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The City Board of Zoning Appeals last night continued a developer’s variance requests to build multi-family units on the west side of Shelbyville. Board members asked for time to review density, safety, and traffic matters related to Christian Investments’ proposal to construct 96 market-rate apartment units at 1451 W. McKay Road, adjacent to Berwick, New Park Condos, and Canterbury/Indian Heights subdivisions.
The current drawings show three-story buildings that, factoring in the 16 existing units recently purchased by Christian, would add up to 48 two-bedroom and 48 one-bedroom units, for a total of 100-plus apartments. Crystal Kent, with Prince Alexander Architecture, called the size of the development a “sweet spot” for property management purposes.
“The basic premise here is that to keep rents in a range that our market can support without sacrificing the quality of the building or the aesthetics, we need to find efficiency in every way that we can,” Kent said. She cited the location’s proximity to schools as a key seller.
But several board members expressed concerns.
“I have problems with the number of units in this small space,” James Lisher said. Doug Cassidy asked about a proposed drawing showing only one entrance to the complex. Nicole Terrell expressed doubts about three-story units. “...probably my biggest concern is having this massive apartment complex in the middle of established neighborhoods,” Terrell said.
City plan director Adam Rude said he would work with the petitioner to further review those issues before the next board meeting.
In other business, the BZA unanimously adopted findings of fact and conclusions of law that vacated three violations, declared moot two violations, and upheld five violations in the Sumerford administrative appeal, following a January hearing on the matter. Violations 1, 2, and 3 were vacated and violations 4 and 5 declared moot, with violations 6 through 10 upheld. Voting members were Chris Clark, Nicole Terrell, Doug Cassidy, James Lisher, and Wade Lewis.
TIMELESS TRADITION
Children sled at Morrison Park yesterday. City schools had called an e-learning day due to the snow. | Kristiaan Rawlings
The Jack Boyce photos below show Landon Wetter, 4, on the Boys Club "slopes", helped by family friend Scott Brown. The boy’s father, Justin Wetter, who waited at the bottom of the hill, said it was Landon’s first time there.
REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK
City of Shelbyville Street Department employees worked between midnight and 4 a.m. to clear local streets yesterday morning. Mayor Tom DeBaun said that although lesser amounts of snow in recent years had been helpful to the budget, this week's accumulation was "bound to happen." DeBaun joked to street commissioner Doug Hunt, "If you look at a snowflake under a microscope, it's shaped like a dollar sign." The mayor and board member David Finkel complimented the department on the condition of the roads.
The Shelbyville Police Department is performing a traffic study on E. Mechanic St., between Noble and Pike Streets, following reports of speeding vehicles. Depending on the results, the city board of works may review traffic control measures, such as lowering the speed limit or installing stop signs.
The following couples applied for marriage licenses at the Shelby County Clerk's office last week:
Joseph F. Biddy, 21, and Kristina L. Drake, 20
Sean Patrick Watson, 43, and Betsy M. Wickliff, 41
Rachel A. Hooker, 27, and Chyenne R. Spurlock, 22
Shayna N. Aukerman, 25, and Andrew A. Dunn, 25
The Shelby County Board of Zoning Appeals members elected Kevin Carson as the new president; Jim Douglas as vice-president; and Dave Klene as secretary.
Several county residents appeared at last night's Shelby County Board of Zoning Appeals meeting to discuss a case. The only problem: the petitioner didn't appear. Without Mr. Kenneth Engle or a representative on hand to discuss a variance request to allow for two new single-family residential lots without road frontage at 4620 N 400 W, Fairland, the BZA denied a continuance request, which had been implied in communication with the planning staff. The petition had been previously continued. "I think we need to go through the petition process and notify the neighbors all over again," board president Kevin Carson said.
The county BZA approved continuing a variance request from Northwestern Consolidated School District to allow for the expansion of a bus parking lot at Triton Central Middle School. The application was moved to a future meeting after a representative failed to appear on behalf of the petitioner.
The county BZA unanimously approved a variance request to allow for a woodworking shop at 15-17 Hale Road. The petitioner, Steve Apple, said he was a Shelby County native returning to the area after nearly 30 years in Chicago. Apple said he and his son would be the primary employees at the shop, which would operate five to six days per week by appointment. The property, which also fronts Hendricks Ave., has previously served as an auto body shop, woodworking and cabinet business, and housed vocational school classes.
The Shelbyville Board of Public Works issued orders to appear for the owners of 719 First Street and 1301 State Street regarding nuisance matters.
Thefts were reported in the 2300 block of Raleigh Blvd. and 1200 block of E. State Road 44, Shelbyville. Police also responded to fights in the 100 block of W. Locust St. and 500 block of Shelby St.
As of yesterday, the state reported 4,475 positive coronavirus cases in Shelby County, an increase of 17 from the previous day, out of 17,792 tests, an increase of 26 from the day before. The number of deaths for Shelby County remained the same, at 87
HOOSIER NEWS: Following more than two hours of public comment regarding the potential construction of a solar field in Knox County, members of the county’s Area Plan Commission have decided to give themselves some time to think it all over. Dozens filled a large meeting space at Vincennes Water Utilities’ Drinking Water Plant on River Road Tuesday night to speak either in favor of or against plans for a more than 1,200-acre solar field to be constructed in southeastern Knox County. After hearing all of them out, APC members said they wanted to hit pause, not only to think the proposed plan over themselves but to take the time necessary to get answers to the questions raised by the people who would be most affected. The APC is considering an application for the proposed development of a $110 million solar farm dubbed RATTS 2 being taken on by Tenaska, a Nebraska-based solar company, and Capital Dynamics, the company that will oversee construction and management. (Vincennes Sun-Commercial)
NATIONAL NEWS: Major League Baseball has quietly made its balls less springy, a move that follows years of the “juiced ball,” a period when because of the materials or processes used baseballs seemed to have a little more “coefficient of restitution,” which the MLB requires to be between 0.530 and 0.570. Rawlings will loosen the tension on the first of three windings of wool in the ball, which is believed to knock the COR down 0.01 to 0.02 and shave 2.8 grams of weight off the ball. The change is believed to cause balls to fly 1 to 2 feet shorter on hits over 375 feet, which could dampen the record 6,776 home runs hit in the 2019 regular season, a year when 6.6 percent of plate appearances were home runs. (Associated Press)
UPDATE FROM THE EDITOR
Dear Readers,
Since December, I have pored over your emails and pondered the next step for The Addison Times. A major factor in my hesitancy to continue the publication was saving face: how many times can the product be adjusted? But the truth is that our most recent iteration was working, even paying for itself. And it’s been a joint effort. Thank you so much for your continued support.
While no simple solution solves the current state of journalism, I’ve attempted to strike a balance between informing as many members of the public as possible, providing quality coverage for those willing to invest in it, and developing a path for those who kindly offered to support this endeavor beyond the subscription dues.
We will continue to offer the daily edition free through Sunday, Feb. 21. Afterward, the following subscriptions options will apply (click here to subscribe.):
The current daily edition continues for $6 per month, or $60 annually, which includes 3 a.m. digital delivery every day and (new!) the ability to post internal comments on stories. The daily edition will continue to include local news, obituaries, This Day in Shelby County History, a retro George Stubbs cartoon, and more.
The Founding Members Club allows subscribers to donate beyond the annual rate. Those who do so will receive occasional special print editions, which include a printed list of members. The first special edition is slated for this summer.
A free edition will be sent each Sunday to non-paying subscribers.
Since the paywall will not be installed until Feb. 22, interested readers should feel free to wait until closer to then to subscribe. Checks for any number of months may also be sent to The Addison Times, 310 W. South St., Shelbyville, IN 46176. Please send me your email address, as well.
Several subscribers generously declined to cash their refund checks from the print edition. That credit should be applied before you pay more. Just respond to this email that you wish to remain on the list and I’ll take care of it.
Also, we’ve considered how to handle subscriptions for additional members of the household. Immediate family members may purchase a subscription at a 50% discount. (A link will be provided to subscribers in a welcome email.)
Finally, we are converting to a different website and software company that I hope provides a smoother user experience. You should receive two identical emails today. If not, one may be in your spam/junk folder. We’ll test out this new system before full implementation.
As always, let me know whatever you need. I certainly apologize for the interruption of the past couple of months. Thank you again for sticking around...through this email and through the past six years!
- Kristiaan Rawlings, editor
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
Kay Dellekamp established a scholarship in memory of her husband, Gene, from funds that included money from the sale of Dellekamp Parts Store at the intersection of Harrison and Broadway Streets. Through a $100,000 donation to the Blue River Foundation, the Gene and Kay Dellekamp Scholarship was set up to annually award a Shelby County student attending Purdue. Gene had graduated from St. Joseph Catholic School and Kay from Shelbyville High School. They were married in 1939. Gene passed away in 1995. All of their children - Nancy Bell, Jean Ann Screiber, and Bill Dellekamp, had graduated from SHS.
30 YEARS AGO: 1991
Shelbyville Junior High School Principal Michael Osha confirmed that the statue of Abraham Lincoln on the second floor of the building would move to the new middle school. The statue was one of a series donated by the graduating class of 1900 and had been in the Second Street building since the school opened. Lincoln had been loaded from his pedestal on Dec. 18, 1990, to be moved to the entrance of the new school.
40 YEARS AGO: 1981
The Robert Weaver residence on CR 675 W, south of 350S, caught fire and was a total loss.
A former Clark Oil Co. employee was charged in a recent theft from the station at 103 E. Broadway. The station had recently closed for unexplained reasons.
50 YEARS AGO: 1971
Boy Scouts Mike Rosenfeld, Jeff Hart, and Ken Zabriskie, all students at Shelby Junior High, received the Ad Altare Dei medal, the top Catholic religious award in scouting.
60 YEARS AGO: 1961
The Rev. and Mrs. James West were welcomed by the Rev. E.R. Phelps, pastor of the Shelbyville Baptist Temple, in a reception held at the church. Rev. and Mrs. West had been called to aid the local assembly from the First Baptist Church in Attica. West would be in charge of Christian education, youth work, and music ministry.
The Farmers National Bank new "drive-in window" opened behind the bank on East Jackson St. A community room was also available free of charge in the new facility for churches, clubs, and organizations.
70 YEARS AGO: 1951
Aleta Ault, city school speech and hearing therapist, said that 102 of Shelbyville grade school children were affected by speech and hearing defects. Ault told local Rotarians that it was less expensive to provide corrective services than to hold students in the same grade a second time for work not completed due to speech and hearing issues.
80 YEARS AGO: 1941
A man held up the Swick filling station at Harrison and Hendricks Streets. He had entered the station with a handkerchief covering his face and told employee Floyd Poe that he had a nose bleed. Poe led the man to the back of the station to find something to address the matter when the man announced he was robbing the place.
90 YEARS AGO: 1931
The Republican described the Shelbyville High School basketball team's latest loss by including it in a list of "great catastrophes" such as "the Chicago fire of 1871, the Johnstown flood of 1889, the Galveston tornado of 1900, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, the Titanic disaster of 1912, the stock market crash of 1929, the Democratic landslide of 1930, the Shelby collapse of 1931 at Gary." The paper said the players knew "durn well that they weren't playing the style of ball that they can play. In fact, they could have lost to Morristown, Flat Rock, Waldron or Mt. Auburn almost as readily."
100 YEARS AGO: 1921
The Shelbyville mayor's and nurse's offices were "taking on the appearance of a grocery store" with items for the needy, newspapers said, noting that many in the community were falling behind on their rent.
The city clerk's annual report noted that 45 building permits were issued in 1920 and that the city was $74,800 in debt.OBITUARIES
Clarence “Joe” Come, Jr., 76, of Shelbyville passed away Thursday, February 4, 2021 at MHP Medical Center. He was born July 6, 1944 in Montpelier, VT to Clarence J. Come, Sr. and Gladys Marie (Bartlett) Come. He married Mary (Purtlebaugh) Come on June 17, 1977, and she survives. Joe is also survived by his daughter, Beth Cox of New Palestine; son Mark Come of Dayton, OH; grandsons Michael Leeper of PA, Jesse Nottingham of Connersville, and Bobby Gardner of Shelbyville; granddaughter Taylor Gardner of Connersville; and two great-grandchildren.
Joe worked for the Shelbyville Newspaper as a carrier so he could purchase his first car. While in high school, he was active in the Silver Air Patrol. Joe was a starting running back for Shelbyville High School during his Junior and Senior years. He worked at Standard Grocery for 20 years. He was a supervisor for Speedway for 15 years and worked 9 years at Thomas Market in Franklin. Joe was a member of Bible Holiness Church and the Jaycee’s. He enjoyed woodworking, camping, bowling and fishing. Joe was a pitcher in softball. He was an avid fan of the Indiana Pacers and Indianapolis Colts.
Visitation and funeral services were held Monday, February 8, 2021 at Bible Holiness Church, 2911 E. Michigan Road, Shelbyville, IN. with Reverend Joseph Smith and Reverend Rick Moreland officiating. Burial was in Whispering Hope Memorial Gardens and Crematory. Funeral directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks, and Stuart Parks are honored to serve Joe’s family. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.
Jared Dane Ewick, 35, of Shelbyville passed away Wednesday, February 3, 2021 at IU Methodist Hospital. He was born October 3, 1985 in Shelbyville, the son of James E. Ewick and Sherri (Runnebohm) Ewick.
Jared was a rapper and songwriter, an avid outdoorsman, and enjoyed camping and fishing. He is survived by his parents; stepson Samuel Marchant; brother, Cassidy Ewick; and his sister, Kaleigh Ewick; also, his stepmother Janice Poynter, step-brother Shawn Barngrover, and step-sister, Natasha Barngrover, several aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews. Jared leaves behind many family and friends to cherish his memory and will be sadly missed by all. Jared is viewed in the eyes of many as a hero for donating to the Donors Network to help others. He was preceded in death by his brother, Rusty Ewick; stepbrother Bradley Barngrover; grandparents Bobby and Hazel Bourlard; and Cliff and Rosie Runnebohm.
Services and visitation were held Tuesday, February 9, 2021 at Murphy-Parks Funeral Service, 703 S. Harrison Street, Shelbyville, IN 46176 with Reverend Bill Horner officiating. Funeral directors Greg Parks, Sheila Parks, and Stuart Parks are honored to serve Jared’s family. Memorial contributions may be given to SAVE – Suicide Awareness Voices of Education 7900 Xerxes Avenue South, Suite 810, Bloomington, MN 55431, Mental Illness Awareness and Donors Network at NAMI, PO Box 49104, Baltimore, MD 21297. Online condolences may be shared at www.murphyparks.com.
Father Peter Gallagher, former Shelbyville resident, passed away Saturday, February 6, 2021 at his residence. Funeral services are pending at Murphy-Parks Funeral Services.