Lucas Vargo – GrantCOnnected.net https://grantconnected.net News for Grant County Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:28:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.3 https://grantconnected.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/cropped-GrantCo-150x150.jpg Lucas Vargo – GrantCOnnected.net https://grantconnected.net 32 32 City of Marion breaks ground on new dog park https://grantconnected.net/blog/2025/04/09/city-of-marion-breaks-ground-on-new-dog-park/ Wed, 09 Apr 2025 12:28:11 +0000 https://grantconnected.net/?p=1139

The city of Marion broke ground Tuesday morning for a new dog park after over five years of setbacks and planning. 

The park will be named Wiggly Field and will be located on Ballard Field in east central 

Marion. 

Local businessman and Rotarian Dwight Ott said he has been adamant for years about rejuvenating Ballard Park. 

“It is one small thing we can do to try and make life fun here in Marion,” Ott said. “If one of us does one thing and someone else has another idea, it will make Marion a great place to live.” 

The original plans were to rejuvenate the entire 20-acre Ballard field. But with unprecedented hurdles and COVID-19 hitting, plans were settled for just the three-acre dog park. 

President of the Parks and Recreation Board Kyle Beal said, “It’s nice to see it actually come to reality, it was kind of a dream that Dwight had. There were times I did not think it was going to happen. “ 

Ott said he got inspired while visiting a Utah dog park in 2018. He saw how it brought the community together and wanted to see Marion residents come together in the same way. 

“I think this will be a really neat project that will bring people together,” Ott said. “Folks will get to know each other in the community that they didn’t know before.” 

This is the second large investment in local dogs this year, following the improvements at Marion Animal Care and Control back in January. 

“I just want more reasons for people to live here,” Ott said. “Not just drive to town, go to work, drive out of town. We want them to live here, and we want to give them reasons. 

Local resident Scott Overman has wanted Ballard Park to be developed for many years, and what he referred to as “the bark park” Is really good for the community. 

“Anybody moving into a new community they look for the amenities,” Overman said. “They look for the walking trails, they look for the parks, they look for the schools, and this is one piece of a big puzzle.” 

Wiggly Field is a roughly $550,000 investment made possible by grants from the Marion Rotary Club, Community Foundation and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. They are still looking for approximately $30,000 from additional sponsors. 

Wiggly Field is currently set to open in early August.

]]>
Bird Flu outbreak will not severely impact 4-H programs https://grantconnected.net/blog/2025/03/25/bird-flu-outbreak-will-not-severely-impact-4-h-programs/ Tue, 25 Mar 2025 14:21:17 +0000 https://grantconnected.net/?p=1112 Grant County Purdue Extension is on track to allow birds to come to the 4-H fair in June. 

Khris Goff, Grant County 4-H Youth Extension Educator, said “We haven’t received any official notice from Purdue telling us we need to look at different options for the fair. Our 4-H superintendent of the Poultry show has already thought of some ideas if it does happen, but as of today, everything is going as planned. 

The CDC reports that, as of March 24, cases of the H5N1 bird flu have been found in 1,231 U.S. counties. The Indiana State Board of Animal Health says 13 Indiana counties in 2025 have reported bird flu cases. 

Goff said a decision would likely be made for the entire state whether birds were allowed on the fairgrounds for the 4-H Fair. 

The bird flu has made headlines before. The last time a large number of cases were reported in Indiana was 2022. If there are still bird flu cases close to fair time, Goff said they have precautions planned. 

“The last time we had something like this happen, we made sure we had plenty of hand sanitizer, a lot of signs up telling people to please wash your hands after coming through and don’t touch the animals,” Goff said. 

Grant County Emergency Management Director Bob Jackson said the 4-H animals always get checked for viruses every year and have a pretty good safeguard. 

Large poultry farms have been hit hardest by the bird flu. Grant County does not have any major poultry farms, but there are a lot of small family farms with hobby flocks, Jackson said. 

“We want people here in Grant county to be aware and watch your flock in the backyard,” Jackson said. “Look for the signs and notify the state when they see that occurring that way we can get a better idea of where spreading might be taking place and take efforts to contain that.” 

The bird flu signs to look for in your poultry include: sudden death without clinical signs, lack of energy or appetite, decreased egg production, thin shield, soft shield or misshapen eggs, swelling of the head and eyelids, purple discoloration in the legs, particularly the lower part of the legs, nasal discharge, coughing and diarrhea. 

Bird owners can report sick birds by calling the U.S. Department of Agriculture at 1-866-536-7593.

]]>
New Year’s resolutions: Where are they now? https://grantconnected.net/blog/2025/02/18/new-years-resolutions-where-are-they-now/ Tue, 18 Feb 2025 19:02:52 +0000 https://grantconnected.net/?p=1085 Gyms in Grant County have seen firsthand the impact New Year resolutions can have on total members.

CEO of the Grant County YMCA, Adam Myers, said the increase in people at the gym at the start of the year is noticeable. “There is an increase in total usage, and we have new members that they want to come in and apply and get a chance to out part of our programs and what we offer.” 

According to Drive Research, in 2024, 79% of New Year’s resolutions were health-related, which included increasing fitness levels and eating healthier. 

Kandy Akers, owner of Anytime Fitness in Marion, said she also sees an increase in numbers at the start of the year.  

To help encourage people on their fitness journey in the new year. Akers said Anytime Fitness has a join-for-a-dollar deal. 

COO of the Grant County YMCA, C.J Anstaed, said they also offer discounts at the beginning of the year. 

“This year, we actually opened it up to new and existing members,” Anstead said. “We did 25% off for the year 2025 if they bought a year in advance.” 

Drive Research also said that 23% of adults quit their New Year resolutions by the end of the first week of January. 

Myers said it is typical to see some of the new gym goers disappear after a few weeks. 

“The business, there are other things that compete for our time, how well do you get connected, there is burnout,” Myers said. “We hope to do something, but our goal might not be realistic.” 

Meyers said the YMCA wants to see as many people as possible stick to their goals. 

“Our goal at the YMCA is to foster an environment that when people want to make healthy choices and decisions for their lives,” Myers said. “Be New Years or whenever they choose that we can support it and provide an atmosphere that’s conducive for them to be successful.

For a long-time gym member, having an influx of people could potentially alter your gym routine, Myers said. But seeing new people to talk with and build relationships can also be exciting.

]]>
Swayzee Town Council adopts 10-year plan to revitalize the town https://grantconnected.net/blog/2025/01/29/swayzee-town-council-adopts-10-year-plan-to-revitalize-the-town/ Wed, 29 Jan 2025 18:52:43 +0000 https://grantconnected.net/?p=1052 The Swayzee Town Council verbally adopted Ball State’s 10-year Economic Growth Plan.  Signatures will be put onto paper next month. 

The comprehensive plan will focus on providing gathering spaces for the community, growing local businesses, preserving the small-town charm, and improving the downtown area in order to take advantage of the traffic coming in from the two-state roads that intersect in Swayzee. The plan was drafted through a partnership between the Swayzee Economic Development Corporation and Ball State University’s Urban Planning Department

The Grant Connected article detailing the presentation of the comprehensive plan can be found here.

One part of the 10 year plan is to have a co-op grocery store or farmers market. Town council member Rhonda Fagan said she wants to see that come to fruition. 

“People coming together, I’d like to see food trucks there, I’d like to see picnic tables set up,” Fagan said. “I’d like to see a Saturday morning, Saturday afternoon, just a community coming together.” 

Fagan said there are a lot of local artisans and people in Swayzee that grow produce. 

Having a farmers market and local produce shops could be a big draw for out-of-towners to help grow the local economy. 

Town Council President Aaron Travis said he hopes people will buy into the idea of a farmers market. 

“It’s the things like that, that we can at least make available, that we can encourage, “Travis said. “I hope that people will buy in and will engage with it.” 

Water infrastructure had some fairly low ratings on Ball State’s infrastructure survey. 

The Swayzee Town Council approved the purchase of two water pumps. 

“We are going to replace one of the two well pumps,” Travis said. “One of the high service pumps, we have three, we are going to service number three. 

Travis said the services should happen within a couple of months. 

According to the Swayzee Way Vision Statement posted on Ball State comprehensive plan, “the Town of Swayzee envisions a vibrant and thriving future that fosters local business development, a rehabilitated main street, and public spaces that encourage socialization of residents, without compromising its small town charm and rich traditions.”

The full comprehensive plan is available for viewing at the Swayzee Economic Development Corperation Website

]]>
Mayor Morrell Announces Traveling Town Hall https://grantconnected.net/blog/2024/03/26/mayor-morrell-announces-traveling-town-hall/ https://grantconnected.net/blog/2024/03/26/mayor-morrell-announces-traveling-town-hall/#respond Tue, 26 Mar 2024 16:42:14 +0000 https://grantconnected.net/?p=379 In hopes of increasing citizen engagement, Mayor Ronald Morrell Jr. will begin traveling around Marion this summer.

Mayor Morrell announced an initiative called “traveling town hall,” where he and other department heads will speak and answer questions at different venues.

“What I wanted to do was give the citizens a unique opportunity to have a voice,” Mayor Morrell said.

Mayor Morrell said he wants transparency to inform the citizens and let them be aware of what is happening in their community. He also said he hopes this will allow residents to come with ideas they may have.

“I want the citizens to come up with ideas and see them actually get accomplished,” Mayor Morrell said. “You have a leader that actually cares about what they have to say.”

Marion has six districts that the mayor and his team will be visiting. The sessions are planned to last about two hours.

“It will be an opening speech by me, then from there, we will go right into the Q&A,” Mayor Morrell said. “This is really going to be an event controlled by the citizens.”

All the department heads will attend the meetings with the mayor.

“I will answer as much as I can, but I want to give my department heads who have expertise in their areas time to answer,” Mayor Morrell said.

Police Chief David Gilbert expressed excitement about the opportunities.

“Over the years, the public has lost some trust in the police departments,” Gilbert said. “We hope to change that narrative showing the police force is trustworthy and cares about the community.”

One of the goals for the meetings is giving back to the community.

“I plan to listen more and talk less,” Gilbert said. “The citizens pay taxes and we want to give them a return on investment.”

The traveling town hall initiative will start this summer with specific dates and venues to come. Social media blasts, newspapers, and radio spots will promote the events to get as many citizens aware and involved.

“We are making an effort to get our citizens informed and involved. And give transparency into
the administration and this is one of the ways we are going about that.” Mayor Morrell said.

]]>
https://grantconnected.net/blog/2024/03/26/mayor-morrell-announces-traveling-town-hall/feed/ 0