SYRACUSE — After hearing a request from two local businesses to expand a newly formed riverfront district, Syracuse Town Council approved naming the entire commercial district a riverfront district during its regular monthly meeting Tuesday, Feb. 21. The vote was 4-1 with Councilman Bill Musser abstaining. Police Chief Jim Layne received permission to purchase a …read more.

SYRACUSE—For years it was the Syracuse Fire Department, operating with two separate budgets; one from the town and one with the township. Even the tax rate for those they served were different. There were three full-time firefighters and more than 25 volunteers responding to calls. In 2009, the department became Turkey Creek Fire Department, operating under one budget and governed by a fire territory board comprising of representatives from the town and township.

Members of the Turkey Creek Fire Board welcomed Larry Martindale to their ranks at their Monday, Jan. 9, meeting. The board has interviewed Randy Cox and Cindy Taylor to serve as its fifth member but has made no nomination to the Syracuse Town Council, which must approve the selection. Fire Chief Mickey Scott presented his …read more.

Turkey Creek Township Trustee Barb Griffith presented her 2016 financial figures at the Monday, Jan. 9, meeting of the township’s advisory board. Disbursements for the year totaled $2,264,170.36, with 94 percent constituting transfers to the fire territory. The remaining $141,262.02 was utilized for general expenses and poor relief. During the year the trustee’s office paid …read more.

SYRACUSE — It was a thankful, yet heartbreaking Thanksgiving Day for the family of John and Nancy F. Hoard, Carmel, who came to their lake home at 10515 N. Grand Blvd., Syracuse, for the holiday. Thankful because no lives were lost, including that of their two pit mixed dogs, but heartbreaking because of a loss …read more.

SYRACUSE  — What could have turned into a heated and lengthy debate about approving the Turkey Creek Fire Territory’s equipment budget was quickly squelched during the Syracuse Town Council’s regular monthly meeting Tuesday night, Oct. 18. Fire Chief Mickey Scott provided an updated equipment budget, complete with estimates for a number of projects. Scott told …read more.

Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board Monday, Oct. 10, allocated $40,000 for the purchase of a new fire department command vehicle and heard reports from Trustee Barb Griffith and Fire Chief Mickey Scott. The new vehicle, a 2017 Chevrolet Tahoe, will replace the Chevrolet Suburban the department has used since 2004. The current vehicle “has 116,675 …read more.

SYRACUSE — It was December 2015 when the Concerned Residents Action Committee held its last meeting. Since then committee members hired Lawson Fisher Associates, an engineering firm in Mishawaka, to do a traffic count and feasibility study for creating a quiet zone along the railroad tracks going through the Syracuse area. The committee was supposed …read more.

Syracuse Town Council Tuesday evening, Sept. 20, unanimously passed an ordinance to refinance the town’s $4 million 2004 waterworks bond. Refinancing and marketing the bond to local banks by Paula Kehr-Wicker, Syracuse clerk-treasurer, will reduce interest payments and eliminate plan agent fees, saving the town up to $100,000, according to London Witte Group LLC, the …read more.

SYRACUSE — The annual Turkey Creek firefighters barbecue usually consists of a four-hour flurry of dishing out pork chops, chicken halves and corn on the cob to a hungry — and supportive — Syracuse area community. But the preparation for the fundraiser, which begins at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 2, at Fire Station 1, 402 …read more.

SYRACUSE — With its 2016 budget obligations out of the way, the Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board Monday evening, Oct. 12, turned its attention to some final 2015 matters.

SYRACUSE — A hastily convened 11th-hour special meeting of the Turkey Creek fire board Wednesday morning, Sept. 30, will save local taxpayers $17,564.

SYRACUSE — Syracuse residents downwind of the small channel off Harkless Drive may be smelling more than just fried foods lately.

Monday’s meeting of the Turkey Creek fire territory executive board involved bids for paving and cosmetic work on the township’s fire stations and a clarification by President Kimberly Cates about fundraising efforts to help pay for exercise equipment for the department.

Turkey Creek fire territory and township advisory boards considered a full slate of fiscal requests Monday night, July 13, in Syracuse Town Hall.

Turkey Creek Township Trustee Barb Griffith reported Monday the township’s expenses were “running about normal” except for an “unusual” uptick in the number of funerals as of late. Another fiscal anomaly was the $1,000 paid in March for legal fees which had accumulated for the past several months. The board addressed several other issues during …read more.

Upgrades were the order of the day at Monday’s Turkey Creek Fire Territory Executive Board meeting. Fire Chief Mickey Scott presented several items involving the improvement of equipment, physical grounds and personnel safety. “We are currently conducting research for the acquisition and utilization of computer tablets in our ambulances to complete our PCRs (patient care …read more.

Turkey Creek Township Trustee Barb Griffith presented a combined statement of the township’s cash and investments at Monday’s advisory board meeting. The report indicated a $3,333,217 cash and investment balance at the end of 2014. The township’s finances are divided into six state-mandated funds: • The fire territory equipment fund represented more than half the …read more.

Turkey Creek Fire Territory took the next step toward outfitting the exercise room at Fire Station 1 by accepting a $36,549 bid from Direct Fitness Solutions, the vendor supplying physical fitness equipment for the Syracuse Community Center. The proposed acquisition includes a treadmill, elliptical trainer, multi-station fitness machine, dumbbells and related accessories. Two additional pieces …read more.

Turkey Creek Township fire board Monday unanimously approved $7,576 for the fire department to purchase diagnostic equipment to aid in troubleshooting mechanical issues with its vehicular fleet. “Our apparatus is becoming increasingly controlled by electronic switches — sensors, controls, etc.,” reported Fire Chief Mickey Scott. “There are multiple occasions that we have encountered in recent …read more.

Barb Griffith, Turkey Creek Township trustee, reported she was “very pleased” by January’s $3,000 payout of trustee assistance. “This is very good,” she told the township advisory board Monday. “During the recession, we were paying up to $7,000 or $8,000 a month” she said after the meeting. “The number has been steadily going down over …read more.

Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board Monday approved a resolution providing for fire territory employees’ 2015 salaries, compensation and benefits. The vote was unanimous and followed a similar vote by the fire territory board earlier in the evening. The 2015 salaries are the same as this year’s, in the following amounts: fire chief, $55,465; paramedic, $44,980; …read more.

Positive financial news took center stage at Monday’s Turkey Creek Fire Territory board meeting. Fire Chief Mickey Scott reported several items reflecting a fiscally healthy department: • The department received a refund of $1,013 from its workers’ compensation policy, attributable to a favorable risk factor recalculation. Year to date, the department has been refunded $6,052 …read more.

      A one-car garage at the residence of Kirt Grubb, 11954 N. Camelot Trail East, Cromwell, was destroyed in a fire Saturday afternoon. The cause is undetermined. Turkey Creek Fire Territory Fire Chief Mickey Scott reports the building, owned by Angie Stuckman, was fully engulfed when firefighters first arrived at the scene. There …read more.

With one minor exception, all is well with the Turkey Creek Fire Territory. Fire Chief Mickey Scott reported Monday night the annual service testing of all the department’s fire hose, couplings, nozzles and fire hose appliances was recently completed. All equipment met the national standards except for one 50-foot section of 1-3/4-inch hose, to be …read more.

With their budget preparation done, the Turkey Creek fire territory and advisory boards turned their attention Monday to other issues. The fire territory’s budget expenditures continued to come in under budget, with less than 40 percent of allocations spent through July. The run report for July indicates the Turkey Creek Fire Territory responded to 112 …read more.

Longevity at Turkey Creek Fire Territory stands to increase with an option for employees to switch from the civil public employees retirement fund to the 77 PERF fund available exclusively to police and fire personnel. The 77 PERF fund is being offered to current employees and will replace the Civil PERF in which they currently …read more.

By RAY BALOG Staff Writer “We’re in pretty good shape.” That’s the assessment of Turkey Creek Township Fire Chief Mickey Scott as he presented the budget expenditures for January and February at Monday night’s meeting of the Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board. With 16.67 percent of the calendar year elapsed, the Turkey Creek Fire Territory …read more.

The weather outside has been frightful the last month or so, but that hasn’t delayed work on fire station No. 1 in Syracuse. Turkey Creek Fire Chief Mickey Scott told the Turkey Creek Fire Territory Board on Thursday the work is still on schedule, to be completed in mid-June. “They had guys there to clean …read more.

During the regular monthly meeting of the Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board Monday evening, fire chief Mickey Scott made a plea to residents help clear fire hydrants of snow. “We will be removing snow from around the fire hydrants in the coming weeks in order to have the ability to quickly access (them) during an …read more.

During the regular monthly meeting of the Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board Monday evening, Turkey Creek Township/Syracuse Fire Chief Mickey Scott suggested a way to provide a break to taxpayers within the year. “Since the equipment replacement fund levy was not reduced by the … trustee for 2014 … we would suggest that we not …read more.

The 2013 Syracuse Fire and EMS Awards Banquet was held Dec. 14 and honored a number of individuals. Those receiving honors for their hard work and dedication were: Sean Manges – Interior Operations Award Fire Captain Brian Richcreek – CPR Save Award Matt Dunithan – Engine Operations Award and Ambulance Operations Award Tony Meek – …read more.

To close the regular monthly meeting of the Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board held Monday evening, Bill Dixon informed fellow board members he will be resigning from the board effective Jan. 1, 2014. Dixon stated his job has required him to frequently travel and he feels this does not allow him to serve the board …read more.

The Turkey Creek Fire Territory Executive Board approved the construction contract for renovation of Syracuse Fire Station No. 1 during its regular monthly meeting Thursday. Fire chief Mickey Scott reviewed a few points of the contract prior to the board approving it. The contract was drawn up by Maust Architectural Services Inc. between the owner …read more.

Due to the absence of board members Dennis Darr and Bill Dixon, the Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board could not hold an official monthly meeting Monday evening due to lack of quorum. However, board member Kim Cates and Turkey Creek Township Trustee Barb Griffith took that time to hold a brief discussion with Syracuse Fire …read more.

It was announced at the Turkey Creek Fire Territory executive board meeting recently that the Syracuse Volunteer Fire Department has been conducting a fundraiser for the equipment and supplies fund. With at least a $20 donation, donors are offered a photograph. Fire chief Mickey Scott stressed the donated funds do not go into the fire …read more.

Per the interlocal agreement for the Turkey Creek Fire Territory, Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board member Bill Dixon moved to “put into effect the remodeling plan as laid out by the (Turkey Creek Fire Territory) Executive Board.” The motion carried unanimously at the board’s regular monthly meeting Monday evening. At the Aug. 26 meeting, the …read more.

At their regular monthly meeting Monday evening, the Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board voted unanimously to approve a reduced bid by Allen County Builders for the renovations to Fire Station 1 in Syracuse. The original bid of $669,000 was $200,000 more than the approved budget created two years ago. By reducing the square footage and …read more.

Due to the cancellation of this Thursday’s Turkey Creek Township Fire Board meeting, which lacks quorum, Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board members voted on the proposed 2014 fire territory budget at their regular meeting Monday. An approved preliminary budget is needed for township trustee Barb Griffith to present to the Department of Local Government Finance …read more.

The four-bus chain reaction accident one week ago today on SR 13 north of North Webster, was one no one in emergency services has seen during their careers and no one wants to experience again. While physical injuries are on the mend, the emotional trauma may take time to heal. The accident occurred at 3:30 …read more.

The Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board voted to give $1,000 to the new Harold Schrock Athletic Complex in Syracuse during the board’s regular monthly meeting Monday evening. Dick Pelletier made the request for funds to the board, noting the board running the complex hopes to raise an additional $60,000 to install lights on the new …read more.

Turkey Creek Fire Territory Board met for the first time in 2013 Thursday with new members and new projects to tackle. Turkey Creek Township Advisor Kim Cates will serve as board chair for the fire territory. Bill Dixon, township advisor, is replacing township advisor Dennis Darr on the fire territory board and Syracuse Town Councilman …read more.

While a 1998 Pontiac Grand Am was a total loss after it caught fire, no one was injured in the blaze. The fire was reported at 12:56 p.m. Tuesday, south of Wawasee Middle School on SR 13, and had traffic in both north and south lanes at a standstill for a few minutes. Jeremy Gawthrop, South Whitley, …read more.

Bill Musser, member of the Turkey Creek Township Fire Territory Executive Board, asked chief Mickey Scott about the number of EMS calls in Scott’s report during the board’s regular monthly meeting Thursday evening. Scott reported in September there were 91 EMS calls. Musser pointed out that was at least three calls per day. Scott said …read more.

The Turkey Creek Township Fire Territory Board approved the 2013 operations and equipment replacement budgets during its regular monthly meeting Thursday night. Fire Chief Mickey Scott told the board the proposed budget reflected a 3 percent increase in salaries with an overall increase of 4.44 percent. The majority of the increase reflects expected increases in …read more.

Turkey Creek Township Fire Chief Mickey Scott requested guidance from the Turkey Creek Township Fire Territory Board in preparing the 2013 operations budget and the equipment replacement budget during the fire territory board’s regular monthly meeting Thursday night. Scott also requested a public employee retirement fund plan be considered for the 2013 budget. He will …read more.

By REBEKAH WHIRLEDGE Staff Writer [email protected] The Turkey Creek Township Advisory Board met for their regular monthly meeting Monday evening at Fire Station 2. The most discussed item on the agenda involved the proposed renovations to Syracuse’s Fire Station 1, 402 N. Huntington St. (SR 13). Proposed plans by DJ Construction call for adding a …read more.

By SARAH WRIGHT Staff Writer [email protected]  Turkey Creek Fire Territory met Friday when renovations to fire station one, EMS pricing and repairs were discussed. The financial report noted 59 percent of the repair and parts budget had already been used. Syracuse Fire Chief Mickey Scott said the increase in costs was due to troubles with …read more.