By Sean McNab
Star Staff Writer

CEDAR LAKE - The Town Council on Aug. 28 announced the bids the town received from the two companies interested in providing trash collection to the town.
     The two companies vying for pick-up are Illiana Disposal and Recycling Service of Crown Point and Meyer Waste Systems out of Chesterton.
     "The flat fee rate for residential pick-up for Illiana will be a monthly fee of $9.95 for the first year, $9.73 the second year and $10.03 for the third," said Town Manager Tim Brown.     "Meyer's Waste System will have a flat rate the first of $11.45, $11.79 the second year and $12.14 the third year."
     Members of the council reminded the public that neither of these companies have to be approved. The bids were taken under advisement to be decided at a future Town Council meeting.
      In other business, officials announced that the Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation Project Phase IIB is on schedule.
     "We have entirely completed the line used to hold the sewage and we now plan on sending our next proposal to IDEM to move on to the next phase," explained Town Engineer Josh Lantz. "We will be working on fixing the rest of the manholes and focus some attention on the Conference Bible Grounds."
     Also, the council recognized Carl Brittingham as the newest officer of the Cedar Lake Police Department
    Brittingham started duties on Sept. 1. He will also be in charge of the town's police dive team.

END

By Andrew Steele
Star Managing Editor

CROWN POINT - An enrollment forecast presented to the School Board last week predicts low student growth in all schools except Winfield.
     The report, presented by Assistant Superintendent Rick Gadberry and Business Director Kim Fox, is intended to aid board members in deciding what to do with the current high school once the new high school opens in the fall of 2003.
     Among the report's conclusions are that "with the exception of Winfield Elementary, there will be slow growth at our other five elementary buildings" and "new student growth at Winfield Elementary will be in the 40 students per year range over the next five years unless redistricting occurs."
     Superintendent H. Steve Sprunger noted that Winfield's enrollment this year will exceed its enrollment the last time the school corporation redrew elementary school districts, in 1997.
Overall, state Department of Education projections show an increase in Crown Point school enrollment from 5,460 in 2000-2001 to 5,567 in 2004-2005.
     For growth at individual elementary schools, Gadberry and Fox talked to local government officials and real estate agents, but, Gadberry said, "all this is very speculative in nature. There's too many factors that can change this at any time."
     The report listed several factors administrators believe could significantly impact local population: new students moving to Crown Point to attend the new high school; resolution to the water and sewage problems in Cedar Lake and Winfield; general economic conditions; development of the I-65 and Broadway corridors; changes in the condition of industries in north Lake County; and new subdivisions that are not planned yet, including south of the new high school once it is complete.
     To show how inexact projections can be, a 1996 enrollment projection was included in the report.
     It projected an enrollment of 5,853 students for this year, while actual enrollment will likely be around 5,500.
     Among the recommendations in this year's report are to monitor subdivision development and decide what elementary district houses will be in before construction begins.

END