MITCHELL – For the first time since 2019 due to COVID-19, the Greater Mitchell Chamber of Commerce held its annual awards dinner at the Lakeview Room at Spring Mill Inn.
The attendees made their way into the room to their tables for dinner, after mingling with each other before Chamber President Mark Young began the nights festivities.
Representatives from two of the biggest projects happening in Mitchell presented updates to their projects which included Superintendent Dr. Brent Comer with Mitchell Community Schools and Tracy Crowther with Lehigh Hanson.
Crowther shared with the crowd the anticipated completion of the $600 million expansion project, saying the operation is expected to be complete in just over a year from now. With the 460,000 lbs. kiln installation, the 380-foot tower, and two silos with 32,000 lbs. storage capacity each, Crowther is excited for this project to be completed.
“We appreciate the patience of the Mitchell community as we have been working through this expansion project, as well as the City of Salem as we have transported most of the material through there. We are excited to finish this up, and we cannot wait to bring more progress to Mitchell as a whole,” said Crowther.
Dr. Brent Comer then discussed the progress of the Capital Project and how the school was able to get to this point. The school corporation looked into what upgrades were needed for the school with roofing and HVAC services and still had funding available. They decided upon building “the Hive” field house for the school and community to utilize once it is completed.
“This is the perfect way for us to give back to the community and city of Mitchell,” Dr. Comer said. “This facility will be state of the art, and will not only be the envy of some colleges, but it can and will bring Sectionals and Regionals to the city of Mitchell once the turf is placed on the football, baseball, and softball fields.”
The night continued with Featured Speaker Gary Varvel, who was able to share some of his artwork as a cartoonist for the Indianapolis Star and provide laughter through the evening. Originally slated for the 2020 award dinner, he was finally able to make it down to Lawrence County to spend time with those in attendance.
The awards for the night included the Business of the Year, Volunteers of the Year, Citizens of the Year, and for the first time the Community Spirit Award.
The winner of the first ever Community Spirit Award went to Kim Allen for her thoughtfulness to the community and her strength in fighting off COVID-19. She was unable to attend the dinner, but was recognized for her strength and resilency.
The Business of the year was presented by Chamber member Larry Root, went to a company that has multiple locations in Lawrence County and continues to serve the community with their food and service. Ofelio “Roy” and Guadalupe “Lupe” Perez of El Compadre received the distinguished honor.
The Volunteers of the Year went to an organization who continues to serve the community at their highest capability, even during COVID-19. An organization that continues to do so much for the community, the VFW Post 9107 was awarded the honor.
And lastly, the Citizens of the Year award went to two individuals who continue to make the community a better place. Whether it was the continued service with the library of walking through Spring Mill State Park and cleaning up trash and debris, the award was given to John and Andrea Castrale for their continued efforts.
