The Pulse of Putnam County

Saturday, September 27, 2014

This is the kickoff of the new Banner Graphic feature "The Pulse."

Slated for publication every two weeks, it will be dedicated to an open-forum discussion of issues affecting Putnam County people and communities.

Each issue will contain articles addressing topics of local, state and national issues.

We chose a number of topics for the inaugural issues, and responses are show on this page.

Feel free to respond to any of these topics, either the original questions or the responses printed below, for the next edition of "The Pulse."

Bypassing the square

Giant trucks taking two lanes to make the right-angle turns through narrow streets with big parked SUVs and pickup trucks make the Greencastle courthouse square dangerous to go through (except for late in the evening) for local citizens.

The Council (city and county) should make a bypass their priority and appoint a committee to prepare a proposal and follow it through to a successful conclusion.

Joanne

Greencastle

Bypassing the Bypass

Yes, a U.S. 231 bypass has been long talked about, and that's it.

Positive ... it would eliminate heavy truck traffic. And negative ... it would "dry up" the downtown.

Feasibility? I don't think so.

Wayne

Greencastle

Truck traffic on the square

Has anyone considered making Jackson Street to the Southern Highway a truck route north and south?

That would eliminate the sharp turn from Jackson onto Washington Street.

More than once I have backed up on that corner to let a semi have more room to turn.

It would also do away with the turn from Washington onto Bloomington Street.

Joyce

Greencastle


Community Center

Clay County YMCA is a success in both Brazil and Greencastle (the YMCA summer camp and after-school care).

Brazil had a wonderful YMCA when I lived there in the early 1950s. Greencastle has tried without success many attempts to start and sustain a "youth center," mostly by private individuals and by the Moose Lodge (many years ago).

I think now there are too many diversions for kids to make a community center successful, i.e., sport activities in all seasons, school programs, TV, video games, etc.

Wayne

Greencastle


Stellar Community

Good improvement with excessive inconvenience for both the customer/consumer and the business community.

Are we prepared to maintain the improvements as time passes?

Have the planted trees pruned annually by an arborist.

Will this project improve the downtown with more business and businesses? Only time will tell ...

Wayne

Greencastle


Retail detail

Greencastle doesn't need a mall -- just fill all the empty stores downtown -- that could be a "square mall."

Why do citizens drive to Plainfield or Indianapolis or Keystone at The Crossing?

For choices in department or boutique stores for clothing, gifts, card and gift stores, etc. Or interesting restaurants with a variety of foods (seafood, Italian, Indian, etc.).

Walmart doesn't meet everyone's needs.

Joanne

Greencastle

More retail detail

Redevelop the downtown to small business owners -- locally owned -- and bring back the small-town atmosphere that develops cohesiveness of community.

The First Friday, Farmers Market and festivals on the square give most people a needed "hometown in my town" mindset and seem to keep small business owners in business.

Develop flower planters and green space to help make Greencastle more attractive.

Wayne

Greencastle


Greencastle gas prices

I'm just wondering what makes the gas in Greencastle so special. Do we get some kind of "Super Additive" or something?

I went to work a job in Plainfield Friday, Sept. 19, and the gas in Belleville was $3.24, the gas entering Plainfield was $3.19, and the gas exiting Plainfield was $3.16 when I went in.

When I was making my way home, gas was $3.14 almost everywhere in Plainfield and $3.24 still in Belleville.

When I got back to Greencastle, the first gas station I see, the Speedway across from Taco Bell, was $3.43. That's 29 cents a gallon more expensive.

Now I'm no genius but, I don't believe that we get our gas from some special refinery that nobody else gets it from. So, what's the reason?

I urge everybody to post repeatedly how they feel about the cost of gas in Greencastle.

Let's see if we can bug the powers that be enough that we get a definitive answer.

Eric

Greencastle


Parking around Putnam County Courthouse

When I was younger, I worked on the square in Greencastle at the J.C. Penney's store and later at Prevo's.

At that time, the ruling was that we had to park off the square and walk to work, even the courthouse workers.

It was good for us and I never heard any complaints.

We had the whole square for shoppers to park. I'd like to see that happen again.

Elva

Bainbridge

Parking proposition

The two new surface paking lots will only be effective if the parking of downtown employees (retail and courthouse) is mandated to those two lots as well as the North Indiana and Vine Street lots.

Leave the parking available to the consumer/customer.

The north side of the courthouse is already limited with police parking during the day but does that apply to customers of the north courthouse business after 5 p.m.?

Wayne

Greencastle

Parking problems have gone on too long

For far too long - -years! -- the parking on the square by courthouse employees has been either ignored or otherwise not dealt with by officeholders.

I urge the next voter debates to be held by whomever include a question of, "if elected, will you make it a condition of employment for your employees that they NOT park on the square?"

As an officeholder, I would make it a condition of employment. Zero tolerance.

Commissioners have said in the past that they are powerless to deal with it, and that's probably true. But officeholders literally hold the key, in my humble opinion.

Dick

Greencastle


Comments in general

A community that works together to improve our small-town atmosphere is possible if everyone is "pulling the cart" in the same direction and at the same speed.

Thank you for conducting this public opinion forum.

I am open for feedback. Thank you.

Wayne

Greencastle

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