Vol. 41, No. 47
PO Box 603, Wabash, IN 46992 (260) 563-8326
of Wabash County Inc. February 6, 2019
www.thepaperofwabash.com Proudly Serving Wabash County Since 1977
Local choir headed to Carnegie Hall By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com Jack Benny once quipped, “How do I get to Carnegie Hall? Practice. Practice. Practice.” A group of local young women are doing just that, preparing for a March 17 choir performance in New York City’s Carnegie Hall. The choir, the Wabash Community Women’s Choir, is under the direction of
former Wabash High School choir director Emily France. It is made up of 20 young women between 14 and 23 years of age. France told The Paper of Wabash County that she was approached in the fall of 2017 by her former choir teacher at St. Mary’s College, Nancy Menk, about bringing a woman’s choir to be part of the choir composed of about 250 women from around the country. The concert is taking place to mark St.
Mary’s 175th anniversary and Menk’s 35th year at the Notre Dame-based college. France said she spoke with WHS Principal Kyle Weiland about possibly taking a choir to the event, and he said there was a good possibility it could be done. However, France later resigned from the school for personal reasons, and thought the trip would not happen. “I wasn’t able to take a group through the high school because I wasn’t teaching
there anymore,” she said. She contacted the concert promoter – Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY) and told them that that since she resigned, she wouldn’t be able to bring a choir. Her contact at DCINY urged her to consider forming a choir made up of community members. France recalled, “Kind of jokingly she said, ‘You can call it Emily’s Singers. It doesn’t matter. We’re just trying to reach (continued on page 4)
City OKs tax abatements for Hampton Inn By Joseph Slacian jslacian@thepaperofwabash.com Rahee Hospitality, the group that plans to build a Hampton Inn in Wabash, received two 10year tax abatements from the Wabash City Council on Monday, Jan. 28. The council unanimously approved the two abatements, one for real estate and the other for personal property. Work on the Hampton Inn, which will be located just north of the intersection of Wedcor Avenue and State Road 15, is expected to begin in April and will have a target of May 2020 for completion, according to Raj Chandat, one of the partners in Rahee Hospitality. Both Chandat and Bindu Patel, another partner in Rahee Hospitality, were at the council meeting. The firm also owns the Holiday Inn Express located just east of the Wabash Village Shopping Center. “We built the Holiday Inn Express, I would say 1998 or 1999,” Chandat said. “Then we went to Marion, Huntington and
now back to Wabash. We think it’s a perfect community to bring a hotel to. The firm plans to invest roughly $5.5 million in the motel, $4 million for the building and land and the remainder for equipment and furnishings for inside and outside the building, Keith Gillenwater, President and CEO of Grow Wabash County, told the council. Work on the 91 room motel is expected to begin in April, with a completion date of May 2020. “The project will be on time if everything goes OK,” Chandat said. The city’s Investment Review Authority reviewed the request, Gillenwater told the council, and by its ranking system both qualified for the 10-year abatements. “Anyone who has tried to get a hotel room for family or friends, colleagues know it’s hard to get a room in Wabash,” Council member Mitch Figert said. “They’re frequently sold out. These are going to be very mod(continued on page 5)
Tourney champs: Members of the Northfiled Lady Norse raise the sectional trophy Saturday night after a 58-31 win over Southwood in the finals of the IHSAA Sectional 54 at Northfield. The Lady Nights will play Saturday morning in the Tipton Regional. For more, see Page 10. Photo by Joseph Slacian
The Paper of Wabash County adds weekly cooking column The Paper of Wabash County announces the addition of a column by award-winning journalist, author, and Food Channel personality, Laura Kurella. Kurella will bring original recipes, preparation and cooking tips, and other food-related content to The Paper, which offers the community a chance to taste samplings of what she’s been serving up to what has
become her global foodie audience. “With Laura’s strong background in creating a variety of high-quality food content, and having a strong personal story and connection to food, she’s the perfect addition to our newspaper,” said Don Hurd, publisher of The Paper. “Well-known and loved for her ability to be on the leading edge of trends, recipes, (continued on page 6)
Wabash County YMCA names Gogolewski as new CEO By The Paper staff
Laura Kurella
Dean Gogolewski is the new Chief Executive Officer of the Wabash County YMCSA. Gogolewski, of Ohio, was announced in the position Friday, Feb. 1, after an extensive, nationwide search. He replaces Clint Kugler, whose last day was Thursday, Jan. 31. Gogolewski will begin his new position on Feb. 25.
Related story, Page 22
Gogolewski has over 15 years of operations and community leadership experience with YMCAs in Ohio. Over the past 12 years, he has been with the YMCA of Central Stark County. “The hiring committee and (continued on page 6)