A photo shows large clouds of thick smoke billowing into the skies (CBS12) — Firefighters from Martin County Fire Rescue (MCFR)and rangers from the Florida Forest Service battled the flames of a brush fire in Indiantown on Thursday a senior ranger in Martin County Florida Forest Service said at this time the fire is 100% contained with 62 acres scorched by the flames Ranger Jacobson said that there are no threats or hazards due to the fire taking place in the preserve area See also: Crash kills bicyclist after driver experiences medical episode, loses control of vehicle There's probably some smoke to the west of us here but there are no concerns or threats," Jacobson said The Florida Forest Service (FFS) has completed a plow line around the area and had four dozers and a helicopter at the scene MCFR said a brush truck and one tender were previously at the site while other resources were being cleared was near 19200 SW Pratt Whitney Road at the Hungryland Preserve The Florida Forest Service said they got the call about the brush fire at around 3:20 p.m Brush trucks will remain on scene Thursday night and Friday to begin mop-up operations and monitor the scene just in case there are any flare ups The public is urged to use caution due to dry conditions until substantial rainfall is received INDIANTOWN − A crash on Southwest Warfield Boulevard early Friday resulted in one fatality according to Florida Highway Patrol officials Troopers were dispatched at approximately 1 a.m to a crash at Southwest Warfield Boulevard and Southwest Dr according to the Florida Highway Patrol's live traffic feed A 2020 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was traveling northwest on Southwest Warfield Boulevard when it entered the southeast lane causing a head-on collision with a semi tractor-trailer according to FHP spokesperson Indiana Miranda Delaware was pronounced deceased on scene and the driver of the semi was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries she said.Southwest Warfield Boulevard was shut down for hours while FHP investigated according to Martin County Fire Rescue spokesperson Cory Pippin He said an engine was needed to extricate the pickup driver from the vehicle and HazMat responded to clean up approximately 40 to 50 gallons of spilled fuel Cold weather shelters: Cold weather shelters opening Friday night in Martin, St. Lucie counties Martin County: MCSO: Body found on Jensen Beach causeway last week ruled suicide Olivia Franklin is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Olivia on X @Livvvvv_5 or reach her by phone at 317-627-8048 (CBS12) — It was a busy day for first responders in Martin County on Thursday The Martin County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) said its deputies and Martin County Fire Rescue (MCFR) said they faced a series of serious incidents across the county Another incident involved a car crashing into a building in Indiantown See also: ICE says 'Operation Tidal Wave' immigration sting in Florida 'preview of what is to come' "It's been a high-tempo day," said the Sheriff's Office on Facebook (CBS12) — A fire engulfed an RV in Indiantown on Thursday Martin County Fire Rescue (MCFR) said at 11:33 a.m. units were dispatched to a vehicle fire involving an RV near 20000 SW Warfield Boulevard and MCFR said crews were able to contain the flames Fire Rescue is asking motorists to use caution in the area as operations wrap up — Many of you reached out to WPTV on Thursday about the congestion along Indiantown Road caused by a new traffic light near Interstate 95 "I think we were getting a lot of the green lights that weren't synched up to the red lights," said Andrew Pignato who tried driving through Indiantown Road to get to the gym He said a 2-mile commute took people nearly an hour a lot of people trying to make U-turns when they could but what sucks is they really coudn't go anywhere," said Pignato The traffic lights are part of a project taking place to expand Indiantown Road from three lanes to four "How are you preparing for tomorrow's traffic?" asked WPTV's Joel Lopez The lights are intended to help with the flow of traffic along the portion of Indiantown Road that meets with I-95 and Florida's Turnpike traffic is usually bad but today was twice as bad," said Amanda Johansson who drove through Indiantown Road and was late taking her children to school "What did the administrators say when you were late with your kids?" asked WPTV's Joel Lopez you have to walk them in and get a tardy note Town of Jupiter Councilman Cameron May said the lights should have not been activated until construction is complete and all lanes of traffic are open "I think it's going to be a little bit of a growing pain unfortunately this is not the Town of Jupiter," said May "Hopefully they'll get the kinks worked out over the next few days." May said the Town of Jupiter is communicating with Palm Beach County traffic and FDOT to try and work together collaboratively to try and find solutions "They will be on-site the next few days manually activating that light to figure out the timing and what they need to do how long the light needs to stay green and red in each direction," said May May said construction is expected to be completed by summer of 2025 and hopes traffic light timing will be resolved in the next couple of weeks Palm Beach County's Traffic Division also responded to WPTV with a statement saying in part: INDIANTOWN — The need for infrastructure may put a damper on residential growth in this burgeoning village in western Martin County The village has approved more than 3,500 units of housing as of Dec but the need for a new water plant means no other residential development can be approved for now Additional water capacity is three years away And "that's optimistic," said Village Manager Taryn Kryzda Kryzda encourages developers to move as far along in the building process as possible until Indiantown can provide more water About 2,500 of the 3,500 approved housing units will be built as part of the Terra Lago development which broke ground in March along Warfield Boulevard The development includes single-family homes an assisted-living facility and commercial space Sites have been cleared for 808 single-family homes and townhomes in the Terra Lago development as of early December workers were clearing the land for another 131 single-family homes for the River Oak development on Southwest Famel Street while 158 single-family homes are expected to be built at Southwest Shawnee Avenue and Southwest 150th Street as part of the Osceola Pines project Fourteen commercial projects are underway in Indiantown office and warehouse space and a charcoal production plant About 247,000 square feet of commercial space has been approved and more than 400,000 square feet has been either approved is in review or is in earlier stages of development The charcoal plant takes eucalyptus trees and turns them into high-end charcoal It may eventually do the same with railroad ties The plant is located in an industrial area called Venture Park along with other new businesses The challenge for the businesses in Venture Park is housing "That's why we're trying to get ahead of it with the residential component that we're bringing in because if you're going to be bringing in all these workers "I'm not concerned about housing," said Andre Albarran which manufactures and installs interior and exterior architectural cast stone for homes and businesses "I think the housing will take care of itself." The company's Indiantown operation will be 24,000 square feet of manufacturing space CGA Stoneworks is doing or has done work for the headquarters of Royal Caribbean Group Dyer Federal Building and Courthouse in Miami owner of Indiantown Realty and a member of the Indiantown Chamber of Commerce It will be late next year before the first new homes here are finished The collective leadership in the village is staying ahead of the infrastructure needs "That's a textbook example" of putting infrastructure in place East Coast Metal Structures also is happy with the way Indiantown is addressing its infrastructure needs which is relocating its main production center to Indiantown Work started in February on about 100,000 square feet of space to fabricate structural steel and miscellaneous metals Up to 70 employees could eventually be working there More: Development 2025: What Treasure Coast projects are you likely to see come to reality in 2025? More: Groundbreaking ceremony for development that could double Indiantown's population Keith Burbank is TCPalm's watchdog reporter covering Martin County He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com or at 720-288-6882 by Jamilka Gibson (CBS12) — Seventy illegal immigrants have been picked up in Indiantown and are now facing deportation The news comes as United States President Donald Trump aims to carry out his promise of the largest deportation effort in US history hundreds of local law enforcement across Florida have stepped in to help immigration and customer enforcement Indiantown has found itself at the center of an immigration crackdown According to the Enforcement and Removal Operations a division of the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement has detained 70 illegal immigrants with the help of Florida Highway Patrol The traffic stop operation targeted commercial landscaping vehicles traveling the roads of the western part of the county Martin County Sheriff John Budensiek said his agency had nothing to do with the stops and were not asked to be a part of the operation "We didn’t make any of the arrests and they didn’t come to our jail," Budensiek said "They were taken by the border patrol He said the detainees were taken by border patrol unit to Krome As immigration enforcement efforts continue across the country and show no signs of letting up the sheriff said it might be best for those here illegally to just leave voluntarily "They are saying the best mechanism is to come self deport," Budensiek said "Once you self deport then you can put your name on the list and have some priority to come back into the country That’s probably the best advice that I can give CBS12 News reached out to ICE for comment on these arrests and received the following statement: "Due to operational security reasons and for the safety of our law enforcement personnel ICE does not confirm or discuss ongoing or future operations The agency publicly announces the results of operations when appropriate ICE arrests aliens who commit crimes and other individuals who have violated our nation’s immigration laws but at this time we have not received any response (CBS12) — A major collision involving a Martin County deputy on Friday evening sent multiple people to the hospital and left a Sheriff’s Office cruiser on its roof completely shut down State Road 76/Southwest Kanner Highway for several hours According to the Martin County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) the deputy was trying to pull over a westbound driver for a traffic violation just before 5 p.m when a vehicle pulled in front of the cruiser The force of the collision caused the MCSO vehicle to roll off the road and into the tree "(The deputy) was attempting to overtake another vehicle to catch up to the original violator running with his emergency lights and sirens on," Lt the vehicle made a left hand turn here into St Lucie Mobile Village (and) in front of the deputy." The deputy and the four people who were in the other vehicle were all taken to the hospital while the other four individuals’ wounds were described as non-life-threatening most suffered mainly abrasions and lacerations and are expected to be okay Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter to get the day's top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can't miss video (CBS12) — A single-vehicle wreck on Tuesday morning shut down a Martin County road in both directions The Martin County Sheriff’s Office warned drivers about the crash and closure shortly after 8 a.m saying the road will be closed until further notice Its statement did not say specifically where the where the wreck happened The alternate routes were listed as Southwest Fox Brown Road and Southwest Allapattah Road See Also: Two times in two days: Another major wreck at Marcy's Crossing in Martin Co. A picture released by the Sheriff’s Office showed a vehicle that suffered severe front-end damage off the side of the road The driver of the vehicle was taken to the hospital to be treated Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter to get the day's top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can't miss video INDIANTOWN — Officials here were scrambling late Friday to file an overdue state financial report and avoid a nearly $1 million penalty for the 8½-month delinquency the $949,554 from the half-cent county sales tax would go to the state and be lost to the village Two annual reports were due to the state on June 30 The state gave Indiantown until April 3 to have both reports submitted the state had given Indiantown an extension until Feb Mayor Carmine Dipaolo said he is confident the village will make the new deadline "I don't think that's going to happen," he said Friday afternoon about missing the deadline Finance Director Michael Florio was unavailable for comment The delay is due to installation of new technology Indiantown's limited personnel also contributed to the delay How big would the loss be?For the fiscal year ending Sept Indiantown reported revenues of about $7.6 million to its general fund That information is the latest available from an annual financial report Indiantown filed with the Florida Auditor General The state is waiting for the 2022-2023 annual financial report and the delay is putting Indiantown at risk of losing the nearly $1 million A separate reportIndiantown also was late filing its annual financial audit report according to Florida's Joint Legislative Auditing Committee which provides oversight of government operations The committee consists of five to seven members from the state House and Senate Other funding is temporarily at risk if Indiantown fails to meet the April 3 deadline About $190,000 in municipal sharing revenue is at risk Municipal sharing revenue consists of sales and fuel taxes collected in a trust fund and transferred by the state to municipalities More: Brightline talks between Martin County, Stuart deadlock over philosophical differences More: Region may lose prenatal care as nonprofit eyes closing clinics over financial losses grant money and reimbursements from the state would be held up after April 3 He can be reached at keith.burbank@tcpalm.com and at 720-288-6882 It changed during the Florida land boom of the 1920s after S. Davies Warfield, a railroad tycoon, intended to make the town a southern hub for his railroad company. It was incorporated at the Village of Indiantown on Dec try its food trucks options — The Big Taco Taqueria La India Bonita and Antojitos el Buen Chapin — or these restaurants: The grocery store also is home to a takeout restaurant that serves Mexican and Chinese food by Chef Chang The rustic, country-themed restaurant is the historic Seminole Inn's sister cafe located next door It serves breakfast and lunch with weekly hometown specials Breakfast menu items include breakfast sandwiches baskets and sandwiches such as pulled pork El Churrasco RestaurantThe restaurant offers homemade Guatemalan food burritos and caldo de mariscos aka seafood soup The restaurant has authentic Mexican cuisine camarones a la diabla and chicken chimichanga Weekly specials include taco Tuesday and wings Wednesday 15492 S.W. Warfield Blvd., 772-248-2230, website The Latin-American restaurant specializes in Guatemalan and Mexican cuisine using locally sourced ingredients and traditional cooking techniques Popular menu items include the steak tacos chicken quesadillas and the Seven Sea Soup 15648 S.W. Warfield Blvd., 772-597-5509, website Food review: Guatemex in Indiantown serves traditional fare and generous portions La Mexicana RestauranteThe family-owned and -operated restaurant offers authentic homemade Mexican cuisine including their popular puerco en salsa verde dish It's encouraged to check their social media for daily business hours and food offerings 15535 S.W. Warfield Blvd., 772-597-2460, Facebook The Mexican restaurant opened in 2021 after the owners of the Taqueria Solavino taco truck decided they wanted to expand the restaurant's menu and a second food truck opened in Hobe Sound Popular menu items include Mexican street corn 15510 S.W. Trail Drive, 772-597-9665, Instagram owned and operated by Indiantown native Danielle Williamson including specialty options and create your own 14988 S.W. Monroe Ave., 772-597-3150, Facebook Indianwood Golf Club's restaurant is open to the public and offers indoor and outdoor seating with views of the golf course and lake Check its website for events and weekly specials 14057 S.W. Golf Club Drive, 772-597-3790, website Food review: Outpost Bar & Grille reimagines comfort food in a beautiful setting Eve Pierpont is a freelancer for TCPalm who looks out for the best things to do across the Treasure Coast Do you have an upcoming event you want to be potentially included in this weekly roundup You can also upload your event to TCPalm's event page at events.tcpalm.com (WHP) — Crews battled a fire at the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery Tuesday night Fort Indiantown Fap Fire Department was the main responding department but the blaze was upgraded to a second-alarm prompting the response of more firefighters from other departments Dispatch said the fire chief was on scene until around 3:30 a.m This work, Marines, Air Force move Stryker vehicles to Fort Indiantown Gap impact area, by Brad Rhen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright This work, New range, sniper tower coming to Fort Indiantown Gap, by Brad Rhen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright This work, Fort Indiantown Gap hosts first open house in a decade, by SFC Zane Craig, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright Pictures taken from the scene show the aftermath of the fire The interior of the carport is charred and partially collapsed (CBS12) — A carport fire in Indiantown was contained before it could reach nearby gas cans and a home on Tuesday afternoon Martin County Fire Rescue (MCFR) said firefighters responded to a structure fire near 10,000 SW Fox Brown Road in Indiantown at around 2:40 p.m firefighters reported seeing a carport engulfed in flames Firefighters quickly coordinated a fast attack dousing the blaze with water and extinguishing it within minutes Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter to get the day's top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can't miss video INDIANTOWN — A crash at the intersection of Southwest Warfield Boulevard and Southwest Silver Fox Lane Saturday night resulted in multiple injuries but no fatalities Fire rescue was dispatched around 10:30 p.m to the crash involving a pickup truck and a passenger van The crews began extrication efforts upon arrival according to Cory Pippin Martin County Fire Rescue spokesman and an operations team were dispatched to the crash The van was turning from Southwest Fox Brown Road to go south on Southwest Warfield Boulevard when it was struck by the pickup going south on Southwest Warfield Boulevard There were 15 people in the van and four people in the pickup truck Pippin said there was a total of 17 patients One person was flown by helicopter to Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital in Port St Lucie with life threatening injuries; one person was flown by helicopter to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce with serious injuries; and 15 patients were taken to various hospitals with minor injuries Budensiek said the individuals that were transported had injuries ranging from serious facial injuries and broken limbs to minor injuries Sheriff's deputies were conducting speed enforcement on Southwest Warfield Boulevard and had just concluded a DUI arrest when the two-car crash occurred not far from their location sheriff's officials said on the agency's Facebook page The collision caused the pickup truck to burst into flames Southwest Warfield Boulevard was closed for several hours following the crash (This story was updated with new information.) Palm City: Traffic crash Tuesday in Palm City caused traffic delays, one woman injured Stuart: Port St. Lucie man apprehended in Georgia related to shooting incident at Stuart vape shop 2025 at 7:01 PM EDTEmail This LinkShare on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInThe Martin County Sheriff’s Office has arrested an man accused of impersonating a federal law enforcement agent was taken into custody after two men reported a suspicious interaction where Lopez allegedly performed a fake traffic stop Lopez pulled in front of the victims’ vehicle in Indiantown and demanded their identification and immigration status managed to drive away and immediately called 911 who was wearing pajama pants and a backwards hat at the time of the alleged incident told the victims he was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent They don’t normally see ICE agents dressed in pajama pants or just jumping out randomly without some sort of real hardcore identification,” said Major Ruben Romero with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office The sheriff’s office believes Lopez was intentionally targeting suspected undocumented migrants “most of our undocumented population can be vulnerable because they don’t have the ability to open up a bank account or they live in a rooming house where they have to keep all of their belongings with them they know that and they will use that to victimize them.” he claimed that the victims had threatened him with deportation deputies charged him with impersonating a federal law enforcement agent The Martin County Sheriff’s Office is still investigating Lopez’s motives They are encouraging anyone who believes they may have been a victim of similar incident to come forward Lopez remains in the Martin County Jail on a $2,500 bond — “It’s just blowing to the house,” said Marguerite Parent a resident living in the retirement community Indianwood Parent and other neighbors said it's blowing onto their properties from the Terra Lago residential construction site down the road It's heavy because it's really hard to wash off the driveway.” WPTV’s Tyler Hatfield took the residents' concerns to the HOA president Skiba said the dust has been blowing for months and the Village of Indiantown and Martin County told him they couldn’t help Skiba sent the Florida Environmental Protection Agency an email and wrote the dust is harming their health and property is there some interdiction that you can do to help us?'" said Skiba Skiba said he’s still waiting for a response he wants the developer — Garcia Companies — to listen to resident concerns “At least come over and acknowledge to us that they realize is a problem and explain their position to our people,” said Skiba The company is now using three water trucks to pour more than 500,000 gallons of water a day to keep the ground saturated while also sprigging sod to grow grass more quickly and will be planting seeds starting next week I asked him if he would be open to speaking to residents in person Kellam wrote: “We are always willing to schedule time with residences in the Village of Indiantown to help keep them informed on the progress of Terra Lago.” Toward Racial Justice: Voices from the Midstate A Fort Indiantown Gap Training Center sign located at the southwest entrance to the installation along Fisher Avenue Oct Fort Indiantown Gap is hosting what’s known as a war fighter exercise an event to train and evaluate military units for large scale combat operations More than 3,000 personnel are taking part between now and mid-February Garrison Commander at Fort Indiantown Gap says it’s a large-scale collective training exercise it’s an it’s not so much on the ground like normal soldiers were normal units come and train where they go out and they do marksmanship qualifications and road marches and things of that nature.” The exercise trains the commanders and their staff in military decision making fighting a mock battle in a computer system but it integrates the life scenario of soldiers doing the work on the ground inside a computer system So is a is a fight the fight the enemy can make a decision and then it changes how they react how the forces or forces react to what they do.” This type of exercise focusses on command and control rather than many troops a normal brigade commander will have about 3 or 30 500 to 4000 soldiers under him So instead of bringing 12,000 soldiers to fight And they do it in a computer simulated world And that includes everybody that needs to be involved in it it’s an it’s a force reduction or cost reduction but it’s still it gets you to be able to work the method the equipment and the procedures on how to actually do the exercise or the operation.” Due to the large number of military personnel there will be an increase in traffic in the area Become a WITF sponsor today » Driving Directions Request a Tour INDIANTOWN — The Seminole Inn listed on the National Register of Historic Places is up for sale to the public for the first time since its construction nearly a century ago The inn at 15885 Southeast Warfield Blvd. is all that remains of the 1920s boom that developed here, according to Indiantown Realty and has a surprising connection to the British royal family The socialite Wallis Simpson reportedly was the inn's first hostess before her famous affair and eventual marriage to King Edward VIII Listed by real estate firm Corcoran the inn — with its unique amalgamation of historical and cultural influences — can be yours for $4 million said her foremost challenge is finding a prospective buyer who will preserve the splendor of the old Wall's increasing commitments with her family's cattle ranching business prompted her to put the historic building on the market settled by fleeing members of the Seminole Tribe of Florida in 1858 as a trading post following the Third Seminole War saw its character changed during the Florida land boom of the 1920s intended to make the town a southern hub for his railroad company Warfield built the Seminole Inn, envisioned as the town's focal point near the railroad station to provide lodging for railroad executives and guests who could also enjoy the fishing and hunting in Florida Construction was completed January 1926 at a cost of $66,000, according to the inn's website Its architectural design followed the Mediterranean Revival aesthetic demonstrated particularly by its burnt-orange ceramic tiles adorning the roof the design incorporated classic Old Florida building materials: pecky cypress ceilings and Dade County pinewood floors that still today creak underneath footsteps the two-floor inn had only three bathrooms for its 36 available rooms along with his ambitious dreams for the town the Wall family has aimed to preserve and display "Florida the way it used to be." The garden and pool area behind the building are tranquil although the sitting area beside the road is disturbed by the whirl of traffic on Warfield Boulevard The Duchess of WindsorThe lobby and dining hall are decorated with royal memorabilia — even the chandeliers are crown-shaped — making the Seminole Inn the town's own Buckingham Palace reportedly accompanied him as hostess during the inn's opening gala and may have worked there briefly Simpson was introduced to London's high society and began an affair with King Edward VIII while still married to her second husband Edward also was the head of the Church of England which barred remarriage for divorcees if their ex-spouse was still alive Called the "romance of the century," they married anyway There never would have been the late Queen Elizabeth Simpson was named the Duchess of Windsor. She traveled lavishly in exile with her husband, the Duke of Windsor. While local legend has it that the couple stayed at the inn during their honeymoon, it's been debunked by historians They may have visited Indiantown in April 1970 They were photographed passing through by train — likely along the same tracks Warfield's company laid down More: Housing for workers could be a problem for new Indiantown businesses as the village grows More: Handling homelessness: Three approaches to enforcing the anti-public sleeping bill While this is the first time the Seminole Inn is listed on the market this is not the first time it has changed hands According to Martin County Property Appraiser's Office the Wall family has purchased the inn three times: The building's designation on the National Register of Historic Places a nationwide list of structures deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance offers potential tax credits but no federal protection renovate or even demolish their property at their discretion with no federal restrictions her family never intended to own the inn long-term The first two purchases were made to save the inn from demolition or disrepair Wall grew particularly attached and committed herself to managing the inn Wall said she hopes this third sale will be the family's last and is praying for the right buyer to come along Jack Randall is TCPalm’s economy and real estate reporter You can reach him at jack.randall@tcpalm.com or 904-466-4755 INDIANTOWN — The two candidates running for Seat 2 on the Village Council differ in their views of the top election issue in this quickly growing community infrastructure is the most important issue who would be the last original Village Council member "We have potholes everywhere," Hernandez said and a large portion of its population walks and is on bicycles Parks are a huge thing because of the community's growing population which could double in seven to 10 years from a single new housing development Families travel to give their children opportunities to play soccer because of a lack of opportunities in Indiantown Village officials are trying to secure grants to address some of the challenges faced by the community Hernandez has been on the council since Indiantown was incorporated six years ago "The most important issue for this time is the division we seem to have in the village," Brown said is divided by religion and ethnicity and other issues such as whether a person was born in the village or moved to Indiantown "Our division is an overriding (issue) for me," Waters Brown said adding that the village must be unified to get things done If the village gets the money needed for a new water plant "we'll have good water and division," she said Waters Brown called Indiantown "a hidden gem She sees the children as the solution to the divisiveness "We need to create more volunteer opportunities for kids," Waters Brown said She wants to bring a low- to no-income youth sports program to the village for preschool through high school students Kids come to understand one another when they get together She also wants to involve the children in government Who can vote: All residents of Indiantown who are registered voters in Martin County Next steps: The winner will be decided Aug client-support specialist at a law firm and part-time bookkeeper Profession: Registered nurse and director of adult day health services at the Kane Center Time in office: She is making her first run for elected office More: Huge new development could double Indiantown's current population in seven to 10 years More: Potential poop processing plant in Indiantown has some residents concerned about odor INDIANTOWN — The village will continue to collect nearly $1 million in sales tax after local officials filed an overdue financial report late Friday A letter from a state legislative committee confirmed the state will be withholding no money from Indiantown "Everything's resolved," said village Finance Director Michael Florio Monday Florio filed the report sometime after 4:30 p.m All Florida municipalities are required by the state each year to file an audit report and annual financial report But the state gave the Indiantown an extension to Feb $949,554 in county half-cent sales taxes have been transferred to the state general revenue fund and no longer would have been available to Indiantown The reports were delayed because of limited staffing implementation of a new information-technology system and the lack of necessary help from an outside auditor Finding good accounting employees is getting more challenging "It's like catching raindrops in the desert," he said Implementation of the new IT system was started in December 2023 And Indiantown missed a deadline in the spring of 2024 to work with an outside auditor and had to wait until November for the auditor to return Other money at riskOther state funding was at risk About $190,000 in municipal sharing revenue could have been held by the state until the required reports were filed More: Indiantown at risk of losing nearly $1 million in revenue because of a filing delay Municipal sharing revenue is made up of fuel and sales taxes that are transferred to municipalities from the state the revenue will be available to Indiantown right away Fla (CBS12) — A sewage plant could soon come to a residential area of Indiantown A company called Sedron Technologies plans to build the plant on 168th in the Booker Park neighborhood near the town’s old water treatment facility the area is just a small stretch of forest it could be a fully operating sewage plant The village’s leaders tell CBS12 News they are excited about what this could mean for the community Sedron Technologies says this plant will be the first of its kind in the state because it specializes in biosolids it takes the solid portion of waste from sewage plants and turns it into things like fertilizer See also:Clematis St. merchant: homeless people getting "more arrogant, more violent" The village bought the extra acres with a loan from the government but the plant itself would be paid for privately some residents have expressed concerns about the odor the plant could produce but village manager Taryn Kryzda says that shouldn’t be an issue “The individuals that we're working with they have monitors throughout the facility could you smell and we had a resident that lives nearby She also came and talked to us and she said she's never experienced odor from there,” said Kryzda The village says once the plant is up and running it will generate revenue for the community and bring jobs with priority given to Indiantown residents The council is set to consider a lease with Sedron at next week’s meeting the company is waiting on some permit approvals they hope to break ground by early 2025 and have the plant fully operational by 2026 (CBS12) — In the wake of last fall's devastating tornadoes spawned by Hurricane Milton Indiantown leaders are now exploring the possibility of installing emergency sirens to warn residents about approaching storms This discussion took place during their regularly scheduled village council meeting on Thursday night ALSO READ: I-Team: Does Florida need tornado sirens? Village Manager Taryn Kryzda highlighted the importance of discussing this issue particularly for residents living in a 55-and-up mobile home community "We just wanted to be able to have the dialogue and gain more information," Kryzda told CBS12 News she estimated that the installation and sirens could cost at least $400,000 Other leaders argued that residents cannot solely rely on the sirens for safety Each siren can cover a distance of roughly a mile Council Member Karen Onsager expressed concerns about potential liability "If for some reason the sirens do not work properly or even if they are working properly but someone is inside and didn't hear it and they come back and their home is destroyed or someone is killed – it's not a liability that our community of our size can take on,” Onsager in the meeting Leaders also pointed out that the village lacks the funds and proper staffing to oversee the installation and monthly maintenance of the sirens they are brainstorming other ways to keep their 6,700 residents safe “We need to be able to give them feasible options they can use and present that to them Don't just say it's cost-prohibitive because what's the value of life?" Council Member Phillis Waters Brown said Martin County has an emergency warning system in place called "Alert Martin," where residents can sign up for email alerts and text messages LebTown Lebanon County’s most essential weekly read non-partisan journalism?Become a champion of local news and unlock additional benefits as a LebTown member Already a member? Log in here to hide these messages Help build a better-informed Lebanon County LebTown’s independent journalism keeps you connected to your community and the issues that matter most Join the 1,000+ LebTown readers who support our work as members A new training range and sniper tower are under construction at Fort Indiantown Gap to enhance training opportunities at the military base The range – a combined-arms live-fire, or CALFEX, range – is being built on an underutilized former tank gunnery range, a press release said and the sniper tower is being added to a existing sniper range Both ranges are situated at the western end of FTIG’s training corridor between Blue and Second mountains “This range and sniper tower will just add to the many diverse training options we have here at Fort Indiantown Gap,” said Col “And the fact that we were able to build them with a relatively small amount of money makes it even better.” the CALFEX range will allow elements up to company size to assault one or two objectives or set up a defensive position or ambush The land previously served as a tank gunnery range but has been underutilized since the Pennsylvania National Guard divested its tanks several years ago If you rely on us for your Lebanon County news “The western end of the training area was a blank slate all that maneuver land just doesn’t get used So we saw it as an opportunity to get more usage out of it and build another capability.” The need for a CALFEX range comes as Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst in New Jersey gets set to become a mobilization center most deploying National Guard units had to mobilize out of Fort Hood or Fort Bliss in Texas The range will be very similar to the CALFEX range at Fort Bliss “We’ve basically built Range 50 here at Fort Indiantown Gap to support mobilizations at Fort Dix so units that mobilize out of Fort Dix can bus from Fort Dix to here and then bus back to Fort Dix,” Kinneer said Pennsylvania National Guard units will be able to use the range as well as units mobilizing out of McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Kinneer noted there is already a lot of interest within the 28th Infantry Division to use the range you could only achieve squad live-fire here at Fort Indiantown Gap,” Kinneer said “There was no venue to do platoon live-fire we have basically three locations where you can do a platoon live-fire it didn’t exist before we started developing the western end of the training corridor.” The sniper tower is three stories high and approximately 100 feet wide It was built out of shipping containers that have been welded together and shaped into rooms with different dimensions and configurations the only option at the range was for snipers to lay on the ground but they also operate out of urban terrain and that’s what we’re seeking to replicate with that facility.” the roof of the tower will have various pitches so snipers can get training on shooting while lying on a roof to replicate real-world scenarios The tower will also provide another facility for a brigade or a battalion to establish a command post while training at the installation “If a brigade or a battalion wants to exercise lessons learned from Ukraine and utilize a mobile command post or occupy austere environments to set up a command post they can do that at this facility,” Kinneer said The sniper tower is expected to be completed around September “We are continually assessing what we can do to enhance training opportunities for units that come to Fort Indiantown Gap to train,” Potts said “We do anything we can to ensure units are receiving top-notch training here.” Reach our newsroom using this contact form and we’ll do our best to get back to you Join our community of local news champions An informed community is a stronger community. LebTown covers the local government meetings, breaking news, and community stories that shape Lebanon County’s future. Help us expand our coverage by becoming a monthly or annual member, or support our work with a one-time contribution Kindly keep your comments on topic and respectful We will remove comments that do not abide by these simple rules LebTown members get exclusive benefits such as featured comments. If you're already a member, please log in to comment Barley Snyder BlueScope Buildings North America Brick Property Services Caring Transitions of Hershey & Lebanon PA Community Health Council of Lebanon County Cornwall Manor Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority Gretna Music Henise Tire Service In The Net Jono Hardware Lebanon Area Fair Lebanon County Bar Association Lebanon Internal Medicine Associates Reliable Moving & Storage Salvation Army Lebanon Corps Steckbeck Engineering & Surveying, Inc. The Original Mount Gretna Cicada Music Festival This work, Fort Indiantown Gap second-busiest training center in FY24, by Brad Rhen, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright MARTIN COUNTY — Martin County sheriff's deputies assisted federal law enforcement officers in detaining undocumented immigrants Feb Sheriff John Budensiek said Enforcement and Removal Operations of U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement reached out to sheriff's detectives wanting to target individuals who had deportation orders or who came back into the country after being deported federal law enforcement knew who they were looking for; they just needed the deputies help 21 and 11 people were taken into custody and several were taken in for processing but none of them were taken to the Martin County Jail "Our deputies are on the street all the time they kind of know where to look," Budensiek said so they're not as familiar with where individuals are hiding and how they operate as we are." Budensiek said if Martin County deputies came across an individual who had an immigration warrant they could not arrest them because they have no federal jurisdiction He said the goal is for deputies to eventually be able to take individuals into custody whenever they come across them as opposed to having to do special operations "The governor has created a mechanism where we can enter into a memorandum of understanding to get our deputies cross trained to enforce those warrants under the federal government's umbrella," Budensiek said Budensiek said there have not been any more arrests since but if Enforcement Removal Operations reaches out again and needs assistance "It's a complex legal issue that's been going on − we're kind of building this plane as we're flying it" Budensiek said both from the federal government and the state we're kicking in and helping where we can be of assistance." Martin County: Lehigh Acres man charged with burglary in connection to $450,000 Palm City burglary Martin County: Man charged in connection to 'a suspicious male' in Sewall's Point in jail without bond The Martin County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) and Martin County Fire Rescue (MCFR) responded to a passenger train crash on SW Amaryllis Avenue and SW Warfield Boulevard at 10:30 a.m Firefighters reported seeing the cab of the tractor-trailer engulfed in flames (CBS12) — A semi-truck burst into flames after colliding with an Amtrak train with more than 80 people onboard in Indiantown on Thursday morning A total of 86 people were onboard the train — 72 passengers and 14 crew members — according to the sheriff's office the driver of the semi-truck was also able to escape before the collision and only suffered minor injuries The sheriff's office learned that the semi-truck attempted to cross the tracks when it was struck by the oncoming train The train’s passengers are going to remain on the train until another train can come to the incident and transfer them Delays are expected in the area.Warfield Blvd has one lane open with MCSO continues to investigate the scene.The Amaryllis Ave intersection on the railroad is the only road that is closed at this time Hundreds of volunteers headed out to Indiantown Gap National Cemetery to place wreaths on veteran's graves during the annual Wreaths Across America ceremony On Dec Volunteers placed more than 43,000 wreaths on the graves of service members in the cemetery Saturday The annual event places wreaths at more than 4,600 locations across America at sea and abroad to honor service members who have served and sacrificed The purpose of the volunteers Saturday was to "honor the gallantry of the veterans who are no longer with us," according to Brigadier General John Pippy acting adjutant general of the Pennsylvania National Guard "This incredible Pennsylvania Veterans Memorial is a perfect reminder that the men and women who lay here at rest should never be forgotten," he said and their stories forever etched in our minds." organizers held a small ceremony honoring service members including veterans who served in World War II The afternoon ceremony included speakers such as state Sen performances from groups including the Quittapahilla Highlanders and Cumberland Valley High School Soaring Voices and presentations from Boy Scout Troop #456 Palmyra was one of the volunteers placing wreaths at Indiantown Gap Saturday While Smith said she had no family buried in the cemetery laying wreaths on veterans' gravestones helped honor the sacrifice her grandfather made in World War II "Those who lay here are members of someone's family," she said "While I may not be able to visit my grandfather's (grave) this year I can help honor another family's sacrifice for our country." Wreaths Across America began in 1992 by Morrill Worcester owner of Worcester Wreath Company in Harrington as a way to honor veterans with surplus wreaths his business had that holiday season the movement had grown to over 60,000 volunteers placing over 100,000 wreaths on veterans’ graves at 300 locations in every state While organizers were not sure how many volunteers participated in 2024's ceremony more than 4,000 volunteers contributed in 2023 to lay wreaths in Indiantown Gap Memorial Cemetery letting these brave men and women know they are not forgotten this holiday season," cemetery director John Spruyt said "We can continue to celebrate Christmas because of their service The 677-acre Indiantown Gap National Cemetery was established as a cemetery in 1976 with the first burial taking place in 1982 More than 48,000 veterans are interred in the 678-acre cemetery as of 2024 While the veterans' bodies maybe interred at the cemetery memory and "last full measure of devotion" lives on in the citizens they protected every day and the hearts and minds of those that will go after them "That we lay these wreaths on the graves of the brave doesn't mean they are gone from us," Spruyt said Residents looking for more information about Wreaths Across America can visit their website at wreathsacrossamerica.org. Matthew Toth is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News Reach him at mtoth@ldnews.com or on X at @DAMattToth — WPTV is keeping a close watch on a commuting headache that has had many people living in Jupiter caught in traffic Congestion along Indiantown Road began on Thursday when a new traffic light was activated at the Interstate 95 intersection "It's been pretty inconvenient to say the least it just adds like double the commute every single morning," said Phoebe Prentner She lives in Jupiter and crosses through Indiantown Road and I-95 every morning for work she has resorted to finding back roads and detours "What would be your message for fixing this issue?" asked WPTV's Joel Lopez "I would say take a deeper look at the long-range planning for the road network and the hierarchy because adding this light is really inconvenient for everyone," said Prentner yet a red light for absolutely no reason." WPTV reached out to the Town of Jupiter officials who said because of the pushback from the new light they plan to discuss it during Tuesday's town council meeting and have asked FDOT officials to join in to address concerns about the projects Town of Jupiter staff said the meeting was already previously scheduled and will allow commissioners to ask questions Prenter said she plans on attending Tuesday's meeting WATCH: When could traffic light issue be resolved on Indiantown Road in Jupiter Lopez spoke with FDOT officials who said since last week they have adjusted the times of the traffic light signal timing and said there have been improvements Lopez timed out the new traffic light himself and found it alternated from green to red every minute and 45 seconds for east and westbound lanes "I still have to leave about 20 to 30 minutes early just to get to some of my appointments in the morning," said Andrew Pignato When WPTV interviewed him last week he said it took an hour to get through 2-miles of road "What would you say that looks like right now?" asked Lopez "I'd say its cut down to 30 minutes," said Pignato "I think for now its just a matter of lets get the road widened." FDOT said they are working with Palm Beach County Traffic Engineering to reduce backups onto I-95 They said a contractor is working diligently to have the additional lane on Indiantown Road open on Friday and the third off ramp lane northbound to eastbound opened early next week and this should provide significant relief The Jupiter Town Council meeting starts at 7 p.m WPTV's previous coverage on Indiantown traffic: The victims told the Martin County Sheriff's Office (MCSO) that on August 30 approached one of them while at Post Family Park in Indiantown and asked him for some money (CBS12) — Two people had a violent encounter with a homeless man in Indiantown after the sheriff's office said the suspect didn't like their offer to help One of the victims captured the brutal attack on camera approached one of them while at Post Family Park in Indiantown and asked him for some money.Instead of money Jackson did not like this answer and became enraged— violently attacking and stabbing one of the victims The victim suffered a slash wound to his left leg managed to record video of the attack in a pavilion in the park with her cell phone "When I looked at that video I think my reaction was the same as everybody who looks at it It's very sad," said William Snyder Video shows Jackson lifting the second victim off the ground Jackson fled the scene on the victim's bicycle both victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries "Unfortunately in America today violence is not unheard of it just seems to be more commonplace," Sheriff Snyder said Deputies were alerted of the attack just before 8 p.m. MCSO said Jackson was found at a nearby Circle K convenience store investigators believe he was looking for other victims to rob The sheriff's office said deputies were able to take Jackson into custody without further incident Jackson was found with a box cutter stained with dried blood He was arrested and booked into the Martin County Jail for armed robbery and deputies said he gave conflicting stories eventually stating he "sometimes blacked out during incidents like the one that happened in the park." The sheriff says having the video in cases like this is important She did take video but we understand that when she was done with the video she went to the victim's aid," Sheriff Snyder explained Jackson is being held at the Martin County Jail on $52,000 bond Jonestown resident Ashlee Ebling, a member of Pennsylvania National Guard's 3622nd unit, holds her 5-year-old daughter Ella Doster at the deployment ceremony at the Zembo Mosque in Harrisburg on Saturday, Feb. 1. The unit will spend the next year in Kuwait serving in Task Force Spartan. (James Mentzer) Local journalism builds trust through facts As Lebanon County’s independent news source As she was preparing to deploy for a year-long tour of duty in Kuwait with her National Guard unit Lebanon County native Ashlee Ebling was filled with many mixed feelings A couple tears here and then,” said Ebling a 2016 Northern Lebanon High School graduate “I’m sure tonight once I go home and we come back there’ll be some tears flowing but I know she has a great support system at home Ebling and more than 140 members of her extended family in the Pennsylvania National Guard’s 3622nd Sustainment Maintenance Company deployed from Harrisburg International Airport on Sunday to Texas before heading to the Middle East LebTown spoke with Ebling about her pending deployment following a ceremony at the Zembo Mosque Shrine auditorium in Harrisburg on Saturday Saturday to spend with their loved ones before reporting to Fort Indiantown Gap The unit was scheduled to depart HIA at noon Sunday were driven by the reality of being separated from husband Joshua Doster a 2010 Northern Lebanon High School graduate “So I actually made jars that have beads in them so every night she’s gonna put one bead in one jar to say that mommy’s away,” said Ebling “And then when we get home the jar will be filled up ‘Mommy has to go to work for a while.’ She didn’t quite get it yet Despite the knowledge that she would be away from loved ones the next year Ebling said she’s ready to do her duty – a fact that contributes to the mixed emotions.  Part of the 728th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion the 3622nd SMC will serve with Task Force Spartan supporting U.S Central Command with their mission of increasing regional security and stability in support of U.S leaving the daughter behind and my husband but I think it’ll be a good experience to go do something different get out there and actually serve my country.” She’s motivated to serve her country by another factor just to make sure everyone’s safe back home it makes it easier for you guys to sleep at night while we’re over there – and over there too,” said Ebling “It’s not just about the United States Just making sure everybody over there is safe and that they can feel protected.” Ebling said it’s important to her to be part of a long-standing Lebanon County tradition of service by its residents to the nation “It means a lot to be able to actually continue the roots and the traditions and in this organization alone is very “It makes me feel very privileged to be able to do that.” Joshua said he and other family members will be here to hold down the fort while Ashlee is overseas I feel like the first few weeks are going to be hard because I don’t think our daughter is going to understand right away I don’t think it’ll kick in for her for a while.” wearing green pants and a shirt with a star she turned away and put her head on her mother’s shoulder Ashlee said Ella’s outfit is what her daughter refers to as “her uniform.” It was noted during the deployment ceremony that the 3622nd Support Maintenance Company specializes in the maintenance of wheeled vehicles as well as test measurement diagnostic equipment The company consists of four platoons – automotive and armament Ashlee said she learned her job in the military and she explained some of her duties during her year abroad I’ll actually be working on the generators and the wheeled vehicles so they use me for that a lot,” said Ashlee “I know I’m going to be sticking close by my sergeants and helping them throughout the whole thing noted the critical nature of their service while deployed military posture in Southwest Asia sufficient to strengthen U.S defense relationships and build partner capacity “Whether it’s ensuring the reliability of equipment maintaining operational readiness or providing technical solutions under demanding conditions your role cannot be overstated,” said Meczywor “You are the backbone that keeps operations running smoothly.” The soldiers and their families were praised for their dedication to duty and selfless service during the ceremony know that you carry with you the support and prayers of your loved ones “We are immensely proud of each and every one of you and resilience will undoubtedly make a significant impact wherever you go.” Local journalism is essential to democracy. LebTown keeps you informed about decisions that affect your daily life in Lebanon County. Join our community of supporters with a monthly or annual membership, or make a one-time contribution to strengthen local news — We're working to get answers for residents in Indiantown who reached out to WPTV about excessive dust coming from a residential construction site The dust is creating a mess and some claim it's a health hazard who lives in the Indianwood retirement community showed WPTV the mess that the problem is creating inside her home "It leaves a black soot on everything," Tirillo said "It's sand and dirt that you either have to power brush off or sweep it off or whatever to get rid of it." She and her neighbors said the dust is blowing onto their properties from the nearby 800-acre Terra Lago construction site She said it's damaging her HVAC unit and leaving a mess on porches and cars Tirillo said many neighbors are worried about their health I'm choking and coughing all the time," Tirillo said and I can imagine what these people who have breathing problems in here are going through who told WPTV reporter Tyler Hatfield that the soil's poor water retention and high winds make the issue worse But Kryzda said hopefully this won't be a problem much longer "They're moving as quickly as they possibly can," Kryzda said who's in charge of the residential construction project He said he's well aware of residents’ concerns and they're now using three water trucks instead of the usual two to pour more than 40,000 gallons of water a day to keep the ground saturated "We are going to just continue to make the situation better and we're going to move as fast as we can so that we can have beautiful green grass growing out there as soon as possible," Kellam said He said the grass is already starting to grow Kellam expects the new neighborhood to be fully built by June INDIANTOWN − A Martin County man was charged with arson and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon for attempting to burn a friend's home down Sunday evening over a $100 debt according to the Martin County Sheriff's Office of the 14000 block of Southwest Seminole Drive He told his Uber driver he was angry because he lent his friend $100 while at a strip club two days before and he had not been paid back The Uber driver called Martin County sheriff's deputies saying he was concerned about having dropped off someone who was planning to burn a home down The driver told deputies Flores had a detergent bottle full of gasoline and a lighter with him Ed Brochu and two deputies arrived at the home as Flores was about to light the trails of gas he had poured leading to the trailer which would have caused significant damage Deputies forced Flores to the ground and discovered he had an 8-inch fixed-blade knife in his pocket deputies spoke with the friend who said he paid Flores back before they left the strip club He said they had been arguing about the money Flores sent the man messages over Snapchat about burning his house down or threatening to kill and do bodily harm to him Flores would not answer deputies' questions when asked about the incident Flores made threats of self-harm and corrections deputies inside the jail had to intervene and restrain him Martin County: Former Martin County detective arrested, charged with 11 counts of video voyeurism Structure fire: 'Significant damage' after home fire in Martin County; 1 injured INDIANTOWN — Human waste from a large swath of South Florida is expected to come to Indiantown for processing which has some residents wondering how the village will soon smell Sedron Technologies is planning to build a plant on 6 acres at Southwest 169th and Southwest Railroad avenues in the Booker Park neighborhood It may begin processing in the summer of 2026 The plant would be the first of its kind in the state "This will help broaden our tax base," said Councilwoman Janet Hernandez is the primary source of tax revenue for Indiantown But residents have concerns about the potential smell from the plant Indiantown Village Manager Taryn Kryzda toured a Sedron plant in Sumner along with Councilman Carmine Dipaolo and Pat Nolan Sedron's experience"We have learned a lot about how odor moves how to detect it and how to mitigate it," said Tim Evenson Sedron has "electronic noses" around the property in Sumner And software monitors the air flow so Sedron workers know where and how the odor would flow very few complaints in Sumner," Evenson said Sedron's plans for mitigating the potential odor in Indiantown are five times greater than that in Sumner so he expects basically zero smell in Indiantown so residents can ask questions about the plant Sedron's potential plant would turn septage cesspools and other sources; and biosolids the solid portion of waste from wastewater-treatment plants into fertilizer products and fuel for cement kilns It's "the first plant of its kind in Florida," said Stanley Janicki Indiantown is a good location because about 9 million people live in an area of South Florida that has no place to dispose of biosolids and fewer places are willing to accept septage More: Aging water wells could force Stuart to spend $66 million for safe, clean drinking water More: FDOT: Deaths, injuries could be averted if I-95 and Turnpike are connected in Martin County The council is expected to consider a lease with Sedron Aug A groundbreaking could occur late this year or early 2025 also pending necessary regulatory approvals A conservation easement agreement has killed plans for a proposed wind turbine project near Fort Indiantown Gap. Military officials say the proposed wind farm near Hegins would have negatively impacted helicopter training exercises. (File photo) Our community deserves strong local journalism LebTown delivers in-depth coverage of Lebanon County that helps you navigate daily life and stay informed about what matters most Fort Indiantown Gap has won a five-year battle against a proposed wind turbine project in Hegins Philadelphia-based project developer Doral Renewables LLC was collaborating with Schuylkill County-based Rausch Creek Land L.P. which is about 15 miles from the military installation.  the land needed for the project was in proximity to where military personnel conduct helicopter training exercises That led Fort Indiantown Gap officials to oppose the wind turbine proposal stating it would severely hamper the installation’s ability to conduct flight training and risk the safety of their personnel and could potentially lead to the federal government closing the base and moving training operations elsewhere president and CEO of Philadelphia-based Doral Renewables told LebTown in June 2022 that installation of the proposed $300-million project would not negatively impact the Gap’s ability to train service personnel since the wind turbines would be located 15 miles from the Gap’s base on coal-rich land known as Anthracite Ridge in Schuylkill County “We hired military experts who are very familiar with the operations at Fort Indiantown Gap and also with the clearinghouse rules,” said Cohen at the time Read More: Gap continues to lobby behind the scenes against proposed windmill project a Pennsylvania National Guard aviation officer said military research showed that the turbines would have “wiped out” about 44 percent of the military’s ability to conduct low-altitude training for its helicopter pilots.  Revisiting what transpired during the past two years Zerbe said a lot was happening simultaneously with the project proposal as Doral Renewables looked to advance it He said Doral Renewables filed a wind energy siting ordinance permit with Hegins Township officials to be in compliance with the Schuylkill County municipality’s code “That process happened in that time (mid-2022) that you are talking about,” said Zerbe So they (Doral) started an appeal process.” While that was happening, Zerbe said FTIG personnel were educating federal officials, including higher-ups at the Department of Defense and that agency’s siting clearinghouse about their concerns if this project was approved.  The DOD’s clearinghouse exists to provide a timely and repeatable process to evaluate potential impacts and mitigation options related to alternative energy production What are your concerns?’” Zerbe said of their education efforts including discussions FTIG officials had with the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installation Energy and Environment We need to think about it.’ So they took that information back and started processing it with various entities within the Pentagon During that same time, Zerbe said officials with the Gap’s Army Compatible Use Buffer (ACUB) program began discussions with the landowner about purchasing the land via a conservation easement.  ACUB is a conservation-based program like the commonwealth’s farmland preservation initiative that preserves land in perpetuity One difference is that properties eligible for ACUB must reside within a buffer zone in proximity to military installations.  that zone runs roughly away from the installation and follows the Swatara Creek as it flows to Ono The state department of military affairs’ website says the ACUB program is “designed to minimize development that is incompatible with military training activities by utilizing permanent conservation easements or other interests in land from willing landowners In the case of conservation easements or similar agreements the landowner retains ownership and rights to use the land for the purposes specified in the agreement.”  mutually agreed upon agreement where we look to conserve lands and the landowner retains those land rights,” said Zerbe “They still own the land and we just create what we call an easement.” Zerbe said negotiations with the landowner were conducted over the past two years and that process prevented military officials from speaking officially about the turbine project until now.  LebTown enquired this week about financial compensation to the landowner for selling their development rights and was told that while an agreement has been signed by the respective parties LebTown also asked if payment is based on a set dollar amount like the farmland preservation program which in Lebanon County is $2,500 per acre an environmental specialist with the DMVA’s Bureau of Environmental Management said that the price per acre in this program is based on third-party appraisals environmental manager with the Bureau of Environmental Management said the program is a DOD initiative that was created in 2004 by the federal government and approved to be administered at FTIG beginning in January 2013.  “Each military service has their own land conservation program and ACUB is the army’s version of that land conservation program,” said Valley the Army National Guard is able to request creation of an ACUB program and then work under that program we’re required to offer the landowner compensation based on fair market value as determined by a licensed appraiser He added compensation for each project is determined by acreage It was stated there were partner organizations including the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation meaning there were multiple funding sources.  Zerbe said ACUB was created to help avoid two words the military has mostly removed from its vernacular: eminent domain He said ACUB works because it is an initiative that requires landowner cooperation as an arm,  to go after eminent domain “That’s not what we’re about with private citizens This is a vehicle with a purpose behind it … There has to be a nexus of a premise of conservation or an impact that’s meaningful to (military) training.”   Zerbe noted that an official decision was never rendered by the DOD in this matter since an ACUB agreement occurred first that we were working an official (DOD) decision and then we repped ACUB and we may be able to work with the landowner for mutual interest to get to an agreement,” said Zerbe ACUB overtook her decision by a sense of there’s no decision that needs to be made.” to preserve the land and the Gap’s ability to conduct training exercises led Doral Renewables to “retract their filing to erect wind turbines in that area.” Concerning a specific timeline of events for this project over the past two years Zerbe said it is hard to pinpoint when negotiations started and when they concluded given the delicate nature of those ongoing talks Gap officials were in talks with Doral Renewables who was willing as noted in LebTown’s 2022 article to reduce the number of wind turbines by half Zerbe said that despite a proposed reduction by Doral Renewables in the number of turbines “The problem was that where the density of the wind turbines were There was a spur to the south and a spur to the west The turn radius … you have an obstacle that is say 500 feet high I need to have at a certain speed enough time to be able to turn safely,” said Zerbe Zerbe noted that fewer turbines would still have reduced available air space by 25 to 33 percent meaning officials would have had to find other locations for about 700 of the 900 sortie missions that are currently conducted annually at the Gap Zerbe noted the disagreement led to contentious debate with Doral Renewables representatives who relied on the testimony by plane pilot experts who are not trained in the intricacies of helicopter aircraft movements “We brought the assistant secretary of the army up here to physically see the land that we were talking about and actually fly it with her so she could see it herself,” said Zerbe you have to put a price tag on the safety of your pilots and your crew members.” Doral Renewables officials countered that windmills can be part of a battle area but Zerbe said his retort was that the army would likely destroy those obstacles first so that they could maneuver safely in that zone he added that the military worked with Doral Renewables to find a workable solution.   “While these two years that we were in waiting we actually were in mitigation negotiations with the developer,” said Zerbe to get compatible use with a wind turbine in that area You just can’t ignore a 500-foot wind turbine that is sticking out in the air and an aircraft flying (near there).” Zerbe said the Gap even offered Doral Renewables during those negotiations an option to install solar panels instead We have a solar farm here at the Gap,” said Zerbe “We proposed in mitigation that maybe they should look at alternative green energy beside wind turbines that wouldn’t have the same impact It’s not just the obstacle sticking out in the air it’s the turbulence and noise created by a wind turbine.” Zerbe added the turbulence caused by the wind turbines would have jeopardized safe landings and use of that airspace putting the safety of those training soldiers in jeopardy Zerbe said the Gap’s land mass is limited and that the military has to rely on willing community partners to continue their training mission which has been happening for 40-plus years.  He noted that losing the ability to train on off-site parcels would have impacted employees from a tri-county area He said one-third of his employees live in the Lebanon Valley We make up the people who use this (facility) as their life blood,” said Zerbe “Fort Indiantown Gap is almost the center of gravity for our National Guard let alone national training.” Recognizing the economic impact of FTIG,  Lebanon County Commissioners crafted and sent a letter on March 3 to the DOD stating their opposition to the wind turbine project.  Read More: Local Defense Group promotes vitality of Fort Indiantown Gap and the Lebanon Valley They cited concerns about the negative impacts the project would have on the operations of Fort Indiantown Gap LebTown asked county commissioner chairman Bob Phillips for an official comment on behalf of his colleagues concerning the proposal being axed I am glad that common sense prevailed so that the vital nature of the work that’s performed at the Gap can continue to come first,” said Phillips on Wednesday “They defend our country and prepare our troops LebTown asked Gap officials if they knew of any other plans for wind turbine projects in the works by Doral Renewables or other companies near the installation and that this specific location had been targeted since it has optimal wind generation He added there are no other areas where guardsmen train with that kind of wind capacity Editor’s note: This article was updated after publication to remove a reference to the amount of land needed for the solar farm pending confirmation of figures by officials Lebanon County needs modern local journalism that works. LebTown delivers timely, accurate reporting without paywalls or corporate mandates. Support our independent newsroom with a monthly or annual membership, or make a one-time contribution to fuel more local coverage — The mayor of Jupiter offered an update Monday to the traffic troubles many drivers experienced on Indiantown Road last week It's a story that WPTV reported on Thursday speaking to commuters who have been impacted by a new traffic light that was recently put up near Interstate 95 Jupiter Mayor Jim Kuretski posted on Facebook an update from the Florida Department of Transportation about the status of the controversial light The mayor said FDOT and Palm Beach County Traffic Engineering continue to work to reduce the temporary backups that have occurred at I-95 and Indiantown Road Kuretski's post said the traffic signal timing was adjusted Sunday night and they have seen encouraging signs that this has improved the situation "The traffic flow is expected to be much improved once construction of additional lanes is completed," Kuretski said in the Facebook post "The Department is expediting the construction of the 3rd and 4th eastbound lane on Indiantown Rd and the 3rd northbound to eastbound ramp lane from I-95." The traffic signal was installed as part of an ongoing improvement project it would not have been feasible to build the lanes first and install the traffic light later," Kuretski said The mayor thanked the public for their patience during the improvements to this interchange and encouraged everyone to drive safely through active work zones According to FDOT's website the $18 million project is expected to be completed next summer.