âIâll see you in heaven.â
It was the last thing Al Braccolino, 90, of Crown Point, told one of his daughters as paramedics loaded him into an ambulance Nov. 16. COVID-19 forced him into the final fight of his life.
Ten days later, the chair Al usually occupied at the Thanksgiving table would sit empty. The husband to his wife of 70 years, father of three and grandfather of six died on the holiday.
Alâs daughter, Sandra Noe, was herself suffering from COVID-19, which she contracted while caring for her sick parents, when the virus forced Alâs hospitalization.
Noe, 66, is no stranger to helping elderly shut-ins weather isolation.
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She said she understands COVID-19 could have played a role in that, but she questioned the value of hiring more personnel at a time when the department has generated less money.
Town officials said they will review the situation to compare the number of tickets to how much is collected when the violations are heard in Town Court or Merrillvilleâs blight hearings.
Town Councilman Shawn Pettit said itâs important to stay on top of code enforcement issues.
âWe canât let this town go down the drain,â he said.
Clerk-Treasurer Kelly White Gibson encouraged the council to review all charges associated with code enforcement violations to ensure they are sufficient to cover Merrillvilleâs cost of handling the issues.
MERRILLVILLEÂ â The town is adding part-time personnel to the Code Enforcement department for security purposes.
Town Councilman Richard Hardaway said there are two code enforcement officers who issue citations for overgrown yards, tall weeds and other violations.
He said there have been occasions in which they are threatened with harm when issuing citations, and one person recently followed a code enforcement officer after she responded to a violation.
âWe canât have our employees in harmâs way,â Hardaway said.
Merrillville is hiring a part-time employee to go with the officers while they handle code violations. Hardaway said increasing the presence should prevent situations from escalating.
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