[0:02] thank you for tuning in to our first episode of inside Argus uh my name is

[0:07] Mark vanderwell I'm here with my co-host Joe Stone Good morning Joe how we doing

[0:11] today I'm doing today is a wonderful day and we will get to that here just a

[0:16] little bit why it is such a wonderful day uh but uh we wanted to come to you

[0:22] and and kind of let you know what's happening in Argus uh as everyone knows

[0:27] there's rumors that fly around there's different things said uh we're just

[0:31] trying to bring some transparency so we thought we'd uh try to start these

[0:35] episodes maybe monthly just trying to fill everybody in and let them know

[0:39] what's going on so everybody has the correct

[0:42] information yes transparency is everything yes it is uh so the first

[0:48] topic we're going to start with today is housing

[0:51] Joe we need everybody needs it right we need more housing everybody needs it

[0:56] more affordable housing over the last 10 to 12 years uh as you can tell Argus has

[1:01] become very Progressive we've tried to to move forward we've tried to to to

[1:06] push ourselves to go in a different direction of just being stagnant housing

[1:10] has been a big push and it's taken a long time to try to get to the point

[1:13] that we are uh but we've finally gotten to the point where we've got the last

[1:20] stage of colonial courts done there's one lot left to build one lot uh and

[1:24] we've got the first phase of Deerfield Meadows almost completed out of the

[1:29] three there's two houses left in that first

[1:32] phase so we actually this week signed the contract to to start the next three

[1:38] so that'll be be coming down the pike in the next few months uh so Argus is

[1:43] growing uh I know it's not a rapid Pace uh but I always ask people because a lot

[1:49] of times I get questions growth takes time it doesn't happen overnight and I

[1:53] turn return that that question to them what do you want to be what do you want

[1:57] Argus to be I I don't want to be something I don't want to be

[2:00] what is the happy medium and I don't know if there's an answer to that it's

[2:04] just continuing to to see some type of growth and not be stagnant yeah it's

[2:09] it's it's tough I mean it's a tough uh it's a tough question to ask because you

[2:14] have one one side you want to grow you want to get bigger you you want more

[2:19] industry but on the other side you don't want to get too big where you know we

[2:23] have too many too influx of people coming into town too quickly so I mean

[2:28] it's it's it's a very tough question because we've got a limit uh the school

[2:32] can only take so many students and you don't want to get into a problem where

[2:36] oh you've added 200 houses and you've added 200 students and now we have to

[2:40] add on so we try to look at all of those things as we move

[2:43] forward uh obviously Deerfield is not the only housing project there are other

[2:48] things in the planning stages uh so it'll be interesting to see here in the

[2:52] next uh while what does come forward so uh and we I mean we'd love to hear from

[2:59] from the towns people what's their perspective how do they want to see

[3:02] Argus grow yep uh and in doing that that brings up another another thing that

[3:07] we're working on we're updating our comp plan uh our comprehension plan is

[3:12] basically a strategic plan it's what we use to to grow uh it shows the areas we

[3:17] want growth to be uh kind of the mix of what we need uh what we need to do to

[3:22] move forward so uh as Joe said it kind of gives you a chance to tell us what

[3:27] you need and during that process will be a couple different surveys that will be

[3:32] sent out that will need to be taken uh the first one will be roughly the end of

[3:36] March 1 of April you'll see information on that we ask please and this is

[3:40] everybody in the AR Community please fill those surveys out uh that'll help

[3:45] us get us information and and by all means just because we put in there you

[3:49] know we need ABC Warehouse that doesn't mean that's going to come obviously

[3:54] within perspective there are things that need done uh but the town is very

[3:58] limited on what can do uh private business is what sparks everything and

[4:05] and that doesn't always go the way we want but we try what we can do and and

[4:08] go from there but like I said that'll be coming here over the next few months so

[4:13] we will need assistance in completing that so uh the other thing we want to

[4:18] talk about today and some people may not know this but in

[4:22] 2022 the town of Vargus was awarded a $700,000 okra Grant okra is the office

[4:28] of community rural Affairs uh we applied for that Grant to do uh water tower

[4:36] maintenance keep and we replaced some some water mains and lines around town y

[4:42] uh you obviously know the areas running the water department that we put all

[4:46] those lines so yeah well I mean we did new water extension main extension um

[4:51] down North Maple Street all the way to Marshall Street um that was huge we got

[4:55] rid of an old 2-inch galvanized line which if you don't know we're going

[5:01] through this new lead survey through Indiana uh Department of um management

[5:07] and uh it's it's huge uh getting rid of that we put a 6inch water main we Loop

[5:13] the whole entire system from Michigan Street down Marshall all the way up

[5:17] North Maple so it's all one giant Loop which is wonderful for fire protection

[5:23] and you know helps our ISO raing out immensely we added in two hydrants uh

[5:28] it's just a huge project which you know shout out to the town of

[5:32] Argus it took us two and a half days to do so well and some of those is with any

[5:36] project as you know and I I totally get it uh some of those streets were tore up

[5:40] for some time yeah but obviously we had to plan when we did these projects to be

[5:44] able to come back through and pave in that same year correct and you know

[5:48] that's why we sorry about that that's why we did uh we do what we do y um you

[5:55] know uh especially with the with the Stella Grant for the sidewalks and yep

[6:02] and oh Stellar was uh some of those were ochre projects also that was amazing I

[6:07] mean that's basically what paid for your downtown Square it it did the upgrades

[6:12] of Folker Park uh and one portion we've not got completed yet is sidewalks along

[6:17] State Road 10 yeah that that project has been slow uh there's been some funding

[6:22] issues but hopefully at some point it will get completed Y and with the soer

[6:26] grant we did a whole new water line got another rid of another lying down on

[6:30] South Street West South Street all the way around to Short Street back up

[6:34] Broadway which is another huge Loop um we put an 8 inch ductal iron water M

[6:40] through there um and got rid of a 2in I mean 2- in was feeding 11 houses and now

[6:46] we have it all at 8 in added a fire hydrant again I think that helped the

[6:51] water pressure that helped the water pressure immensely down in that area um

[6:56] have nothing but good good you know like I said it took a while to get the uh the

[7:00] street repaired and paved en Paving did it this year and U new curbs but uh it

[7:08] looks wonderful down there it's amazing all new water taps to each house there's

[7:12] 11 houses on a 2-inch line it was amazing that nobody ever called in and

[7:16] complained about water pressure I get that I get that so those are are just a

[7:21] few of the things going on but one of the main topics today the reason we we

[7:25] wanted to come to you as you can see Joe is bright and yellow yes right today is

[7:31] a is a very happy day but also a sad day in the town of Argus sad day a sad day

[7:37] for myself how many 3 33 years Joe stone is retiring from the town of Argus uh

[7:43] today is actually his last day uh 33 years that's kind of a long time that's

[7:48] a very long time but I started when I was very young and that's a rarity in

[7:53] today's age that that is somebody stays at one job for that long that is so so 3

[7:59] years wow the things I've seen I'm not even that old yeah you are oh okay sorry

[8:05] so uh I mean most people probably know you uh and know you've been here I mean

[8:12] I I doubt there's many that don't know you but uh there's some there's some new

[8:17] people I don't know I mean you've lived here that that entire time probably your

[8:21] whole life pretty much yeah I've like I said moved into Argus so you have uh

[8:26] when I was six months old and been here ever since yeah so married you are

[8:31] course married for 30 years so and that's Amy with a Y we Amy with a you

[8:37] don't want to confuse that with with Andy's Amy with two e yeah big Amy

[8:41] little Amy so yep and and you you've blessed our our town and our schools

[8:46] with how many kids five five kids yes five kids so and you've added you've

[8:51] added a son-in-law at least right yeah I've had one son-in-law you got kids are

[8:55] all graduated born raised here in Argus graduated life life is good then oh

[9:00] life's wonderful here so moving on you moving on what what does that bring what

[9:05] are you what are you looking to do now I have no idea okay I I just uh I knew it

[9:10] was time to go um because I guess that's what I should say we call that

[9:14] retirement but yeah not going to not do anything it's great to have options I've

[9:19] had a lot I can list all your future jobs that that Doug Middleton's found

[9:23] for you but that that may not be we don't have enough time yeah Doug Doug's

[9:26] been Doug's been wonderful and trying to find me a job on the outside but uh so I

[9:31] guess one of my questions I always try to ask people and you've been here your

[9:35] whole life I've been here my whole life I can answer it one way and you're going

[9:37] to answer a different way I'm sure but why Argus uh it's just a great Community

[9:42] I mean great school system you know uh great services that the town offers when

[9:48] I first started here we we didn't chip limbs we brought that service in we

[9:52] didn't pick up leaves when when I first started here people burn their leaves uh

[9:56] along the curbs which you know the entire town was under a smoke Hazard for

[10:01] a while but um and so we brought in leaf leaf leaf

[10:05] pickup and uh tree trimming we took trees down for people that needed it um

[10:13] we don't do that much anymore you know the entire Town's getting old we're

[10:18] getting old the whole Workforce is getting old well you know but we brought

[10:22] in a lot of services and did a lot of we poured all of our own sidewalks we did

[10:25] all of our own sidewalk repair and I mean Jamie and I Jamie Lindstrom our

[10:31] superintendent now but back then it was him and I and two part-time kids and we

[10:35] put in every bit almost every bit of the sidewalk that was in the town of Argus

[10:39] and you've seen a lot of amenity changes in that time FR yeah a lot I mean look

[10:43] at we've added Community Park Community Park was not there when you started n it

[10:48] wasn't started you know it was just one big giant field and you know I had to do

[10:53] all the mowing back then so fulker park that wasn't there it was just one

[10:58] big one big giant field and you know we added two ponds together I was there

[11:03] when we cut the two coun pond with Zer Pond and we cut it out dredged it all

[11:08] out and put it all one giant Pond you know BP wasn't here when I first started

[11:13] Casey's General Store wasn't here you know I mean there's there's been a lot

[11:17] of growth since I've started here so what uh in looking at all of that I'm

[11:23] going to ask you a simple question what direction would you like to see I would

[11:28] like to see I mean I bleed black and gold everybody

[11:31] knows that uh coached at The Argus Community Schools for started out at

[11:37] Junior High elementary basketball then went to Junior High soccer to high

[11:41] school soccer to college one year at College back to high school soccer and

[11:46] and I'm still here coaching I retired from the girls program soccer and they

[11:52] coach lacrosse is it yeah I got swindled into doing

[11:57] lacrosse so um the high school coach here at Argus LA and I would agree with

[12:01] that I I get that I mean school is everything the school is our backbone so

[12:06] I'd love to see growth where I mean we have growth we've had a lot of houses

[12:10] bought in Argus here lately but some of them you know some of them have been

[12:16] retired people wanting to come in and move in and you know I I just love to

[12:20] see to see growth where our school get does get bigger and you know yep and I

[12:27] and I think uh one of our I would say one of our disadvantages one

[12:31] of the hardest things in in development uh working towards making your town

[12:37] better is trying to retain those students that they come back and it's

[12:42] not just here I mean it's everywhere most students where they go to high

[12:44] school they do not end up in life and I get that yeah uh trying to if we could

[12:49] hit 20% I would be happy agree but Argus is it's a great school I mean and it's a

[12:55] tough school you know I mean I got one one boy Vincent he's lives in Wisconsin

[13:01] now he's a police officer up there you know so he left Argus and I mean he in a

[13:06] big city of Jamesville Wisconsin it's a size of to put it relatively it's a

[13:11] little bit bigger than what mishal is you know so he's he's doing a wonderful

[13:15] job up there and you know I mean artists get you ready for life and that's what

[13:21] we want well good well 33 years has been nice so yeah it's been wonderful okay

[13:27] our our next few topics before we we wrap it up for today uh just some

[13:32] upcoming things uh I wanted to hit on uh event wise our next event's probably

[13:38] going to be the Easter egg hunt in the Memorial Park in April uh we're kind of

[13:42] in that that winter time we're not much is going on but we did want to hit on

[13:47] that uh a couple other points today uh I know trash has been a big topic uh if

[13:53] you can if you've driven around town you're seeing red cans uh obviously back

[13:58] at the end of last year the town uh their contract was up with the Republic

[14:02] so we quoted out trash service uh and the Town Council made the decision to

[14:07] change uh the only big difference I see between the two right now that is hard

[14:12] for people to get used to trash is Thursday recycles every other

[14:16] Friday uh if you do have any problems by all means please reach out to the town

[14:21] office uh they will assist you in any way that they can uh to try to get this

[14:27] this uh change over to make it smooth as possible uh I've had no problems I've

[14:32] had no no complaints the only thing I am seeing I see a lot of people still do

[14:36] they will not take trash that is left on the ground you have to have all of your

[14:40] trash in the container yes uh I sorry that but they are not getting out with

[14:44] their trucks uh and I have noticed they're pretty stinging on on

[14:49] Recycle uh so on the top of the the container it says basically what they

[14:53] will and won't take so please check that out uh and make their job easier but uh

[15:00] the last topic today is kind of an a a growth thing I think moving forward into

[15:05] the the 2st century uh the town of Argus has recently signed on to add a phone

[15:12] app so in the next month or so you'll see information coming about how to get

[15:16] signed up for that once it's up and running uh but I think that'll be a

[15:20] great tool and asset for our town uh being able to send out

[15:24] notifications uh being able to to let people know what events are going on

[15:28] obviously any emergencies any situations like that uh with this currently we use

[15:32] a a service called reach alert uh that will be ending it'll last most of this

[15:37] year but this new service will actually have a phone and email notification or

[15:42] an SMS notification with it uh so we'll just have to assist people in getting

[15:46] signed up for that uh but we hope it's going to be a good tool for the town and

[15:51] keep us up and running so uh that was pretty much all I had in this episode

[15:55] Joe I know we'll be back another day oh yeah we have a lot a lot of topics to

[16:00] talk about we have fire territory we can talk about I mean um come one of the

[16:04] next episodes I can tell you maybe not the next but down the pike will be the

[16:08] uh R screen Development Corporation yep I'll probably have Ron Lee from B there

[16:12] dump that come in with us and talk and it'll be a good yep I think it'll be a

[16:16] good thing so uh just so everybody knows today remember is a great day Joe's

[16:20] leaving us uh but he's not going anywhere he'll still no I'll still be

[16:24] living here in Argus I'm not leaving but what can we say everything's going good

[16:28] everything's great I guess until next time I'm Mark and I'm Joe there we go

[16:32] see you later

Inside Argos, EP 1: Argos Updates | Celebrating 33 Years of Dedicated Service

Transcript