Centerville applauds retired fire chief

Centerville’s council saluted recently retired Centerville Fire/Rescue Chief Dennis Spears’ more than four decades of service to the community. 

John Pardo, retired assistant fire chief, presented a plaque to Spears’ family and fellow firefighters as those attending gave a standing ovation. 

The delegation, wearing “Spears Strong” shirts, delivered the plaque that evening to their role model. They say he is in a tough battle with his illness. 

Council President Dan Wandersee said if the fire department receives a state grant toward station renovations that Spears has helped apply for, the new larger training room would be dedicated to Spears and a plaque would be installed there in his honor. State officials are expected to announce grant recipients in the coming days. 

Area residents were asked to keep Spears in their prayers. 

Security concerns

Wandersee distributed several notifications from the federal government’s Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis Center to council members. Wandersee serves on Indiana Municipal Power Agency’s board.

He said those alerts correspond with information shared by FBI Director Christopher Wray during a congressional hearing. According to the Daily Express U.S. article, Wray said the Chinese Communist Party poses a cyber threat to U.S. homeland and national security. 

Wray said there’s been too little public focus that China’s hackers are targeting critical U.S. infrastructure such as water treatment plants, electrical grid, oil and natural gas pipelines, and transportation systems, the article said.   

Wandersee said he agreed with Wray’s comment that the risk posed to every American requires attention now because of real-world harm to citizens and communities, if or when China decides the time has come to strike. 

Wandersee said Centerville could be impacted because damage to electric grids anywhere around the nation, especially multiple attacks, could impact the town. Electric grids are linked to other areas around the country, except for those in Texas. 

“I’m not trying to scare anybody, but we do need to be prepared,” Wandersee said. 

In other business

• Council conducted a second and third reading of an amendment to the town’s zoning ordinance and approved it. 
• Council plans to have short special meetings related to bid openings and awarding contracts for water improvements at 7 p.m. Feb. 20 and 21. 
• Council authorized town manager Kevin Slick to pursue an audit for up to $20,000 related to pole attachment agreements. Slick wants accurate information to give when it’s requested.  
• Slick said electrical upgrades at Mattie Harris Road are almost complete and old lines are being removed. The project so far has cost $166,108 with a couple more bills yet to come in.  
• Code enforcement investigated seven reported code violations. They cleared five without enforcement and two are still open.
• Centerville Youth League received permission to organize its annual parade at 11 a.m. May 11 and fireworks at dark June 8. Registration closes March 2. 
• Wandersee encouraged residents to read information from Indiana State Police and Indiana Department of Transportation about planning ahead for traffic around the April 8 solar eclipse.