The Greentown Grapevine – 1999-11, 06:11

              Volume 6, Issue 11 " a paper for the people" November 1999
Board Makes Revisions
to Drug Testing Policv U
Afterinitiallyinstituting a drug testing
policy for seniors only, the Eastern
School Board has expanded the policy
to include grades 7- 12. The tests will be
random and unannounced. Only
students involved in extra- curricular
activities are subject to testing.
This change in the policy came about
& er conversations with the Parent
Advislary Committee, a group of parents
who have been working on ways to keep
drugs out of the schools. They had
conducted a survey of parents of
students of Eastern Schools. The
survey indicated 80% wanting drug
In addition to including more students
in the testing pool, the Board made a
change in the notification process. The
results of the initial test ( umducted by
, an independent laboratory) will be sent
to the parents only. If the test is
positive, the testing company will
schedule a mandatoy retest in 30 days.
If the retest is positive, both the school
and the parents will be notified of the
results. Ethe retest is negative, only the
parents will be notified This reporting
sequence is intended to allow the
testing in grades 7- 12.
U J
parents an opportunity to talk to their
child and the situation. If efforts
by the parents and the student are
unsuccessw and the problem continues,
then the school will invoke a prescribed
penalty, suspension from extra-curricular
activities until a " follow up"
test is negative. Superintendent Lindan
Hill stated, " Parents in this community
have done a wonderlid job. This gives
the parents the opportunity to be
involved at the first indication of a drug
problem with their chdd." The revised
policy will become effective November
1. The complete policy may be seen at
the school corporation office, 221 W.
Main Street, Greentown.
School Board president, Denny
Maple, expressed appreciation to the
group of parents for their work on the
matter. He stated that the school can
only go so far in solving problems and
urged parents to go to civic leaders in
the town and county and see if
something can be done about the
community drug problem. He said, * I I f
there is a student problem, there is an
adult problem".
Greentown
Election Day
November 2
Elections for Greentown Town
Council and Clerlc/ Treasurer will be
held on November 2. Voting will take
place in the City Building fiom 6: OO
a. m. to 6: OO p. m. All registered voters
who reside within the town limits are
eligible to vote.
Halloween
Hours Set
Greentown Marshal Jeff Bennett has
set the official hours for " halloweening"
as Saturday, October 30 fiom 5 to 7
VYJ p. m. A light at the door indicates that
little costumed visitors are welcome.
Town Approves
Erection of Sign
The Greentown Town Council
approved a request fiom council
member Don Flook for construction of
a bign at the west edge of town, near the
entrance to the boat launch. The sign is
a project of Greentown Main Street
Association. It is to be constructed of
brick and stone and will have the word
" Greentown" and a depiction of the
Greentown Glass dolphin on it. Flook
presented a bid of $ 6,100.00 for the
excavating and building up of area to be
used for the sign fiom Lester Miller
Excavating; a bid from Star Building
Supply for the masonry, brick & stone
of $ 5,762.58; and a bid for labor fiom
Dwight Schaaf of $ 1,535.00. No
Greentown property tax dollars will be
ysed on the project. At least part of the
funding will come fkom the EDIT tax.
Final funding will be announced later.
Extension Given on Demolition Order
The Greentown Town Council held a
meeting on October 12 concerning the
two buildings owned by Joan Beheler
which were to be demolished by that
date, but which are still standing.
Bill Bagby, who has been hired by the
town as inspector, reported that Mrs.
Fkheler was given instructions after the
July 13 hearing to have the building at
319 West Main Street tom down as
soon as a garage was built at her present
residence to store certain belongings
which are in the Main Street property.
A foundation for the garage is partially
in.
Council member Bob Armstrong
asked Mrs. Beheler if she had contracted
the houses to be demolishedmd she
responded yes - as soon as her garage is
finished. She said she had contracted
suggestion was made by Mr. Bagby that
she could move the belongings to the
with Banner's Excavatipg. A
barn behind the Main Street property so
the house could be torn down. Asked
what her time frame was, Mrs. Beheler
responded that she didn't know since the
contractar wqs the one going to help her
move her belongings before tearing the
house down and she didn't know what
his schedule was.
The Council voted that the belongings
at the Main Street property be moved by
November 15 and that the house be tom
down as soon as possible, contingent on
Banner's schedule, and that the property
at 129 West Grant Street be town down
within 10 days & er the demolition of
the Main Street house. Repeated
attempts by the Grapevine to contact
Mr. Banner and inquire about his
schedule were unsuccessful.
Council member Bob Armstrong says,
" The houses WILL come down, either
by Mrs. Beheler's efforts or by the
Town's".
The Greentown Public Library hosted " Lance Brown's Tribute to will Rogers" on
Saturday, October 16. Mr. Brown combines history, storytelling, singing, and rope
spinning in his presentation. He moves in and out of character, becoming Will
Rogers and then talking to the audience in the present tense.
An unexpected addion to the program was joint spinning with sixth grader, Eric
Ahan. Eric had received a spinning lesson the day before from his grandfather,
Fred Jenkins. Eric then spent time working on his technique. He and his sister,
Abby, tooktheir ropes to the program. Mr. Brown roped both with the quip, " I can
catch four calves with one rope." He then asked Eric to join him in the above trick,
with one spinner and rope inside another spinning rope.
Photo by R. Jenkins