We thought Buscovoice.com readers would enjoy this overseas blog that mentions Busco!

From http://english.ohmynews.com/:

… CONTINUING ON TOWARDS FORT WAYNE, by chance we found a Lincoln Highway marker in Churubusco. I say by chance because it couldn’t be seen when traveling east but only when traveling west. I’d stopped to take a picture of the larger-than-life green cement turtle with a green ribbon around its neck sitting on an island in the road with a green ribbon around its neck at an intersection just east of the marker when I saw the marker.

(Photo by Dave Mclane for english.ohmynews.com)

We walked through the town looking for another marker but didn’t find one. Churubusco is quite small — our Rand McNally Road Atlas says less than 2,000. There were the usual collection of fast-food shops, an eclectic group of small stores, a church, and a funeral home which had been in existence since 1872. Just on the edge of town we found a large factory and some kind of showroom on the main street saying something about C&A Tool.

On the other side of the street from the marker we found a green turtle in the window of the Churubusco News. We went in, and talked with David Crabill. First of all he said the town had only recently learned that it was on the Lincoln Highway and thus there was only the one marker.

Second, he said that in 1847 “Churubusco” was as well known in the United States as were Iwo Jima and Okinawa during World War II as there was a famous battle in a Mexican town of that name that brought about a quick end to the war.

As for the turtle, he said that was Oscar, the “Beast of Busco.” The story is long and complicate but here’s the a shortened version: Back in 1948 two men were fishing when a huge turtle surfaced next to their boat. It was seen again in 1949 and the hunt was on. Numerous attempts by various people yielded nothing. But the semi-real, semi-fictional turtle earned the name “Oscar” and the town earned the name “Turtle Town.”

The main economic driver for the town was the C&A Tool Engineering, started more than 40 years ago and still owned by Dick Conrow. They had just installed a new six-axis mill, a multi-million dollar machine of which there are only four others in the United States. The company employs 550 people and thus “Dick Conrow is the economic driver.”

When we asked David about how our travel guide said the Lincoln Highway went through Amish farmland around Goshen, Ligonier on the way to Fort Wayne, yet we hadn’t seen anything that looked Amish, he said the people were in small towns further to the northeast, places like Topeka, Emma, and especially Shipshewanna.

It sounded interesting and wasn’t so far back but where would we camp as there probably weren’t any Wal-Marts in those small towns. “No problem,” David said, and drew a map showing how we could return to the area via Indiana?9 which went past Chain O’Lakes State Park with its many campsites.

SO BACK WE WENT, CAMPING AT CHAIN O’LAKES AND CONTINUING ON THE NEXT DAY.

On the way east, we’d gone through Ligonier and seen an interesting house but the light was bad so we continued on. We went through Ligonier again earlier in the day and the light was beautiful so we stopped so I could take a picture …

Editor’s note: We were pointed to this overseas blog by Craig Alan Myers. See his note below. Thanks Craig!

Viv,

Thank you! I just happened to come across it — I don’t remember how, now. But since it is apparently a site from some people from overseas, I thought it interesting how they described our town.

Craig Myers

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. (Oct. 13, 2009) — Three Southside business owners voiced objects against a proposed annexation at a public hearing held Tuesday night at the Town Hall.

Dick Conrow, owner of C & A Tool Engineering, was accompanied by two others from C & A Tool, Rob Marr and Ward Krouse. He told town council members -  John Hart, Frank Kessler and Vivian Sade – that the side effects of annexation of the southeast side of U.S. 33 (Main Street) would have twice the negative impact on his business, since he had recently bought the Mahle building and property. “And that’s not just the 69 percent increase in taxes that businesses on that side would see,” Conrow said.

“I don’t understand why the Town would annex when they would not stand to gain as much as keeping the in-lieu-of-annexation agreements that are currently drafted,” Conrow continued. “That agreement is friendly to industries and the businesses would pay a percentage directly to the Town’s general fund.”

Conrow also said he thought if the town was planning to annex, they should be discussing the west side of U.S. 33, as well.

“That is the area that needs to be annexed. Those (residents’) septics are failing, but the council has said they will not proceed on that side. The state will step in at some point and make them connect,” Conrow said.

The three-member council voted unanimously in August to adopt a fiscal plan for the annexation of 144.5 acres which includes 14 properties, all zoned business or light industrial – from the MAHLE (formerly Dana Corp.) building on the east side of U.S. 33 (South Main Street) south to C.R. 375 North. It includes three industrial sites – C & A Tool, Bluffton Rubber Co. and MAHLE – as well as six commercial and one residential site and five agricultural outbuildings.

The town’s infrastructure, including sewer lines and some water lines, have been servicing parts of the southeast area since 1981, and all but four sites have utility services. The business owners – at that time – paid for the extension of the utility lines, and are billed monthly for utilities just as residents within the corporate boundaries of the town are billed.

The in-lieu-of-annexation agreement was drafted in the 1980’s specifically for Mahle (at that time, Dana Corp.) and Bluffton Rubber Company and included an annual payment to the town in lieu of annexing the property.

The problem with the agreement, Sade said, was that it wasn’t discussed publicly, signed by all three members of the Council or even enforced when she was first elected to the Council in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

“I didn’t even know about the agreement when I first came on board,” Sade said.”It was quietly signed by the town council president and clerk-treasurer (at that time) and not discussed with the other two council members.”

Although Mahle continued to make payments, BRC did not, Sade said.

“We were looking at annexing in phases so that the town can grow to the south,” Sade said. “It seemed logical to do it in phases and start with the southeast side and continue growing to the south. If we don’t annex, but have all the businesses sign an in-lieu-of-annexation agreement, wouldn’t it be a cumbersome way to go? Wouldn’t it put us in the legal business and the business of bill collecting?”

“You need to have a council that will enforce the agreements and not let them slide,” Conrow said. “This is the more business-friendly option.”

Bob Egolf, owner of Egolf’s IGA and also a member of the Smith Township Advisory Board, also voiced his opposition to the annexation. “What additional services would I receive that I do not already have?” Egolf asked. “I don’t want to have to raise grocery prices because of this big increase in taxes, but I and other business owners, would be forced to.”

Renee McKinley, owner of the Ramble Inn restaurant, agreed with Egolf. “We’re looking at a 69 percent tax rate increase for services we already have and pay for,” McKinley said. “What are we gaining by this?”

Hart, who is also a member of the Churubusco Police force, said that technically, the southside businesses are not in the town limits and therefore, are under the jurisdiction of the county police, not the Churubusco Police. “Although, we do try to work together and we do (security runs and other calls) on those businesses because they are so close,” Hart said.

Kessler, president of the town council, pointed out that although the proposed annexation would take the property owners from the current Smith Township taxing district rate of 1.2854 to a Churubusco taxing unit rate of 2.1747, the township would still receive the same share of tax monies in general fund, township assistance, and parks and recreation.

The township would lose the tax revenues in fire (0.0254 taxing unit rate)  and cummulative fire (0.0163 taxing unit rate), Kessler said, “but the town would be required to reimburse the township annually for any lost revenue due to the annexation.”

Kessler said he and the annexation consultant, Kristi Sturtz, will schedule private meetings with individual property owners to go over concerns and technical questions involving any potential annexation.

The council may proceed in several ways. They can bring the matter up for vote at the November 18th meeting, or let it die for lack of motion.

If the council makes a decision to proceed, that legal notice would have to be published by Nov. 23 and there would be a 90-day remonstrance period, according to Sturtz. After that, the finalization date would be February 28, 2010.

The council could also discuss other options, such as in-lieu-of-annexation agreements instead of annexation or a phase-in annexation plan for several areas that includes a designated fund for captured revenue.

This map shows the corporate boundaries of Churubusco and the area of the proposed southeast annexation.

CHURUBUSCO, Ind. – May 29, 2009 – Locally based C & A Tool Engineering announced today that is is acquiring the Mahle Clevite (formerly Dana Corp.) facility in Churubusco to accommodate future company growth.

The Mahle Clevite building is located behind McDonalds on South Main Street.

“I am pleased to announce that C & A is acquiring this building as a step toward our company’s future,” CEO Dick Conrow said. “Our employees continue to focus on developing new business in aerospace, medical devices and other growth markets.”

Established in 1969 as a premier tool and die maker, C & A Tool has become a national and international supplier of metalwork specialities and now has 530 full-time employees at facilities in Churubusco and Auburn.

C & A Tool Headquarters in Churubusco.

The 330,000 square foot Mahle building is located on 42 acres at 570 South Main Street in Churubusco.

Mahle group acquired the former Dana Facility along with the rest of Dana’s hard engine parts business in late 2006, but announced the closure of the Churubusco facility last year.

C & A Tool has experienced significant growth in recent years. In 2008 the company expanded with  the purchase of a 105,000 square foot building in Auburn. This was in addition to its industrial village of ten buildings in downtown Churubusco and the 200,000 square foot headquarters and production machining facility at the southern outskirts of Churubusco.

Details of plans for the new facility are not yet finalized, but the building acquisition is not expected to impact the company’s other facilities in Churubusco and Auburn, Conrow said.

Mahle is slowly phasing out its operation and officials announced last fall that all operations will cease and the building will be vacated by the end of 2009.

About C & A Tool Engineering: As a tooling, engineering and contract manufacturer, C & A Tool serves markets in transportation, aeronautical, medical, business equipment, food processing, appliances, consumer goods, machine tools and other industries. C & A Tool is ISO, TS and AS9100B aerospace supplier certified. The company’s operations also meets FDA standards and approval for manufacturing in the sensitive areas of medical, surgical, pharmaceutical, food and others.

For more information visit catool.com.

The Mahle building has 330,000 square ffeet and is located on 42 acres at 570 South Main Street.