Moni
Dravet dies in crash
By Karen Caffarini
Star Editor
CROWN POINT — Family, friends, business associates and neighbors packed into St.
Mary’s Catholic Church Monday morning to say good-bye to Moni Dravet, a popular local
businesswoman and media aide at Taft Middle School who died in a traffic accident in White
County on July 21.
Mrs. Dravet, 47, was killed when a semi tractor-trailer collided with her
1990 Oldsmobile van while trying to avoid hitting another car.
According to a relative, Tina Dravet of Crown Point, Mrs. Dravet was in
Monticello looking for information for an upcoming family vacation while enroute to taking
her son Christopher to a basketball camp at St. Joseph College in Rennselaer.
Christopher, 12, and his sister Amanda, 9, were critically injured in the
incident, while two other passengers, Pamela Malloney, 40, and her son Brian Malloney, 13,
also of Crown Point, escaped serious injuries.
The Malloneys were treated for injuries at White County Memorial Hospital and
released.
Mrs. Dravet and her children were flown to Parkview Samaritan Hospital in
Fort Wayne because of the seriousness of their injuries, however. Mrs. Dravet was
pronounced dead at Parkview and her children were listed in critical condition.
Christopher suffered head injuries and Amanda internal injuries. Both have since been
upgraded to fair condition and are in the children’s unit at Parkview, said John
Gevers, of the hospital’s community relations department.
Debbie Beasey, an officer with the Indiana State Police Motor Carrier
Division out of the Lafayette Post, said she cited the driver of the semi that struck the
Dravet vehicle for having mechanical problems with the trailer and because he had a radar
detector, which is illegal for commercial drivers to have.
“The trailer should not have been out on the road. It had too many
defects. The truck was okay, though,” Beasey said.
She also reported that the truck’s driver had been disqualified to drive
a commercial vehicle by the state because his company did not provide the state a good
medical form on him. She noted that the driver did have a good form on him at the time of
the accident, however.
Besides the two children involved in the accident, Mrs. Dravet also is
survived by her husband Steve and two other children, Danielle, 14, and John, 10.
Tina Dravet described her cousin as a very giving person who was active in
the community.
“Moni always thought of other people before herself, especially her
family. She was very giving, very caring and we’ll miss her alot,” she said.Tina
Dravet noted that Mrs. Dravet loved books. She was the co-owner of Readmore Books, located
in Off the Square office supplies store on Main Street, and was hired as a media aide at
Taft Middle School last February.
She also was a member of the city’s Millennium Committee and taught
religious education at St. Mary Catholic Church, where she was a member. |
Making Waves
The Tipton family of Fort Lauderdale, Florida enjoys the cool waters of Hub Pool as a
means to escape the heat.
Council OK's school annexation
By Andrew Steele
Star Managing Editor
CROWN POINT — The City Council on Tuesday approved the first
reading of an ordinance that would annex the site of the proposed new high school into the
city limits.
A public hearing and final vote on the ordinance will be held as
soon as advertisement has been made and the necessary time period has passed.
The 117-acre site is on the south side of Burrell Drive just west
of its intersection with Main Street.
The school corporation submitted a financial impact plan last
week that outlined the impact of annexing the land on the city’s budget.
“We believe this will be beneficial to the city,”
school corporation attorney James McNiece said. “The only expense we can identify are
minor expenses concerning streets.”
He said some work would need to be done by the city at the
intersections of Burrell Drive and Main Street and Burrell Drive and Court Street.
Work for police, fire, public works and administrative employees
of the city will be increased little, if at all, according to the report.
And the city will not have to pay for the extension of sewer and
water utilities to the area.
“The major expense we’re agreeing to take on,”
McNiece said.
He said the school corporation is hoping to obtain a grant to pay
the estimated $1 million expense of running a sewer line to the new school site.
City Council members reacted favorably to the school
corporation’s annexation petition.
Councilwoman Pam Roth, R-3rd, who represents the Ross Township
portion of Crown Point, which is in the Merrillville school district, said her concerns
about potential costs to city residents have been addressed satisfactorily.
“I’m very pleased to see the school corporation is
moving forward with this,” she said.
The proposed construction of a high school at the Burrell Drive
site has prompted thought on the future development of the entire area south of the city
limits.
As part of the project, the school corporation will extend Main
Street south to the main entrance of the new school.
Early discussion among city officials has the road extending
further south to the point it would intersect with 129th Avenue, which itself would be
extended westward to meet Main Street.
City officials have also expressed the hope the county would
extend 129th east to Delaware Street.
Mayor James Metros said the city has already had communication
with property owners to the south about their plans for developing their property.
Also Tuesday, the council passed a second reading of the
ordinance that would appropriate an extra half-million dollars for road work this year.
All six council members in attendance voted in favor of the
ordinance.
Councilman Jack Kemp, R-4th, said he would support the extra
expenditure though he opposed the way the extra money was raised.
The city is borrowing the funds in anticipation of money it will
receive from the state over the next two years. Kemp said the city should have moved money
from other budget funds instead of borrowing it. |
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