser, 'Milk Money for the Mission.' It was started after multiple men came in stating how much they miss a good, cold glass of milk,” Hakes said. “While a local dairy manufacturer is extremely generous with donating a set amount weekly to the Rescue Mission, most of it has to go to the women and children at the Charis House, leaving the men without a daily glass they were used to while growing up.” In addition, she continued, “As a department we donate money on Fridays to be able to wear jeans to work. It's been a great way to support a great cause.” FRUSTRATING REWARDS The rewards in this line of work can be, obviously, rewarding. But there can be equal amounts of frustration and sorrow. “The men definitely come in broken,

See MISSION, Page 4

A nurse’s mission to help those who need it most

The Rescue Mission in Fort Wayne recently honored Parkview Health nurses Mandy Hakes (left) of Decatur and Christine Wilson-Howell (beside Hakes). “They go above and beyond on a daily basis to care for the men who need it,” officials said in a statement. “They truly are the angels of The Rescue Mission!” The two nurses are assigned to the downtown Fort Wayne facility by Parkview Health and are there on a daily basis, plus spending time at Charis House, similar to The Rescue Mission but for women and their children, and The Salvation Army. They also do weekend health fairs for Parkview. Hakes, a Bellmont High graduate, is an RN with a BS degree from St. Francis.

Photo provided

MISSIONFrom Page 3

with multiple unimagi-nable traumas, and have to work their way through the Rescue Mission program, which is roughly 18 months long for those with sub-stance abuse issues such as drugs and alco-hol,” Hakes said. “The Mission believes in heal-ing the whole self. We have helped men navi-gate the system while going through cancer treatments, cardiac bypass surgery, liver surgery and even severe infections leading to amputations.” While she labels it “the most frustratingly rewarding job I've ever had,” Mandy continues to move forward.

“Chris and I love what we do and couldn't do it without the other,” she said. “We also have great co-workers in our department and a great supervisor, Carmen Moore, who challenges us to be the best we can be and to support the community.” The daughter of Pam and Steve Hakes of Decatur, Mandy gradu-ated from the University of St. Francis with an Associate of Science

in Nursing Degree in 1999, and from Purdue Calumet with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2014. Chris Howell graduat-ed from Parkview School of Nursing in 1987, and from Purdue Calumet with a BSN in 2013.

NEW BUILDINGCOMING As the number of people in need of its help has grown over the years, the Rescue Mission has become severely cramped for space. That situation will be alleviated by a new building. The Foellinger Foundation in Fort Wayne recently contrib-uted $1 million which will be used in the construction of a new Rescue Mission facil-ity to be built down-town and help fund an expansion to the Charis House. In 2015, a $17.5 million capital campaign was launched to build a new shelter at the southeast corner of East Washington Boulevard and Lafayette Street. The Foellinger donation put the campaign close to $10 million. The shelter has out-grown its 24,000-square-

foot building, the Rev. Donovan Coley, the mis-sion's CEO, told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. These days, a broom closet doubles as a clin-ic and cots are brought out at night for resi-dents to sleep on.

“It's so cramped our chapel is being used as a dormitory at night,” Donovan told the Journal Gazette. The shelter cur-rently has 114 beds, but the new build-ing should nearly tri-

ple that number. It will also expand educational and outreach services, according to Coley, and include a larger din-ing area. Over 216,000 meals were served at the facility last year. Coley told the Journal

Gazette that plans call for construction to begin in 2019, and he hopes to move into the new facility in the spring of 2020. Foellinger Foundation President Cheryl Taylor lauded Coley and shel-ter board members for their preparation and work to try to make the new facility a real-ity. “They've done their homework, they believe they can do that, and we hope we can help them do that,” she told the newspaper. “We believe this is a stamp of approv-al from the Foellinger Foundation,” Coley said in the Journal Gazette story. “We know the Foellinger Foundation represents the best in philanthropic giving in this particular area.” The Rescue Mission has been named to the 2018 Best Places to Work in Indiana list, the Indiana Chamber of Commerce recently announced, and its strong finan-cial health and commit-ment to accountability and transparency have earned it a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, America’s largest inde-pendent charity evalu-ator.

Community Update Section 2Page 4 • March 2018

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The Fort Wayne Rescue Mission, 301 W. Superior St., regularly accepts donations to help those suffering a homeless crisis in the city. Not only can those in need find a meal and a place to sleep, but nurses from Parkview Hospital — along with volunteer nurse practitioners from the University of St. Francis — provide medical care free of charge.

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Section 2 March 2018 • Page 5 Community Update

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The South Adams middle school Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) club, made up of 25 students, has made waves in its first year of existence. From solving com-munity problems to building cars, the club has already competed in and won State and National student com-petitions. The first is the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow project, for which the club advanced several stages with their idea to help light Amish buggies and prevent night time crashes.

LIGHT UP THE NIGHT The Samsung Solve for Tomorrow project challenges public teachers and students in grades 6-12 to show how STEM can be applied to help solve real world problems, according to the project's website. The project aims to inspire future innovators in STEM fields. The first round of the competition was to submit an idea, club leader and seventh and eighth grade Project Lead the Way teacher Kim LeFever said. After brainstorming with the chil-dren, LeFever was set on doing some-thing with water quality in Adams County, but was unsure of what exactly to so. It wasn't until anoth-er teacher — seventh grade science teacher Jason Shuck — stopped by that LeFever got the idea for their project. "I asked him, 'What do you think is the biggest problem we have around here?' He said, 'Amish buggies.'" According to LeFever, Amish bug-gies are not lit from the sides, making it very hard to see them at night, espe-cially at intersections. After research-ing Amish buggy accidents, the stu-dents found 67 percent of all buggy/car accidents happen after dark. In 2017, according to their research, 6 out of 10 such accidents in 2017 happened at night, and four of those occurred at intersections where the side view of a vehicle would be promi-nent. Their research showed a vehicle driving 55 mph takes 6.5 seconds to cover 500 feet. Indiana state law requires buggies to have a Slow Moving Vehicle triangle sign attached on the back of the buggy, which must be visible at 500 feet, leaving 6.5 seconds for vehicles behind them to react. After brainstorming, the students created a simple solution — that would prove later to be a little more difficult than anticipated — of add-ing lights to the horse's collar, mak-ing buggies more visible to after dark drivers. "The kids really care about the idea," LeFever said in a presentation to the South Adams' board of educa-tion recently. One student, sixth grader Ashton Miller, said his favorite part of the project was "helping the Amish."

A LITTLE BIT FURTHER NOW The students sent their idea off to Samsung, winning the first round of competition. "The second round was much more involved," LeFever said. Students had to not only solve the buggy problem, but create a power-

point and present it to the Adams County Commissioners. But first, they had to get their hands on a buggy. Luckily, Dave and Jill Evers — owners of Amishville — had an extra buggy they let the students borrow. The buggy was transported to the school, where the students could work on it during their club meetings. The next issue arose shortly after-ward. When speaking to an Amish family, the students were told that lighting a horse's collar might not be the best idea. Horses spook easily, and a light so close to their face might spook them even more quickly. The students instead decided to light the shafts of the buggies, or the bars that connect the buggy to the horse. Another issue was how to power the lights. The students' first thought was to use solar power to charge a battery, which could then be used to power the lights. LeFever steered them away from solar power, saying some Amish communities don't use it. The next idea was to use batteries to charge the LED lights connected to the shaft. The lights were wired from the front of the buggy to the back, running along the floor. While the bat-teries worked, the students wanted to make sure the LED lights were easy and didn't add to the work the Amish had to do to take a night time cruise. With batteries, the Amish would have to take them out of the buggy nightly and charge them so they would be ready to go by the next time the buggy was needed. The students then came up with the idea to use "windmill power" to charge the batteries. If they could use the rotation of the wheel to charge a generator, the generator could then charge the batteries, ensuring they are always ready to power the lights. Amish buggy owners would not need to remove the batteries. The students mounted a six volt bike generator to the top of the wheel,

See STUDENTS, Page 6

South Adams students use ingenuity to increase safety in Amish population

LIGHT IT UP —South Adams STEM students (from left) Kaleb Smith, Colton Bollenbacher, Clayton Trausch and Leo Palomo work to find a solution to providing Amish buggies with lights on the side to make them more visible at night.

Photo by MacKenzie DeGroot

Community Update Section 2Page 6 • March 2018

STUDENTSFrom Page 5

hoping the wheel's rota-tion would power it. In order to power the generator and trickle-charge the battery, the wheel had to generate more than six volts. "That was the real test," LeFever said after the wheel gener-ated exactly six volts of power. "Now we know we can go off the wheel to charge it." This meant while the buggy was in motion, the rotation of the wheel would charge the bat-tery with no extra effort to the Amish buggy owner. "The hardest part of the project was wiring the buggy," sixth grader Graham Subler said. "I have learned how to trickle charge a battery with a generator, and how to wire lights to a generator." Initially, wiring was fed through the top of the buggy and down to a battery in the back, which caused some concerns to Amish fam-ilies the students spoke with. One of the other middle school teachers suggested to the club they mount a hub for

the battery in the front of the buggy, that way the wiring did not have to travel back through the buggy. Students used the school's 3D printer to print a hub and attach it to the buggy, making it easy for Amish buggy owners to access the battery, in case they needed to change it.

BRINGING IT HOME Samsung liked this idea so much they chose the STEM club as state finalists. The next step was creating a three minute video that explained their project and how they used the four parts of STEM to solve it. Throughout the pro-cess, the club received feedback from Samsung on ways to improve their project. Samsung told the students what they really wanted was proof the Amish com-munity could adopt the lights. While some of the Amish population the students talked to real-ly liked the idea — one even brought a horse to the school so the stu-dents could test their buggies in real time — some Amish are a lot more conservative about the use of elec-

tricity on their buggies. The next step for the students is to talk to Bishops in Adams County to see if the lights would be something the Amish Community will adopt. According to LeFever, it is really up to the Bishops. "We don't want to change their belief sys-tems," LeFever said. "We just want to help." While the club did not continue on to the next stage of the compe-tition, they learned a lot about what they need to compete next year. "Samsung seemed to pick more national problems," Le Fever said. "Not the Amish in Indiana." If the club presents the same prob-lem for the competition next year, LeFever said they need to show how Amish buggy crashes affect a lot of people. There are more than a million Amish in America, LeFever said. Although the students did not progress past the state level, they want to continue work-ing on the Amish buggy project. "My favorite part was seeing what changes and adjustments we did to the buggy and how it See STUDENTS, Page 7

Above, STEM students listen intently as teacher Kim LeFever shows them how to make a diode. Pictured from left are Perry Hilty, Kaleb Smith, Brian Roll and Burton LeFever.

At right, Leo Palomo, Colton Bollenbacher

and Clayton Trausch work to attach the

“windmill” powered generator to the buggy’s

wheel. The turning of the wheel recharges the

battery.

Photos by MacKenzie DeGroot

Section 2 March 2018 • Page 7 Community Update

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STUDENTSFrom Page 6

might help the Amish," seventh grader Jessica Myers said.

TSA The other half of the STEM club — students who did not work on the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow project — are no strangers to winning compe-titions, either. On March 9, these students com-peted in a statewide Technology Student Association competition at Indiana State University. "For engineering programs and

Project Lead the Way, this is like our FFA or Skills USA," LeFever said. Students competed in two differ-ent events at the competition. The first was racing CO2 race cars they designed and built completely out of wood. "It's good for them to see what they can do with wood," LeFever said. "That way they can see what they can do with 3D printers in the future." According to the students, they were given specific measurements for their cars, and had to build them in those parameters. Then, on race day, they had a drag race competition. Burton LeFever won the CO2 race competition.

The other event students partici-pated in was the "technology problem solvers." Students took a tool box and were given a problem to solve with the objects they are given. The problem this year was to make a contraption that places two small wiffleballs on top of the structure, two on the table and two on the floor. The first place team winners of the tech-nology problem solvers competition were Blaine Duff and Jessica Myers. LeFever said since two middle schools backed out of the competi-tion, South Adams students were the obvious winners, although LeFever said results would have been equally as impressive if the students were

allowed to compete against the high schools, as the students would have placed at least within the top half of the high school competitors. "Most importantly, all the students stated that they would like to do this again next year and much was learned this year," LeFever said. The goal of STEM club, according to LeFever, was to "generate interests into STEM." With most students talk-ing about next year's project ideas and competitions, LeFever feels confident STEM club was a success. "I have learned many things that will help me in the future," Subler said. "Such as things to put on my college resume."

NIGHT RIDERS —Members of the STEM club take an evening cruise in their buggy to test out their LED lights. Although these lights are 12 volts, and teach-er Kim Lefever said the lights they will have to use to power the bat-tery through windmill power will be dimmer six volt LEDs, they vastly improve visibility of the Amish buggy from the side view.

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Community Update Section 2Page 8 • March 2018

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Remembering the Flood of ‘03 — 15 years later By JANNAYA ANDREWS and STAFF REPORTSDecatur Daily Democrat

“I’ll always remember it. There were a lot of sleepless nights” as the floodwaters rose, and for years afterward,” former Superintendent of Decatur Department of Building/Zoning department Roger Gage told Democrat reporter, J Swygart, on the 10th anniversary of the Flood of ‘03. “My job was to do damage assessments; to accumulate informa-tion for grant applica-tions and to gather information from prop-erty owners. It was very time consuming — probably for the better part of three years.” Gage recalled the emotions of Decatur property owners dis-placed from their homes — many of them permanently — ran the gamut. “As I look back, the overwhelming major-ity of people were very

understanding … they were just lost. They didn’t know which way to go. And we (city officials) didn’t either. Property owners kept asking ‘when?’ They wanted to know when certain things were going to happen, and we just didn’t know. It was all unchartered territory.” The flood of 2003 led to direct changes in the way state and local government partners update and distribute key information. “I’ve learned, through the building permit process, to be very aware of where buildings are located on a parcel of land … to make sure they’re at the proper elevations,” said Gage. He said the National Flood Insurance Program requires all properties located in the 100-year flood plain be covered with flood insurance. The city of Decatur — and Indiana as a whole

— go even further in requiring all structures be built at least 2 feet higher than the 100-year flood mark. “The city’s flood ordinance has been in effect since before I started working here, and it’s been updated a few times to protect property owners, he said. Other changes since the flood of ‘03, Gage said, can be seen in the emergency manage-ment and mitigation plans now in place. The Maumee River Basin Commission has a disaster mitiga-tion plan; so, too, does Adams County and the City of Decatur.

“Those plans had all been around a while, but before disasters struck nobody wor-ried too much about it. Now those plans are updated regularly, and the State of Emergency Management Agency continually updates maps and other infor-mation and distributes it to us. It’s made us all a little smarter.” BUYOUTS BEGIN “We got 63 homes total,” Gage said at the time. Those figures have since risen to 74. “We bought 10 of those through a cou-ple of projects of the Maumee River Basin Commission in the late

‘90s … then we bought out 52 and had three other homes elevated” in the aftermath of the 2003 flood, Gage said. “The majority of homes purchased and

demolished were on Parkview Drive. There were a couple on 2nd Street, a couple in the Stratton Addition and three or four on East

See FLOOD, Page 9

WATER BOY — Despite warnings from the Adams County Health Department to stay out of the flood-water due to disease and debris, at times that wasn’t possible for many residents. At other times, the abundance of water was too much for children to resist.

A COMMUNITY UNITED — As the water continued to rise that fateful summer, residents from Adams and surrounding counties turned out in droves to help with sandbagging efforts. Gathering in the Walmart parking lot — then where Rural King is now — to fill sandbags, then loading them onto trucks to cart them throughout the city to residents in need.

BARELY A BRIDGE — Water rushed under —and nearly over — the Yost Memorial Bridge over the St. Marys River at Jackson Street.

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Monroe Street. North Adams Schools have leased some of the city-owned parcels on East Monroe and Ogg streets for a minimal fee to use as sports fields and other uses.”

Part of the deed restrictions (once the city owned the properties) was that they had to remain green forever, meaning no structures could ever again be erected on those sites.

While the city was deprived of some property tax revenue through the buyout, “It’s a trade-off,” said Gage.

“We won’t have repetitive property loss or peo-ple displaced from their homes” at those locations should severe flooding once again strike the city of Decatur.

And the stress of local flood victims remains at the forefront of Gage’s memories when recalling the flood of 2003.

“Some rebounded well, but others — many of them older people have fixed incomes — never have recovered,” he said.

A MAYOR’S TOUCH Gage said the city of Decatur owes a debt of

gratitude to former Mayor Fred Isch, who passed away in 2014. Gage said Isch spent countless sleepless nights in the immediate aftermath of the flood of 2003, and worked tirelessly to obtain federal and state assistance on behalf of affected property owners.

“I know in my heart that Fred never went to sleep at night without thinking about those peo-ple” whose lives were turned upside down by the flood,” Gage said. “He may as well have been a flood victim himself. Heck, he WAS a flood victim.

“Thanks to his tenure in office and the number of contacts and people he knew to call, it was all very, very helpful. He made so many calls to the governor’s office and to FEMA that they knew him by first name.”

While 15 years have passed since Decatur suf-fered the worst flooding event in its history, Roger Gage said the subject still comes up frequently. “When someone asks about the flood of 2003, the first thing I think of is the peace of mind I have now in driving around town and not having to worry about houses going under: Thats a big relief.”

FINDING THE HIGH ROAD — Three nurs-es, above left, made the most of the flooding while taking a break from the daily grind at the office to take in a little “fishing.” Above, an emergency response vehicle makes its way through high water on Mercer Avenue near the Evergreen Assisted Living Home. At left, residents of Homestead Addition use boats to carry out their possessions as the water closed in on their homes.

Photos by John Ginter

NO PIZZA TODAY — The Decatur Pizza King was one of many businesses hit by the rising waters.

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It was a tragic event that forged a lifelong bond. Former Decatur Mayor, the late Fred Isch, city plan-ning director Roger Gage and Rod Renkenberger, executive director of the Maumee River Basin Commission, continued to meet a handful of times each year until Isch's death in 2014 — mostly to reminisce and catch up on old times. The subject that invariably came up? The flood of 2003, which brought the community to its knees. "We were a team — Fred and Roger and I. Basically we were unbeatable," Renkenberger said in a phone conversation with DDD reporter, J Swygart, on the flood's 10 year anniver-sary. "All three of us were out to do whatever we had to do for the benefit of the people." With the assistance of the Maumee River Basin Commission, Decatur was able to obtain hundreds of

thousands of dollars in fed-eral and state disaster funds to help displaced homeown-ers. WIth that funding, more than 50 Decatur homes were purchased and ultimately torn down, never agin to be in harm's way by the ris-ing waters of the St. Marys River. As the floodwaters rose and it was apparent the need for disaster relief was critical, Renkenberger said he and city officials immediately went to work. "My first thoughts were: 'How can I help these people, and how can I do it fast?" Renkenberger recalled. "The biggest hurdle was all the hoops that had to be jumped through. That, and the waiting process. It seemed like we waited… and waited … and waited for aid to be approved and for funding to arrive. At that time there was only so much you could do." Renkenberger said the

efforts of former Congressman Mike Pence — now Vice President of the United States — and former Senator Richard Lugar were crucial to Decatur's recovery efforts. "Those two (Pence and Lugar) leaned on FEMA offi-cials very heavily," said Renkenberger. "It seems there were a few changers made at FEMA after Pence and Lugar got involved." Renkenberger also credited Isch with working non-stop on behalf of the city. "I have so much admiration and respect for Fred. He was truly a people's mayor."

MAKING THE GRADE Nine criteria were necessary for flood victims to meet to qualify for assistance. Those included whether or not they had natural flood insurance, whether homes had suffered more than 50 percent struc-tural damage and residents' age and income. The formula for handing out money was based on the average of two appraisals of

what the property was worth prior to the flood. "This money has to cover several things; the appraisal, closing close of the attorney, demolition and the payment to the families," Isch said in 2004. "Thats why we have to stop with 12 and then see where we are. We'll be fortu-nate if we're able to go on from there," Isch said the city was look-ing to purchase 33 to 35 homes. Whether there will be enough funds to purchase and demolish all of them can't be determined until later. As part of the grant agree-ment, the lands purchased must remain "green," or free of structures. In the spring of 2006, Isch announced 16 properties had been purchased by the city in 2004, with those houses demolished. Another 17 prop-erties were purchased by April of 2006, with two more pur-chases pending. An additional 12 purchases were to be pre-sented in mid-May of 2006. But it didn't stop there.

Following the June 2015 flood, the Maumee River Basin Commission worked with Mayor John Schultz and the Decatur City Council to apply for a FEMA Pre-Disaster Mitigation Program grant, Renkenberger said. The PDM program grant was awarded to the city in 2016 and was used for the purchase and removal of five structures located in the Meadow Lane and Parkview Drive flood risk areas. All five homes were purchased in 2016-2017. In the spring of 2016 the MRBC — this time work-ing with Mayor Ken Meyer and city council — prepared another PDM grant request to purchase six more homes in this same area. The grant was awarded in late spring 2017, and all six homeowners agreed to sell. Between last fall and now, 5 of the 6 proper-ties have been closed on, with the sixth expected to close in May. Of those that have already closed, two have been

See FORGED, Page 12

Forged in waterA bond that lasted a lifetime ... and beyond

ISLANDS IN THE STREAM — Residents along Parkview Drive, Dormac Street, Angus Drive and Meadow Lane were among the hardest hit during the Flood of ‘03. To date, 74 homes have since been bought and demolished by the city — a vast majority of those in the Parkview area. The Evergreen Assisted Living Home will soon come down as a new facility is currently being built behind the Woodcrest Assisted Living Home. A large part of the reason for the move is due to damage done by the Great Flood ... and fears it may happen again.

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Community Update Section 2Page 12 • March 2018

FORGEDFrom Page 10

demolished and three more are in the process of being demolished. The sixth home must be torn down within 90 days of closing, Renkenberger said. This will bring the total number of structures purchased and demolished to 74. Last summer the MRBC — again working with Meyer and city council — prepared two more PDM grants to purchase another 18 homes. Award of these two grants is expected late this spring or early summer, Renkenberger said. Going a step further, MRBC collaborated with Adams Memorial Hospital, Adams County Emergency Management Agency Director John August, Meyer and city council to apply for yet another PDM grant to purchase the Evergreen Court facility, which is also expected to be awarded late spring or early summer. "Decatur city residents should be very proud of their mayor and city council for stepping up and removing residents from harms way," Renkenberger said. "This proactive approach makes the City of Decatur one of the leading communities in the nation in striving to be a 'flood resilient commu-nity.'"

Years after The Great Flood of 2003, the late Fred Isch — the former Decatur Mayor — was fre-quently reminded not so much of the rising waters, but of the post-flood battle to help people devastated by the flooding. On the 10th anniversary of the flood, Isch spoke with DDD reporter, Bob Shraluka, recalling the disaster. "You know that last time we had flooding (Jan. 14-16, 2013), I got cards from four people," Isch said at the time. Mostly, the cards expressed gratitude for what he did years ago and for the fact those who sent the cards no longer had to worry about potential flooding. When the floodwaters finally began receding in 2003, that's when the individual fight began for the mayor, boosted by some city employees and a few others. The battle involved get-ting federal money to buy the homes of people debated by the high water; many had lost most or all of their possessions. In numerous cases, people had their homes condemned but had nowhere to go. Many were still pay-ing on their mortgages and thus were left with no home and no funds to purchase something else. "Sixty-two; That's a number I'll never forget," Isch said. "It took three years to get it, but we finally did." Those 62 homes were purchased

with federal dollars, then demol-ished. Three other homes were ele-vated to lift them out of harm's way

in any future flooding. For Isch, it was a time of great battle, of great anguish … and of great satisfaction. Those figures have since been expanded, bringing the total num-ber of homes bought by the city to 74, according to Rod Renkenberger, executive director of the Maumee River Basin Commission. Last summer the MRBC, again working with Meyer and city council, prepared two more PDM grants to purchase another 18 homes. Award of these two grants is expected late this spring or early summer,Renkenberger said. The federal government provided several million dollars, with the city kicking in some cash, as did the Upper Wabash Valley River Basin Commission. Renkenberger spent so much time working with Isch they became great friends who would get together occasionally until Isch's death in 2104. Anyone familiar with the situation will tell you it was Isch's persistence that finally cut through all the red tape and bureaucrats to get the money to the city. "I was called everything from … to … during all that," Isch recalled at the time, referring to the constant phone calls he made to various gov-ernmental offices."Then just as it looked like it was going to happen, our money got shifted to Homeland Security. So I got back on the phone.

Even got a personal call from (sena-tor Richard) Lugar himself. Nine days later, we got the money." Although he was persistent, he was respectful, the former mayor said. "I don't know how many hours I spent on the phone. But we approached it the right way; didn't bad-mouth any-one." Even though his effort had become a bit legendary, Isch never failed to point out the wealth of assistance in the post-flood fight. "I had so much help; so much. Roger (Gage, former building and zoning superintendent who was in the thick of the fight) and Sharon (Braun) in his office, Rod Renkenberger and DuWayne (Herman, city attorney at the time); he and his staff process stuff so fast … there were just so many people who did so much to help me," Isch pointed out. The memories are precious now. So, too, are the continuing expres-sions of appreciation. "I still go in the West End and there will be people who say thanks," Isch said. "For a while, I would be out in the yard at home and a guy (who was bought out) on his motor-cycle would stop and say, "Not rain-ing' today.' "Those memories will never leave me." And it's those memories that will never leave the residents Fred Isch served.

Remembering a mayor who never forgot the devastation

Long after the flood waters receded, the late Fred Isch, who was mayor during the crisis, continued to work tirelessly for the residents he served.

File photo

It was 15 years ago this sum-mer the city of Decatur was under water; 105 years ago was a similar story. The flood of 2003 is the second largest flood in the Decatur's histo-ry behind the Great Flood of 1913. However, a somewhat lesser event in 2015 St. Marys River crested at 23.72 feet and tThe Wabash River crested at 11.58 feet. That event 105 years ago saw the river top out at 26.5 feet. According to various historical accounts, the rain that year start-ed on Easter Sunday, March 23, and led to widespread flooding that continued for the following five days. According to the book "The Great Flood of 1913 in Decatur, Indiana," by local resident Mabel Miller, the river had never been known during the city's 73-year existence to rise to the level it did in March of 1913. The damage in Decatur was widespread, Miller wrote, but "(I)f truth be told, the flood damage in and around Decatur was small compared to the destruction suffered by other parts of the county." The author said the Indiana communities of Fort Wayne, Peru and Logansport, Indiana, also suf-fered extensive flood damage dur-ing the event. On Saturday, March 22, the first day of spring, the Decatur Daily Democrat reported a "small cyclone" swept through the city, causing "the worse storm the city and county has even known," Miller wrote.

A downpour of rain began the following day, and by Monday morning "the rivers and tributar-ies of the county were swollen far beyond their banks." By that after-noon the St. Marys River had risen to within 6 inches of the highest known mark since 1873. "Decatur an isle in a vast sea of water." That was the headline in the Tuesday, March 25, 1913 edi-tion of the Decatur Daily Democrat.

NEW SIGHTS Townspeople were concerned about the condition of the new $30,000 Monroe Street bridge — now named the Wendell Macklin Bridge — and hundreds of specta-tors gathered to watch the river rise against the new structure. The Aker Cement Works on the north edge of town was under 6 feet of water, acceding to Miller's essay. On March 25, 1905, the high water mark was 3 feet higher than had ever been previously reported. Officials at the Decatur branch of the Holland-St. Louis sugar plant — located at the junction of the river and the GR & I Railroad north of the city — toured the factory by boat. The plant had already been closed because of the flood waters. Floodwater washed away the Conter Ice House at the north bridge on Monmouth Road. Three ice houses at Steele Park were 6 feet under water, and a family had to be rescued by rowboat from Steele Park, according to other historical accounts. The Democrat reported the river crested at 7 a.m. Wednesday,

March 26. "Sunday, March 30, the week after Easter and a week since the big rain storm, gave the church-going people of Adams County something to be truly thankful for; they had survived the greatest flood in the history of the county," says Miller's book. "…Yes, in spite of the losses, there was still plenty to be thankful for…" The total cost of flood damage in Indiana as a result of the flood of 1913 was estimated at $25 million. Decatur resident Ralph Kenworty, who passed away in January 2013 at the age of 107, was 7- years-old at the time of 1913 flood. He shared his memo-ries in July of 2003, and they appeared in "The Great Flood of 2003," a publication produced by the Decatur Daily Democrat. "It was night, and my dad and brother, Stan, and I walked over to the bridge from our home on Line Street. The water was high and rushing right under the bridge. I can still hear the water under the bridge … It seems like people were lining the bridge and watching the river rise. I was only 7 at the time, but it's something that you'll never forget," Kenworthy said. "I think it's a pretty historic event that I should see two floods like this over the span of 90 years. It's very, very unusual to see another flood that bad in the same place, that many years later. I never thought I would see some-thing like that twice. The flood (of 2003) brought back a lot of memo-ries; I never thought this would happen again."

The Great Flood of 1913: still unsurpassed 105 years later

City streets, such as Dormac, turned to canals as the St. Marys overran the city.

Photo by John Ginter