The South Bend Tribune from South Bend, Indiana • 21

yr r' -i(iiy-TTTyyy-yy "yry yiyiy EC 3 METRO South Band Tribune Wednesday, July 1 6, 1 988 B3 4 Ivy Tech official finds site for Elkhart campus By GAIL HINCHION TribuneStalt Writer Carl Lutz, vice president-dean of the Indiana 'Vocational Technical College-Northcentral, today said he has located a building in Elkhart County that could serve that community's needs for the next 10 to 15 years, 1 But time is running out on signing a lease for an Elkhart campus to offer classes there this fall. Lutz said. Lutz said he has located a building and two smaller alternatives. He would not reveal the locations of any of the three sites. But he did say that none is in the Dunlap area on Elkharts southeast side, the best for the campus because it is must comply with a suggestion from the Commission on Higher Education that any site selected for higher education in Elkhart be offered to all colleges that are seeking campus space there.

Indiana University at South Bend and the Purdue Statewide Technology Program also offer classes in Elkhart on a small scale and also are considering permanent arrangements. Lutz said he has no idea when slate Ivy Tech representatives will be able to work out those details. If they cannot settle the larger issues involved with opening a big campus, Lutz has recommended the two smaller sites be used to serve temporarily, he said. easily accessible to Goshen students. The building is ideal for what the Ivy Tech board originally planned: A permanent satellite campus that would serve all of Elkhart County, Lutz said.

Funding to lease a major structure has been approved in concept by various state agencies. In its last board meeting in June, local board members and Lutz said they had all but given up hope of finding a permanent structure. They discussed shopping for smaller structures that could serve Ivy Tech for a few years. During that time, a campus building could be constructed to Ivy Techs specifications. 1 didnt think we could find a facility to meet our needs," said Lutz.

"But if youre looking for an established building, you couldnt find a better structure for us. Lutz said some board members looked at the larger building and two smaller alternatives he has selected. Lut? then sent a request to the state Ivy Tech offices for permission to sign a lease. Because the building would be a major real estate addition to the Ivy Tech system, state Ivy Tech administrators must request allocation of the necessary lease money. The State Budget Committee must approve lease financial proposals greater than (50,000 annually, Lutz said.

The state Ivy Tech administrators also Hostage calls a sham South Bend police are warning women to be leery of phone calls from strangers who claim a relative is being held captive. Capt. Charles Mahank said the caller phones during working hours and says the woman's husband or child is being held hostage. The caller uses first names and place of employment. The police believe the caller is using a city directory for the information.

The man then orders her to cooperate and the hostage wont be hurt. The caller gives the impression in the message that he is nearby and can see the residence. Mahank said the caller orders her to undress. In the past, women have become suspicious and have hung up on the caller. The police said this problem has been surfacing for the past seven years.

It is difficult to stop the anonymous calls because the man never phones again. Mahank is asking anyone with knowledge of the caller to phone Crime Stoppers or the South Bend Police Department. Complaints dwindle after Elkhart installs sewer overflow line Tribune Photo EUGENE STAPLES Rose Groves, a senior attendant of the Indiana Toll Road, greets a motorist Tuesday, the first day the new $8 million toll collection and auditing system was used. A component of the system is at right. Computer-run collection effort finally arrives at Toll Road AXLES CARD RATE IND LANE SERIAL: PLAZA COLL CODE CATE ENTRY EXIT IND'ANA STATE POLICE TOU.

ROAD OiStRtCT TEL 219 234-4150 MOIANA DEPARTMENT Of HIGHWAYS TOU. ROAD DIVISION BOX 1 52551 ASH RCD GRANGER. IN 4b5JQ TEL 219-674-MJ5 ENTRY 77 SOUTH BENDNOTRE DAME But if the state Ivy Tech administration does not make up its mind on either size site soon, time will have run out for preparing any location to hold classes, he said. Local Ivy Tech representatives are planning to start classroom-type classes first then introduce laboratory classes in later quarters. The fall quarter begins Sept.

2. Lutz said he would need almost all the time until then to convert rooms in the proposed buildings into classrooms. Lutz said he also has been considering using classroom space in Elkhart schools to offer some Ivy Tech classes. Auction customer files suit A woman who was injured when she was struck by a car at a South Bend auto sales firm has filed a suit in St. Joseph Superior Court seeking (1 million in damages.

Melinda L. Mallard, 33, of 205 S. Chicago suffered brain damage, leg fractures, scrapes and bruises when she was hit by a car May 21 at Mid-States Auto Auction. 25784 Western the suit claims. Mallard was one of six persons injured when a car being demonstrated at the auction apparently went out of control, according to police reports.

Defendants named in the suit include Mid-States Auto Auction, employee Clifford Murphy, 31, of 564 Cherry Niles; and Antique Motors, 10339 Indiana 10, Argos. The Oldsmobile Cutlass involved in the accident was owned by Antique Motors, court records show. The suit alleges that Murphy was negligent in driving the car. As a result of his negligence, the case contends Murphy lost control of the vehicle and it struck Mallard causing her to suffer severe injuries. Accounts of the accident indicate that as Murphy was demonstrating the car for a customer, it struck a parked car.

The parked vehicle was pushed into two men standing in the car lot. The Cutlass careened off the parked car and struck two more pedestrians, one of whom was Mallard, according to the accident report. Mallard was at the auction firm as a customer, the case state's. Police said Clifford reported the vehicles engine had a broken accelerator and the brakes failed to work when he applied them. Clif- ford told police he stopped the car by jamming the automatic gear selector into park.

Motorcyclist breaks leg Michael Hubbard, 25, of 504 Hendricks Mishawaka, suffered a broken leg in a three-vehicle accident at 11:55 a.m. Tuesday in the 54000 block of Ironwood Road. He was admitted to St. Josephs Medical Center, where he was listed in satisfactory condition today. According to St.

Joseph County Police, a car driven by Marilyn Singleton, 49, of 56301 Joan Mishawaka, was traveling south on Ironwood. She told police something flew in the window and struck her in the head. She then lost control of the car, veered to the right and struck the Hubbard motorcycle. The Hubbard motorcycle was stopped in a private driveway along with a car driven by Terry De Moss, also of 504 Hendricks St. Police said Hubbard was pushed into the De Moss car and dragged 30 feet.

Shawn R. Matthews, 14, of 503 W. Battell Mishawaka, was treated for shoulder abrasions suffered about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday when he was struck by a car on Mishawaka Avenue near 36th Street. City police said Shawn was riding a bicycle west on Mishawaka Avenue when he crossed the center line attempting to turn south onto 36th and collided with a car driven by Floyd A.

Baugher, 79, of Indiana 15, Goshen. Police said Baugher was going east on Mishawaka Ave- nue when the accident occurred. After he was struck by the car, Shawn also collided with a traffic sign on Mishawaka Avenue, police noted. Lora L. Sharp, 22, of 4909 Irish Hills Drive, was treated at SL Joseph's Medical Center for head injuries she suffered when she was involved in a three-vehicle collision about 6:45 p.m.

Monday at Prairie Avenue and Locust Road. According to county police. Sharp was a passenger in a car driven by Peggy A. BrandL 21, of 20222 Baughman Court. Brandt told police she was southbound on Locust when she collided with a car driven by Kevin Hawk, Route 1, Walkerton.

Hawk was eastbound on Prairie, police said. Police said the impact of the crash caused the Brandt vehicle to strike a van driven by Jerry Shultz, 39, of Ridgecrest, Calif. Shultz was northbound on Locust stopped at the Intersection when the accident occurred, police said. No one in the Shultz or Hawk vehicles was injured, police said. PRESENT THIS TICKET AT EXIT AND PAT TOU.

This is the Indiana Toll Road magnetically-encoded ticket which replaces the old punch card system in use since the opening of the tollway in 1956- flooding when last nights backup occurred. Weve been trying to dry the basement out and the smell is really lousy, Steele said. A 3-inch cutoff valve in Steeles drain was blown out by previous sewer backups, but he intends to call a plumber to try to figure out another way to keep the sewage water out. I know the city wants to solve this problem, but I doubt they will spend the money it takes, he added. Telling me Were working on it just doesnt make it when I have sewer sludge in my basement.

And this is not just water, this is black sludge that has human excrement in it, Steele said. Perron was in several meetings this morning, and was unavailable for comment. A spokesman, however, said Perron continues to look into the situation and that the citys engineering department is working on a long-term solution. Another resident, Steve Minsel of 303 S. Highland did not have flooding Tuesday night like he did a week ago.

He asked If that (adding the overflow line) is what it took to solve the problem in the first place, then why did we all have to suffer losses to find that out? Minsel said he may submit a claim to the city for his losses. City officials urged residents to file claims for losses that the city will turn over to their insurance carrier for possible reimbursement. Minsel also plans possible legal action, he said. He and Steele both expressed doubts about whether the claims would be honored, since similar claims submitted after a flood Sept. 9, 1985, were denied by the citys insurance carrier.

I dont want to gain a thing, but I dont want to lose anything either, Minsel City Councilman Dean Hupp, R-2nd, was one of the residents who suffered basement flooding last week as well. He said his basement remained dry last night, but that he kept a close watch on his basement drain. Hupp said he is attempting to contact Perron about the progress being made on processing residents insurance claims to the city. By ANDREW STONER Tribune Elkhart Bureau ELKHART A temporary overflow line appears to have solved basement floodings for most Elkhart residents, but not for all of them. A spokesman for Mayor James Perron said today only two complaints had beeqinade about basement flooding after Tuesday nights heavy rains, as compared with more than 50 last week.

Since last week, city officials have installed an overflow line for the sewer lines at Pleasant Street and Strong Avenue. Like 95 percent of the citys 160 miles of sewers, the line there serves both as a sanitary sewer and a storm sewer. When storms send too much runoff water into the sewer, the overflow line is supposed to divert some of it directly into the SL Joseph River. Because that sends some raw sewage into the river, the overflow line is considered only a temporary solution. Before the overflow was added, many near Northwest Side residents were angry about backed-up sewage in their basements.

Today, only one resident contacted by The Tribune reported basement flooding last night William Steele of 1116 Kilboum St. said he had up to three inches of sewer sludge in his basement utility room last night. Steele said a representative of the city engineers office was supposed to come out to his home today to review the problem. Steele said he was unable to clean up the mess because he already missed a day of work last week to clean up his basement and cant afford to miss work again. Steele questioned the citys temporary answer to the problem.

The new overflow line put in last week by city officials replaced two previous overflow lines that were removed when sewer improvements were made to Pleasant Street If it took two originally, theit who in their right mind thinks that one will do the trick? He said the city has been reacting, rather than acting to solve the problem. He added ids basement had not dried out from last weeks By FRANK LIPO tribune Staff Writer The Indiana Toll Road finally converted to its new computerized toll-collection and audit system Monday night, replacing a system considered awkward and outdated by Toll Road officials and employees. The new (8 million system was to have been installed in June 1984, according to the original contract. But Tuesday, Toll Road officials downplayed the long delay, heaved a collective sigh of relief and praised Mondays smooth transition to the new system. The computerized system links each of the toll collection centers to the main Toll Road administration office in Granger via microwaves.

Through a sophisticated computer system, it allows administrators to keep a running count of the level of traffic and the revenue received. It also has the capability for instantaneous auditing of Toll Road revenue. The previous system took up to two weeks for auditing. In conjunction with thd new computerized system, other changes have or will take place on the Toll Road. Nine interchanges or toll collection areas have been added to the road.

The majority of these additions affect the stretch of road near Gary. Kenneth R. Hoover, deputy director of toll facilities for the Indiana Department of Highways, said that from where the road begins near the Illinois border to milepost 24, there are now eight interchanges. In this stretch of road, tolls now are taken as a straight cash payment In the rest of the 157-mile-long road, magnetically encoded cards replace the punch card system in use since the toll-ways completion in 1956. Hoover said the westernmost segment of the road was singled out for the coin system because of the heavy commuter traffic from Gary to Chicago.

Studies show the cash collection system is much faster than any card system, said Hoover. The time-consuming nature of the punch card system was especially evident July 6 as many peo- pie used the tollway to return from the Independence Day holiday, said Hoover. There was a 10-mile backup at the west gate of the tollway, he said, despite there being 10 lanes open to accommodate the holiday traffic. The switch-over to the computerized system will not affect the average patron of the tollway, according to Toll Road officials. From milepost 24 to the east gate and vice versa, travelers will still receive a card from an attendant when entering the road.

When exiting, the motorist will present the card to an attendant and pay a fee based upon distance traveled, said road officials. But the smaller, magnetically encoded cards will make life easier for the attendants and will allow Toll Road administrators to keep a close watch on the traffic levels, the receipts and the attendants in each individual toll booth, according to Edward J. Regan III, vice president of Wilbur Smith and Associates an engineering consultant and planning firm that aided in the transition to the new system. The only potential problem with the new system, said Regan, is that technology in the computer indus- try changes so much that there are already more advanced machines on the market. He said that the computers used in the tollway system still are excellent and should serve the tollway for a long time.

I think its (the new system) fantastic, said Jane Gordon, a toll way attendant at the South Bend interchange. She said it is less time-consuming than the old system and eliminates much of the paperwork and logbook work that the old system required. Of course this is our first day (Tuesday) on the new system, said Rose Groves, senior attendant at the South Bend interchange, but she added that the added functions of the new system seem to promise much in efficiency and ease. The Toll Road Division originally awarded the toll collection system contract to Sierra Information Systems Corp. of Buffalo, N.Y.

in 1982. The Dallas-based LTV Corp. purchased Sierra in 1983 and Sierra subcontracted the work to Automatic Toll Systems of Mount Vernon, N.Y. Because of problems related to the sale of the original contractor and the mobility of computer programmers, a June 11, 1984, date for implementation of the system came and went. Hoover said the company has been penalized (5,000 a day since then because of a clause in the contract.

He stressed that the approximately (3.8 million penalty is subject to appeal if there were circumstances beyond the companys control. Hoover added that no money has yet been paid for the system and any penalty will be taken out of the purchase price. Money to pay for the system was provided by a 1980 bond issue. $22,000 damage in Osceola barn fire A fire early today caused an estimated (22,000 damage to a bam owned by Martha M. Smith, 55070 Apple Road, Osceola.

Several horses died in the blaze. According to a spokesman for the Penn North Fire Department, firefighters were called to the bam at 4:17 a.m. Crews from Penn North, with the' use of a tanker truck from Penn South, fought the blaze for about an hour before bringing it under controL The spokesman said lightning may have touched off the fire, but the exact cause was unknown. The building received (15,000 in damage, and there was an estimated (7,000 damage to the contents. According to the spokesman, most of the eastern half of the bam was destroyed.

Toll Road staff recommends contracts EPA: Terre Haute plant dumps sludge during rain TERRE HAUTE, Irid. Terre Hautes sewage-disposal plant commonly dumps sludge into the Wabash River when it rains, the Environmental Protection Agency says. We have determined every time a rainfall event occurs, significant amounts of solids are passed through the treatment works and into the river, said Mike Mikulka, chief of enforcement for the EPA compliance section in Chicago. This is obviously a violation of their permit, he said in a copyrighted story in the Tribute Star of Terre Haute. EPA engineer Jerry Rogers said thqt until inspectors have more information, they hesitate to say whether the discharge poses a serious health threat If excessive, the discharge can smother aquatic life on the river bottom, he said.

Plant superintendent Phil Thompson said some solids are lost during rainfall due to hydraulically overloading at the plant. But I dont care what the EPA says we are not putting any digested sludge into the river, he said. Staff members also discussed increased revenues at toll plaza restaurants and gas stations. Gasoline sales at Toll Road plazas rose 28.4 percent in June while diesel sales were up 27.3 percent The Toll Divisions new contract with Amoco Oil Co. which began July 1 has resulted in lower gas prices, according to Kenneth R.

Hoover, deputy director of toll facilities. Regular gas costs 71.9 cents per gallon on the tollway, while regular unleaded is 75.9 and diesel is 72.9, said Hoover. Hoover also complimented the fast food restaurants which serve the toll plazas. In June, sales were up at all the plazas. tion from milepost 61.83 to milepost 67.07 westbound in St.

Joseph County be awarded to Walsh and Kelly Griffith, Ind. for (132,190.60. A contract for the purchase of a frequency level meter be awarded to Cushman Electronics San Jose, for (5,491. A contract for 100 rolls of snow fence be awarded to Marly Industries, Elkhart for a total of (9,995. A contract for three 5,000 pound forklift attachments be awarded to Rudd Equipment Fort Wayne for a total of (6,126.

A contract for three steel drum rollers with trailers for use in work with asphalt be awarded to Deeds Equipment Fort Wayne for a total of (49,966. Staff members of the Toll Road Division of the Indiana Department of Highways recommended the awarding of contracts for the purchase of new equipment and for new road improvement projects Tuesday. The recommendations are subject to the approval of John P. Isen-barger, director of highways. Recommendations include: That a contract for cleaning and repainting of structural steel on certain bridges located in SL Joseph and Elkhart counties be awarded to J.L.

Manta Chicago for (59,138. A contract for rehabilitation of paved shoulders, seal coating, patching and underdrain installa K.g.k 4LL.