Semistate-bound players A night with the King credit their teams’ chemistry Elvis impersonator coming to Lerner Theatre LIFE, D1
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The Elkhart Truth T h u r s d ay , M arc h 1 5 , 2 0 1 2 • 5 0 ¢
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WE BUILD COMMUNITY • 122ND YEAR, NO. 75
New routes coming for trolley Interurban Trolley changes begin April 2 because of reduced funds. Tim Vandenack
tvandenack@etruth.com
SOUTH BEND — Change will be coming to the Interurban Trolley routes and schedules in Elkhart County, as proposed. The Michiana Area Council of Governments Policy Board on Wednesday approved the proposed tweaks to the public transit system, paving the way for their implementation on April 2. Now, new schedules are to be printed, outlining the changes for users, according to Sandra Seanor, executive director of Truth Photo By J. Tyler Klassen MACOG, the quasi-governmental South An Interurban Trolley driver waits outside Bend-based body that helps manage the a trolley at Franklin and Second streets in network. They should be ready ahead of Elkhart on Feb. 16.
the April 2 changeover. The route and schedule changes stem from a reduction in funding from Concord Township, which has historically been one of the main Interurban Trolley funding sources. Seanor said the public transit system should be OK for 2012, per the shifts approved Wednesday, but she’s not so sure about 2013 and beyond. “There are question marks right now about funding on the federal level,” she said. The new route system doesn’t stray too much from the existing network. Service is removed along Harrison Street in south central Elkhart and along a segment of Toledo Road in eastern Elkhart. But other changes — including new stops at Faith Mission and increased stops at Ivy Tech
Community College at C.R. 18 and Old C.R. 17 — make for what MACOG says is improved service. Concord Township officials reduced their share of trolley funding, arguing that the township was providing an inordinate amount of money for the service. Officials in Elkhart, Goshen and Elkhart, and Cleveland and Osolo townships subsequently increased their contributions, though the hikes don’t totally compensate for the loss of Concord Township money. The trolley system’s 2011 budget, including funding for two smaller demandresponse transit systems in Elkhart and Goshen, totaled $2.63 million and ridership for 2011 reached 378,107. The trolleys also stretch into St. Joseph County, linking with the Transpo bus system there.
‘A focal point for downtown’
State smoking ban draws local disappointment
Lerner Theatre’s busy first year is exceeding expectations.
Anti-smoking advocates and some local leaders worried new law isn’t strict enough. Marilyn Odendahl
modendahl@etruth.com
ELKHART — Although the Indiana General Assembly did pass a statewide smoking ban during the waning hours of its 2012 session, one strong anti-smoking advocate in Elkhart County said he is disappointed with the result and sees little chance of the current bill being changed. Mark Potuck, project director for Tobacco Control of Elkhart County, attended an Indiana Senate hearing on the ban and watched the live stream of the floor debates on his computer. At times he “I’m very was amused and other times he was scared as the Legisdisappointed. ... It lature considered amendjust really bothers ments that would have added even more exempme that certain tions to the ban. The final bill that landed people are worthy on the governor’s desk is not of being protected going to clear the air in as many places as Potuck had from secondhand wanted. In particular, he smoke and others would have like the ban to cover bars and casinos. “I’m very disappointed,” are not.” he said. “It just really bothers me that certain people are Mark Potuck, project worthy of being protected director for Tobacco from secondhand smoke Control of Elkhart and others are not.” County The Indiana ban prohibits smoking in most workplaces with the exceptions of cigar and hookah bars, retail tobacco stores, nonprofit private clubs and fraternal organizations as well as bars and taverns that do not allow anyone younger than 21 to enter. Even if the hospitality workers in a bar or casino smoke themselves, Potuck said the exemption doubles or even triples the threat to their health because they are still being exposed to the toxins in secondhand smoke.
Truth Photo By Delayna Earley
Dr. Jill Windy and Steve Bowers practice before performing the waltz in the Still Dancing in Elkhart competition at the Lerner Theatre’s Crystal Ballroom in 2011. The Lerner has hosted more than 200 events since its opening in June.
Zina Kumok
zkumok@etruth.com
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Truth Photo By Delayna Earley
Daylight savoring
Kimberly McChristian fishes for catfish with her dog, Polo, on the St. Joseph River at McNaughton Park on Wednesday. The high temperature of 81 degrees broke a record Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service. The previous high mark for March 14 was 76 degrees, set in 1990 and matched in 1995.
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ELKHART — The Lerner Theatre has been open since June, and so far, it’s exceeding expectations. But it is a work in progress. When asked about projections for 2012, general manager David Smith said that with only nine months of experience behind him, he could only speculate as to their future success. “From a projections standpoint, I can confidently say that our current booking pace exceeds our expectations,” he said. Former Lerner project manager Jack Cittadine said he thinks the space has been utilized much more than he originally anticipated. But he also expects that it will take another year to work out all the kinks. “I’ve always said it will take two years to figure out how to run the theater,” he said. Cittadine said that he thinks the Lerner’s events have also helped downtown restaurants, especially on slower weekday nights. He hopes their success inspires other small businesses to come and invest in downtown Elkhart. “It’s become a focal point for the downtown, which is exactly what we hoped it would do,” he said. The Lerner Theatre Board discussed changing some rates of their
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Truth Photo By Elizabeth Frantz
Audience members wait for the curtain to rise on “The Music Man,” Premier Arts’ first full-length production at the Lerner Theatre, on July 15, 2011.
facilities at Wednesday’s monthly meeting, but made no final decisions. They gave Gary Boyn, president of the Lerner Theatre Board, final approval for the proposed changes as well as an event contract for promoters. Before the meeting, Boyn said that when the Lerner Theatre opened, there was an understanding that they would re-evaluate rates within six to 12 months. Some of the proposed changes will include increasing rates for staging equipment. Currently stage man-
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ager rates go for $22/hour for notfor-profit events and $23 for miscellaneous and commercial events. The proposed changes would bump them up to $26 for not-for-profit and $27 for the others. “The staff looked at it and decided we were being very, very generous,” Boyn said. Boyn, in his second term as president of the Lerner Theatre Board, said he does not think that increased rates will have any impact on ticket
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Coming tomorrow changing classroom culture: Elkhart schools say bullying is decreasing. NEWS