The Republic from Columbus, Indiana • Page 1

East's A Letter to tbc Editor, A4 By MIKE REDMOND SUH Writer If Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. administrators had known six years ago what they know today, chances are the Columbus East High School roof wouldn't leak, as it has since the building was opened in 1972. And it's likely the school corporation wouldn't be facing roof repair bills running to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Here's how the story has been pieced together by The Republic since the roof problems and the potential expense were brought to the school board's attention Aug. 7.

The newspaper's Inquiry Involved several conversations with Individuals who were involved in construction decisions six and seven years ago. Efforts are continuing to talk with other individuals. Today the school administrators some of whom were not involved six and seven years ago know that the roof was built according to standards which mfght have been acceptable back then, but aren't now. They also know that roof specifications should not have been cut, as was done when the building was being planned. Leaks in the East High School roof may be caused by a roofing system which is inadequate for a building5 -uwi size.

It has two plies of asphalt-impregnated felt paper with a base sheet and gravel over a concrete-on-metal deck, according to Jeff Marshall, BCSC's construction supervisor. "You'll never find that type of roof on a building that size any more," Marshall said. "Now our buildings have three, four or five plies. At East you won't find the 'beef that normally goes into a roof today." The roof also was built without ventilation a means for moisture to escape. "Since that time we have found that you have to vent the deck itself from the roofing plies." Marshall said.

"You have to put something down between the felts and the roof to allow the moisture to evap orate. At that point in time" industry standards did not require a venting felt." With no way to evaporate, collected moisture apparently has expanded when exposed to heat and popped the roofing material. After the "bubble" in the roof bursts, splitting the felt, it goes back down. The hole in the roof becomes "impossible to find." Marshall said. That lets water in again, and before long the damage begins to show inside.

"In some places the water has gotten to the metal roofing deck," Marshall said. "The deck may be damaged." He said: It has leaked through and destroyed ceiling panels. It has gone down walls and de-. strayed some of the drywall. It has damaged the carpet and rusted light fixtures.

-r And water has dropped on desks and papers. "When a roof goes." Marshall added, "everything underneath it has a chance of being damaged. Much of it has been." School officials became aware of the most recent problems when leaking water triggered the building's alarm system, indicating electrical damage. Both Marshall and the BCSC business director. Dr.

Thomas Roman, said it would be ha1 olace blame for the leaky roof with the architect or contractor. "Rieht now. we don't have enough facts to point a finger at anyone," Mar-. shall said. "We don't really know whc fault it is.

The roof was built as specifiei." Usually. Roman roofing lems can be traced back to impnr j. stallation. That doesn't appear tr be the case with East. Marshall and Roman have l0und, however, that specifications for t' roof were changed while the building was being planned.

Tve found that the time the architect came here it wa supposed to be a $4 5 million building With $350,000 budg- i WOOF.tf.(kpH(,,MMM) Colqmbus, Ind. Price 20 Cents THE fi REPUBLIC September 14, 1978 Township, Local Rajtfr AJlso Sought in South Bend? Town Taxes Tabulated The 1979 tax rates for small towns and townships, as set by the Bartholomew County Tax Adjustment Board, have been tabulated by the Bartholomew County Auditor's Office. Total rates for townships are: Clay. 15 cents, Clifty, 15 cents; Columbus, 11 cents; Flat vRock. 13 cents; German, 7 cents; Harrison, 11 cents; Haw-creek.

22 cents; Jackson, 13 cents: Ohio, 10 cents; Rock-creek. 12 cents; Sandcreek. 12 cents: and Wayne. 6 Vfc cents. Total township rates for the small towns are: Clifford.

8 cents; Edinburg. 7 cents 'Eliiabethtown, 8 cents; Hartsville. 17 cents; Hope, 17 cents, and Jonesville. 4 cents. The total tax irate for taxpayers in unincorporated Bartholomew County areas is figured by adding the county rate of $1.47.

the state rate of one cent (used for the state fair and forestry service), the township rate in which the property is located, the county library rate of 20 cents. UndaMtj cent library bond), the school corporation rate of $3 85 in Flat Rock-Hawcreek School or 84.83 ill the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp. Unavailable this morning was the rate for the Edinburgh School Corp. Total rate for the City is figured by taking the above figures, including the Columbus Township rate, and adding the $2.63 city Tate. Persons owning (tM, BOARO, Kck Ftp Stcttan) ly JOHN BEACH Staff Writer Coluimbus Police detectives are co' mparing notes with South Bend i -ape investigators in their effort to catch a man sus-pectei i of committing sexual assault against middle-aged wom en in both cities, it was learr led todav.

Ca pt. Larry Hall told The Re-publ ic last week that defective had made an important bre. ak in their investigation and wei -e working with police in an-oth er city. He would not reveal the name of the city at the time for fear it would jeopardize the in1 instigation. Det -Sgt.

Bill-Hayes of-the S( iuth Bend Police Department onfirmed the joint investiga-t ion. Hayes said Det Sgt. Bill Veils was in Columbus last Thursday to confer with detectives here. Police are investigating as many as 11 reported rapes against middle-aged women that have occurred here during the past five years. The last known attack here occurred June 17.

When the rapes stopped here in mid-June. Hall said, they began in South Bend in July. So far there have been three or four rapes in South Bend during July and August, said Hayes, and all cases had similar circumstances. "There are enough points in "(iU 'iv, I vrr vy. It v- -fe t3 1 'r: LJ i'A SUSPECT This is the composite sketch, released in July, of the man police believe is 'responsible for several rapes here.

these cases that compare to make it well worth looking into." Hayes said. "There are some discrepancies, but a few points match." Havf4 Qnirl it wn tnn pnrlv tn tell if anything will come of the joint investigation. "When you are investigating these things, vmi haup tn Innlr at all ma pvi- dence with some reservations The time of attack, the fact that ne eoes alter eiaeriv women and the fact that when the as- to John Warner of Columbus. NEW SHOES'-Part-time farrier Mike Hobbi, Columbui route 8, filei down the hoovtt of this hone, left, to fit the animal with new shoes, right. The horse belongs (Staff Photos by Lynn (SM, RAPtS, Itch Pf 1 StcMn) Israel Agrees to Banik, Gaza Pulfout Inside Today MILL RACE Mill Race Park as the site for a proposed apartment project should be questioned more, and park lands guarded zealously once they are acquired for public use.

An editorial Page A4 Egypt had loose control over movedmto its 10th day that the Gaza Strip in southern Is- manyof the sticking points dl-rael. vidiflg the Egyptians and Is- Estimates that the confer- rjelis throughout the summit ence wQuld end today appeared Were being ironed out and a new premature and a better guess7 "air of optimism was dominating seemed to be Friday. the conference. ed by these sources, wc juld be a giant leap forward as well as a major accomplishn for President Carter. Israeli Prime Mini; iter Mena-chem Begin has bee .11 adamant in the past in efusing to relinquish the West Bank of the Jordan River beca' use he views it as the Biblical homeland of the Jews.

Jordan had previously governed the West fiank territory. withdrawal from the lands Israel has controlled since the 1967 Middle East war is coming into clearer focus, but stipulations and reservations on both sides still must be worked out. The sources said two key obstacles are the future of the Palestinians and the Israeli settlements in occupied Arab lands. Israeli agreement to the principle of withdrawal, as explain- By JIM ANDERSON CAMP DAVID, Md, (UPI) -Israel has apparently agreed to the principle of eventual withdrawal from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip territories they live occupied since 1967. But sources at the Camp David summit said today substantial difficulties are still in the way of a formal peace accord.

Sources confirmed that agreement on the principle of And Carter will deliver na- The desire of Carter. Beein. Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and their delegations to reach an amicable conclusion tionally televised repoiVti the American people sometime following the conclusion of the summit, sources said. It was clear as the summit (Sn, SUMMIT, tack Pt( tf StctlMI) NEW Beth Morris dis- cusses her new job as director of Family rt .,.) 'f? Planning Services In Columbus Page A6 i ARMORY OKAYED Building pe ft mit will be issued for new Indiana National Guard Armory at Bakalar Municipal Air- I 'J 7 port here as a result of action by the Colunv 1 l'if 4 I bus Plan Commission Wednesday Page "it" A13 X' Vernco Planning fey wen "ueieDracion? bought Rifc i Zh fvVx In 1935 V.E. Sprouse ROSS RICHARDSON East KEVIN DIANE TONER BAtJERMEISTER Nforth East GWENYTH SWAIN Brown Co.

THOMAS J. NIEMAN S. Decatur Fiveli some land "out in the country," at 22nd and Cottage, and built a small factory building which has grown many times over the past 43 years, now extending almost two blocks north of 22nd and taking up most of the area between Cottage and the railroad right of way. Since that time it has expanded into many fields, now supplying Sears, and other retail outlets with many products, including console humidifiers, window fans and utilitiy vacuum sweepers. It has two other plants in addition to the one at 22nd and Cottage, one i Newport.

and one tn Menominee. Mich. A The company plans a 50th anniversary dinner celebration for Monday night. Nov. 27.

rea Seniors Merit NOT GUILTY? ford Motor CO. -mi i denies charges leveled by an Indiana grand j)7ij jury that the firm committed reckless looming rriaay homicide and was criminally reckless in Seven-year-old Wendy Dodge and 81-year old designing a Ford Pinto in which three teen- Mildred Dunlop are but two of the subjects in the age girls were killed Page AH Women's World special section which will be fea tured in The Republic Friday. The section features several articles about Columbus women, their TrtWiv'e fn rtov 1 thoughts, their lives, their work and their goals. It WMMJ 1 also includes a special 8-page directory of wom- ErmaBombeck elub ond orgonixations in the Columbus David Broder A4 rri' 1 com'" Bi; I he Weather Dear Abby 5 Editorials A4 FORECAST Showers and A17 storms ending late tonight. Lows in the low Paul Harvey to mid 60s.

Partly sunny and cooler Friday. Markets B10 Highs in the upper 70s. Winds southwesterly B10 10 to 15 mph tonight. Chance of rain 60 James Reston A4 percent tonight. Robert Schuller Bl-3 TEMPERATURES Wednesday high Viva 86.

Overnight low and reading at 7 a.m. 70. Reading at 11:30 a.m. 72. Area Deaths hour period to 7 a.m.

today and additional Details, Page B10 .42 inch to 11:30 a.m. Semif inalists Scholarship 1 Five Columbus area high Vernco Division of Emerson Electric Co. will celebrate its 50th anniversary in November, company officials announced today. The Vernco division, known as Vernco Corp. until late last year when it was sold to Emerson Electric, was founded Nov.

26. 1928. by the late V.E. Sprouse. father of Norbert Sprouse.

president of the Vernco division. Although the company was started in Indianapolis in the middle of the depression, it never has closed its doors since it was formed. Called the V.E. Sprouse Co. until 1952.

the company first manufactured and sold a sheet metal hook attached to a suction cup which a resident could stick in a window with a card hanging from it to let the ice man know how many pounds of ice were wanted that day. The ice card hooks were sold door-to-door in Indianapolis by Mrs. V.E. Sprouse. who still is living.

Primary work at the plant for many years was custom job shop metal fabrication, engineered samples and prototypes for larger companies in Indianapolis, First manufacturing; facility in Columbus was opened in 1932 in the building at Eighth and Jackson which now houses the Plantation Bar. "1 qualifying test scores with equivalent scores on a second examination. More than 90 percent of the semifinalists are expected to qualify as finalists and to receive Certificates of Merit next February. The National Merit be competing for about 4,100 Merit Scholarships to be awarded next spring. The 15,000 were named from more than 1 million 1 students enrolled in 18.000 schools who entered the program by taking the 1977 Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude TestNational Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test.

Semifinalists represent the top half of one percent of their state's graduating seniors. To. continue in the scholarship competition semifinalists must be fully endorsed and recommended for scholarships by their high school principals, present school records that confirm high academic standing and substantiate their high school seniors today were named semifinalists in National Merit Scholarship competition, and wiill be eligible to compete for finalist classification and scholarships to continue their post-hfigh school education. Diarie L. Bauermeister and RosS ivl.

Richardson of Colum-bus'Eaist High School, Kevin M. Toner at Columbus North, Thomiis Nieman of South Decatur and Gwenyth Swain of Brown 1 County are the 1978-79 semifinalists announced by NMSI Corp. at Evanston, 111. Also flamed were Sherry D. Ah-IbraiM 1 and Dale J.

Pottschmidt of Sejmour High School. The: 15.000 semifinalists will Winning Photos May Be Picked Up Winners of The Republic's annual amateur photo contest may pick up their photos at the newspaper office; 333 Second. Color prints color slides and black and white prints which won first, second or third prizes or honorable mentions are available in The Republic's Scholarship Corp. will release names of winners of corporate-sponsored 4-year Merit Scholarships next April 11 winners of one-time National Merit 1.000 scholarships April 25, and winners of college-sponsored our-vear Merit Scholarships Mav'2. East's semifinalist, Diane (Sm, ITUDIMTI, tck Pt Jtcnn) SUN TIMES SUAset today 6:59 p.m.

Sunrise Friday 6:26 a.m. OUTLOOK Saturday through Monday: Mild through the period with a chance for showers and thunderstorms Saturday and Sunday. Lows in the 50s. Highs in the 70s. Harold G.

Wittkamper, 65, 5239 N. Lincoln Village, member of First Lutheran Church. Nona I. (Sis) Tharpe, 82, Route 7, oldest living member of Ogilville Church oft Christ..