Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021
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Large Distribution Center Planned for Pleasant View Area
The Shelby County Council last night unanimously approved a tax abatement for a distribution center to be constructed near the Pleasant View interchange. Five Below, Inc., a teen and tween specialty value retailer that operates over 1,000 stores in 38 states, plans to invest up to $55 million in land and construction and $40 million in machinery and equipment in its sixth distribution building nationwide, submitted documents state. The company is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pa.
“We are very excited about this project and investing in Shelby County,” Shannon O’Hare, a commercial real estate firm representative told the council via Zoom last night. “We've had great experiences working with everyone there locally so far.”
The 100-acre property to be developed is northwest of the interchange, bounded by McGregor Road to the south and Carroll Road to the west. The documents and O’Hare noted that the structure will be approximately 1 million square feet and eventually employ 470 full-time positions at base wages of $17.73. That wage factors above $21 when benefits are included, O’Hare said.
Attorney Peter DePrez, appearing on behalf of the Shelby County Development Corporation, said that local officials had been working diligently on the project.
“Obviously, the numbers speak for themselves,” DePrez said, in support of the abatement.
Chris Hoke, superintendent of Northwestern Consolidated Schools, which is near the area, said a tax abatement and the creation of a TIF district would not negatively affect their budget. “The impact on our levee is neutral, so from a financial standpoint, it's really not a consideration in that sense for us,” Hoke said. “The impact on the community could be considerable in a positive fashion, so we’re very much in support of that.”
Moral Township Volunteer Fire Department Chief Aaron Lathrop expressed concerns to the council about providing services to the development without additional funding. Council president Tony Titus said the matter would be reviewed.
The ten-year abatement is for real property, starting at 100 percent the first year and declining 10 percent annually. Additionally, the company will receive a five-year, 100 percent abatement for personal property on installation of equipment.
O’Hare said that the center would also be used for Five Below’s e-commerce, a division that has grown “exponentially” during the pandemic. If all goes according to plans, the company will proceed quickly, she said. “Depending on the weather, we’re hoping to move dirt as soon as we can after finalizing the agreement with the developer, hopefully in April.”
The snow settles in on the MHP campus yesterday. | Jack Boyce photo
NEIGHBORS HELPING NEIGHBORS
Riley Village residents team up to help an older neighbor early yesterday morning. | submitted
NOTEBOOK
Shelby County Commissioners approved the annual interlocal agreement with township trustees for poor relief. The board also approved IWM Consulting Group to bore on Washington St. in Flat Rock. In other matters, Commissioner Don Parker advised that he had received a sample resolution for the commissioners to draft and sign and send to state legislatures regarding HB 1381. Commissioners unanimously approved counsel to draft the letter and submit to the State.
County Commissioners approved switching companies for the 911 mass notification system. The county currently contracts with Nixel for $13,500 per year. At the advice of Shelby County Emergency Management director Ryan Hansome, who said he had consulted with Sheriff Koch and E-911 director Jason Able, commissioners approved signing a five-year contract with Rave Mobile Safety for a total of $57,999.90, a savings of close to $10,000 over five years. Mr. Able said the new system will tie into the current Smart 911 system in use and is currently used by Hancock and Johnson counties.
The Shelby County Council approved the appropriation of $717,750 from the cumulative bridge fund for the construction of Bridge 32, which is on CR 500 North over Little Blue River.
Two Shelby County teachers received grants through the Lilly Endowment Teacher Creativity Fellowships to “renew their own curiosity and deepen personal and professional development.” Triton Central Elementary teacher Jill Carson-Coen received funding to participate in aerial classes at a nearby studio in Indianapolis, attend trapeze camp in New York City, and experience a live Big Apple Circus performance. Shelbyville High School teacher Natalie Renwick received a grant to “acquire a travel trailer and drive down the Eastern Divide (Appalachian Mountains), visiting both urban and rural locations, to confront personal bias and connect with a diverse range of people and communities through the exploration of the arts and traditional local crafts.”
Police responded to a report of a driver attempting to leave the scene in the 500 block of N. Knightstown Road after striking and snapping a utility pole. The driver’s vehicle was stuck in a ditch when police arrived. While police conducted a Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus Test, the driver began “acting very strange and spinning around in circles,” the police report said. The driver was eventually arrested.
A vehicle ran off the road at Blue River Memorial Park and struck a light pole, knocking it down. The driver said he had been distracted while on his phone.
The following couples applied for marriage licenses at the Shelby County Clerk’s office last week: Devin M. Basey, 21, and Sophia E. Granados, 22; Cody S. Armentrout, 26, and Alexandria N. Girdler, 23; and Glen A. Hamlin, 50, and Darla K. Hamlin, 56.
As of yesterday, the state reported 4,542 positive coronavirus cases in Shelby County, an increase of 4 from the previous day, out of 18,010 tests, an increase of 19 from the day before. The number of deaths for Shelby County remained the same, at 88.
HOOSIER NEWS: Indiana’s license requirement to carry a handgun in public would now be eliminated in March 2022, instead of July 2021, under a bill passed by a House committee Monday. The committee pushed back the bill’s timeline in a bid to placate law enforcement agencies. Law enforcement leaders – including State Police Superintendent Doug Carter – told lawmakers last week that the license system was the only way for frontline police to quickly know whether a person is authorized to carry a handgun in public. Bill author Rep. Ben Smaltz (R-Auburn) said pushing back the elimination of the license will give law enforcement more time to develop a new system that tells police who shouldn’t be carrying a handgun. (Indiana Public Radio)
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THIS DAY IN SHELBY COUNTY HISTORY
News around Shelbyville and the surrounding area as reported on or about this date in history. Selections are curated from the Shelby County Public Library Genealogy Department.
20 YEARS AGO: 2001
Two Shelbyville High School students won first and second place in the Indiana Repertory Theatre writing contest. Merry Bartley, a senior, won the contest with an essay titled, “Crumbs Come from Life, Not Screens.” Michelle Kaltenbach won second place.
30 YEARS AGO: 1991
Longtime Shelbyville attorney Bob Good successfully completed his first solo airplane flight at the Shelbyville Airport at the age of 70, although he technically had possessed a pilot’s license for 50 years. He had completed the Civilian Pilot Training program at Indiana University in 1939-40 but it was dormant until Good began taking lessons again in 1990. His son and law partner, Warren Good, had also recently become interested in flying.
40 YEARS AGO: 1981
Janice Frazier, daughter of Rev. and Mrs. David Frazier, 228 W. Broadway, was named countywide SCUFFY art contest winner. Janice, a fifth-grader at Thomas Hendricks School, received a bicycle as a prize from contest chairman Dan Ivie.The interior of Zerr’s East Side Market, 155 E. Mechanic St., caught fire. The store and attached residence of Francis Zerr sustained several thousands of dollars in damage.
50 YEARS AGO: 1971
A Shelbyville man pleaded guilty to 19 burglaries. Prosecutor Jerry Lux handled the case, which involved the theft of 24 pocketbooks from various local homes. In other court news, a man arrested for failing to provide support for three children was sentenced to the county highway department crew while serving his jail sentence.
60 YEARS AGO: 1961
A cornerstone laying ceremony was held for the new St. Mark Lutheran Church building on the east side of old U.S. 421 Highway. The sanctuary of the new building had a 35-foot peaked roof supported by redwood beams imported from the West Coast specifically for the church. Among the contents of the cornerstone were the Bible, clippings from the newspaper, Martin Luther’s Small Catechism, the Augsburg Confession, Luther’s 95 Theses, a sketch of the church, a copy of the church budget, and a list of members. Wilbert Nentrup and Harold Crickenberger were in charge of organizing the event.70 YEARS AGO: 1951
Shelbyville High School students William Kinsley, Helen Risley, and James Mewborn took part in the annual county oratorical contest at the courthouse, sponsored by the American Legion.
80 YEARS AGO: 1941
Joe Schroeder, 6, of Shelbyville, astounded his friends by eating 8 Power Houses, 2 Babe Ruths, and 2 Snickers in one setting. “I wasn’t very hungry,”’ Joe told his friends, The Republican reported. “I shoulda done better.”
90 YEARS AGO: 1931
Fairland High school students presented “My Spanish Sweetheart,” an operetta. Mrs. Claudia Force, music teacher, directed the production. Seventy boys and girls were in the cast.
100 YEARS AGO: 1921
Two young Kokomo couples were arrested while passing through Shelbyville. They were reportedly on their way to Louisville to be married. The two girls had visited Dr. O.L. Adams in the Alhambra building asking for gasoline. Dr. Adams later realized they were accompanied by two young men, at which point he notified police.Shelbyville City Council awarded contracts for street sign brackets to be made at the foundry.
OBITUARIES
Lela Mae Kimery (Guffin) Ewing, age 94, of Lakewood Ranch, Florida, passed away on February 10, 2021 in Venice, Florida. She was born in Greenwood, Indiana on October 12, 1926 to Ralph D. and Clara Agnes (Zartman) Kimery. Lela graduated from Morristown High School in 1944. She married Rolland D. Guffin on July 20, 1946 in Gwynneville, Indiana and after his passing in 1991 married Lawrence Ewing on December 28, 1998 in Palm City, Florida.
Lela was a homemaker, former Sunday School teacher and a member of Gwynneville Christian Church.
She is survived by her three sons, Carl and Dottie Guffin of Punta Gorda, Florida, Robert Guffin of Clermont, Florida, Marvin and Pam Guffin of New Palestine, Indiana; and one daughter, Patricia Hauk of Plainview, Texas: brothers, Don Kimery of Cox Creek, Kentucky, Dick Kimery of Shelbyville, Indiana; sisters, Pat Fisher of Junction City, Kansas, Reba Keaton of Morristown, Indiana, Elsie and husband Jerry Martin of Indianapolis, Indiana, Sue Scott of Indianapolis, Indiana; nine grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Lela was preceded in death by her first husband, Rolland Guffin and second husband, Lawrence Ewing; two brothers, Jim and Ray Kimery and three sisters, Avon Huhnke, Mary Tracy and Erma Potter: brother-in-laws Joe Potter, Bob Keaton, and Clancy Fisher; sister-in-laws Barbara Kimery and Treva Kimery.
A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 11:30 a.m. at Erlewein Mortuary & Crematory, 1484 W. US Hwy. 40, Greenfield, IN 46140 with viewing from 9:00-11:00 AM prior to the service. Pastor Ted Hagel will be officiating. Burial will follow at Hanover Cemetery, Morristown, Indiana. As a reminder, the government mandate requires guests to wear masks when inside the building. We must also limit the number of guests in the building according to the state policy and please practice social distancing. The family invites you to watch a livestream of Lela’s funeral service here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88454650899?pwd=YUNyQXJ5NkpmN25mZWVubUJQTmR4QT09
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made by mail to the Gwynneville Christian Church, P.O. Box 130, Gwynneville, Indiana 46144. Friends may share a memory or condolence at www.erleweinmortuary.com.Paul V. Adams, 86, of North Vernon, passed away Friday, February 12, 2021 at Our Hospice of South Central Indiana, Columbus. He was born December 21, 1934 in Shelbyville to Ernest Adams and Opal (Herndon) Adams.
Paul attended Shelbyville High School. He enjoyed being outdoors, especially fishing and golfing. He loved to travel. His most precious times were spent with his family. Paul was employed at Allied Signal as a general laborer working on airplane air compressors.
He married Violet Jean (Lousch) Adams in June of 2011 and she survives. Paul is survived by his sons, Richard Adams of Bullhead City, AZ, William Adams of Indianapolis, his daughter, Cindy Walls of Martinsville, his son, Brian Adams of Los Angeles, CA, five grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. He was preceded in death by 18 brothers and sisters.
Visitation will be from 10 a.m. to Noon, Friday, February 19, 2021 at Murphy-Parks Funeral Service, 703 S. Harrison Street, Shelbyville, IN 46176. Funeral services will follow at Noon at the funeral home with Pastor Edwin Mohr officiating. Burial will be in Forest Hill Cemetery. Funeral directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks, and Stuart Parks are honored to serve Paul’s family. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.
