Harrington News

Council meets, memorabilia donated, summer reading

 

Last updated 6/17/2015 at 11:41pm



City Council

Wednesday evening, June 10, Mayor Paul Gilliland called the meeting to order with all council members present: Terry Howe, Rick Becker, Peter Davenport, Levi Schenk and Mike Cronrath, along with Bunny Haugan, clerk, and Scott McGowan also present representing the city. Visitors included John Dempsey, Dianne Dempsey, Sharon Schultz, Crystal Hickman, Cassandra Paffle-Dick, Ashley Schenk, Paul Charlton, Justin Slack, Allen Barth, Dan Fromm, Jay Gossett, Marge Womach and Donita Simons. Paffle-Dick, representing the Chamber of Commerce, requested that the Chamber be allowed to close Main Street from Third to the Alley for the 2016 Cruizin’ Harrington event. No decision was made. She also informed the Council that the Chamber is sponsoring the Beer Garden event for the Harrington Fall Festival and had requested to hold it in the city park if the Lion’s Club does not have objections.

The dish sterilizer in the Memorial Hall was originally purchased by the Lion’s Club, and the city has been taking the contract for repairs. It was determined that it would be cheaper to allow the contract to lapse.

The Mayor asked McGowan the current status on the abatement notices for yards and junk vehicles in violation of ordinances. He reported on each of the letters that had been sent out and noted that each recipient was making progress and that no citations have been issued since the citizens are attempting to rectify the problem areas. Several questions were asked by the visitors. McGowan explained why some of the recipients were having difficulty in moving vehicles. Several challenged that progress is too slow. Another stated that a place that is seen as a fire hazard should not be allowed to threaten the safety of other homes. Some visitors appeared to have no concept of “working with the citizens for the common good.”

The Mayor reported back to the council on the dog license situation and presented two charts. There are currently 67 dogs that have registered this year by the May 31 deadline. There were another 28 eligible dogs for license or renewal whose owners did not register them. The fee has been $15 for neutered and $25 for non-altered pets, which with late fees becomes $30 and $50, respectively. Citations will now be issued after June 15, which will increase the fee by another $100 fine. “Time has expired. The grace period ended June 15. This will be posted in the paper,” said the mayor.

Mayoral candidate Dan Fromm interrupted, commenting that the council is not treating the two ordinances with equal force. “You’ve got to have a time limit on the abatement notices, and their response time must be limited if you have a rigid time limit on the dog ordinance,” he said. Interjecting his comments without recognition from the mayor, it became obvious that Fromm does not believe he should register his dogs or follow any ordinance he does not agree with.

Other visitors commented on how expensive registering dogs can be in other towns, and Councilman Schenk stated that he doesn’t mind paying a fee in order to be in compliance with the city.

John Dempsey asked for approval to have chickens at his probable new residence which is in the city limits, but falls within an area which allows chickens, as it is on the edge of the city limits. Ordinances #103 and #104 were read and considered, and the council voted 3-2 approving his request “after he is located on the property and has evidence of proper conditions for the chickens.”

Kinzel Family Photos

Alice Kinzel Moritz was a daughter of Fred A. Kinzel and his wife Katherine Kramer. Fred was born in Warenburg, Russia in 1875 and came to America in 1893 with his parents. In 1903, he married Katherine Kramer. At the time of his death in 1951, Fred had nine surviving children: Mrs. Anna Larmer, Mrs. Martha Oatgren, David Kinzel, Martin Kinzel, Mrs. Pauline Arlt, Mrs. Laura Kendrick, Clarence (Jim) Kinzel, Emanuel Kinzel and Mrs. Alice Moritz. Maria Katherine Kramer Kinzel was born in 1883, also in Warenburg, on the Volga River in Russia, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Peter A. Kramer, well known Adams County pioneers. Alice Kinzel Moritz was one of the 22 in the Class of 1942 in Harrington. Many familiar names are in that class: Verne Heimbigner, Eugene Cronrath, Rudolph Wagner, Theodore Watanabe, Keith Williams, Garth Cormana, Irene Fiske, Marian Harter, Frances Gateley, Glenna Hawkins, Dorothy Flemming, Norma Schultz, Dessie Mae Watson, Ruth Roth, Eleanor Lucht, Dorothy Dietrich, Mary Rieth, Marjorie Coleman, Jean Defabaugh, Marie Timm, Maxine Abbott and Alice Kinzel. Since the high school annuals were printed in 1920-1926 and none again until 1946, it is a special gift to the town that the daughter of Alice Moritz is donating photos of school days, farming days, scrapbooks containing high school memorabilia, and her “letter” sweater.

Summer Reading Program

The Harrington Public Library will be holding the 2015 Summer Reading Program on Thursdays during the month of July. This year’s theme is “Every Hero Has a Story.” The Summer Reading Program will start on Thursday, July 2 – 30, from 3-5 p.m. Children in preK through 8th grade are welcome to attend. There will be games, crafts, story time and lots of fun! For more information please call Bridget Rohner at 509-725-4171, WSU Lincoln County Extension.

The final paragraph of this article was submitted by Bridget Rohner, extension agent.

 

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