The Tribune from Seymour, Indiana • Page 1

7'-. 35c Lxy vr V7 114TH YEAR NO. 226 A Freedom I Newspaper Friday, September 24, 1993 vs zs zs farewell to the Vondee City bidding Medora satisfied with marshal Gill said. She added the downtown is a historic district, and because, of that, building owners could receive federal tax credits for renovation work. Mayor John Burkhart said he supports the decision to demolish the Vondee.

"It does not look to me like they had any choice," Burkhart said of city Board of Public Works and Safety members Art Killion and Mike Jordan who, in other officials' absence, made the initial decision oh the Vondee's fate earlier this week. "It does not look like they had any alternative," said Burkhart, who returned to Seymour on Thursday after a visit to Evans-ville for the annual Indiana Association of Cities and Towns meeting. The Vondee is the second major downtown building to face the wrecking ball within the past three years." On Sunday, July 7, 1991, the Lynn Hotel, like the Vondee theater, fell to the wrecking ball. Ironically, an earlier city decision to save the Lynn by removing the north section of building-may have contributed to the building's collapse. In both cases, Seymour Heritage Foundation had attempted to have the buildings preserved.

The city owned the Lynn and eventually paid Onyx Paving Co. almost $60,000 for the demolition. Burkhart said demolition- of Uie Vondee will proceed slowly. "Our goal is to make it safe be-ffore the Oktoberfest, but we are going to do it right," he added. Burkhart said he thinks Stark and Gill may be on the right track concerning plans to inspect and inventory downtown buildings.

"It looks to me like, if you were going to save the Vondee or the Lynn, preservation work should have started probably 10 or 15 years ago," he added. George Anthony owns the Vondee and will utimately be responsible for demolition costs, Stark said. By AUBREY WOODS Staff Writer A Seymour city official and the leader of a local preservation group plan to develop programs -that might- keep other Seymour -downtown buildings from suffer-: ing a fate similar to the Vondee's. City officials elected to demolish that building Thursday because of concerns about the con- dition of the building and public safety. Workers for a local construction business removed the roof from the Vondee overnight and were working to remove portions of the upper front facade this morning.

City Building Commissioner Dave Stark and Marina Gill, president of Seymour Heritage Foundation, discussed their ideas about preserving other downtown buildings on Thursday as workers for a local contracting company prepared to dismantle the former theater. Stark said he would like to see the city develop a property maintenance ordinance or another type of system to inspect the downtown buildings. "We have some nice buildings downtown and we do not want to see that (demolition) happen just because of. neglect," he added. Gill agreed.

"This is just negligence," she said about the fate of the Vondee. City officials opted to tear the structure down earlier Thursday morning after the structure shifted. City councilman Mike Jordan said the decision was made to protect public safety. Gill, who is also a member of the Main Street program, said that organization, which is designed to promote downtown growth, hopes to be up and running within six to eight months. That organization would work with the city in an attempt to inventory all downtown buildings to learn more about the history of oach building and it value.

"We hope to encourage building owners that their property is i valuable and worth preserving," By MIKE COFFEY Staff Writer Tony Underwood will remain Medora town marshal despite rumors swirling through the town this week. "There was no intention of fir- President Bill Drees. "We've got our grievances aired out and agreed to work together." More than 50 persons waited 40 minutes to attend the Thursday night meeting at the Town Hall. "I'm just asking for coopera tion and we will cooperate," Underwood said. "I want to stay.

The money's not great but I've found a lot of friends here." Rumors Underwood would be fired began circulating after a dispute between Underwood and Drees on Saturday night outside the Perry Street Tavern. The dispute occurred after Underwood attempted to stop a fight and closed the tavern. "I thought Tony did all 'he could do that night," said Tim Davers, Perry Street owner. "What people hear around this, town is the problem with this town." Ironically, a sign once hung in the clerk's office read: "Not much happens in a small town but what you hear makes up for it." The town will begin accepting ficer program today at the Town Hall. Underwood said he would like to train five persons for the nroPTam.

I a 'v A reserve applicant is required to have a high school diploma or general equivalency diploma and have no felonies on his police They also are asked to submit to background checks and possible urine testing. Reserve officers will be re- I I I. 1 Dasic training Deiore iney nave arrest powers. "After the training, they will have arrest powers when Tony sees fit to give it to them," said Jackson County Sheriff Herschel Baughman. "They will have the same arrest powers as Tony has and the same arrest powers I have." The reserve officers will provide their own equipment and uniforms and serve on a volunteer basis.

Baughman acknowledged the town's limited budget and suggested residents might stage some fund-raisers to help the de-partmen pu a equipment. Baughman said. "But $100 here and $100 there it adds up." 1m trying to make this a 24-hour department," Underwood said. "This is not Mayberry." 4 Davis Crane workers watch as the first piece of the Vondee theater building is lowered to the ground early Thursday evening in downtown Seymour, i Feds to relinquish control of Citizens State Bank Robert R. Brown will order a hearing on the matter.

If not, the court will enter orders appropriate to carry out the requests, the petition states. Once receivership is stopped, the agency plans to destroy all bank records following a 90-day period. 1 While the petition would bar the FDIC from further claims against it, the agency would retain authority to continue pursuing actions to "wind up the affairs of business of FDIC." The FDIC filed a civil action in Jackson Superior Court as recently as this month in an effort to collect on a former Citizens account. Collection efforts will continue, Beske said. available.

In fact, the account can expect a negative bottom line of $1.36 million. "Due to the remaining liability to claimants of the receivership, including (an) unpaid claim of $1.8 million (due to the FDIC), there will be no excess 'funds available for the receivership to distribute to (bank) shareholders," the petition claims. Ruth Beske, a FDIC settlement specialist in Rosemont, 111:, said excess or uninsured depositors those with accounts of more than $100,000 can expect to receive a final 2 percent dividend on their accounts. Shareholders are expected to receive final payment, she added. According to court records, the Tribune photo By Joe Kodduu "Collection efforts don't cease," she added.

The FDIC's petition states the agency collected receipts owed the bank and liquidated its as-, sets since taking over the failed bank on April 10, 1987, the day Citizens' offices were closed by order of the Indiana Department of Financial Institutions. The bank and its branch offices underwent an audit of their accounts by the FDIC and were then sold "and reopened several days later as branches of Monroe County Bank of Bloomington. As a result of the Citizens' failure, three former officers of the See FEDS Page 4 Art exhibition in intersection crash By DAN DAVIS Staff Writer Settlements earlier this year involving civil actions over the April 1987 failure of the Citizens State Bank of Brownstown led to a recent petition to end federal control over the former bank. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation plans to relinquish receivership of Citizens, according to a petition filed in Jackson Circuit Court last week. The petition requests that the FDIC be relieved of all receivership responsibilities and a declaration of a final dividend to shareholders of the former bank.

But there is no dividend to disperse, the petition states, because there are no excess funds an dies By DAN DAVIS Staff Writer A rural Seymour man was killed in an accident at 50 U.S. 31 Thursday morning. Charles A. Beiiieke, 84, of North U.S. 31 died of injuries resulting from the collision with a vehicle driven by Truman W.

Crody, 62, of rural Bloomfield, Seymour Police. Officer Brett Turner said. Beineke was northbound Inside today Classified 6 Comics 4 Crossword 5 Deaths 16 Family 14 Markets 11 Recordbook 3 Sports tMMWMMM 9 Weather 3 Dili Mlill.liJUlJM.IJ,.. I I l.M IIIIIMUI II Itmt HI 1 1 Ill, .1 1. agency collected $39.5 million in liquidation receipts and paid out $38.9 million in liquidation disbursements.

All assets and claims, the petition states, were liquidated as of last April 30. According to the petition, the court's approval to declare and distribute a final dividend would represent a total aggregated payment of 95.04 percent of all proven depositor claims against the receivership. Persons objecting to the' FDIC's requests must submit written objections, clearly stating the basis for the complaints, with the agency's office in Rosemont by 11:30 a.m. Nov. 1.

If objections are filed, Judge ters worked about 20 minutes to free him from the car. "Everything that could be done was done," Turner said. "They had three ambulance people inside the vehicle working on him." Beineke was removed from the car and taken to Memorial Hospital's emergency room, where he was pronounced dead. A passenger in Beineke's car, Velva K. Beineke, 82, was treated at Jackson County Schneck Memorial Hospital in Seymour for chest injuries and was later flown to University Hospital in Louisville.

She was in critical condition this morning. A passenger in Crody's truck, Howard Little, 80, of Bloomfield, had a bump on the forehead as a result of the wreck. Crody was not injured. Sgt. Gary W.

Trowbridge, Officer Kevin Hall and officers from the Indiana State Police at Seymour assisted at the accident scene. Services for Beineke are pending with Voss and Sons Funeral Service, Seymour, -j shortly before 11 a.m. on U.S. 31, apparently preparing to turn left onto U.S. 50, Turner said.

According to witnesses, Beineke ran a red light at the junction, and his car was hit on the driver's side by an eastbound pickup driven by Crody, Turner said. Jackson County Ambulance Service personnel crowded into Beineke's car in an effort to save the man while Seymour firefigh- Sports Owls swim past Red Devils. See page 11. Disaster in Alabama Amtrak crash investigators focus on runaway barge, safety sensors. See page 12.

The pastel "Paul's Meadow" is among recent works of Maureen OUara Pesta on exhibit at Southern Indiana Center for the Arts, Rock-ford, today through Nov. 13..